Homeless man finds violin – vocabulary

masterpiece – noun – a work of outstanding artistry, workmanship or skill
a lute – noun – a stringed musical instrument with a long neck and a rounded body, with a flat front, probably played by plucking the strings
master – adjective – a highly skilled or proficient (of a craftsman eg a master builder)
attic – noun – the space or room at the top of a building, under the roof, often used for storing things
dilapidated – adj – something old and in poor condition
to squat – verb – to live in an empty building or area of land without the permission of the owner
a squat – noun – a place that you live in when you are squatting
to be struck dumb – to be made speechless
to be thrown out of a place – to be escorted or evicted from a place
welfare work – work concerned with the well-being of a particular group of people or animals
chubby – adj – (especially of children) fat in a pleasant and attractive way
to rummage – verb + adverb or preposition – to search for something by moving things around carelessly and looking into, under and behind them
to come across – to find by chance
rags – plural noun – clothes that are old and torn
Riviera – a coastal region (from Italian meaning ‘seashore’)
The French Riviera – part of the Mediterranean coastel region of wouthern France and northern Italy
manage to + verb – to succeed in ……ing
to get by (+ by ……ing) – phrasal verb – to be able to live or deal with a situation with difficulty, usually by having just enough of something you need, such as money (by …… ing )
a casual job – a temporary job which is not regular or fixed
for a day or a week at a time – each time only for one day, or a week, but never for longer than that to fall on lean times – to become impoverished
to resort to – phrasal vb – to do something you do not want to do because you can find no other way of achieving something
petty crime – minor crimes
to land someone somewhere – informal verb – to put someone somewhere unexpected, or unwelcome or difficult
a find – noun – a discovery
He didn’t dream for a minute of …ing = he didn’t consider even for a moment …..ing
in a year and a day – a standard length of time which gives an owner the opportunity to claim a lost piece of property
it will be mine – it will belong to me
to look like a child who’s waiting for Father Christmas – to look delighted in anticipation of receiving a special present, to look as if you can’t believe your luck
currently – at the moment
a safe – noun – a strong box or cupboard with special locks where valuable things, especially money or jewels, are kept
to be valued – to have the importance or worth of something estimated