aberrations a deviation from the normal or the typical.
acquiescence the act of acquiescing; agreement or consent without protest.
acrimonious bitter and caustic in temper, manner, or speech.
aggregation a group or mass of distinct things or individuals.
amanuensis an assistant who takes dictation or copies something already written; secretary.
ambidextrous able to use both hands with equal ease.
Appomattox town in central Virginia., near Lynchburg: In a former nearby village (Appomattox Court House), Lee surrendered to Grant (April 9, 1865), ending the Civil War.
asafoetida a bad-smelling gum resin obtained from various Asiatic plants of the umbel family it was formerly used to treat some illnesses or, in folk medicine, to repel disease.
bantam cock a small but aggressive person; a bantam is a small domestic fowl.
beadle [Obs.] a messenger of a law court.
Big Mules political term referring to modern Alabama power brokers.
Blackstone's Commentaries one of the most important books ever written on British law, written by Sir William Blackstone 1723-80; Eng. jurist & writer on law.
Braxton Bragg Commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee from the summer of 1862 until the end of 1863. Bragg had the distinction of being both recklessly offensive as well as hesitant to the point of ineffectiveness at various times in his career — sometimes in the same battle.
calomel mercurous chloride, HgCl, a white, tasteless powder that darkens on exposure to light: used in standard electrode cells and in agriculture and medicine to fight skin bacteria.
Cannas any of a genus (Canna) broad-leaved tropical plants, often grown for ornament because of the striking foliage and brilliant flowers.
caricatures a picture or imitation of a person, literary style, etc. in which certain features or mannerisms are exaggerated for satirical effect.
castile a fine, mild, hard soap prepared from olive oil and sodium hydroxide.
catawba worms a type of caterpillar highly prized by fishermen in the Southern United States.
champertous having to do with champerty, an act by which a person not concerned in a lawsuit makes a bargain with one of the litigants to help maintain the costs of the suit in return for a share of any proceeds: illegal in most U.S. states.
charlotte a molded dessert consisting of an outer layer of strips of bread, cake, etc. and a filling as of custard or cooked fruit.
chiffarobe a wardrobe with drawers or shelves on one side.
church vt. to bring (esp. a woman after childbirth) to church for special services.
climber [Informal] a person who tries to advance socially or in business.
constructionist a person who interprets, or believes in interpreting, a law, document, etc. in a specified way.
cootie [Slang] common head lice.
corroborative making certain; confirming; corroborating.
Cotton Tom Heflin J. Thomas "Cotton Tom" Heflin was Secretary of the State of Alabama, a member of Congress from 1905 until 1920, and a U.S. senator from 1921 until 1931.
the crash the 1929 stock market crash, which gave rise to the period of the Great Depression.
crepey wrinkled like crepe cloth or paper.
