The Accidental Tourist

The story, ‘The Accidental Tourist’ is a real account from the author’s life. Here, he reflects humorously his experiences as a traveller. In the story, he comes across as a confused and absent minded person. Also he is very clumsy and tends to drop things every now and then. He gets into trouble because of his acts which are not deliberate. The story depicts his humorous travel experiences – like being pinned in a crashed position, spilling drink on a co-passenger, his gums and teeth covered in ink and many more.

Word Meanings:

• outstanding: exceptionally good
• evident: clearly seen or understood
• lavatory: a room, building, or cubicle containing toilets
• alley: narrow passageway between or behind buildings
• en famille: a French term which means with family
• frequent flyer: someone who often travels by air
• jammed: stuck and unable to move
• yanked: pulled something forcefully with a quick movement
• consternation: a feeling of worry, shock, or confusion
• abruptly: suddenly and unexpectedly
• extravagantly: extremely and unreasonably
• ejected: came out with force
• dumbstruck: so shocked or surprised that you cannot speak
• fluttery: waves or flaps rapidly in an irregular manner
• cascade: to fall or hang in huge quantities
• oblivions: the state of being completely forgotten
• concourse: a large open area inside or in front of a public building
• disgorging: releasing large amount of something
• gashed: have a long, deep cut
• hysterics: uncontrolled behaviour
• exasperation: the feeling of being annoyed
• catastrophes: a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction
• recline: moving the back of a chair into a sloping position
• pinned: held firmly in a specified position so they are unable to move
• clawing: making one’s way with difficulty by pulling oneself forward with one’s hands
• stupefied: unable to think or feel properly
• bons mots: an intelligent and funny remarks
• scrub-resistant: something that cannot be cleaned easily
• suave: charming, polite and elegant
• seismic: related to vibrations and movements
• accumulated: gathered
• entitled: the right to do or have something
• zillion: an extremely large number of something
• venerable: old and respected