words

My favorite mystery novelist is PD James. Unfortunately, I like her so much that I've already read all her books, which leaves no new ones. Argh!
So in a fit of nostalgia, I have been rereading a few. It's funny, I didn't notice during the first reads, but she kind of has her own pet words that she trots out in every novel. Words that are strange, and seem out-of-place. Perhaps they're Britishisms, I don't know.
I keep repeating them in my head, and making a little check mark when I come across them, yet again, in her book.
Perhaps they're a puzzle: she drops them in at various points, like talismans, so that the reader hears these words and thinks, Ah, yes. This is indeed PD James.
Here are the words:
Moue. a pouting grimace. Usually she says "A moue of distaste". Which is a lot of expressions for one mouth.
Rictus. the gape of the mouth of a bird. Usually she says "The rictus of despair." SO Jamsian.
Minatory: menacing; threatening.
These words are just odd. And they're practically in every book. Is it a nervous tic? Intentional? Playful?
SOmehow it makes me feel affectionate towards her, like catching someone picking their nose. It's kind of endearing.