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Full Glossary
fay faith, used in oaths (by my fay!); with a pun on fairy.
fear me not don't be afraid for me.
fell out occurred.
fellies the segments forming the rim of a spoked wheel.
Fie for shame! an interjection expressing a sense of outraged propriety.
first mout'd put into the mouth first in order that all the goodness may be extracted before swallowing.
fishmonger a dealer in fish, or someone who sells women.
flaw a sudden, brief gust of wind, often with rain or snow; a squall.
flood sea. Elsinore is situated on the Danish coast.
foil and target fencing rapier and small shield.
foils long, thin swords with a button on the point to prevent injury, used in fencing.
fordo destroy.
fordoes destroys.
forest of feathers plumed hat much worn by players.
formal ostentation public ceremony.
fretted having an ornamental pattern of small, straight bars intersecting or joining one another, usually at right angles, to form a regular design, as for a border or in an architectural relief; decorated like the painted ceiling over the stage at The Globe.
from occasion by chance.
fust grow moldy.
gaged pledged.
gain-giving misgiving.
gait progress.
gall scratch, draw blood.
galled jade a worn-out horse with sores from the rubbing and chafing of a saddle.
galls his kibe scrapes his heel.
gambol wander; frolic.
general censure public's judgment.
gentry courtesy.
gib tomcat; a male cat, especially a castrated male cat.
gibes jests.
Gis corruption for Jesus.
goblin damn'd damned agent of the devil. Hamlet, from the very first, seems to question the authenticity of the ghost as the true spirit of his father.
gorge stomach (literally, throat or gullet).
grace to bring honor to, dignify; with a pun on the prayer before meals.
gross and scope general meaning.
groundings the poorer and less critical section of the audience who stood in the pit.
half limp.
hangers straps by which the rapier was hung from the girdle.
harbingers persons or things that come before to announce or give an indication of what follorws; heralds
hatchment a diamond-shaped panel bearing the coat of arms of a person who has died.
hautboys oboes.
hearsed buried.
Hecate's ban the curse of Hecate, the Greek goddess of the moon, earth, and underground realm of the dead, later regarded as the goddess of sorcery and witchcraft.
hectic fever; red or flushed , as with fever.
Hecuba in Homer's Iliad, the wife of Priam and mother of Hector, Troilus, Paris, and Cassandra.
heedful note careful observation.
hent to grasp; in this case, a time for action.
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