Et ignotas animum dimittit in artes. And he sent forth his spirit among the unknown arts. — Ovid, Metamorphoses.
looked at him through a glass looked at him through a monocle, an eyeglass for one eye.
put on the oilsheet put on an oilcloth, a cotton fabric made waterproof with oil and pigment; often used for tablecloths.
the sailor's hornpipe a lively dance, usually done by one person; popular with sailors.
Dante not Dante Alighieri. This is the nickname of the woman who is Stephen's nanny, or governess.
had two brushes in her press had two brushes in her closet — in this case, an upright piece of furniture used to hold clothes.
Michael Davitt Organizer of the land reform league. Much more of a political agitator than Parnell, Davitt served seven years in prison for attempting to send firearms into Ireland. He advocated nationalization of Irish lands and believed that Parnell was too moderate in his opposition to English rule.
Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-91); Irish Nationalist leader. Fought for Home Rule; urged Irish Catholics to pay no rents to their Protestant landlords. His political career was brought to an end when his adultery with a married woman was made public.
gave him a cachou gave him a cashew mint; often used for disguising bad breath.
the prefects teacher-supervisors; often senior pupils, as well, who are given authority to maintain discipline.
Kickham had greaves in his number Kickham had padded, protective shinguards in his locker, which was numbered for identification.
a hamper in the refectory a box, or basket of food in the dining hall that belongs to him; probably sent from home.
a magistrate a judge; to brag that one's father was a magistrate is to suggest that one is well-off, well-bred, and better than most.
never to peach on a fellow never to tattle or inform on someone else.
shortbread crisp, dry, buttery bars.
seventyseven to seventysix Stephen has 76 days until classes are dismissed for Christmas holidays.
the haha a sunken wall or barrier in a ditch, constructed to divide land without obstructing the landscape.
lights in the castle The "castle" refers to the complex that houses, among other things, the rector's quarters. The original castle, built in the medieval era, was destroyed in the seventeenth century and rebuilt. The Jesuits purchased it in 1814 and founded the prestigious Clongowes Wood College for boys.
shoulder him into the square ditch shove him into the cesspool.
Wells's seasoned hacking chestnut Wells's chestnut (used in a game); it has cracked (conquered) 40 others.
with her feet on the fender with her feet on a low metal guard before an open fireplace; a fender is used to deflect popping, or falling coals.
You are McGlade's suck. You are McGlade's bootlicker, brown-noser, apple-polisher.
there were two cocks There were two faucets — one marked "hot," the other "cold."
the hour for sums the hour for arithmetic, or mathematics.
Go ahead, York! Go ahead, Lancaster! The class is divided into two teams, each representing one of the two families (Lancaster, red rose; York, white rose) that battled for the English throne during the 40-year War of the Roses (1445-85). Shakespeare's Henry VI, Parts 1,2,3 is set in this turbulent era and concerns its dynastic struggle for power.
he was not in a wax He was not yet seethingly, passionately angry.
first place in elements first place in the various required classes — Latin, mathematics, literature, and so forth.
two prints of butter two pats of butter with patterned marks, or "prints" on top.
the clumsy scullion the clumsy kitchen servant.
sick in your breadbasket sick at the stomach.
knotting his false sleeves Moonan is knotting two cloth streamers that are attached to the shoulders of the prefect's gown, or soutane.
he was in the third of grammar He was an older student.
turned to the flyleaf turned to the blank page in the front of the book.
do something for a cod do something for a joke.
the seawall a strong embankment to prevent the sea from coming up; a breakwater.
the kettle would be on the hob The kettle would be on the shelf around the fireplace where families kept saucepans, teapots, matches, and so forth.
the fire of the smoking turf Turf is the name of blocks of peat which are cut from Irish bogs and burned for fuel.
getting up on the cars Competing with the railroads, these cars were long vehicles used for transport and were pulled by horses.
don't spy on us another way of saying don't "peach" (or inform) on us.
not foxing not pretending.
like the long back of a tramhorse A tram was a horse-drawn passenger vehicle, much like a streetcar.
a dead mass a mass said for someone who has died.
the catafalque a raised structure on which a corpse is laid out for viewing.
a bowl of beeftea a bowl of rich bouillon, or beef broth.
the liberator usually the "l" is capitalized. The term refers to Daniel O'Connell, who was, in 1775, Ireland's leading Catholic politician, advocating the right of Catholics to hold public office.
a green velvet mantle A mantle is a loose, sleeveless cloak.
his feet resting on the toasted boss His feet are resting by the fireplace on a very low, warm stool which has ornamental "ears," or bosses.
looked at himself in the pierglass A pierglass is a tall mirror which fills the space between two windows.
a good breath of ozone round the Head John and Simon have walked to Bray Head, a hill outside Bray, close to the sea.
went over to the sideboard a piece of dining room furniture with shelves, doors, and drawers, used for holding tablecloths, linens, and silverware.
moisty and watery about the dewlaps Dewlaps refer to the loose, wrinkled skin under the throat.
that's the real Ally Daly That's a first-class turkey, the best!
an answer to the canon an answer to the clergy's condemnation of Parnell.
the pope's nose the triangular-shaped "tail" of a chicken or a turkey, where the tail fathers are attached.
Billy with the lip William J. Walsh, archbishop of Dublin; he worked in league with Parnell for land reform but refused to give Parnell vocal or political support when the O'Shea scandal broke.
the tub of guts up in Armagh Michael Logue, another archbishop who didn't, but probably could have, used his influence to dispel the general condemnation of Parnell. Reference is taken from Hamlet.
Lord Leitrim's coachman The reference here is to an Irish coachman who was more loyal to his English landlord than he was to his Irish compatriots who attempted to kill Lord Leitrim. A person who is labeled as "Lord Leitrim's coachman" would be a lackey, subservient to England and having no patriotism for Ireland.
renegade catholics those Catholics who desert their faith.
a spoiled nun a woman who, for whatever reason, has turned away from her calling to be a nun.
the trinkets and the chainies geegaws, cheap jewelry, and china dishes.
not long before the chief died not long before Parnell died.
a drunken old harridan a drunken old hag.
Mr. Fox the pseudonym used by Parnell when he wrote letters to Kitty O'Shea.
condemned to death as a whiteboy Whiteboys were somewhat like eighteenth-century KKK members; they wore white garbs at night and threatened Protestant landlords who were raising rents inordinately.
the fenian movement Inspired by the American Civil War, these Irish-Americans returned to Ireland to stage a revolt of their own. They were quickly and successfully put down.
Terence Bellew MacManus When the body of the exiled MacManus was returned to Ireland for burial, church officials protested his burial in hallowed ground.
old Paul Cullen another Irish archbishop who was anti-nationalist.
upsetting her napkinring A napkin ring is a ring of china, metal, or wood that holds a folded napkin.
They were caught near the Hill of Lyons. "They" refers to five students.
they had fecked cash They had stolen cash.
I know why they scut I know why they tried to escape. "Scut" is defined in the dictionary as the tail of a rabbit, held high while running. In America, the verb form "high-tail it" is similar in meaning to the verb "scut."
the press in the sacristy a closet (a large piece of furniture) in the room where the sacred vessels and vestments are kept.
the crimped surplices stiffly folded, white linen gowns worn over priests' cassocks.
boatbearer he who carries the container with the dry incense during mass.
censer the vessel in which the incense is burned.
in the square in the school bathroom.
smugging perhaps a combination of "smuggling" (suggesting something done clandestinely) and "smug" (meaning, to "make pretty"); here, the term refers to the secret homosexual horseplay that five students were caught at, including Simon Moonan and "Lady" Boyle ("Tusker" Boyle).
a trail of bunting a trail of festive streamers.
The Calico Belly a satiric play on words. Julius Caesar wrote De Bello Gallico (The Gallic War), a work that is often taught in Latin classes.
how many ferulae you are to get A ferule is a metal-tipped cane or rod used to punish children. Here, it refers to how many times the students will be struck.
they are going to be flogged In this context, flogged refers to being whipped by a cane on the buttocks.
out with your bum expose your buttocks.
they had stolen a monstrance In the Roman Catholic Church, a monstrance is a receptacle in which the consecrated host is exposed for adoration.
the noun mare mare is Latin for sea or ocean.
ablative singular the case that contains the ending of the object of the preposition.
the mark of the spade The potato has an incision where the shovel sliced into it.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam To the Greater Glory of God. This is the motto of the Jesuit order; students are usually instructed to place the initials A.M.D.G. at the tops of all their papers.
Hamilton Rowan an Irish Nationalist who escaped from his English captors and hid in Clongowes. He tossed his hat out to make the English believe that he had left the castle; the ruse was successful.
the green baize door The inner door is covered with soft, green woolen fabric.
gallnuts nutlike galls, or abnormal growths on trees.
