accent a distinguishing regional or national manner of pronunciation; here, Piggy's manner of speech, characterized by his use of double negatives and informal contractions.
acrid sharp, bitter, stinging, or irritating to the taste or smell.
altos the boys who sing in the vocal range between tenor and soprano.
antiphonal sung or chanted in alternation.
barmy [Brit. Slang] crazy.
batty [Slang] crazy or eccentric.
bloody [Vulgar Brit. Slang] cursed; damned.
bogie an imaginary evil being or spirit; goblin.
bollocks a vulgar slang exclamation expressing anger, disbelief, etc.
bomb happy [Slang, Chiefly Brit.] crazy; insane.
bowstave here, slightly curved arc like that of a bow.
brine water full of salt.
bum [Brit. Slang] the buttocks.
caps of maintenance caps bearing a school insignia.
Coral Island Robert Ballantyne's 1857 adventure tale about three boys shipwrecked on a Pacific island and their triumph over their circumstances.
cordon a line or circle, as of soldiers or ships, stationed around an area to guard it.
coverts covered or protected places; shelters.
cracked [Informal] mentally unbalanced; crazy.
crackers [Slang, Chiefly Brit.] crazy; insane.
creepers any plants whose stems put out tendrils or rootlets by which the plants can creep along a surface as they grow.
cutter a boat carried, esp. formerly, aboard large ships to transport personnel or supplies.
dazzle paint British term for camouflage; the disguising of troops, ships, guns, etc. to conceal them from the enemy, as by the use of paint, nets, or leaves in patterns merging with the background.
derision contempt or ridicule.
diddle [Informal] to move back and forth jerkily or rapidly; juggle.
diffident lacking self-confidence; timid; shy.
do us here, kill us.
dun dull grayish-brown.
embroil to draw into a conflict or fight; involve in trouble.
epaulette shoulder ornament as for military uniforms.
essay to try; attempt.
funk a cowering or flinching through fear; panic.
garter an elastic band, or a fastener suspended from a band, girdle, etc., for holding a stocking or sock in position.
gesticulate to make or use gestures, esp. with the hands and arms, as in adding nuances or force to one's speech, or as a substitute for speech.
Gib., Addis abbreviations for Gibraltar and Addis Ababa, respectively; refueling stops the evacuation plane made before crashing on the island.
gibber to speak or utter rapidly and incoherently; chatter unintelligibly.
Give him a fourpenny one hit him on the jaw.
half here, considerably; very much.
Ha'porth contraction of "a halfpenny's worth," meaning a very small amount.
head boy an honorary title given to a student who has made the best all-around contribution to student life and maintains exemplary conduct.
Home Counties the counties nearest London.
impervious not affected by something or not feeling the effects of something.
inimical hostile; unfriendly.
jolly [Brit. Informal] very; altogether.
lamp standard lamppost.
lavatory [Chiefly Brit.] a flush toilet.
matins orig., the first of the seven canonical hours, recited between midnight and dawn or, often, at daybreak; here, a morning church service at which the choir sang.
mold here, loose, soft, easily worked soil.
mucking about [Slang, Chiefly Brit.] wasting time; puttering around.
myopia nearsightedness.
nuts a slang exclamation of disgust, scorn, disappointment, refusal, etc.
One for his nob a hit on his head.
pax peace, here meant as a call for a truce.
phosphorescence a continuing luminescence without noticeable heat.
pills [Vulgar Brit Slang] the testicles.
pinch [Slang] to steal.
pinnacles pointed formations; peaks, as at the tops of mountains.
plinth a course of brick or stone, often a projecting one, along the base of a wall.
polyp any of various cnidarians, as the sea anemone or hydra, having a mouth fringed with many small, slender tentacles bearing stinging cells at the top of a tubelike body.
precentor a person who directs a church choir or congregation in singing.
prefect in some private schools, esp. in England, an older student with disciplinary authority.
propititate win or regain the good will of; appease or conciliate.
queer differing from what is usual or ordinary; odd; singular; strange.
rating an enlisted man in the Navy.
rebuke to blame or scold in a sharp way; reprimand.
Reds [Slang] Communists.
round the bend [Brit. Informal] crazy; insane.
rugger [Brit. Informal] rugby.
scurfy having a condition, as dandruff, in which the skin sheds little, dry scales.
shop here, conversation about one's work or business, esp. after hours.
smashing [Informal] outstandingly good; extraordinary.
sod you a vulgar British slang phrase showing extreme contempt.
stern sheets the space at the stern of an open boat.
stockings closefitting coverings, usually knitted, for the feet and, usually, much of the legs.
sucks to your auntie a British slang expression of derision or contempt; here, "forget your auntie" or "your auntie be damned."
Swallows and Amazons the first (1930) of a series of adventure books by Arthur Ransome, about a group of children on vacation.
taken short informal phrase for having diarrhea.
talisman anything thought to have magic power; a charm.
toilet the process of dressing or grooming oneself.
torrid so hot as to be parching or oppressive; scorching.
Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel about a heroic boy's search for buried gold and his encounter with pirates.
trebles the boys who sing the highest part in musical harmony.
truculent fierce; cruel; savage; ferocious.
ululate to howl, hoot, or wail.
wacco [Brit. Slang] excellent.
waxy [Brit. Informal] enraged.
white drill a coarse linen or cotton cloth with a diagonal weave, used for work clothes, uniforms, etc.
windy long-winded, pompous, boastful.
wizard [Brit. Informal] excellent.
