Big Book Word Definitions
1
Doggerel – trivial or inferior verse, often irregular in rhythm and used for comic or burlesque effect
Pot – a rounded container typically used for cooking or storing; also slang for marijuana
2
Surety company – a company that provides surety bonds guaranteeing the fulfillment of contracts or obligations
Maelstrom – a powerful whirlpool or a state of violent confusion and turmoil
3
Remonstrances – formal protests, objections, or complaints made forcefully
4
Elba – a Mediterranean island off Tuscany, Italy, where Napoleon was first exiled. He returned and again became leader of France.
St. Helena. – a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean where Napoleon spent his final exile and died.
5
Bathtub gin – homemade or illicitly made gin, typically of poor quality, associated with Prohibition-era alcohol production
6
Cock sureness – (cocksureness) excessive self-confidence or arrogance
Calamity – a disastrous event or great misfortune
Sash – a decorative band of fabric worn around the waist or over the shoulder, or the frame holding glass in a window
7
Goose hung high – idiom meaning things are going well or prosperous (from “the goose hangs high”)
Delirium tremens – a severe alcohol withdrawal condition involving tremors, hallucinations, and confusion
Wet brain – slang for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder from severe thiamine deficiency often linked to chronic alcoholism
8
Armistice day – the historical name for November 11, commemorating the 1918 armistice ending World War I (now Veterans Day in the US)
Debauch – excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures or to corrupt morally
9
Aghast – filled with horror or shock
10
Cipher – a secret code or message written in code; also a person of no importance
11
Chicanery – the use of deception or trickery, especially in legal or political matters
12
Antipathy – a strong feeling of dislike, aversion, or hostility
101
Whoopee party – lively, noisy, boisterous party or social gathering centered on drinking, merrymaking, and unrestrained revelry (1920s–1930s American slang).
rulesixtytwo 