familiar in folklore, an evil spirit constantly attending someone and typically viewed as dwelling within an animal; also, the animal within which such a spirit dwells.
fast bread bread made from batter rather than yeast dough, which must rise before it can be baked.
half peck a unit of dry measure equal to an eighth of a bushel, or four quarts.
the bit the part of a bridle that goes into a horse's mouth, used to control the horse; in this context, it is used by plantation overseers to bridle a slave's tongue.
night bucket the slop jar or portable night toilet.
press an upright closet in which clothes or other articles are kept.
haint a dialect pronunciation of "haunt;" a ghost.
in line the positioning of slave teams to work the indigo fields.
