"Sorry, Wrong Number," Vocabulary from the play

Originally a radio play before being adapted to film and the stage, Lucille Fletcher tells the story of a woman who overhears a murder being planned on the phone.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. querulous
    habitually complaining
    Mrs. Stevenson (a querulous, self-centered neurotic). Oh dear!
  2. periphery
    the outside boundary or surface of something
    Spotlight picks up a figure of a heavy-set man seated at a desk with a phone on R. side of dark periphery of stage.
    Because this is a play that is meant to be seen rather than read, lighting and placement are important clues that reveal the moods or natures of the characters and how they relate to others. Here, the darkness surrounding the heavy-set man suggests his criminal nature, which is emphasized by his seat at the periphery of the stage.
  3. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Mrs. Stevenson (louder and more imperious, to phone). Hello. Who's this? What number am I calling, please?
    An imperious person does not usually say "please" but here, Mrs. Stevenson is puzzled by the strange voice at the other end of the line. Note the comparative use of the adjectives ("louder and more imperious")--although Mrs. Stevenson is normally querulous, loud, and imperious, she had toned down her nature to ask the Operator for help. But with each moment that she does not get what she wants, her negative emotions increase.
  4. bland
    lacking stimulating characteristics; uninteresting
    Sound: A bland buzzing signal.
  5. unobtrusive
    not undesirably noticeable
    1st and 2nd Man exit as unobtrusively as possible, in darkness.
  6. dreadful
    causing fear or terror
    And I've just heard the most dreadful thing--a--a murder--
  7. fiend
    a cruel wicked and inhuman person
    Oh, I know it was a wrong number and I had no business listening, but these two men--they were cold-blooded fiends and they were going to murder somebody--
  8. bridle
    anger or take offense
    She bridles, adjusts herself on her pillows, reaches for a handkerchief and wipes her forehead, glancing uneasily for a moment toward the window.
    As a noun, "bridle" is headgear for a horse that is meant for the rider to control the animal and limit its movements. A headstrong horse would bridle at a bridle. Mrs. Stevenson however seems to intentionally put a bridle on herself with her pills, which do not stop her from bridling at everyone else when they don't do things her way.
  9. explicit
    precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable
    I asked explicitly and all you did was dial correctly.
    Mrs. Stevenson says this line angrily, but it's a line meant to draw laughter from the audience, since most people give explicit instructions to make sure something is done correctly, and then get angry when it's done incorrectly.
  10. apprehend
    take into police custody
    It's my civic duty--it's your civic duty--to trace that call and to apprehend those dangerous killers.
    "Apprehend" also means "anticipate with dread or anxiety" and "get the meaning of something." These meanings are not intended by Mrs. Stevenson in this line, but they are suggested by the situation she is in, where she is afraid of an upcoming murder, but the Operator is having trouble understanding her.
  11. distinct
    easy to perceive; especially clearly outlined
    I heard their plans distinctly.
  12. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    (Duffy, in exasperation, holds his pencil poised.)
  13. invalid
    someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
    I'm an invalid, and it's the maid's night off, and I hate to be alone even though he says I'm perfectly safe as long as I have the telephone right beside my bed.
  14. drastic
    forceful and extreme and rigorous
    Personally, I feel you ought to do something far more immediate and drastic than just check the call.
  15. coincidence
    an accidental event that seems to have been arranged
    Oh, I don't know--the coincidence is so horrible.
    "Coincidence" also means "the quality of occupying the same position or area in space"--both meanings fit Mrs. Stevenson's perspective on the situation, because her overhearing the phone call seems accidental, and the location of the murder sounds like her address. Ironically, she doesn't see any coincidence between her and a possible murder victim.
  16. vague
    not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished
    But a clue of this kind that's so vague isn't much more use to us than no clue at all.
  17. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    Unless, of course, you have some reason for thinking this call is phony, and that someone may be planning to murder you?
    "Phony" could be a pun here, especially since Sergeant Duffy is suggesting the phoniness is coming from a phone that soon keeps ringing and ringing every five seconds.
  18. whimper
    cry weakly or softly
    (She sits tensely, then throws herself back against the pillows, lying there a moment, whimpering with self-pity.)
  19. inefficient
    lacking the ability or skill to perform well
    I've never seen such inefficient, miserable service.
  20. complicated
    difficult to analyze or understand
    Well, of all the stupid, complicated--And meanwhile I've got to sit here in my bed, suffering every time that phone rings, imagining everything!
  21. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    Mrs. Stevenson (breathlessly, aghast, to herself.) Oh, no--
  22. frenzied
    excessively agitated
    Her movements are frenzied. She beats with her knuckles on the bed, then suddenly stops and reaches for the phone.
  23. entitled
    qualified for by right according to law
    I don't care what he says, or what the expense is, I'm a sick woman--I'm entitled!
  24. soothing
    freeing from fear and anxiety
    I need soothing--and companionship.
  25. catechize
    examine through questioning and answering
    But I really don't see why all this catechizing is necessary.
  26. extension
    an additional telephone set connected to the same line
    As though someone had lifted the receiver off the hook of the extension phone downstairs.
  27. lethargic
    deficient in alertness or activity
    Operator (fat and lethargic). Your call, please?
  28. desperate
    showing extreme urgency or intensity because of great need
    Mrs. Stevenson (a desperate whisper). Operator--I--I'm in desperate trouble--
    "Desperate" also means "fraught with extreme danger"--this fits Mrs. Stevenson's description of her trouble, while the given definition describes the sound of her voice.
  29. topple
    fall down, as if collapsing
    The phone cord catching in the lamp wire, the lamp topples, goes out.
  30. illuminate
    make lighter or brighter
    Now a flashlight goes on, illuminating the open phone to one side of Mrs. Stevenson's bed.
    "Illuminate" also means "make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear." The flashlight literally illuminates the scene, in order to figuratively provide illumination on what had happened to Mrs. Stevenson, after the lamp had toppled and gone out (which is also both a literal and figurative image).
Created on Mon Jul 21 12:08:30 EDT 2014 (updated Wed Jul 30 15:31:09 EDT 2014)

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