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.
wistaria a twining woody vine or shrub of the pea family, with fruits that are pods and showy clusters of bluish, white, pink or purplish flowers.
bawdy house a house of prostitution.
Asti a wine from the city of the same name in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy.
mess a group of people who regularly have their meals together.
spaghetti course Sometimes called the primo piatto, or first course, it follows the antipasto in a traditional Italian meal and precedes the secundo piatto, or entrée.
tannic tasting of tannins absorbed from grape skins and seeds and from oak barrels; somewhat bitter or astringent.
five against one (slang) masturbating.
pidgin a mixed language, or jargon, incorporating the vocabulary of one or more languages with a very simplified form of the grammatical system of one of these and not used as the main language of any of its speakers.
Pope Pope Benedict XV (d. 1922), pope from 1914–22.
Franz Joseph (d. 1916) emperor of Austria (1848–1916) and king of Hungary (1867–1916).
Free Mason a member of an international secret society having as its principles brotherliness, charity, and mutual aid.
Amalfi a town in south Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno.
Palermo a seaport and the capital of Sicily, on the north coast.
Capri an island near the entrance to the Bay of Naples.
Abruzzi a region of central Italy, on the Adriatic Sea.
Capracotta a village in the Abruzzi region.
sotto-tenente (Italian) second lieutenant.
tenente (Italian) lieutenant.
capitano (Italian) captain.
maggiore (Italian) major.
tenente-colonello (Italian) lieutenant-colonel.
Caruso (1873–1921) Enrico, world-famous Italian operatic tenor.
