The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption Glossary

rehabilitation

the action of restoring someone to former privileges or reputation after a period of disfavor.

parole

the release of a prisoner temporarily or permanently before the completion of a sentence, on the promise of good behavior.

reefer

marijuana.

Sears and Roebuck

A very large chain of American department stores that began as a mail-order catalog in the late 19th century.

brandy

strong spirit distilled from wine.

Rita Hayworth

American film actress and sex symbol.

felon

person who has been convicted of a violent crime.

infirmary

A hospital within a larger institution.

Gilda

A 1946 film noir starring Rita Hayworth.

obtuse

annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand, dim-witted.

IRS

Internal Revenue Service, bureau of the Department of Treasury tasked with enforcement of income tax laws.

magnanimous

generous, charitable, forgiving.

curry favor

ingratiate oneself through a servile attitude.

quartz

a hard white or colorless mineral consisting of silicon dioxide, found widely in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.

cottage industry

A business carried on in someone's home.

halfway house

A center that helps former addicts, prisoners, and psychiatric patients acclimate to normal society.

Rembrandt

A painter of the Dutch golden age and baroque periods, considered an "old master."

mica

a shiny silicate mineral with a layered structure, found as minute scales in granite and other rocks, or as crystals. It is used as a thermal or electrical insulator.

blasphemy

the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.

queer

euphemism for homosexual.

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