110: pardon (Fr.): English translation: “sorry, excuse me”
110: Passy: a subdivision of Paris, in the 16th arrondissement
110: an army surgeon: may allude to Yevgeny Bazarov’s old-fashioned father–also a retired army surgeon–in Turgenev’s novel, Fathers and Sons
111: (abetted no doubt… of the same order): this parenthetical reiterates the idea that Vadim fabricates his account of the past with details from the present.
111: Oksman’s Lending Library: referring to Osip Lvovich Oksman’s (first appearing in Part II, Chapter 4) library on the Rue Cuvier
111: regularly clicking tobacco injector
111: Russkaya Starina: (Ru.). Русская старина. English translation: Old Times in Russia. A Russian history journal published between 1870-1918.
111: rankles–a word which comes from dracunculus: indeed, the etymological origin of “rankles” is in “dracunculus”. cf. OED
111: dickey and elastic-sided boots
111: the title which went with my thousand-year-old name: “Prince Vadim Vadimovich N.”
111: stemma: “a genealogical tree”; cf. OED
111: detachable cuffs
112: Dr. Blagovo (1867-1940): cf. Ivor Black
112: Volgan town of Kineshma
112: now gravel pits… sunken gardens: In rare form, Nabokov here interjects a stab at the Soviets
112: chaishko s molochishkom [teeny tea with weeny milk]: (Ru.). Чайшко с молочишком: diminutives of чай and молоко (English: “tea” and “milk”, respectively).
112: salon de couture: (Fr. and En.). A fashion designer shop
112: notki podobostrastnoy paniki: (Ru.). English translation: “notes of passion-like panic”.
112: ophidian: cf. OED
112: grasseyement: (Fr.). No exact English translation. Derived from the verb “grasseyer”, which refers to a manner of speaking characterized by guttural rumblings from the throat and indistinct “r” sounds.
112: Festival of Flora: cf. Floralia. May also recall Botticelli’s Primavera in Part II, Chapter 7.
112: caviar canapés: cf. canapés
113: tryst: Vadim employs this word as a euphemism for his sexual encounter with Annette. cf. OED
113: blooded and thrashing fish: Vadim’s phallus. This visceral image reiterates this “tryst” as Annette’s first sexual intercourse.
113: the messy act: masturbation
113: Venus: Roman counterpart of Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and sex. cf. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus
113: the Virgin
113: maire: (Fr.). English translation: “mayor”
113: arrondissement: (Fr.). English translation: “district”. cf. Arrondissements of France
113: débauché: (Fr.). English translation: “debaucher”
113: gryaznyy razvratnik: (Ru.). грязный развратник. English translation: “dirty lecher”
113: Italian lakeside hotels: On several occasions, Vadim mentions his trips to the Italian Riviera