Gallarate town in Lombardy region of north Italy, between Milan and Lake Maggiore.
Garibaldi Giuseppe (1807–82); Italian patriot and general: leader in the movement to unify Italy.
gasoline park a station for refueling motor vehicles.
get excited become sexually aroused.
glühwein (German) mulled wine.
Gorizia a town in present-day northeast Italy, on the Isonzo River. At the time during which the story takes place, it lay within the boundaries of Austria-Hungary.
gout a hereditary form of recurrent, acute arthritis with swelling and severe pain, resulting from a disturbance of uric acid metabolism and characterized by an excess of uric acid in the blood and deposits of uric acid salts usually in the joints of the feet and hands, especially in the big toe.
grade the degree of rise or descent of a sloping surface.
Gran Sasso D'Italia literally, "Great Stone of Italy."
granatieri (Italian) Grenadiers.
Grappa an Italian brandy distilled from the lees left after pressing grapes to make wine.
grebe a diving or swimming bird with broadly lobed toes and legs set far back on the body.
Grenadier a member of a special regiment or corps.
grummet a ring of rope or metal used to fasten the edge of a sail to its stay, hold an oar in place, etc.
guardia di finanza (Italian) customs service.
gunwale the upper edge of the side of a ship or boat.
harlot prostitute.
He is the legitimate son of President Wilson The doctor is trying to encourage special attention for Lieutenant Henry.
Helvetia Switzerland.
hernia the protrusion of all or part of an organ through a tear in the wall of the surrounding structure; especially, the protrusion of part of the intestine through the abdominal muscles; a rupture.
horse ambulance an ambulance drawn by horses.
Hotel Cavour a fancy Milanese hotel.
"Hoyle" a book of rules and instructions for indoor games, especially card games, originally compiled by Edmond Hoyle (1672–1769), English authority on card games and chess.
Hugo's English grammar an English-language textbook.
Hun term of contempt applied to German soldiers, especially in WWI.
Hundred Years War series of English-French wars (1337–1453), in which England lost all of its possessions in France except Calais (lost to France in 1558).
"I did everything. I took everything but it didn't make any difference." Catherine has tried to prevent pregnancy with various forms of contraception that would now be considered unscientific and ineffective.
"I will never forget Romulus suckling the Tiber." According to legend, Romulus, founder of Rome, was said to have been suckled by a she-wolf. The Tiber is the river on which Rome was built. This is nonsensical, drunken talk.
Il Generale Cadorna Italian general.
I'll paint all this The doctor is offering to swab Lieutenant Henry's wounds with antiseptic.
Imola town in the Emilia-Romagna region of north Italy.
in the mill-race literally, in the channel in which the current of water that drives a mill wheel runs. A colloquialism meaning past the point of no return.
infantry that branch of an army consisting of soldiers equipped and trained to fight chiefly on foot.
Intra a town on the shore of Lake Maggiore.
Isola Bella an island in Lake Maggiore, on the Italian side of the border.
Isola Madre an island in Lake Maggiore.
