catastrophe
event of sudden damage; a disaster
insinuate
suggest something in an indirect way
dubious
hesitating; morally questionable
transmute
change in appearance or form
ambivalence
having mixed or contradictory thoughts or feelings
scamper
run with quick steps as though frightened or excited
paradoxical
seemingly self-contradictory or absurd
refute
prove wrong; deny
South Side
sprawling area of Glasgow, Scotland
Sighthill
neighborhood in Glasgow
East End
impoverished area of Glasgow
double-decker
community transport bus with two levels of seating
lorry
British term for large, goods-transporting trucks
tenement house
typically an overcrowded, poorly maintained house divided into separate residences
sandstone
sand- or quartz-based sedimentary rock sometimes used as a building material
buzzer
term for electronic mechanism used to gain access to buildings by contacting a resident
pavements
British term for sidewalk
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)
not-for-profit community-support group for recovery from alcoholism
clammy
damp and/or sticky to the touch
flat
British term for an apartment