Return of the Native

Return of the Native Glossary

"from Nebuchadnezzar to the Swaffam tinker"

a British idiom, referring to any phrase or situation that references or includes both the highest and lowest classes of society

"make a round 'O'"

a British expression meaning to write clearly

Ahasuerus the Jew

Known as the "wandering Jew," Ahasuerus was condemned to wander the earth without rest.

barrow

prehistoric burial mound

casque

helmet

cima recta/cyma recta

an architectural term referring to the curve formed by two arcs with parallel ends; also known as ogee

faggot

bundle of sticks or branches, bound together to use for fuel

furze

very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flower

heath croppers

wild ponies

Lammas tide

a harvest festival

mummer

an actor involved in masked performances, especially of a type associated with Christmas and popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries

ooser

a Dorsetshire horned devil mask, often been linked to witchcraft

pattens

wooden overshoes

pis aller

a French idiom, meaning the last resort

Scyllaeo-Charybdian position

an idiom derived from Greek mythology, indicating any situation in which both options spell potential doom or loss

skimmity ride

a public parade mean to mock or humiliate an unfaithful or nagging spouse

slittering maid

a young woman of marriagable age

stays

corset

Tartarean situation

an expression meaning a dreadful or hellish predicament; refers to the place that Zeus imprisoned the Titans in Greek mythology

twanky

peevish, put out

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