as
Term for the younger of two people with the same surname.
at
Major campaign (1808-1814) on the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars.
au
King of England from 1625 until 1649; he was executed after the defeat of his forces in the English Civil Wars.
av
The second ( 1147-1149) in the series of campaigns to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim control.
aw
Helmets from the era of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who led the Puritan rebellion against Charles I and ruled as lord protector from 1653 until his death.
ax
Harm.
ay
Shrub with laxative properties.
az
Often spelled gramercy; an expression of gratitude (archaic).
ba
Also (archaic).
bb
Grate or grille, made of wood or iron and suspended by chains; designed to be lowered for quick fortification against assault.
bc
Merry-go-round.
bd
Loop or coil.
be
Baked or boiled pudding made of a sheet of pastry covered with jam and rolled up.
bf
Castle in East Sussex built by an English knight in 1385.
bg
Further ahead.
bh
Peace (Latin).
bi
Cut it out (slang).
bj
Popular weekly magazine launched by Edwin J. Brett in 1866.
bk
Official residence of London’s lord mayor.
bl
Broad, stiff white collar worn over a jacket’s lapels.
bm
Cloth covering for a long, narrow pillow.
bn
Pit of a plum.
bo
Sideshow at a fair; contestants throw a ball to try to knock a coconut off its stand.
bp
So help me! (dialect).
bq
Reference to the slang expression “balmy in the crumpet” (wrong in the head or crazy).
br
Upon my word of honor! (slang).
bs
Bed (slang).
bt
Two pounds (slang).
bu
An oath—short for “God’s truth” (slang).
bv
Small change (slang).
bw
Exclamation of surprise (slang).
bx
Riotous dance.
by
Inexpensive watch made by the Waterbury Watch Company in Connecticut.
bz
Socks made with decorative openings.
ca
Famous novel, published in 1826, by James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851).
cb
County in northern England, on the border with Scotland.
cc
County in the northeast of England, on the North Sea.
cd
Weekly magazine established in 1828.
ce
English coin worth 2 shillings; first minted in 1849.
cf
Popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, England’s oldest psychiatric hospital.
cg
Machine for drying clothes.
ch
Floor covering made from the fiber of coconut husks.
ci
County on the southern coast of England.
cj
Hard work (slang).
ck
Well? (French).
cl
Dear (French).
cm
Partly or wholly underground structure used to store ice.
cn
Not so bad (slang).
co
Shiny.
cp
Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are housed.
cq
Decorative gold necklace, traditionally restricted to certain government officials, composed of a string of small emblems shaped like the letter S.
cr
In the French fairy tale Le Petit Poucet (“Little Tom Thumb”), by Charles Perrault (1628-1703), the young hero deceives an ogre and steals a pair of magic boots that allow the wearer to cover 7 leagues (about 3 miles) in one stride.
cs
Famous stage magicians (see footnote on p. 10 to Five Children and It).
ct
Tawdry (archaic).
cu
Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the venerated British monarch who was also known for her stately self-display.
cv
Fool (slang) .
cw
Exclamation of surprise (slang).
cx
Breakfast (slang).
cy
Innkeeper or stableman at an inn.
cz
Type of colored lithograph finished to resemble an oil painting.
da
Covered in black polish derived from graphite.
db
Occupation.
dc
Little fellow (slang).
dd
All serene (slang)—that is, “so everyone’s happy.”
de
From “safe as houses,” a saying that refers to the stability of the real estate market.
df
Here you are (French) .
dg
Sleight of hand; a conjuring trick.
dh
Built for the Great Exhibition of 1851; see endnote 5 to Five Children and It.
di
Unbleached linen fabric originally from Holland.
dj
Coarse woolen cloth.
dk
Soiled (slang).
dl
Chimney (dialect) .
dm
Stolen goods.
dn
Money; a pound (slang).
do
That is, in the arms of Morpheus; in other words, asleep.
dp
Coins (slang).
dq
Rain barrel.
dr
Such a swell (slang).
ds
Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. t Byname for Apollo, the Greek sun god associated with song and wisdom. ‡ Greek god of wine and patron of agriculture and the theater.
dt
Roman god of commerce and the messenger of the gods.
du
Greek equivalent of Mercury.
dv
Half a moment (dialect).
dw
Monsieur Lecoq, the detective created by Émile Gaboriau (c.1832-1873); the character preceded by several decades his more famous counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, the creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( 18 5 9-19 3 0) .
dx
Slave who performs a low bow accompanied by the placement of his right palm on his forehead. In The Arabian Nights, Mesrour is a henchman of the Khalif Haroun er Reshid.
dy
Mable means “entail”; the property has an assigned line of inheritance and can be sold or bequeathed only to a specified class of heirs.
dz
Heavens! (French).
ea
So! (French).
eb
Concentrated liquid extract of beef, marketed by German chemist Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) as an inexpensive source of meat nutrients.
ec
Bonnet with a projecting brim.
ed
Wooden frame on which towels are hung.
ee
Long stuffed pillows.
ef
Recipient of the highest award for gallantry granted to a member of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
eg
Stock exchange term for South African mine shares.
eh
Sixpence (slang).
ei
Big pile of money (slang).
ej
Money (slang).
ek
Festive gathering (slang).
el
5 shillings (slang).
em
Twopence; that is, I couldn’t care less.
en
Street in London.
eo
Female oracles: The Pithia (named after the Python slain by Apollo) is the Oracle at Delphi; the Sibyl lived in caves, the most respected in Cumae near Naples.
ep
Mystery novel (1901), by E. F. Benson (1867-1940), set among the English aristocracy.
eq
Gooseberries (dialect).
er
Out of their senses (slang).
es
Roman god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings, and major transitions in individual and social life; the month of January is named for him.
et
Major plaza in central London commemorating the 1805 British naval victory over the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.
eu
Celestial Aphrodite; a particular vision of Aphrodite as the Greek goddess of spiritual as opposed to merely sensual love.
ev
Eros: Greek god of love; Psyche: princess in Roman mythology who marries Cupid (Eros); Hebe: Greek goddess of youth; Ganymede: in Greek myth, the Trojan prince who is carried off to become cupbearer of the gods. See also endnote 10.