Glossary

Advowtry

Adultery.

Animalia

Animals.

Arsie-versie

Upside-down.

Aruspicy

Prophesying, fortune-telling.

Bachrach

Wine from Bacharach, in Germany.

Bavin

A bundle of firewood.

Boutefeu

Arsonist or (literal or metaphorical) firebrand.

Cacodaemon

An evil Spirit.

Caldes’d

Cheated.

Calendae

The 1st or 2nd of the month.

Calleche

A carriage with two wheels and a folding hood.

Camelion

A giraffe.

Camisado

An attack by night, during which the attackers wore shirts over their armour so they could recognise one another.

Cane et angue pejus

Worse than a dog or a snake.

Caperdewsie

The stocks.

Capoch’d

Pulled off the hoods.

Caprich

A caprice.

Carbonading

Thrashing, beating.

Carroch

A stately or luxurious carriage.

Catasta

The stocks.

Cawdle

Soup or gruel.

Ceruse

White lead used as a cosmetic.

Champaign

Champagne wine.

Chous’d, choust, chows’d

Cheated.

Chouse

A cheat’s victim.

Classis

The elders and pastors of all the Presbyterian congregations in a district.

Coincidere

To come together.

Congees

Bows, curtseys.

Conster

Construe, explain.

Conventicle

Secret or illegal religious meetings.

Covins

Conspiracies.

Cucking-stool

A stool to which a malefactor (often an unfaithful wife) was tied, to be exposed to public ridicule, or ducked in a pond or river.

Curship

The title of being a cur⁠—pun on “worship.”

Curule

An ivory chair used as a mayor’s throne.

Deletory

That which wipes out or destroys.

Deodand

In English law an article which had caused a man’s death was ordered by the court to be a forfeited as a deodand (Ad Deodandum⁠—to be given to God). Before the reformation it or its value was given to the Church; afterwards to the local landowner.

Dewtry

A stupefying drink made from the Indian thorn-apple fruit.

Dialectico

A philosophical point of argument.

Dictum factum

No sooner said than done.

Disparo

To separate.

Donzel

A young page or squire.

Drazel

A slut.

Ducatoon

An Italian silver coin, worth about 6 shillings.

Ejusdem generis

Of the same kind.

Enucleate

To explain the meaning of.

Ex parte

On behalf of.

Exaunt

A religious establishment not under the authority of the local bishop.

Fadging

Fitting.

Feme-covert

A woman under the protection of a husband (a legal term)

Ferk

Beat, whip.

Festina lente

Make haste slowly.

Fingle-fangle

A whimsical or fantastic idea.

Fother

A cartload.

Fulhams

Loaded dice.

Ganzas

The birds which the hero of a popular romance harnessed to take him to the moon.

Genethliack

A caster of horoscopes.

Geomancy

Divination by interpreting the patterns of lines drawn at random on the ground or on paper.

Gleave

A spear or halberd.

Granado

A grenade.

Grilly’d

Grilled.

Grincam

Syphilis.

Guep

Go on!⁠—said to a horse or as an expression of derision.

Habergeon

A chain-mail shirt.

Haut-gouts

Tasty things.

Headborough

A constable.

Hiccius Doctius

A nonsense word used by jugglers, conjurers etc., hence, any kind of trick or dishonest dealing.

Hight

Called, named.

Hoccamore

Wine from Hochheim, in Germany.

Horary

Hourly.

Huckle

The hip.

Huguenots

French Calvinists.

Hypocondries

The upper abdomen, between the breastbone and the navel.

Id est

That is.

Idem

The same.

Illation

Inference, deduction.

In eodem subjecto

Thrown together in the same place.

In querpo

Naked.

Jobbernol(e)

A thick head or blockhead.

Jure divino

By God’s law.

Langued

Heraldic term meaning, with a tongue of a particular colour e.g. langued gules⁠—with a red tongue.

Lathy

Thin, like a lath.

Linsey-woolsey

A cloth of mixed wool and linen threads.

Linstock

A stick for holding a gunner’s match.

L’Ombre

A card game.

Longees

Lunges.

Lustrations

Ceremonials of ritual purification by washing.

Mainprize

To stand surety for someone.

Manicon

A plant (deadly nightshade) or its extract, believed to cause insanity when taken.

Mantua

A kind of woman’s loose gown.

Martlet

A swallow or martin.

Mazzard

The head.

Measle

A spot or pustule.

Mira de lente

Wonderfully slow.

Mordicus

With the teeth.

Morpion

A crab-louse.

Mundungus

Bad tobacco.

Nare olfact

Nostril.

Neat (noun)

A calf or cow.

Negatur

It is denied.

Nimmer

A petty thief.

Omnibus nervis

With every sinew.

Oppugn

Attack or fight against.

Orcades

The Orkneys.

pacquet-male

Large wallet.

Padder

A thief.

Pari Libra

Equally.

Pathic

Passively homosexual.

Pernicion

Total ruin.

Petronel

A short carbine or large pistol.

Picqueer

Skirmish or quarrel.

Pigsney

A term of endearment for a woman, “darling.”

Plus satis

More than enough.

Poesie

Poetry.

Pullen

Poultry.

Punese

A bedbug.

Pursy

Rich.

Quarteridge

A tax or payment due quarterly.

Quatenus

So far as (it is)

Quillets

Verbal points or quibbles.

Rampiers

Ramparts.

Rationalia

Thinking creatures.

Rochet

A bishop’s white gown or surplice.

Satis

Enough.

Sault

Jump.

Scire facias

To know the appearance of.

Sedes Stercoraria

Filthier seat.

Seisin

A token of ownership, formally handed over when property is sold.

Shanker

A venereal sore, chancre.

Slubberdegullion

A dirty, slovenly person.

Soland geese

Barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis)

Staffier

A footman.

Stentrophonic

Loud, as from a megaphone.

Stum

A mixture of wine and grape juice.

Suggill’d

Beaten severely.

Sui juris

Independently.

Swound

A swoon.

Synodical

Arising from or of the nature of a synod⁠—a meeting of bishops etc. of the Anglican Church.

Tantundem dat tantidem

So much of that gives so much of this = they are exactly the same.

Tarsel

A male falcon.

Theorbo

A kind of lute with two necks.

Totidem verbis

In just as many words.

Trapes

Tripes.

Trepan

To trap.

Trigon

A set of 3 signs of the Zodiac at 120-degree angles to each other.

Tussis pro crepitu

A cough for a fart.

Velis & remis

By sail and oar.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

I came, I saw, I conquered.

Versal

Universal.

Videlicet

That is, viz.

Vitilitigation

Argument, quarrelling.

Vizard

A mask or disguise.

Welkin

The sky.

Whiffler

A ceremonial guard who cleared the way for a mayor or other official.

Whinyard

A short sword.

Ycleped

Named.

Yerst

Erst, formerly.