The Thirty-Nine Steps Read online

  redounding VERB eddying. An eddy is a movement in water or air which goes round and round instead of flowing in one direction mists and steam-like fogs redounding everywhere (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  redundant ADJ here redundant means overflowing but Wordsworth also uses it to mean excessively large or too big A tempest, a redundant energy (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  reflex NOUN reflex is a shortened version of reflexion, which is an alternative spelling of reflection To cut across the reflex of a star (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  Reformatory NOUN a prison for young offenders/criminals Even when I was taken to have a new suit of clothes, the tailor had orders to make them like a kind of Reformatory, and on no account to let me have the free use of my limbs. (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  remorse NOUN pity or compassion by that remorse (On His Mistress by John Donne)

  render VERB in this context render means give. and Sarah could render no reason that would be sanctioned by the feeling of the community. (Silas Marner by George Eliot)

  repeater NOUN a repeater was a watch that chimed the last hour when a button was pressed – as a result it was useful in the dark And his watch is a gold repeater, and worth a hundred pound if it’s worth a penny. (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  repugnance NOUN repugnance means a strong dislike of something or someone overcoming a strong repugnance (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  reverence NOUN reverence means bow. When you bow to someone, you briefly bend your body towards them as a formal way of showing them respect made my reverence (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  reverie NOUN a reverie is a day dream I can guess the subject of your reverie (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

  revival NOUN a religious meeting held in public well I’d ben a-running’ a little temperance revival thar’ bout a week (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  revolt VERB revolt means turn back or stop your present course of action and go back to what you were doing before Revolt, or I’ll in piecemeal tear thy flesh (Doctor Faustus 5.1 by Christopher Marlowe)

  rheumatics/rheumatism NOUN rheumatics [rheumatism] is an illness that makes your joints or muscles stiff and painful a new cure for the rheumatics (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  riddance NOUN riddance is usually used in the form good riddance which you say when you are pleased that something has gone or been left behind I’d better go into the house, and die and be a riddance (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens)

  rimy ADJ rimy is an ADJective which means covered in ice or frost It was a rimy morning, and very damp (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  riper ADJ riper means more mature or older At riper years to Wittenberg he went (Doctor Faustus chorus by Christopher Marlowe)

  rubber NOUN a set of games in whist or backgammon her father was sure of his rubber (Emma by Jane Austen)

  ruffian NOUN a ruffian is a person who behaves violently and when the ruffian had told him (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  sadness NOUN sadness is an old term meaning seriousness But I prithee tell me, in good sadness (Doctor Faustus 2.2 by Christopher Marlowe)

  sailed before the mast PHRASE this phrase meant someone who did not look like a sailor he had none of the appearance of a man that sailed before the mast (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  scabbard NOUN a scabbard is the covering for a sword or dagger Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

  schooners NOUN A schooner is a fast, medium-sized sailing ship if schooners, islands, and maroons (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  science NOUN learning or knowledge Even Science, too, at hand (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  scrouge VERB to scrouge means to squeeze or to crowd to scrouge in and get a sight (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  scrutore NOUN a scrutore, or escritoire, was a writing table set me gently on my feet upon the scrutore (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  scutcheon/escutcheon NOUN an escutcheon is a shield with a coat of arms, or the symbols of a family name, engraved on it On the scutcheon we’ll have a bend (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  sea-dog PHRASE sea-dog is a slang term for an experienced sailor or pirate a ‘true sea-dog’, and a ‘real old salt,’ (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  see the lions PHRASE to see the lions was to go and see the sights of London. Originally the phrase referred to the menagerie in the Tower of London and later in Regent’s Park We will go and see the lions for an hour or two – it’s something to have a fresh fellow like you to show them to, Copperfield (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens)

  self-conceit NOUN self-conceit is an old term which means having too high an opinion of oneself, or deceiving yourself Till swollen with cunning, of a self-conceit (Doctor Faustus chorus by Christopher Marlowe)

  seneschal NOUN a steward where a grey-headed seneschal sings a funny chorus with a funnier body of vassals (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  sensible ADJ if you were sensible of something you are aware or conscious of something If my children are silly I must hope to be always sensible of it (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

  sessions NOUN court cases were heard at specific times of the year called sessions He lay in prison very ill, during the whole interval between his committal for trial, and the coming round of the Sessions. (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  shabby ADJ shabby places look old and in bad condition a little bit of a shabby village named Pikesville (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  shay-cart NOUN a shay-cart was a small cart drawn by one horse “I were at the Bargemen t’other night, Pip;” whenever he subsided into affection, he called me Pip, and whenever he relapsed into politeness he called me Sir; “when there come up in his shay-cart Pumblechook.” (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  shilling NOUN a shilling is an old unit of currency. There were twenty shillings in every British pound “Ten shillings too much,” said the gentleman in the white waistcoat. (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  shines NOUN tricks or games well, it would make a cow laugh to see the shines that old idiot cut (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  shirking VERB shirking means not doing what you are meant to be doing, or evading your duties some of you shirking lubbers (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  shiver my timbers PHRASE shiver my timbers is an expression which was used by sailors and pirates to express surprise why, shiver my timbers, if I hadn’t forgotten my score! (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  shoe-roses NOUN shoe-roses were roses made from ribbons which were stuck on to shoes as decoration the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

  singular ADJ singular means very great and remarkable or strange “Singular dream,” he says (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  sire NOUN sire is an old word which means lord or master or elder She also defied her sire (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

  sixpence NOUN a sixpence was half of a shilling if she had only a shilling in the world, she would be very lilkely to give away sixpence of it (Emma by Jane Austen)

  slavey NOUN the word slavey was used when there was only one servant in a house or boarding-house – so she had to perform all the duties of a larger staff Two distinct knocks, sir, will produce the slavey at any time (The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens)

  slender ADJ weak In slender accents of sweet verse (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  slop-shops NOUN slop-shops were shops where cheap ready-made clothes were sold. They mainly sold clothes to sailors Accordingly, I took the jacket off, that I might learn to do without it; and carrying it under my arm, began a
tour of inspection of the various slop-shops. (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens)

  sluggard NOUN a lazy person “Stand up and repeat ‘Tis the voice of the sluggard,’” said the Gryphon. (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

  smallpox NOUN smallpox is a serious infectious disease by telling the men we had smallpox aboard (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  smalls NOUN smalls are short trousers It is difficult for a large-headed, small-eyed youth, of lumbering make and heavy countenance, to look dignified under any circumstances; but it is more especially so, when superadded to these personal attractions are a red nose and yellow smalls (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  sneeze-box NOUN a box for snuff was called a sneeze-box because sniffing snuff makes the user sneeze To think of Jack Dawkins—lummy Jack—the Dodger—the Artful Dodger—going abroad for a common twopenny-halfpenny sneeze-box! (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  snorted VERB slept Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den? (The Good-Morrow by John Donne)

  snuff NOUN snuff is tobacco in powder form which is taken by sniffing as he thrust his thumb and forefinger into the proffered snuff-box of the undertaker: which was an ingenious little model of a patent coffin. (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  soliloquized VERB to soliloquize is when an actor in a play speaks to himself or herself rather than to another actor “A new servitude! There is something in that,” I soliloquized (mentally, be it understood; I did not talk aloud) (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë)

  sough NOUN a sough is a drain or a ditch as you may have noticed the sough that runs from the marshes (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë)

  spirits NOUN a spirit is the nonphysical part of a person which is believed to remain alive after their death that I might raise up spirits when I please (Doctor Faustus 1.5 by Christopher Marlowe)

  spleen NOUN here spleen means a type of sadness or depression which was thought to only affect the wealthy yet here I could plainly discover the true seeds of spleen (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift) NOUN irritability and low spirits Adieu to disappointment and spleen (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

  spondulicks NOUN spondulicks is a slang word which means money not for all his spondulicks and as much more on top of it (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  stalled of VERB to be stalled of something is to be bored with it I’m stalled of doing naught (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë)

  stanchion NOUN a stanchion is a pole or bar that stands upright and is used as a buidling support and slid down a stanchion (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  stang NOUN stang is another word for pole which was an old measurement These fields were intermingled with woods of half a stang (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  starlings NOUN a starling is a wall built around the pillars that support a bridge to protect the pillars There were states of the tide when, having been down the river, I could not get back through the eddy-chafed arches and starlings of old London Bridge (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  startings NOUN twitching or night-time movements of the body with midnight’s startings (On His Mistress by John Donne)

  stomacher NOUN a panel at the front of a dress but send her aunt the pattern of a stomacher (Emma by Jane Austen)

  stoop VERB swoop Once a kite hovering over the garden made a swoop at me (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  succedaneum NOUN a succedaneum is a substitute But as a succedaneum (The Prelude by William Wordsworth)

  suet NOUN a hard animal fat used in cooking and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

  sultry ADJ sultry weather is hot and damp. Here sultry means unpleasant or risky for it was getting pretty sultry for us (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  summerset NOUN summerset is an old spelling of somersault. If someone does a somersault, they turn over completely in the air I have seen him do the summerset (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  supper NOUN supper was a light meal taken late in the evening. The main meal was dinner which was eaten at four or five in the afternoon and the supper table was all set out (Emma by Jane Austen)

  surfeits VERB to surfeit in something is to have far too much of it, or to overindulge in it to an unhealthy degree He surfeits upon cursed necromancy (Doctor Faustus chorus by Christopher Marlowe)

  surtout NOUN a surtout is a long close-fitting overcoat He wore a long black surtout reaching nearly to his ankles (The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens)

  swath NOUN swath is the width of corn cut by a scythe while thy hook Spares the next swath (Ode to Autumn by John Keats)

  sylvan ADJ sylvan means belonging to the woods Sylvan historian (Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats)

  taction NOUN taction means touch. This means that the people had to be touched on the mouth or the ears to get their attention without being roused by some external taction upon the organs of speech and hearing (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  Tag and Rag and Bobtail PHRASE the riff-raff, or lower classes. Used in an insulting way “No,” said he; “not till it got about that there was no protection on the premises, and it come to be considered dangerous, with convicts and Tag and Rag and Bobtail going up and down.” (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  tallow NOUN tallow is hard animal fat that is used to make candles and soap and a lot of tallow candles (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  tan VERB to tan means to beat or whip and if I catch you about that school I’ll tan you good (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  tanyard NOUN the tanyard is part of a tannery, which is a place where leather is made from animal skins hid in the old tanyard (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  tarry ADJ tarry means the colour of tar or black his tarry pig-tail (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  thereof PHRASE from there By all desires which thereof did ensue (On His Mistress by John Donne)

  thick with, be PHRASE if you are ‘thick with someone’ you are very close, sharing secrets – it is often used to describe people who are planning something secret Hasn’t he been thick with Mr Heathcliff lately? (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë)

  thimble NOUN a thimble is a small cover used to protect the finger while sewing The paper had been sealed in several places by a thimble (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  thirtover ADJ thirtover is an old word which means obstinate or that someone is very determined to do want they want and can not be persuaded to do something in another way I have been living on in a thirtover, lackadaisical way (Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy)

  timbrel NOUN timbrel is a tambourine What pipes and timbrels? (Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats)

  tin NOUN tin is slang for money/cash Then the plain question is, an’t it a pity that this state of things should continue, and how much better would it be for the old gentleman to hand over a reasonable amount of tin, and make it all right and comfortable (The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens)

  tincture NOUN a tincture is a medicine made with alcohol and a small amount of a drug with ink composed of a cephalic tincture (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  tithe NOUN a tithe is a tax paid to the church and held farms which, speaking from a spiritual point of view, paid highly-desirable tithes (Silas Marner by George Eliot)

  towardly ADJ a towardly child is dutiful or obedient and a towardly child (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  toys NOUN trifles are things which are considered to have little importance, value, or significance purchase my life from them bysome bracelets, glass rings, and other toys (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)

  tract NOUN a tract is a religious pamphlet or leaflet and Joe Harper got a hymn-book and a tract (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  train-oil NOU
N train-oil is oil from whale blubber The train-oil and gunpowder were shoved out of sight in a minute (Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë)

  tribulation NOUN tribulation means the suffering or difficulty you experience in a particular situation Amy was learning this distinction through much tribulation (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

  trivet NOUN a trivet is a three-legged stand for resting a pot or kettle a pocket-knife in his right; and a pewter pot on the trivet (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens)

  trot line NOUN a trot line is a fishing line to which a row of smaller fishing lines are attached when he got along I was hard at it taking up a trot line (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain)

  troth NOUN oath or pledge I wonder, by my troth (The Good-Morrow by John Donne)

  truckle NOUN a truckle bedstead is a bed that is on wheels and can be slid under another bed to save space It rose under my hand, and the door yielded. Looking in, I saw a lighted candle on a table, a bench, and a mattress on a truckle bedstead. (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  trump NOUN a trump is a good, reliable person wo can be trusted This lad Hawkins is a trump, I perceive (Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

  tucker NOUN a tucker is a frilly lace collar which is worn around the neck Whereat Scrooge’s niece’s sister∼the plump one with the lace tucker: not the one with the roses∼blushed. (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

  tureen NOUN a large bowl with a lid from which soup or vegetables are served Waiting in a hot tureen! (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)

  turnkey NOUN a prison officer; jailer As we came out of the prison through the lodge, I found that the great importance of my guardian was appreciated by the turnkeys, no less than by those whom they held in charge. (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens)

  turnpike NOUN the upkeep of many roads of the time was paid for by tolls (fees) collected at posts along the road. There was a gate to prevent people travelling further along the road until the toll had been paid. Traddles, whom I have taken up by appointment at the turnpike, presents a dazzling combination of cream colour and light blue; and both he and Mr. Dick have a general effect about them of being all gloves. (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens)