P.L.G. Poor Law Guardian; a welfare official.
palaver flattery; cajolery.
pale a territory or district enclosed within bounds.
palm prize.
pantomime a drama played in action and gestures to the accompaniment of music or of words sung by a chorus.
Paris in Greek legend, a son of Priam, king of Troy. Of three goddesses (Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera), Paris chose to award the golden apple of Discord to Aphrodite; she, in turn, granted him Helen, wife of Menelaus, thus causing the Trojan War. A reference is made to golden apples in "A Little Cloud."
Parkgate the main entrance to Phoenix Park, the large public park in northwest Dublin.
parole d'honneur (French) word of honor.
Patagonians inhabitants of Patagonia, a dry, grassy region in south South America, east of the Andes (including the south parts of Argentina and Chile); thought to be nomadic and dangerous.
peloothered (Irish slang) drunk.
pennyboy errand boy.
pier-glass a tall mirror set in the pier, or section, between windows.
Pim's a Dublin manufacturer and dealer of home furnishings, clothing, and leather goods.
pipeclayed whitened with pipe clay, a white, plastic clay used for making clay tobacco pipes or pottery; possibly a foreshadowing of "Clay," a later Dubliners story.
Press life the life of a journalist.
prima donna the principal woman singer in an opera or concert.
pro-cathedral a temporary substitute for a cathedral.
public-house a pub; a bar or tavern.
puff an advertisement, review, or the like, as of a book, containing undue or exaggerated praise.
pulling the devil by the tail (slang) living on the verge of financial disaster.
put your head in the sack (slang) apparently, get married.
Quadrille a square dance of French origin, consisting of several figures, performed by four couples.
quincunx an arrangement of five objects in a square, with one at each corner and one in the middle.
racing tissues publications covering horse racing.
reefer an overcoat; a short, thick, double-breasted coat in the style of a seaman's jacket.
refractory hard to manage; stubborn; obstinate.
return-room a room, usually small, added to the wall of a house.
Reynold's Newspaper a London newspaper that reported on scandalous events.
rheumatic wheels a malapropism for pneumatic wheels.
right skit (slang) great fun.
Rosicrucian any of a number of persons in the seventeenth or eighteenth century who professed to be members of a secret society said to have various sorts of occult lore and power. The boy's uncle is implying that his relationship with Father Flynn was secret and possibly dangerous.
rum (informal, chiefly British) odd; queer.
