Spies

by

Michael Frayn

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Spies makes teaching easy.

Privet / Liguster

Described as having a harsh, coarse, and vulgar scent, privet (“liguster” in German) is a type of shrub commonly found in Europe. It is also the source of the unsettling, “embarrassingly familiar breath of sweetness”…

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The Letter “X”

During their investigation of Keith’s mother’s desk, Stephen and Keith examine her diary and find tiny X marks on specific days in her calendar. They find a pattern in the “X’s,” which occur once…

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Germs

Stephen exhibits what is almost an obsession (perhaps connected to OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) against getting germs on himself. He finds “germs” on a variety of objects: the slime from the tunnel, the children…

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The Bayonet

A bayonet is a bladed weapon that can be attached to a firearm, like a rifle. Keith’s father used one in World War I, and he carries it with him when he goes off to…

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