a fortiori (Latin) "for a stronger [reason]"; said of a conclusion that follows, with even stronger logical necessity, one already accepted.
Achilles Greek warrior and leader in the Trojan War; hero in Homer's Iliad who temporarily refuses to fight.
acquiesce to agree or consent quietly, without protest, but without enthusiasm.
acrimonious bitter and caustic in temper, manner, or speech.
affably pleasantly; in a friendly manner.
ambivalence simultaneous conflicting feelings toward a person or thing.
Anabaptist any member of a radical sixteenth-century sect of the Reformation originating in Switzerland.
anathema a thing or person accursed or damned; detested.
apocalyptic here, refers to ultimate destruction; the end of the world.
apoplexy a cerebral accident or stroke; a condition in any organ of severe hemorrhage or infarction.
arduous difficult to do; laborious.
assuage to lessen (pain or distress); to allay; to pacify.
AWOL Absent Without Official Leave.
bemused plunged in thought; preoccupied.
Billy Petrolle a contending American lightweight prizefighter (1905–1983) in the 1930s.
black market a place or system for selling goods illegally.
C.I.D. The initials stand for Central Intelligence Division. The irony is that the C.I.D. representatives in the novel are far from intelligent, suggesting the oxymoron (a combination of contradictory terms) "military intelligence."
cacophony harsh, jarring sound; dissonance.
cajole to coax with flattery or insincere talk.
cajolery coaxing with flattery or insincere talk.
Capisci? (Italian) "Do you understand?" (Note: Other Italian phrases in the chapter are translatable by context or through Yossarian's response.)
capricious tending to change abruptly and without apparent reason; erratic.
cara mio (Italian) "my dear."
carabinieri Italian police.
carnal delights in or of the flesh; bodily or sexual pleasures.
chagrin a feeling of embarrassment or annoyance because one has failed or been disappointed; mortification.
