(A model Summary of the short story ‘The Luncheon’ by W. S. Maugham has been shared below. The story is taken as adapted in English For Today for Classes 11 & 12 by NCTB for the Higher Secondary students of Bangladesh)
Summary of the The Luncheon by W. S. Maugham
‘The Luncheon’, a charming short story of W.S. Maugham premises upon a restaurant visit by the narrator twenty years ago, in reception of a lady assumed to be an admirer of his arts. The narrator again hits upon the lady in a theatre later on and recalls the past story in his mind, while a formal conversation takes place between them.
The narrator recalls that he has been a bachelor residing in Paris, when the persuasive letter from the lady comes, proposing a lunchtime meet-up in the elite “Foyot’s” restaurant on her journey across the city. For the sake of their previous acquaintance through letters, the narrator could not deny the luring proposal. Although, he gets astonished later on to discover her as a woman of forty, imposing to be younger.
Just before their date, he has eighty francs for his all monthly expenses, and a modest lunch also should not cost more than fifteen. Moreover, the lady’s repetitive words “I never eat anything for lunch” give him enough hope at their arrival to the restaurant. But uttering these same words again and again the lady chooses costly salmon as the main dish, and other pricey items like caviar, champagne, asparagus etc. as side dishes. Ironically, she kept rebuking him for the cheapest mutton chop he has chosen, as an unhealthy choice.
This embarrasment from the lady leaves him totally penurious and suffering fianacially, as he possesses nothing to afford the rest of the month.
At last the author observes that the harrasments she has done on that day, though has made him suffer inescapably for the time, but has been revenged by the immortal gods on behalf of him. As the lady has now become morbidly obese weighing twenty one stones, it gives the narrator a complaisant satisfaction to observe her sufferings these days.
বাংলাদেশের HSC (এইচ.এস.সি.) পরীক্ষার্থীদের জন্য বলব, প্রথমত তোমাদের বইয়ে W. S. Maugham এর লেখা পুরো গল্পটি দেয়া নেই। দ্বিতীয়ত, তোমাদের পরীক্ষায় বইয়ে দেয়া পুরো The Luncheon গল্পটির উপরও summary লিখতে আসবে না, বরং, গল্পের একটি নির্দিষ্ট অংশ প্রশ্নে তুলে দিয়ে সেখান থেকে আসবে, এবং তা ৫০ শব্দের মধ্যেই লিখতে হবে । কাজেই তোমরা এই পুরো গল্পের summaryটি মাথায় রাখলেও, অবশ্যই যতটুকু তুলে দেয়া থাকবে প্রশ্নে, ততটুকুর summary লিখবে। নইলে হুবহু মুখস্ত করে তুলে দিলে শূণ্য পাবার সম্ভাবনাও উড়িয়ে দেয়া যায় না ।
Eating Habit and Hazards – The Luncheon : Word Meanings
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Word |
Synonyms |
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1. Habit (noun) |
practice, custom, pattern, routine, style, convention, policy, way, manner, mode, norm, tradition, rule, tendency, propensity, inclination, bent, proclivity, proneness, disposition, predisposition |
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2. Hazards (noun) |
danger, risk, peril, threat, menace,difficulty, problem, pitfall, jeopardy, perilousness, endangerment, imperilment |
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3. Playwright (noun) |
dramatist, dramaturgist |
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4. Lucid (noun) |
transparent, clear, crystalline, colourless, diaphanous, immaculate, coherent |
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5. Admire (verb) |
applaud, praise, commend, approve of, favor, appreciate respect, hold in high esteem, |
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6. Luncheon (noun) |
lunch, a formal lunch |
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7. Humor (noun) |
mood, temper, disposition, temperament, state of mind, spirit |
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8.Irony (noun) |
sarcasm, sardonicism, cynicism, sharpness, acerbity, acid, bitterness, trenchancy, mordancy, |
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9. Lavish (adjective) |
sumptuous, luxurious, luxuriant, costly, opulent, grand, elaborate, splendid, rich, regal, ornate, expensive |
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10. Expense (noun, verb) |
cost, price, expenditure charge, outlay, fee, tariff, toll, levy, payment, amount, rate |
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11. Sight (noun) |
eyesight, vision, come into view, visual perception, observation |
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12. Beckon (noun, verb) |
gesture, signal, wave, gesticulate, make a gesture, motion, nod, call |
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13.Interval (noun) |
intermission, interlude, entr’acte, interim, break, recess, pause, gap |
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14. Mention (verb) |
allude to, refer to, touch on, hint at, raise, introduce |
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15. Hardly ( adverb ) |
scarcely, barely, faintly, narrowly, slightly, rarely, little |
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16. Recognize ( verb ) |
identify, acknowledge, remember, recall, recollect, call to mind |
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17. Address (verb, noun) |
evoke, summon, accost , speech, locatio |
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18. Brightly ( adverb ) |
glaringly, lively |
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19. Overlook (verb) |
ignore, miss, fail to notice, fail to observe, leave unnoticed, forgive, observe |
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20. Cemetery ( noun ) |
graveyard, churchyard, burial ground, garden of remembrance, bone-yard, tomb |
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21. Barely (adverb) |
hardly, scarcely, just, only just, narrowly, by a very small margin, by the narrowest of margins |
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22. Presently (adverb) |
at present, currently, at this moment, nowadays, these days, today |
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23. Afterwards (adverb) |
later, later on, subsequently, then, after that, following that, next, eventually, after a period of time, in due course |
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24. Beyond ( preposition ) |
far, outside, the farther side of, behind, past, after, out of |
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25. Flatter (verb) |
eulogize, false praise, persuade |
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26. Modest (adjective) |
polite, decent, gentle, moderate, unpretentious, humble, unpresuming, unostentatious, free from vanity, keeping, shy, bashful, timid, reserved, retiring, media-shy, reticent, quiet, coy, blushing, meek, docile, mild, apologetic |
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27. Cut out (verb) |
exclude, eliminate, rule out |
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28. Correspondence (noun) 29. Appearance (noun) |
letter, mail, post, communication, similarity advent, presence, arrival, emergence, look, countenance, mien |
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30. Imposing (adjective) |
deceptive, insidious, impressive in appearance, eye-catching, dramatic, spectacular, staggering, stunning, awesome, awe-inspiring, remarkable, formidable,splendid, grand, majestic, august, lofty, stately, dignified, resplendent |
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31. Rather (adverb) |
more precisely, to be precise, to be exact, correctly speaking |
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32. Impression (noun) |
impact, influence, mark, reputation, suspicion, apprehension |
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33. Talkative (adjective) |
chatty, loquacious, garrulous, voluble, conversational, gossipy, chattery, chattering,communicative |
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34. Inclined (adjective) |
disposed, desirous, enthusiastic, minded, willing, ready, prepared predisposed |
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35. Attentive (adjective) |
alert, awake, watchful, observant, perceptive, percipient, aware, noticing, heedful, mindful, vigilant, on guard, on the qui vive |
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36. Startle (verb) |
surprise, frighten, scare, alarm, shock, amaze, perturb, unsettle, agitate, disturb, disconcert, disquiet |
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37. Anticipate (verb) |
expect, foresee, predict, forecast, prophesy, foretell, contemplate the possibility of, allow for, be prepared for |
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38. Generously (adverb) |
kindly, magnanimously, benignantly |
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39. Caviare ( noun ) |
Not Applicable |
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40. Sink (p. Sank) [verb] |
succumb, immerse, drown |
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41. Afford (verb) |
bear, sustain, stand, carry |
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42. Unwise (adjective) |
foolish, thoughtless, injudicious, goofy, ill-advised, imprudent |
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43. Promptly (adverb) |
instantaneously, quickly, swiftly, rapidly, speedily, fast, as soon as possible, ASAP, expeditiously at once, immediately, straight away, right away, without delay, without hesitation, forthwith, directly, instantly, instaby unhesitatingly |
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44. Proceed (verb) |
continue, begin, make a start, get going, move, go on, make progress |
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45. Digestion (noun) |
dissolution,assimilation, absorption, ingestion |
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46. Hospitable (adjective) |
welcoming, friendly, congenial, genial, sociable, convivial, cordial, gracious, amicable, amenable, helpful, accommodating, neighbourly, warm-hearted, kind, kind-hearted, generous, liberal, bountiful, open-handed |
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47. Effusive (adjective) |
gushy, unrestrained, unreserved, extravagant, fulsome, demonstrative, lavish, enthusiastic, exuberant, ebullient |
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48. Amicable (adjective) |
friendly, good-natured, cordial, hospitable, courteous, polite, easy-going, neighbourly, brotherly, fraternal, harmonious, cooperative, civilized |
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49.Trifle (noun) |
unimportant, unimportant thing, trivial matter, trivial thing, triviality, matter of no importance, thing of no importance, bagatelle, inessential |
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50. Pale (adjective) |
faded , flabby, discoloured, bleak, white, tarnished |
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51. Casually (adverb) |
vainly, miraculously, without purpose |
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52. Forbidden (adjective) |
prohibited, banned, debarred, vetoed, not allowed, disallowed, illegal, impermissible, not acceptable, unauthorized, unsanctioned |
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53. Gaily (adverb) |
merrily, cheerfully, cheerily, happily, joyfully, joyously, light-heartedly, blithely, jauntily, gleefully, with pleasure |
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54. Task (noun) |
job, duty, chore, charge, labour, assignment, function, engagement, exercise. |
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55. Wave (verb) |
beckon, sign, gesture |
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56. Gesture (noun) |
signal, posture, sign, hint, make a gesture, motion, wave, indicate, gesticulate |
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57. Conversation (noun) |
discussion, colloquy, talk, chat, gossip, head-to-head, exchange, dialogue, parley, conference |
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58. Horribly ( adverb ) |
dreadfully, terribly |
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59. Often (adverb ) |
frequently, many times, many a time, on numerous occasions, a lot, in many cases,repeatedly, again and again, time and again, over and over again, regularly, recurrently, continually, usually, habitually, commonly, generally, ordinarily, |
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60. Asparagus (noun) |
Not Applicable |
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61. Giant (adjective, noun) |
huge, gigantic, monstrous, prodigious, demon |
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62. Watered (verb) |
dribble, slaver, water |
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63. Priest ( noun ) |
clergyman, clergywoman, minister of religion, cleric, ecclesiastic, pastor, parson, churchman, father |
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64. Splendid (adjective) |
magnificent, sumptuous, grand, impressive, superb, spectacular, resplendent, opulent, luxurious, palatial, deluxe, rich, fine, costly, expensive, lavish, ornate, gorgeous, glorious, dazzling, elegant, handsome, beautiful |
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65. Tender (adjective) |
delicate, soft, loving, affectionate fragile, breakable, frail |
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66. Least ( adjective ) |
slightest, smallest, minimum, minimal, minutest, tiniest, littlest |
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67. Sigh(ed) ( verb ) |
Not Applicable |
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68. Panic (noun) |
fear, alarm, anxiety, nervousness, fright, trepidation, dread, terror, horror, agitation, hysteria, consternation, perturbation, dismay |
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69. Seize (verb) |
grab, grasp, snatch, grip, clutch, take, pluck, arrest, occupy, confiscate |
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70. Appear (verb) |
come, arrive, visible, come into view, come into sight, materialize |
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71. Enormous (adjective) |
huge, vast, extensive, expansive, broad, wide |
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72. Succulent (adjective) |
juicy, luscious, lush, fleshy, pulpy, soft, tender, fresh, flavoursome, flavourful, tasty, delicious, delectable, palatable, toothsome |
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73. Appetizing (adjective) |
mouth-watering, inviting, tempting, tasty, succulent, delicious, palatable, delectable, flavoursome, luscious, toothsome |
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74. Tickle (verb) |
lightly touch, kittle, lightly prod, chuck |
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75. Nostril (noun) |
Not Applicable |
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76. Faintly (adverb) |
indistinctly, softly, weakly, feebly |
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77. Ingratiating (adjective, verb) |
Not Applicable |
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78. Blush (noun) |
flush, reddening, high colour, colour, rosiness, bloom |
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79. Peaches (noun) |
Not Applicable |
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80. Landscape (noun) |
scenery, countryside, topography, country, land, terrain, environment outlook, view, panorama |
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81. Miserable (adjective) |
unhappy, sad, sorrowful, dejected, depressed, downcast, downhearted, despondent, despairing, disconsolate, wretche, gloomy, dismal, melancholic, low-spirited, mournful, woeful, woebegone, doleful, forlorn, crestfallen, broken-hearted, heartbroken, inconsolable, luckless, grief-stricken |
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82. Inadequate (adjective) |
insufficient, not enough, deficient, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, sparse, too little, too few, short |
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83. Tip (noun) |
pourboire , point, top |
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84. Rested (verb) |
placed, refreshed |
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85. Instant (adjective) |
immediate, instantaneous, prompt, direct, swift, speedy, rapid, quick, expeditious, lightning, sudden, precipitate, abrupt |
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86. Mean (adjective) |
miserly, niggardly, close-fisted, parsimonious, penny-pinching, cheese-paring, ungenerous, penurious, illiberal, avaricious, Scrooge-like |
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87. Retorted (verb) |
revenge,pay back |
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88. Humorist (noun) |
comic writer, comedian, comedienne, joker, jokester, clown, jester |
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89.Cab (noun) |
cart , carriage, taxi |
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90. Vindictive (adjective) |
vengeful, revengeful, avenging, unforgiving, grudge-bearing, resentful, ill-disposed, implacable, unrelenting, acrimonious, bitter, spiteful, mean-spirited, rancorous, venomous, poisonous, malicious, malevolent, malignant, malign, evil, evil-intentioned, nasty, cruel, unkind, ill-natured, baleful |
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91. Pardonable (adjective) |
excusable, forgivable, allowable, condonable, minor, slight, venial, not serious, permissible |
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92. Observe (verb) |
notice, see, note, perceive, discern, remark, spot, detect, discover, distinguish |
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93. Complacency (noun) |
gladness, happiness, delight, smugness, self-satisfaction, self-approval |
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94. Weigh (verb) |
heavy, measure, mass, load, |
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95. Stone (noun) |
(14 pounds, 6.35 kilograms) |
