akimbo
body position -- hands on hips, elbows bent outward
apoplectic
on the verge of having a stroke
arbor
an outdoor area shaded by trees
asafoetida
strong smelling substance made from parsley that is often used in folk medicine
bantam cock
a small agressive rooster
bridgework
sections of replacement teeth (not full dentures) than can be easily inserted and removed
calomel
a laxative often used to rid a person of intestinal worms
catawba worms
caterpillars; highly prized as fishbait in the American South
changelings
a child secretly put in the place of another
chiffarobe
a large cabinet with drawers and a place for hanging clothes
collards
cabbage with very coarse, thick leaves
cootie
slang term for a head louse
dog-trot hall
a covered passageway between two parts of a building
eddy
a whirlpool or current of water that moves against the current
edification
instruction or education
entailment
legal issue regarding inheritance
fey
strange or eccentric
Franklin stove
a cast iron heating stove invented by Benjamin Franklin
guile
craftiness and cunning
habiliments
clothing
haint
ghost or spook
hock
the joint of a pig's leg
hookah
a tobacco pipe of Eastern origin that draws smoke through a bowl of water
hookworm
a parasite that enters the body through the feet and settles in the small intestine
Jew's Harp
small musical instrument played by plucking a piece of metal while holding the instrument to one's mouth.
kudzu
a large leafed quick-growing vine of the South
largo
a musical term meaning "a very slow tempo"
manacles
handcuffs
mimosa
a tree or shrub, often specifically a silk tree
morphodite (hermaphrodite)
Scout hears Miss Maudie call her and Jem's snowman a "morphodite". Miss Maudie most likely said "hermaphrodite", which is an animal or plant with both male and female reproductive organs.
myopic
near-sighted
nome
"no ma'am"
obstreperous
noisy and unruly
palliate
to lessen pain
plaited
braided
Providence
the care of God
ringworm
a contagious skin disease caused by fungus
roly-poly
a small bug that can turn itself into a ball. Also known as a pillbug
rotogravure print
a kind of photograph
ruttin'
slang for having sexual intercourse
scrip stamps
paper money of small denominations issued by government agencies for temporary emergency use; particularly common during the Great Depression
scuppernogs
sweet grapes grown in the American South
shinny
slang term for whiskey
smockin'
decorative stitching that gathers fabric
switches
small thin twigs or branches
tollable
Mayella's pronunciation of "tolerable"
trousseau
the new clothes a woman brings to her marriage
voile
a thin, cotton like fabric
widow's walk
a platform with a rail around it built on the roof of a house, named for women who would stand on it and wait in vain for their husbands' ships to return to port
