Tom Sawyer

Sonlight American Historical Literature 130

sagacity

discernment, sound judgment

natty

neat and trim

straitened

limited, insufficient

alacrity

eagerness, quickness

intrepid

courageous, fearless

evanescent

vanishing like a vapor

felicity

satisfaction, happiness

disconcerted

confused, bewildered

effeminate

like a woman, delicate

mien

bearing, manner

effusion

emotion, excitement

interlarded

inserted

prosy

dull, matter of fact

facetious

playful, humorous

odious

strong aversion or dislike

expectorate

spit

pariah

outcast

portentous

self-important, pompous

ostentation

a boastful display to impress others

zephyr

a gently breeze

accoutrements

additional items of dress or equipment, or other items carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity

andiron

a metal support, typically one of a pair, that holds wood burning in a fireplace.

Spanish Main

the land in the Americas that circled the Caribbean Sea plus the Gulf of Mexico - Florida, Central America and upper South America

lam

flog, strike

unalloyed

complete and unreserved

adamantine

unyielding, having the hardness of a diamond

vestibule

entrance hall

cane heads

the knob on the top of a cane

hogshead

a large cask

pathos

to evoke pity or sadness

splint bottom chair

chair with a seat woven from flat, narrow strips of flexible material (splints) like wood (ash, hickory) or rattan

spunk-water

Alternative form of stump-water (“stagnant water from a hollow in a rotting tree stump”)

caitiff

contemptible or cowardly

ensconced

to settle comfortably

sublimity

majestic, awe-inspiring

lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal, mournful

Verdigris {ˈvər-də-ˌgrēs}  (spelled as verdigrease in Tom Sawyer)

a bluish-green patina or pigment formed on copper, brass, and bronze

Colloquial speech

informal, conversation speech

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play

trillium

woodland wildflowers native to the Appalachian Mountains and a species of the lily family

ostentatiously

pretentious, conspicuous, vainglorious

miscreant

vilian, evildoer

inveterate

having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change

clandestinely

secretly

avariciously

greedy, desirous of gain

palsy

in Tom Sawyer, it is an archaic term for uncontrolled shaking; in general use, and in the Bible it means paralysis, sometimes with tremors

purloined

steal

obtruded

impose or push forward

credulous

gullible, believes or trusts too readily

conflagrations

an extensive fire which destroys a great deal of land or property

limpid

clear and calm

weltering

confusion, turmoil

corn pone

corn bread often made without milk or eggs and baked or fried

tumblebug

a common name for a type of dung beetle

quicksilver

As used in TS, it is an archaic term meaning liquid metal mercury. It now means: moving or changing rapidly and unpredictably

yawl

a small boat that is kept on board a ship which is used by the crew for taking messages to land (or other ships) and for other small errands

thwart

a structural crosspiece sometimes forming a seat for a rower in a boat

charily

very cautious, wary

Six Nations

another name for the Iroquois Confederacy, a powerful alliance of six Indigenous nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) formed for mutual defense and governance

sham vivacity

false liveliness

meed

well-deserved recognition

declamatory

vehement or impassioned in expression (full of passion & bluster)

dominie

pastor or schoolteacher

votary

someone devoted to a cause, a faithful follower

tete (pronounced tet)

french for head

phrenologist

a practitioner of phrenology, a discredited 19th-century pseudoscience that claimed one's personality, character, and mental abilities could be determined by feeling for bumps and indentations on the skull, which supposedly corresponded to enlarged or underdeveloped brain areas

mesmerizer

a person who controls or helps others through hypnosis

lynch

execution by a mob outside the law by hanging, burning at the stake or shooting

sepulchral

relating to a tomb; dismal, gloomy

who was “old hump-backed Richard”?

one of the kings of England that Shakespeare wrote about

crippled pick

damaged tools

attrition

gradual reduction of strength or effectiveness through sustained attack or pressure. As used in Tom Sawyer it means reevaluate after excessive thought.

ostentatious

pretentious display

Auspicious

favorable circumstances, successful

serape

blanket-like shawl

sombrero

wide-brimmed hat originally from Mexico

Sachem

Native American chief, particularly among the Iroquois Confederacy; Used in TS to represent an important chief who warred against the Pilgrams

gunwale

the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship.

hi-spy and gully keeper

old-fashioned names for popular childhood chase/tag games

agues

fever with alternating periods of chills and sweating

stile

a pair of ladders that enable people to cross over a fence

swag

stolen goods

moiety

portion or share

sinuous

winding with many curves and turns

laudations

praise

insipid

without vigor or interest, flat, tasteless

prodigious

enormous, extraordinary