A.M.D.G. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God), the motto of the Jesuit order; Stephen and his fellow students were instructed to place the initials A.M.D.G. at the tops of all their school exercises and essays. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
an a.p. (slang) an appointment. (Dubliners)
ablative singular the case that contains the ending of the object of the preposition. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
about town a euphemism for unemployed. (Dubliners)
across the water (Irish slang) in England. (Dubliners)
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam To the Greater Glory of God. This is the motto of the Jesuit order; students are usually instructed to place the initials A.M.D.G. at the tops of all their papers. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Adam and Eve's a nickname for the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in southwest-central Dublin. (Dubliners)
advanced Nationalist a supporter of the Irish Parliamentary Party, which sought independence for the country. (Dubliners)
air a song or tune. (Dubliners)
the anatomy theatre the room where anatomy was taught; usually a large room with seats in tiers. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
And everything . . . ? apparently the boy's aunt seeks to establish that last rites were bestowed upon Father Flynn by a priest before death; only a profoundly disgraced priest would be refused last rites, so the fact that she has to ask implies much about Father Flynn's misbehavior. (Dubliners)
an answer to the canon an answer to the clergy's condemnation of Parnell. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
The Arab's Farewell to His Steed a poem by Irish poet Caroline Norton (1808-77). (Dubliners)
the area of a house a space providing light and air to the basement of a house. (Dubliners)
areas spaces providing light and air to the basements of houses. (Dubliners)
"Arrayed for the Bridal" a song from I Puritani, an opera by Vincenzo Bellini. (Dubliners)
astrakhan a wool fabric with a pile cut and curled to look like a loosely curled fur made from the pelt of very young lambs originally bred near Astrakhan, a city and port in southwest Russia. (Dubliners)
Atalanta a beautiful, swift-footed maiden who offers to marry any man able to defeat her in a race: Hippomenes wins by dropping three golden apples, which she stops to pick up, along the way. The motif of Greek mythology (including the image of the golden apple) will reappear in Gabriel Conroy's speech in "The Dead." (Dubliners)
Ay bedad! Irish for "by God!" (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
back answers back-talk; insolence. (Dubliners)
Balfe Michael William Balfe; composer of The Bohemian Girl. (Dubliners)
Ballast Office the location of the Dublin Port and Docks Board; in "The Dead," Gabriel Conroy's father is said to have worked there. (Dubliners)
Ballast Offices the location of the Dublin Port and Docks Board, where the father of Gabriel Conroy (protagonist of "The Dead") is said to have worked. (Dubliners)
Ballsbridge a suburb southeast of Dublin. (Dubliners)
the Bank the Bank of Ireland; originally the Irish Parliament Building. (Dubliners)
barmbracks cakes, traditionally served in Ireland on Halloween, in which symbolic objects (a ring, for example) have been baked. (Dubliners)
barracks buildings on Shelbourne Road for housing British soldiers. (Dubliners)
beannacht libh (Irish) goodbye. (Dubliners)
beggars who importuned him for a lob beggars asking for only a small coin. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Bewley's a chain of coffeehouses. (Dubliners)
big rate-payer a property owner. (Dubliners)
Bile Beans a popular patent medicine in Ireland during Joyce's day. (Dubliners)
Billy with the lip William J. Walsh, archbishop of Dublin; he worked in league with Parnell for land reform but refused to give Parnell vocal or political support when the O'Shea scandal broke. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
bitter bitter, strongly hopped ale. (Dubliners)
black twist coarse, black tobacco leaves twisted together. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
blackthorn stick a cane or stick made from the stem of the blackthorn, a thorny, white-flowered prunus shrub with purple or black plumlike fruit. (Dubliners)
Blackwhite apparently a renowned Irish salesman. (Dubliners)
blancmange a sweet, molded, jellylike dessert made with starch or gelatin, milk, flavoring, and other ingredients. (Dubliners)
Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-90) a French nun beatified in 1864 and canonized in 1920. (Dubliners)
the Blessed Sacrament the consecrated bread, or wafer. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
blind a dead-end; A dead-end features prominently in "Two Gallants," as well. (Dubliners)
boatbearer he who carries the container with the dry incense during mass. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
The Bohemian Girl a popular nineteenth-century light opera composed by Dublin musician Michael William Balfe. Characters throughout Dubliners refer to songs from this opera. (Dubliners)
bona-fide travelers inns and pubs were allowed to serve alcohol to travelers before or after hours during which it was generally legal to do so; thus, Mr. Harford and his friends "travel" to the suburbs so as to be allowed to drink legally on Sundays. (Dubliners)
Bonum est in quod tendit appetitus. The good is that toward which the appetite tends. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
bostoons (Irish) rogues. (Dubliners)
a bowl of beeftea a bowl of rich bouillon, or beef broth. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
bowsy (slang) rogue. (Dubliners)
the boy who could sing a come-all-you The boy could sing popular pub songs. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
breviary a book containing the Psalms, readings, prayers, and so on of the Divine Office. (Dubliners)
The Bride of Lammermoor one of Sir Walter Scott's most popular historical romances. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Brown Thomas's a Dublin fabric shop. (Dubliners)
the buff Mail the Dublin Evening Mail, which was printed on buff (brownish-yellow) paper. (Dubliners)
"Cadet Roussel" (French) a song from the 1790s. (Dubliners)
The Calico Belly a satiric play on words. Julius Caesar wrote De Bello Gallico (The Gallic War), a work that is often taught in Latin classes. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
camaun a piece of hurling equipment resembling a field hockey stick. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the canal Dublin's Royal Canal. (Dubliners)
caraway a white-flowered biennial herb of the umbel familiy, with spicey, strong-smelling seeds. The seeds, when chewed, were thought to hide the smell of alcohol, and thus were offered to customers by turn-of-the-century Dublin bars. (Dubliners)
Castle hacks informers. The British ruled Ireland from Dublin Castle, in central Dublin just south of the River Liffey. (Dubliners)
catacombs any of a series of vaults or galleries in an underground burial place. During the first and second century, persecuted Christians hid in the catacombs beneath Rome. (Dubliners)
the catafalque a raised structure on which a corpse is laid out for viewing. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Catechism a handbook of questions and answers for teaching the principles of a religion. (Dubliners)
catechism a series of questions and answers containing the summing up and the key principles of Catholicism. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
catholic all-inclusive. (Dubliners)
censer the vessel in which the incense is burned. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a certain fame a bad reputation. (Dubliners)
chaffed teased good naturedly. (Dubliners)
the chains chains that used to separate paths around Stephen's Green from the streets beyond. (Dubliners)
charmeuse a smooth fabric of silk; like satin in appearance but softer and having less body. (Dubliners)
chasuble a sleeveless, outer garment worn by the priest who celebrates the mass. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
cheval-glass a full-length mirror mounted on swivels in a frame. (Dubliners)
the Chief a nickname for Parnell. (Dubliners)
the christian brothers The reference is to Dublin's Christian Brothers' School, an inexpensive day school for boys. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Christy Minstrels a popular nineteenth-century American theatrical troupe featuring white performers made up to look like stereotypical black characters. (Dubliners)
the ciborium the container for the consecrated wafers. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the club the Kildare Street Club, a Protestant and Anglo-Irish gentleman's club. (Dubliners)
the clumsy scullion the clumsy kitchen servant. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
cocks him up (slang) encourages an inflated self-image. (Dubliners)
cocottes (French) literally, hens. Probably used by Galaher to mean prostitutes. (Dubliners)
collected used stamps for some pious purpose selling used postage stamps to collectors to raise money for charity. (Dubliners)
combing-jacket a bathrobe. (Dubliners)
condemned to death as a whiteboy Whiteboys were somewhat like eighteenth-century KKK members; they wore white garbs at night and threatened Protestant landlords who were raising rents inordinately. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the Confiteor I confess; a formalized prayer said at the beginning of the Roman Catholic Mass. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Conservatives the party in favor of maintaining union with England. (Dubliners)
considering cap an Irish term equivalent to the American term "thinking cap." (Dubliners)
Contrahit orator, variant in carmine vates. A speaker concludes; poets vary in their rhymings. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
convent a convent school. (Dubliners)
coping the top layer of a masonry wall, usually sloped to carry off water. (Dubliners)
corn-factor's an agent for the sale of corn. (Dubliners)
Corpus Domini nostri the Body of our Lord; the words spoken before serving the Host, or wafer, during communion. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
The Count of Monte Cristo a nineteenth-century novel about a handsome hero, Edmond Dantes, who is about to be married to his beautiful and beloved Mercedes when he is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned for fourteen years. He arranges a highly unlikely but melodramatically thrilling escape; then he unearths a treasure which finances several ingenious schemes of revenge on the men responsible for his imprisonment. The multiple allusions to Mercedes, Marseilles, sunny trellises, and moonlit gardens all refer to this novel. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Credo ut vos sanguinarius mendax estis . . . quia facies vostra monstrat ut vos in damno malo humore estis. I believe that you are a bloody liar . . . because your face looks as though you're in a damned bad mood. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Credo! (Latin) I believe! (Dubliners)
cretonne a heavy, unglazed, printed cotton or linen cloth; used for curtains, slipcovers, and so on. (Dubliners)
cricket a game associated by the Irish with the English conquest of their country. (Dubliners)
the crimped surplices stiffly folded, white linen gowns worn over priests' cassocks. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a crow to pluck (slang) a bone to pick. (Dubliners)
a crusade in search of valises and portmanteaus to enable Mrs. M'Coy to fulfil imaginary engagements in the country apparently M'Coy borrows luggage under false pretenses so as to pawn or sell it. (Dubliners)
Crux upon Crux obviously a misquotation, as even if the Pope had a motto, it wouldn't include English words. (Dubliners)
curate a clergyman who assists a vicar or rector. (Dubliners)
curates (slang) barmen. (Dubliners)
Dante not Dante Alighieri. This is the nickname of the woman who is Stephen's nanny, or governess. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the dart the solution. (Dubliners)
a dead mass a mass said for someone who has died. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the dear knows lord knows. (Dubliners)
a decent skin (Irish slang) a good person underneath it all. (Dubliners)
delicate suffering from tuberculosis. (Dubliners)
deoc an doruis (Irish) literally door drink; last round. (Dubliners)
Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun! probably gibberish. (Dubliners)
deuced extremely; very. (Dubliners)
did messages delivered messages. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Did the cow calve? (slang) Is there a reason to celebrate? (Dubliners)
do something for a cod do something for a joke. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
doesn't go to bazaars Stephen doesn't go to large shops or flea markets selling unusually colorful and cheap, exotic items. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
dominicans a Catholic order founded by St. Dominic for the purpose of saving souls by preaching the gospel. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Donnybrook the site, south of Dublin, of a yearly fair during which there was much brawling and rowdiness. (Dubliners)
don't spy on us another way of saying don't "peach" (or inform) on us. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Drapery a shop selling cloth. (Dubliners)
drisheens a traditional Irish dish made of 1 pt. sheep's blood, 1 pt. milk, 1/2 pt. water, 1/2 pt. chopped mutton suet, 1 C. bread crumbs, salt, pepper, pinch of tansy, thyme leaves. The mixture is formed into a thick roll, tied tightly, and steamed for an hour. Good hot or chilled. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a drunken old harridan a drunken old hag. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the Dublin By Lamplight laundry a Protestant-run business, the mission of which was to rescue prostitutes and drunken women; Maria merely works there, in the kitchen. (Dubliners)
E.C. east central. (Dubliners)
Earlsfort Terrace the location of the Dublin International Exhibition Building, a concert venue at the time this story takes place. (Dubliners)
the eclogues short pastoral poems, often in the form of a dialogue between two shepherds; the most famous are by the Latin poet Virgil. (Dubliners)
Edmund Dwyer Gray the son of Sir John Gray. (Dubliners)
Ego credo ut vita pauperum est simpliciter atrox, simpliciter sanguinarius atrox, in Liverpoolio. I believe that the life of the poor is simply atrocious, simply bloody atrocious, in Liverpool. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Ego habeo. I have. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Eire Abu (Irish) Ireland to Victory. (Dubliners)
ejaculation a short, sudden prayer or exclamation. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
embrasure an opening (for a door, window, and so on), especially one with the sides slanted so that it is wider on the inside than on the outside. (Dubliners)
Emma The reference is to Emma Clery, the young girl to whom Stephen has written poems, much as Dante did to Beatrice. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Ennis, who had gone to the yard Ennis had gone to the school urinal. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Et ignotas animum dimittit in artes. And he sent forth his spirit among the unknown arts. @md Ovid, Metamorphoses. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Et tu cum Jesu Galilaeo eras. And you were with Jesus the Galilean. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
ex cathedra (Latin) with the authority that comes from one's rank or office; often specifically with respect to papal pronouncements on matters of faith or morals that have authoritative finality. (Dubliners)
faint the crude, impure spirits given off in the first and last stages the distillation of liquor. (Dubliners)
the famous Mrs. Cassidy, who is reported to have said "Now, Mary Grimes, if I don't take it, make me take it, for I feel I want it." apparently the punch line to a popular joke of the day. (Dubliners)
Father Tom Burke an internationally popular Irish preacher of the nineteenth century. (Dubliners)
favourites and outsiders likely and less-likely winners in a horse race. (Dubliners)
Feis Ceoil a yearly festival of traditional Irish music. (Dubliners)
fenian a member of a secret revolutionary movement formed in New York and Ireland to free Ireland from English rule. The movement was mostly active in the 1860s and continued until World War I. (Dubliners)
the fenian movement Inspired by the American Civil War, these Irish-Americans returned to Ireland to stage a revolt of their own. They were quickly and successfully put down. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a fierce old fireeater A "fireeater" is a person who likes to argue and fight. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Fifteen Acres a lawn or field in Dublin's Phoenix Park. (Dubliners)
the fire of the smoking turf Turf is the name of blocks of peat which are cut from Irish bogs and burned for fuel. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
first place in elements first place in the various required classes @md Latin, mathematics, literature, and so forth. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Fogarty's a Dublin grocer. (Dubliners)
fol-the-diddle-I-do a nonsense phrase. (Dubliners)
foxpapered discolored by age or mildew. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
franciscans a Catholic order founded by St. Francis for the purpose of imitating Christ's life of asceticism, coupled with a deep love of nature. Today, the order is associated with learning. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the Freeman man a reporter for the daily newspaper The Freeman's Journal. (Dubliners)
Freeman's General here, the Freeman's Journal and National Press, an Irish newspaper. (Dubliners)
Freemason an international secret society having as its principles brotherliness, charity, and mutual aid. Many Dublin Roman Catholics were hostile to Freemasons, who were generally Protestants. (Dubliners)
g.p. a glass (half-pint) of porter. (Dubliners)
the Gaiety a theater in south-central Dublin. (Dubliners)
gaiter a cloth or leather covering for the instep and ankle, and, sometimes, the calf of the leg; a spat or legging. (Dubliners)
gallnuts nutlike galls, or abnormal growths on trees. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
gamecocks birds bred and especially fed for cock fighting. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
gasworks a plant where gas for heating and lighting is prepared. (Dubliners)
the gaunt spectral mansions in which the old nobility of Dublin had roistered buildings originally constructed to house the wealthy had deteriorated and were occupied by poor people early in the twentieth century. (Dubliners)
gave him a cachou gave him a cashew mint; often used for disguising bad breath. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Gerhart Hauptman (1862-1946) a naturalist who treated serious subjects (such as alcoholism) in a raw, down-to-earth way. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
German monarch Edward VII (1841-1910); the king of Great Britain and Ireland (1901-10), son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, both of whom were of German descent. (Dubliners)
get inside me (slang) take my place. (Dubliners)
getting up on the cars Competing with the railroads, these cars were long vehicles used for transport and were pulled by horses. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
gingernuts gingerbread. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
gnomon a column or pin on a sundial that casts a shadow indicating the time of day. (Dubliners)
Go ahead, York! Go ahead, Lancaster! The class is divided into two teams, each representing one of the two families (Lancaster, red rose; York, white rose) that battled for the English throne during the 40-year War of the Roses (1445-85). Shakespeare's Henry VI, Parts 1,2,3 is set in this turbulent era and concerns its dynastic struggle for power. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
go visiting perform a particular square dance figure. (Dubliners)
Goethe (1749-1832) German playwright, poet, and novelist. His work is characterized by an interest in the natural, organic development of things, rather than in any dualistic schemes. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a good breath of ozone round the Head John and Simon have walked to Bray Head, a hill outside Bray, close to the sea. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
goster (Irish-English) gossip. (Dubliners)
got on (slang) succeeded. (Dubliners)
grace the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God; the condition of being in God's favor. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Grace the unmerited love and favor of God toward mankind. (Dubliners)
grandnephew great-nephew; Uncle Charles is Stephen's great-uncle. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
great with him close to him, though not sexually intimate. (Dubliners)
the green baize door The inner door is covered with soft, green woolen fabric. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a green velvet mantle A mantle is a loose, sleeveless cloak. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Guido Cavalcanti Dante's fellow poet and friend. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Guttapercha a rubberlike gum produced from the latex of various southeast Asian trees. (Dubliners)
had a tricky little black bottle up in a corner (slang) sold liquor illegally. (Dubliners)
had not forgotten a whit He hadn't forgotten the tiniest detail about the incident. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
had the organ in Haddington Road played the organ at St. Mary's Church on Haddington Road, in south-central Dublin. (Dubliners)
had two brushes in her press had two brushes in her closet @md in this case, an upright piece of furniture used to hold clothes. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the haha a sunken wall or barrier in a ditch, constructed to divide land without obstructing the landscape. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
hairy (slang) cunning. (Dubliners)
Half ten 10:30. (Dubliners)
Half time (slang) time out. (Dubliners)
Hallow Eve games referring here to a game in which players are led blindfolded to a table where saucers have been arranged: One holds a prayerbook, one a ring, one some water, and the fourth some clay. If the blindfolded participant chooses the prayerbook, he or she is supposed to join the priesthood or become a nun within the year. If the ring is chosen, marriage is foretold. Water means a long life, while clay means death. (Dubliners)
Hamilton Rowan an Irish Nationalist who escaped from his English captors and hid in Clongowes. He tossed his hat out to make the English believe that he had left the castle; the ruse was successful. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a hamper in the refectory a box, or basket of food in the dining hall that belongs to him; probably sent from home. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
handy with the mitts (slang) a good figher. (Dubliners)
hanged upon a gibbet a strange, seemingly vernacular description of the Crucifixion; perhaps Father Arnall is using the phrase to impress upon the boys the fact that Christ was executed "like a common criminal." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
hard word unpleasant information (that employment might be available for Corley, who doesn't like to work). (Dubliners)
harp the symbol of Ireland. (Dubliners)
has a drop taken has drunk alcohol. (Dubliners)
he aspirated the first letter of his name in the manner of the Florentines he pronounced Corley as "whorely." (Dubliners)
he repeated the act of contrition Stephen is repeating the traditional prayer of repentent sinners, vowing nevermore to sin. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
he was in the third of grammar He was an older student. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
he was not in a wax He was not yet seethingly, passionately angry. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
he was only a Dublin jakeen a snooty, lower-class Dubliner. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
hearing the four pages of Roman History supervising a class in Latin translation. (Dubliners)
heliotrope reddish-purple. (Dubliners)
her mistake Maria has sung the song's first verse twice in a row. (Dubliners)
her silver wedding the twenty-fifth anniversary of marriage. (Dubliners)
the Herald the Dublin Evening Herald. (Dubliners)
Here's this chap comes to the throne after his old mother keeping him out of it till the man was grey Because Queen Victoria ruled England and Ireland for over six decades, her son Edward VII did not inherit the throne until he was sixty years old. (Dubliners)
Heron salaamed Heron bent forward, in a low bow, his right palm on his forehead; this is an Arabic and Indian gesture of respect. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
High Toast a brand of snuff. (Dubliners)
his angel guardian Every baptized Roman Catholic has a personal guardian angel. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his bally old play "bally" is a euphemism for "bloody," which has no equivalent in American English; a "bloody shame" could roughly be translated as a "damned shame." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his father's second moiety notices second half of the notices sent out in bankruptcy proceedings. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his feet resting on the toasted boss His feet are resting by the fireplace on a very low, warm stool which has ornamental "ears," or bosses. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his ghostly father the priest to whom he confesses. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his scribbler his notebook. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
his stone of coal Irish unit of weight; 14 lbs. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
"Ho! Ho! Hohé, vraiment!" the refrain from "Cadet Rousel." (Dubliners)
hoardings board fence pasted up with lots of advertisements. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the holy alls of it (slang) the long and the short of it. (Dubliners)
hop-o'-my-thumb a short person. (Dubliners)
the hour for sums the hour for arithmetic, or mathematics. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the house was filled with paper the theater was occupied for the most part by patrons admitted at no charge. (Dubliners)
how many ferulae you are to get A ferule is a metal-tipped cane or rod used to punish children. Here, it refers to how many times the students will be struck. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
hunker-sliding (slang) shirking. (Dubliners)
a hurling match a game combining elements of field hockey and rugby. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Hushed are the winds . . . the first stanza of the poem "On the Death of a Young Lady, Cousin of the Author, and Very Dear to Him" (1802) by George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824), an English poet. (Dubliners)
"I Dreamt That I Dwelt" a popular aria from the opera The Bohemian Girl, which is also mentioned in "Eveline." The song subtly connects this story with that one, perhaps implying that Eveline will likely end up like Maria. (Dubliners)
I know why they scut I know why they tried to escape. "Scut" is defined in the dictionary as the tail of a rabbit, held high while running. In America, the verb form "high-tail it" is similar in meaning to the verb "scut." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
in a blue funk to be in a state of terror; in American slang, one could say that Father Arnall was trying to scare the boys out of their wits. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
in a great bake another way of saying that someone is angry, or "hot under the collar." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
in search of Mercedes The reference is to Edmond Dantes' beloved, the heroine of The Count of Monte Cristo. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
in tanto discrimine in so many disputes or separations. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
in the square in the school bathroom. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
In vitam eternam. Amen. Into eternal life. So be it. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
India mittit ebur India exports ivory. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Indian clubs bottle-shaped clubs used in gymnastics. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
instanter without delay; immediately. (Dubliners)
Inter ubera mea commorabitur part of Song of Solomon (1:13), rendered in Latin. The entire verse reads: "My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh that lies between my breasts." Traditionally the image suggests Christ's precious relation to the Church. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
ipso facto obviously; as one can see; it speaks for itself. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the Ireland of Tone and Parnell The goal of these Irish Nationalists was self-rule, along with civil and religious toleration. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Irish and Apollinaris whiskey and soda. (Dubliners)
an Irish device a Celtic emblem. (Dubliners)
Irish Revival a movement, begun in the 1880s, that supported Irish culture in general, as well as a revival of Irish Gaelic as the country's national tongue. The Irish Revival will be the subject of a confrontation between Gabriel Conroy and a colleague in "The Dead." (Dubliners)
An irregular musketry a sound like many guns being fired, though not simultaneously. (Dubliners)
Ite, missa est words spoken at the end of the Mass, meaning "Go, the Mass is ended." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
jerry hat a stiff felt hat. (Dubliners)
josser (slang) fellow; guy. (Dubliners)
July 1st the date, in 1690, of the Battle of the Boyne, in which the Protestant forces of William III of England defeated the Roman Catholic Jacobites of James III, resulting in the downfall of Catholic Ireland. (Dubliners)
Kentish fire a mighty show of applause, often stamping the feet, as well. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the kettle would be on the hob The kettle would be on the shelf around the fireplace where families kept saucepans, teapots, matches, and so forth. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Kickham had greaves in his number Kickham had padded, protective shinguards in his locker, which was numbered for identification. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
"Killarney" a popular song by Michael William Balfe, composer of the opera The Bohemian Girl mentioned in "Eveline" and alluded to in "Clay." (Dubliners)
King Billy's statue an equestrian statue of King William III, the Protestant conqueror of Ireland. (Dubliners)
knock it out get along financially. (Dubliners)
knotting his false sleeves Moonan is knotting two cloth streamers that are attached to the shoulders of the prefect's gown, or soutane. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
L.D.S. Laus Deo Semper (Praise to God Always), another motto of the Jesuits; often placed at the top of the first page of a school exercise. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
laid on here like the gas made permanently available. (Dubliners)
Lambabaun (Irish) lamb child. (Dubliners)
Lancers a nineteenth-century quadrille. (Dubliners)
Land Commission the Irish Land Commission Court, a British agency. (Dubliners)
Laocoon an essay by Gotthold Lessing, which is also known by the title, "On the Limits of Painting and Poetry." This dissertation disputes former theories on the subject and establishes Lessing's own differentiation between art criticism and literary criticism. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
last end mortality. (Dubliners)
the last tram Trams were horse-drawn streetcars. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
lay-brother in this case, an usher in a church. (Dubliners)
a league a temperance association; its members would have pledged to avoid alcohol. (Dubliners)
legend Here, the word means a carved inscription or caption. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Leghorn a seaport in Tuscany, western Italy, on the Ligurian Sea (The Italian name is Livorno.) (Dubliners)
Leoville apparently the name of the house in which the Sinicos lived. (Dubliners)
the liberator usually the "l" is capitalized. The term refers to Daniel O'Connell, who was, in 1775, Ireland's leading Catholic politician, advocating the right of Catholics to hold public office. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
lights in the castle The "castle" refers to the complex that houses, among other things, the rector's quarters. The original castle, built in the medieval era, was destroyed in the seventeenth century and rebuilt. The Jesuits purchased it in 1814 and founded the prestigious Clongowes Wood College for boys. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
like the long back of a tramhorse A tram was a horse-drawn passenger vehicle, much like a streetcar. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Lithia lithia water, a mineral water containing lithium salts. (Dubliners)
a little of the ready (slang) with money available. (Dubliners)
a loan of influence on. (Dubliners)
looked at him through a glass looked at him through a monocle, an eyeglass for one eye. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
looked at himself in the pierglass A pierglass is a tall mirror which fills the space between two windows. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Lord Leitrim's coachman The reference here is to an Irish coachman who was more loyal to his English landlord than he was to his Irish compatriots who attempted to kill Lord Leitrim. A person who is labeled as "Lord Leitrim's coachman" would be a lackey, subservient to England and having no patriotism for Ireland. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Lux upon Lux obviously a misquotation, as even if the Pope had a motto, it wouldn't include English words. (Dubliners)
Madam, I never eat muscatel grapes. Dantes (the Count of Monte Cristo) makes this statement to Mercedes; her son remarks that Dantes seems to have an Oriental code of honor @md that is, he cannot eat or drink whatever is offered to him in his enemy's house. Because Mercedes married Dantes' rival, Fernand Mondego (alias Count de Morcerf), her house is technically the house of an enemy. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a magistrate a judge; to brag that one's father was a magistrate is to suggest that one is well-off, well-bred, and better than most. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Major Sirr Henry Charles Sirr (1764-1841); an Irish-born officer in the British army who put down rebellions in 1798 and 1803. (Dubliners)
mall a street on the south side of Dublin's Royal Canal. (Dubliners)
Mammon riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit; wealth or material gain as an evil, more or less deified (from Matthew 6:24). (Dubliners)
manikin a little man; dwarf. (Dubliners)
man-o'-war suit presumably a child's costume intended to resemble a soldier's outfit. (Dubliners)
the Mansion House the official residence of Dublin's Lord Mayor. (Dubliners)
Maritana a Irish light opera. (Dubliners)
the mark of the spade The potato has an incision where the shovel sliced into it. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the mask of a capital though Dublin was a provincial capital, it had wielded no actual power over Ireland since the Act of Union was passed in 1801. (Dubliners)
a mass morning a Holy Day of Obligation, on which all observant Catholics must attend Mass. (Dubliners)
Maurice Stephen's brother. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Michael Davitt Organizer of the land reform league. Much more of a political agitator than Parnell, Davitt served seven years in prison for attempting to send firearms into Ireland. He advocated nationalization of Irish lands and believed that Parnell was too moderate in his opposition to English rule. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
michin (slang) playing hooky. (Dubliners)
minerals mineral water. (Dubliners)
moisty and watery about the dewlaps Dewlaps refer to the loose, wrinkled skin under the throat. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Moulin Rouge literally "Red Windmill," a Parisian music hall. (Dubliners)
moya! (Irish) as it were! (Dubliners)
Mr. Fox the pseudonym used by Parnell when he wrote letters to Kitty O'Shea. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Mrs. Pat Campbell Mrs. Patrick Campbell (1865-1940); a famous actress of the day. (Dubliners)
a muff someone who's awkward at sports; here, Stephen is using the term to describe his youthful naivete at Clongowes. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Mulier cantat. A woman is singing. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Munster Simon Dedalus' family home is in Cork, county of Munster, which was traditionally a political hotbed of deep national pride. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
musha (Irish-English) indeed. (Dubliners)
my nabs (slang) my friend or acquaintance. (Dubliners)
the national poet of Ireland Thomas Moore (1779-1852). (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Nationalist the Irish Parliamentary Party, which stood for Irish independence. (Dubliners)
never to peach on a fellow never to tattle or inform on someone else. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a new emerald exercise The reference is to unlined notebooks, similar to today's bluebooks. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
night-boat the ferry that departed Dublin every evening for Liverpool, England. (Dubliners)
nix (slang) silent. (Dubliners)
Nos ad manum ballum jocabimus. Let's go play handball. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
not foxing not pretending. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
not long before the chief died not long before Parnell died. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the noun mare mare is Latin for sea or ocean. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a novena a devotion consisting of prayers on nine consecutive days. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
numbers issues. (Dubliners)
Nuns' Island a district within the city of Galway. (Dubliners)
O'Donovan Rossa Jeremiah O'Donovan (1831-1915), nicknamed Dynamite Rossa; an Irish revolutionary. (Dubliners)
old Irish tonality a pentatonic or five-tone scale. (Dubliners)
The old one never went to see these wild Irish Queen Victoria never visited Ireland (not, in fact, the case). (Dubliners)
old Paul Cullen another Irish archbishop who was anti-nationalist. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
omadhauns (Irish) fools. (Dubliners)
on the London Press in the world of British journalism. (Dubliners)
on the turf (slang) engaged in prostitution. (Dubliners)
the opening of the national theatre The production that night was The Countess Cathleen. The Catholics hated it, thought that it was blasphemous. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Orangeman strictly speaking, a member of a secret Protestant society organized in Northern Ireland (1795); here, the term is used simply to denote a Protestant and/or Unionist. (Dubliners)
an order on the cashier official permission for an advance on wages. (Dubliners)
the other persuasion Protestant. (Dubliners)
Oughterard a village north of Galway. (Dubliners)
out with your bum expose your buttocks. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
outhouse outdoor toilet. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
outsider a horse-drawn carriage with two wheels. (Dubliners)
P.L.G. Poor Law Guardian; a welfare official. (Dubliners)
the palace of the Four Courts a building in north-central Dublin; the location of Ireland's central courts. (Dubliners)
palaver flattery; cajolery. (Dubliners)
pale a territory or district enclosed within bounds. (Dubliners)
palm prize. (Dubliners)
Pange lingua gloriosi. Celebrate with a boastful tongue. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
pantomime a drama played in action and gestures to the accompaniment of music or of words sung by a chorus. (Dubliners)
Paraclete another name for the Holy Ghost. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Paris in Greek legend, a son of Priam, king of Troy. Of three goddesses (Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera), Paris chose to award the golden apple of Discord to Aphrodite; she, in turn, granted him Helen, wife of Menelaus, thus causing the Trojan War. A reference is made to golden apples in "A Little Cloud." (Dubliners)
the park Phoenix Park, prominently featured in "A Painful Case." (Dubliners)
Parkgate the main entrance to Phoenix Park, the large public park in northwest Dublin. (Dubliners)
Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-91); Irish Nationalist leader. Fought for Home Rule; urged Irish Catholics to pay no rents to their Protestant landlords. His political career was brought to an end when his adultery with a married woman was made public. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
parole d'honneur (French) word of honor. (Dubliners)
the particular judgment This judgment occurs immediately following death; the Day of Final Judgment, the Last Judgment, occurs when Christ returns to earth and pronounces the final destiny for those who are still alive. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a pass free admission. (Dubliners)
Patagonians inhabitants of Patagonia, a dry, grassy region in south South America, east of the Andes (including the south parts of Argentina and Chile); thought to be nomadic and dangerous. (Dubliners)
paten the metal plate on which the bread is placed for the celebration of the Eucharist. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
paulo post futurum it's going to be a little later. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Pax super totum sanguinarium globum Peace through the whole bloody world. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
peloothered (Irish slang) drunk. (Dubliners)
pennyboy errand boy. (Dubliners)
Per aspera ad astra Through adversity to the stars. (After experiencing hardships, anything is possible; or, said another way, the sky's the limit!) (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Per pax universalis For universal peace. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Pernobilis et pervetusta familia an illustrious and old family ancestry. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
pier-glass a tall mirror set in the pier, or section, between windows. (Dubliners)
the Pillar Nelson's Pillar; a memorial in north-central Dublin to Horatio Viscount Nelson (1758-1805), an English admiral. A comical anecdote told by Stephen Dedalus in Ulysses takes place atop the Pillar. (Dubliners)
Pim's a Dublin manufacturer and dealer of home furnishings, clothing, and leather goods. (Dubliners)
pipeclayed whitened with pipe clay, a white, plastic clay used for making clay tobacco pipes or pottery; possibly a foreshadowing of "Clay," a later Dubliners story. (Dubliners)
the pope to turn out the women out of the choirs Pius X, pope at the time this story is set, excluded women from singing in church choirs. (Dubliners)
the pope's nose the triangular-shaped "tail" of a chicken or a turkey, where the tail fathers are attached. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the prayers Secret prayers in the Roman Catholic mass between the Offertory and the Preface, read silently or quietly by the priest. (Dubliners)
the prefects teacher-supervisors; often senior pupils, as well, who are given authority to maintain discipline. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the press in the sacristy a closet (a large piece of furniture) in the room where the sacred vessels and vestments are kept. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Press life the life of a journalist. (Dubliners)
prima donna the principal woman singer in an opera or concert. (Dubliners)
pro-cathedral a temporary substitute for a cathedral. (Dubliners)
provincial of the order head of a religious order in a province. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
public-house a pub; a bar or tavern. (Dubliners)
puff an advertisement, review, or the like, as of a book, containing undue or exaggerated praise. (Dubliners)
Pulcra sunt quae visa placent. A thing is beautiful if the apprehension of it pleases. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Pulcra sunt quae visa placent. That is beautiful which pleases one's sight; or, said another way, whatever pleases the observer is considered beautiful. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
pulling the devil by the tail (slang) living on the verge of financial disaster. (Dubliners)
put on the oilsheet put on an oilcloth, a cotton fabric made waterproof with oil and pigment; often used for tablecloths. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
put your head in the sack (slang) apparently, get married. (Dubliners)
Quadrille a square dance of French origin, consisting of several figures, performed by four couples. (Dubliners)
the quarter of the jews This is a misleading phrase. Stephen has actually wandered into the brothel district of Dublin. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Quasi cedrus exalta sum . . . odoris. I was exalted just as the cedars of Lebanon and the cypress trees of Mount Zion. I was exalted just as the palms in Cadiz (Spain) and as the roses in Jericho. I was exalted just as the beautiful olives on the plains and the plane trees that grow alongside the streams. Just as I gave forth the strong fragrance of cinnamon and the balsam tree, I also gave forth the sweet fragrance of the choicest myrrh. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
quays piers lying alongside or projecting into the water for loading or unloading ships. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
quincunx an arrangement of five objects in a square, with one at each corner and one in the middle. (Dubliners)
Quis est in malo humore . . . ego aut vos? Which one [of us] is in a bad mood . . . I or you? (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Quod? What? (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
racing tissues publications covering horse racing. (Dubliners)
railway carriage railway car. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the real cheese (slang) the real thing. (Dubliners)
the rector in a black and gold cope A "cope" is a form of "cloak"; it is long and is worn in processions. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
reefer an overcoat; a short, thick, double-breasted coat in the style of a seaman's jacket. (Dubliners)
refractory hard to manage; stubborn; obstinate. (Dubliners)
renegade catholics those Catholics who desert their faith. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
return-room a room, usually small, added to the wall of a house. (Dubliners)
Reynold's Newspaper a London newspaper that reported on scandalous events. (Dubliners)
rheumatic wheels a malapropism for pneumatic wheels. (Dubliners)
right skit (slang) great fun. (Dubliners)
risotto alla bergamasca a rice dish made with cheese and either a fish or chicken stock, prepared in the style of Bergamo, Italy. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
rosary a series of prayers (usually said with rosary beads) consisting of 15 decades (a group of 10) of aves, each decade being preceded by a Paternoster and followed by a Gloria Patri. One of the mysteries or events in the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary is recalled at each decade. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Rosicrucian any of a number of persons in the seventeenth or eighteenth century who professed to be members of a secret society said to have various sorts of occult lore and power. The boy's uncle is implying that his relationship with Father Flynn was secret and possibly dangerous. (Dubliners)
the Rotunda a group of buildings on Rutland Square, one of which is a concert hall. (Dubliners)
rum (informal, chiefly British) odd; queer. (Dubliners)
the sailor's hornpipe a lively dance, usually done by one person; popular with sailors. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Saint Thomas Saint Thomas Aquinas; thirteenth-century monk, theologian, and philosopher. His works summarize all that is known about God by evidence of reasoning and faith and serve as the cornerstone of the Roman Catholic faith. Stephen develops his own aesthetic theory from the ideas of Aquinas and Aristotle. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
screw (British slang) salary. (Dubliners)
screwed (slang) drunk. (Dubliners)
the seawall a strong embankment to prevent the sea from coming up; a breakwater. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
seawrack seaweed that has been cast up on shore. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
secular priests Roman Catholic clergymen with parish duties; as opposed to those priests who live apart from society in a monastery or house. (Dubliners)
sent to the devil (slang) told to go to hell. (Dubliners)
seraphim the highest order of angels. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
seven days without the option of a fine a week in jail. (Dubliners)
seventyseven to seventysix Stephen has 76 days until classes are dismissed for Christmas holidays. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sha (Irish) yes. (Dubliners)
Shannon a river in west-central Ireland, flowing southwestward into the Atlantic. (Dubliners)
She believed steadily in the Sacred Heart Mrs. Kernan displays an image of the sacred heart of Jesus in her home and takes communion on the first Friday of each month. (Dubliners)
Shelley's fragment the reference is to Shelley's unfinished poem "To the Moon." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sheriff's man a revenue and debt collector. (Dubliners)
She's ripping, isn't she? She's first-rate, splendid. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
shoeboy a boot licker or insincere flatterer. (Dubliners)
shoneens (Irish) Irish who imitate English customs and behavior. (Dubliners)
short twelve noon mass. (Dubliners)
shortbread crisp, dry, buttery bars. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
shoulder him into the square ditch shove him into the cesspool. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sick in your breadbasket sick at the stomach. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Sidney Parade a train station on Sidney Parade Avenue, in the village of Merion, southeast of Dublin. (Dubliners)
"Silent O Moyle" an Irish patriotic song. (Dubliners)
simoniac a person guilty of simony. (Dubliners)
simony the buying or selling of sacred or spiritual things, as sacraments or benefices. Roman Catholic teaching defines simony as an infringement of natural law. (Dubliners)
the sin of Simon Magus a magician who tried to persuade Peter and John to sell to him the power to confer the spirit of the Holy Ghost. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
singlets undershirts. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sinned mortally To commit a mortal sin, one must be fully aware that a sin is being committed; knowingly and willingly acting against the laws of God. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Sir John Gray's statue a statue of a Protestant patriot located in north-central Dublin. (Dubliners)
sit (slang) situation. (Dubliners)
Skerries . . . Howth . . . Greystones seaside resorts near Dublin. "Eveline" included a reference to Howth. (Dubliners)
slavey (British informal) a female domestic servant, especially one who does hard, menial work. (Dubliners)
slept in their coffins Trappist monks were mistakenly believed to sleep in their coffins. (Dubliners)
slim jim long strips of candy. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
smahan a smattering; a smidgin. (Dubliners)
small hot specials whiskey mixed with water and sugar. (Dubliners)
Smoothing Iron a bathing place on Dublin Bay's north side. (Dubliners)
smugging perhaps a combination of "smuggling" (suggesting something done clandestinely) and "smug" (meaning, to "make pretty"); here, the term refers to the secret homosexual horseplay that five students were caught at, including Simon Moonan and "Lady" Boyle ("Tusker" Boyle). (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
snug a small private room or booth in a public house. (Dubliners)
a sod of turf under his oxter that is, each student was expected to help heat the school by bringing fuel. In Ireland, turf was burned to provide heat; "oxter" is slang for armpit. (Dubliners)
Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary a religious association formed by the Jesuit order and based on Loyola's devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Stephen is the administrative leader (prefect) of this organization, which performs charitable works and meets on Saturday mornings for prayers in honor of the Virgin Mary. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
some maneens like myself "maneens" is a Irish diminutive of men; Simon is being overly humble, a bit self-deprecating here in order to be well-liked. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sore head and a fur on my tongue hung over. (Dubliners)
speck of red light the sanctuary lamp within a Catholic church. (Dubliners)
a spoiled nun a woman who, for whatever reason, has turned away from her calling to be a nun. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
spondulics (slang) money. (Dubliners)
the statue a statue of the Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell, known as "The Liberator." (Dubliners)
Stephen's Green a large public park in a fashionable south-central Dublin neighborhood. (Dubliners)
stewards ushers. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
stirabout porridge. (Dubliners)
stock a former type of large, wide, stiff cravat. (Dubliners)
stood . . . a half-one bought a half measure of alcohol. (Dubliners)
stood to bought for. (Dubliners)
Stores the shop where Eveline works. (Dubliners)
students' balls dances in Parisian cafes, especially those on the Left Bank, the location of the University of Paris. (Dubliners)
a stuff in the kisser a punch in the face. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sums and cuts The teacher has assigned the next problems to be done. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a sup taken had a drink of alcohol. (Dubliners)
super spottum on this very spot. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
surd an irrational number; the root of an integer. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
sure to get the ring likely to come upon the ring baked into the barmbrack, signifying that she will marry within a year. (Dubliners)
surplice a loose, white, wide-sleeved outer ecclesiastical vestment for some services, ranging from hip length to knee length. (Dubliners)
Swaddlers! Swaddlers! Dublin slang for Protestants. (Dubliners)
Synopsis Philosophiae Scholasticae ad mentem divi Thomae Summary of the Philosophy and Academic Opinions of Saint Thomas. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
tabinet a poplin-like fabric made of silk and wool. (Dubliners)
The Tablet an ultra right-wing English Catholic paper. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
take the pledge take an oath not to consume alcoholic beverages. (Dubliners)
tea-cosy a knitted or padded cover placed over a teapot to keep the contents hot. (Dubliners)
Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis . . . Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. The times change us and we change in them . . . the times change and we change in them. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Terence Bellew MacManus When the body of the exiled MacManus was returned to Ireland for burial, church officials protested his burial in hallowed ground. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
that's one sure five That's for sure; a top mark in billiards, using only one stroke. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
that's the real Ally Daly That's a first-class turkey, the best! (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
their friends, the French the Irish identified with the French, traditionally rivals of the English, if not their enemies. (Dubliners)
there were two cocks There were two faucets @md one marked "hot," the other "cold." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
they are going to be flogged In this context, flogged refers to being whipped by a cane on the buttocks. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
they don't believe in the Pope and in the mother of God a simplification of the ways in which the beliefs of Protestants differ from those of Roman Catholics. (Dubliners)
They drove in a jingle. A jingle is a covered, two-wheeled Irish vehicle. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
they had fecked cash They had stolen cash. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
they had stolen a monstrance In the Roman Catholic Church, a monstrance is a receptacle in which the consecrated host is exposed for adoration. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
They were caught near the Hill of Lyons. "They" refers to five students. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Thoth the Egyptian god of wisdom and the inventor of the arts, sciences, and the system of hieroglyphics. The Greeks and Romans referred to him as the cunning communicator Hermes, or Mercury. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Three Graces the three sister goddesses who have control over pleasure, charm, and beauty in human life and in nature. (Dubliners)
the three theological virtues faith, hope, and charity. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
thurible a censer, where the incense is burned. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
tincture a trace; a smattering. (Dubliners)
tinker (Chiefly Irish and Scottish) gypsy. (Dubliners)
to have some gas with (slang) to have fun with. (Dubliners)
to redden my pipe to light it. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
To take a pick itself to have a bite to eat. (Dubliners)
to take advantage of her daughter's name Ireland is sometimes personified as a woman named Kathleen ni Houlihan. (Dubliners)
toilet-table dressing table. (Dubliners)
too Irish (slang) exceedingly generous. (Dubliners)
took their constitutional They regularly took a walk for health's sake. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
totties (slang) girlfriends. (Dubliners)
tracts on the walls religious texts posted for the edification of readers. (Dubliners)
a trail of bunting a trail of festive streamers. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
trap a light, two-wheeled carriage with springs. (Dubliners)
the trinkets and the chainies geegaws, cheap jewelry, and china dishes. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the troubles a euphemism for Irish civil unrest. (Dubliners)
True bill a bill of indictment endorsed by a grand jury as supported by evidence sufficient to warrant a trial. (Dubliners)
the tub of guts up in Armagh Michael Logue, another archbishop who didn't, but probably could have, used his influence to dispel the general condemnation of Parnell. Reference is taken from Hamlet. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the tube a machine for communicating within a building. (Dubliners)
tulle a thin, fine netting of silk used for veils, scarves, and so forth. (Dubliners)
turned to the flyleaf turned to the blank page in the front of the book. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Turpin Hero the old English ballad from which Joyce derived the title of an unfinished narrative, Stephen Hero, which eventually became A Portrait. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
twigging scraping a twig broom across a carpet. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
the two murdered princes in the Tower the two sons of England's King Edward IV, put to death in the Tower of London by their uncle, most likely, who would become Richard III. (Dubliners)
two prints of butter two pats of butter with patterned marks, or "prints" on top. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
ulster a long, loose, heavy overcoat, especially one with a belt, originally made of Irish frieze. (Dubliners)
the University question the issue of Irish higher education. At the time the story is set, the country's main university, Trinity College, was Protestant affiliated, while the vast majority of the population was Roman Catholic. (Dubliners)
up here to Dublin from the countryside. (Dubliners)
up to the dodge (slang) capable of avoiding pregnancy. (Dubliners)
up to the knocker up to snuff; passable. (Dubliners)
upsetting her napkinring A napkin ring is a ring of china, metal, or wood that holds a folded napkin. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
'usha (Irish-English) the contraction of musha. (Dubliners)
usurious practicing usury; the act or practice of lending money at a rate of interest that is excessive or unlawfully high. Usury was forbidden for centuries by the Roman Catholic Church. (Dubliners)
venial not causing spiritual death; said of a sin either not serious in itself or, if serious, not adequately recognized as such or not committed with full consent of one's will. (Dubliners)
venial sin a minor sin, committed without full understanding of its seriousness or without full consent of the will. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
vermin malapropism for ermine. (Dubliners)
vestment an ecclesiastical garment worn by a priest, choir member, and so forth during services. (Dubliners)
the Vexilla Regis the royal or King's (standard) flag. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a villanelle a fixed nineteen-line form, originally a French invention, employing only two rhyming sounds and repeating the lines according to a set pattern. The finest villanelle in English is Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
visa any form of aesthetic apprehension of perception, such as sight or hearing. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Vitriol Works a north Dublin chemical factory. (Dubliners)
Vive l'Irelande! Long live Ireland! (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
wash the pot (slang) to confess one's sins. (Dubliners)
Waterhouse's clock the clock outside a jeweller on Dame Street in Dublin. (Dubliners)
We can scut the whole hour. We have the next hour free. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Wells's seasoned hacking chestnut Wells's chestnut (used in a game); it has cracked (conquered) 40 others. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
went over to the sideboard a piece of dining room furniture with shelves, doors, and drawers, used for holding tablecloths, linens, and silverware. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
went to the altar every first Friday took communion on the first Friday of every month. (Dubliners)
West Briton a sympathizer with the English in Ireland. (Dubliners)
When his hour had struck when the work day had ended. (Dubliners)
Whit-Monday the Monday immediately following Whit-Sunday, or Pentecost. (Dubliners)
the Whitsuntide play refers to a play that is part of a ceremony commemorating Pentecost (the seventh Sunday after Easter). (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Wisha! (Irish-English) variant of musha. (Dubliners)
with her feet on the fender with her feet on a low metal guard before an open fireplace; a fender is used to deflect popping, or falling coals. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
worm the coil of a still. (Dubliners)
yerra (Irish) really. (Dubliners)
You are McGlade's suck. You are McGlade's bootlicker, brown-noser, apple-polisher. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
a young fenian a young man who rejects his nation's serf-like relationship to England, believing so fervently in Irish independence that he is ready to embrace terrorism. Often, bands of fenians hid out in the hills. (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)