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.
