pariah anyone despised or rejected by others; a social outcast.
peck . . . two bushels A peck is one-fourth of a bushel, or eight quarts; a bushel is four pecks, or thirty-two quarts.
placket V-shaped, overlapping fabric on a blouse, dress, or skirt; the front of a typical rugby shirt has a placket design at the neck.
postcoital after sexual intercourse.
private a noncommissioned soldier in the U.S. Army or U.S. Marine Corps whose rank is below a private first-class.
pulling your nose In an effort to make Nel's nose look narrower, sleeker, and more Anglo, Helene tells her to snap a clothespin on it.
read you a dream interpret a dream.
running across a field in France This is a reference to one of many bloody battlefields in France during World War 1 (1914–1918).
