absinthe green, bitter, toxic liqueur made with wormwood oil and anise: now illegal in most countries.
albumen water-soluble protein.
alchemist person who practices alchemy, a seemingly miraculous power or process of changing a thing into something better.
anarchist a person who promotes anarchy, or political disorder, as by flouting or ignoring rules, duties, or accepted standards of conduct.
angleworm an earthworm: so called because it is used for fishing bait.
arbitration the settlement of a dispute by a person or persons chosen to hear both sides and come to a decision.
automaton a person or animal acting in an automatic or mechanical way.
bawdyhouse a house of prostitution.
benignant kindly or gracious, sometimes in a patronizing way.
besiege to close in on; crowd around.
besom a broom, especially one made of twigs tied to a handle.
bigamist a person who marries a second time while a previous marriage is still legally in effect.
billet a long, rectangular or cylindrical unfinished bar of iron or steel, usually smaller than 36 inches.
Black Maria a patrol wagon.
blacklist a list of persons who have been censured and who are being discriminated against or refused employment.
blandishments flattering or ingratiating acts or remarks, meant to persuade.
bog wet spongy ground, characterized by decaying mosses that form peat; a small marsh or swamp.
brass check refers to the style of time clock used during this period.
bullocks young bulls.
camaraderie loyalty and a warm, friendly feeling among comrades.
caper to skip or jump about in a playful manner.
catchpenny made merely to sell; cheap and flashy.
catechism a formal series of questions; close questioning.
chafing being or becoming vexed, irritated, or impatient.
charnel a building or place where corpses or bones are deposited.
chicanery the use of clever but tricky talk or action to deceive or evade, as in legal dealings.
chloroform to kill with chloroform, a toxic, cancer-causing, colorless, volatile liquid that has a sweet taste.
clangor a continued clanging.
colloquy a conversation, especially a formal discussion.
confidence men swindlers who try to gain the confidence of victims in order to defraud.
conjurer magician.
consumption a disease causing the wasting away of the body, especially, formerly, tuberculosis of the lungs.
cur a dog of mixed breed; a mongrel.
