à Jeudi until Thursday.
Acadian descendant of the French Canadians who in 1755 left Acadia, a former French colony (1604–1713) on the northeast coast of North America.
accouchement childbirth.
alacrity eager willingness or readiness, often manifested by quick, lively action.
"Allez vous-en! Sapristi!" French phrases meaning "Go away! For God's sake!"
appointments furniture; equipment.
arbitrary not fixed by rules, but left to one's judgment or choice; discretionary.
atelier a studio or workshop, especially one used by an artist.
au revoir goodbye.
banquette a raised way; sidewalk.
Baratarians natives of the Baratarian Islands, located off the Louisiana coast east of Caminada Bay and Grand Isle.
Bedlam any place or condition of noise and confusion.
Better a dinner of herbs Refers to the biblical passage Proverbs 15:17: Better a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred therewith.
blaguer! farceur! grose bête, va! Comedian! Clown! Silly beast, away with you!
Bon Dieu Good God.
bon garçon good boy (or good waiter).
Bonne nuit, ma reine, soyez sage Good night, my queen, behave well.
bouillon a clear broth, usually of beef.
bourgeois middle-class; also used variously to mean conventional, smug, materialistic, and so on.
camaraderie loyalty and warm, friendly feeling among comrades; comradeship.
car here, streetcar.
Carondelet Street the center of New Orleans' financial district.
Ce que tes yeux me disent What your eyes are saying to me.
chambres garnies furnished rental rooms.
Chênière Caminada a small island lying between Grand Isle and the Louisiana coast.
Chopin [Frédéric] François Chopin (1810–1849); Polish composer and pianist, lived in France after 1831.
cicatrice scar.
close here, confined or confining; narrow.
collar a cloth band or folded-over piece attached to the neck of a garment.
cologne water eau de cologne.
colored altered, influenced, distorted, or exaggerated to some degree.
commodious offering plenty of room; spacious; roomy.
compass here, amount.
condition here, the condition of being pregnant.
consuming wasting away; perishing.
coquetry the behavior or act of a coquette; flirting.
countenance the look on a person's face that shows one's nature or feelings.
coup d'état the sudden, forcible overthrow of a ruler or government, sometimes with violence, by a small group of people already having some political or military authority.
coupé a closed carriage seating two passengers, with a seat outside for the driver.
court bouillon an aromatic liquid used especially for poaching fish and made by cooking together white wine, water, onions, celery, carrots, and herbs.
cover a tablecloth and setting for a meal, especially for one person.
crash a coarse cotton or linen cloth with a plain, loose weave, used for towels, curtains, clothes, and so on.
cravat a necktie.
Creole a person descended from the original French settlers of Louisiana, especially of the New Orleans area.
