Glossary of Terms
"bomb happy"
crazy
"do us"
"kill us"
"give him a fourpenny one"
"hit him in the jaw"
"mucking about"
"wasting time"
"one for his nob"
"a blow to his head"
"round the bend"
crazy
"sod you"
"screw you"
"taken short"
ill with diarrhea
accent
intonation of speech reflecting one's regional or class background; here, Piggy's lower-class pronunciations and slang
acrid
sharp or bitter
altos
those in a choir who sing in the mid-to-high vocal range between soprano and tenor
antiphonal
sung in alternation
barmy
crazy
batty
crazy or odd
bloody
cursed
bollucks
a term of disgust and scorn
bowstave
slightly curved arc
brine
salty water
Coral Island
an 1857 adventure novel by R.M. Ballantyne about a group of boys stranded on a desert island after a shipwreck
cordon
a line or circle of ships or soldiers that guards a certain area
coverts
shelters
cracked
crazy
crackers
crazy; insane
creepers
vines
cutter
a boat carried on larger ships to transport passengers or supplies to shore
dazzle paint
camouflage
derision
contempt or ridicule
diddle
juggle or rattle
diffident
timid or shy
dun
a dull brownish-gray color
embroil
to involve in trouble or conflict
epaulette
a shoulder ornament on military uniforms
essay
to try or attempt
funk
state of panic or fear
gesticulate
to use gestures
Gib., Addis
Gibraltar and Addis Ababa, refueling stations the plane stopped at before crashing
gibber
unintelligible speech
glamor
illusion; spell
ha'porth
contraction of "half-penny's worth," meaning very little
head boy
the honorary title given to a boy who maintains the best personal conduct at his school
Home Counties
the counties around London, England
impervious
not affected by something
inimical
hostile
jolly
very
lamp standard
lamppost
lavatory
toilet
matins
a morning church service with singing
mold
loose, soft soil
myopia
nearsightedness
nuts
expression of contempt; roughly equivalent to "damn"
pax
peace
phosphorescence
a continuing luminescence without heat
pills
testicles
pinch
steal
pinnacles
pointed objects or peaks
plinth
a border of brick or stone running along the base of a wall
polyp
a type of tentacled, tubelike sea creature such as an anemone
precentor
director of a choir
prefect
in English schools, an older student with disciplinary authority over the other students
propitiate
appease
queer
odd or unusual
rating
a man enlisted in the Navy
rebuke
scold or reprimand
Reds
communists
rugger
rugby
scar
plane wreckage left behind after a crash
scurfy
a skin condition that produces a dry, scaly rash
smashing
great
stern sheets
a space at the front (stern) of an open boat
Swallows and Amazons
an adventure novel (1930) by Arthur Ransome about a group of children on vacation, the first in his popular series of adventure books
talisman
an object believed to have magical or protective properties
toilet
the process of grooming oneself
torrid
oppressively hot
Treasure Island
an 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson about a boy's search for buried gold and his encounter with pirates
Trebles
the members of a choir who sing in the highest vocal range
truculent
unapologetically cruel or savage
ululate
howl or wail
wacco
crazy
waxy
enraged
white drill
a coarse kind of cloth (linen or cotton) typically used for uniforms
windy
pompous or boastful
wizard
excellent
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