Glossary of Terms
Abraham's tent: Genesis 18. Abraham's tent is said in the Bible to be open to all visitors; it is a symbol of hospitality, contrasting with the San Dominick
ague: fever
appurtenances: accessory objects
Ashantee: i.e. Ashanti; a people of southern Ghana
battledored: beaten as though by battledores, which are like small tennis rackets with taut leather instead of strings.
berth: place to sleep on a ship
Black Friars: Monks of the order of Saint Dominick, who wore black robes.
bravoes: henchmen, assasins
Caffre: A Black African; also spelled Kaffir or Kafir; considered offensive.
Canary: a wine from the Canary Islands
Cape Horn: The southernmost point of South America
Charles V: Holy Roman Emperor, 1519-36; also King of Spain as Charles I, 1516-36. Retired to a monastery.
Chesterfieldian: Associated with Philip Stanhope (1694-1773), the fourth earl of Chesterfield, who declared that in governing the world's affairs the appearance of morality is more important than the fact of morality. The narrative here demonstrates Delano's simplicity, as "at once Christian and Chesterfieldian" is an oxymoron.
Christopher Colon: Christopher Columbus (1451?-1506), the explorer who made landfall in the "New World" in 1492 under the flag of Castille. His original name and nation are unknown.
City of Kings: Lima, the Spanish colonial center of South America
congé: ceremonious bow
cravat: necktie
cuddy: small cabin
custom house: An official establishment in which vessels and their goods are recorded and cleared.
drule: drool
ebon: poeticization of ebony
Ezekial's Valley of Dry Bones: A vision described in Ezekial 37:1-28.
fag-end: British slang, refering to a cigarette butt; generally, anything that is an unwanted or useless end, in this case, the frayed end of a cable
Freemason: Associated with the Free and Accepted Masons, a secret order with arcane rituals.
Gordian Knots: The Gordian Knot is part of the mythology associated with Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.). Alexander is said to have visited Gordium, where there was a famous knot so complex that no one could untie it. As a response to the challenge posed by the knot, Alexander simply cut it with his sword. The Ammon were a Biblical people living along the Jordan river, closely related to the Israelites.
Guy-Fawkish: Associated with Guy Fawkes, (1570-1606), who attemped to execute the Gunpowder Plot (1605) to blow up the English Parliament, thus hoping to incite a Catholic rebellion.
headsman: executioner
heavers: short wooden bars
hidalgo: member of the lower Spanish aristocracy
huzza: huzzah, shout of joy
in specie: in coin
intriguante: one who intrigues
James the First of England: 1566-1625, reigned Scotland 1567-1625. Famously squeamish.
Johnson and Byron...Barber and Fletcher: Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), critic, author, lexicographer, was one of the most important literary figures of England in the eighteenth century. He was famously attached to and generous towards his black servant, Francis Barber. George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) is one of the most famous Romantic poets. He too was attached to his black servant, William Fletcher.
junk: old, useless rope
malacca: an Asian palm
marlingspike: spike used for spearing marlins
matin: early morning
missal: a book containing what is said at Catholic mass on any given day
Mungo Park: 1771-1806. A Scottish explorer of the African continent.
noddy: albatross
Nubian: An inhabitant of Nubia, a region associated with the ancient kingdom of the same name, which spread from southern Egypt to northern Sudan along the Nile.
oakum: rope fibers loosely twisted and combined with tar to make caulk
parterres: ornamental gardens with walks between flower beds
poop: an enclosed structure at the ship's back, above the main deck
Preston Pans: In 1745 the English army was defeated by the Scottish (also known as the Highlanders) at the Battle of Preston Pans.
punctilio: precise observance of social niceties
ratlin: commonly called a ratline; a horizontal rope used as a ladder for climbing aloft
reconnoitre: to make a preliminary survey, especially for purposes of attack
Rothschild: A line of famous financiers of the nineteenth century were named Rothschild.
salver: serving tray
San Dominick: The name of the ship refers to both the order of Saint Dominick, which was the monastic order in charge of the Spanish Inquisition, and to the island of Santo Dominigo, on which a slave rebellion took place in 1799 (also the time setting for "Benito Cereno").
saya-y-manta: Spanish; a woman's robe that reveals only her face
scullion: scullery maid; does kitchen work
settees: long couches
soundings: measurements of depth
spars: the round wooden poles used to support rigging on a ship, such as masts, booms, etc.
stu'n'-sail: studding sails; extra triangular sails raised alongside the large rectangular sails, used to get the most out of light winds
surtout: close-fitting overcoat
tar: sailor; short for tarpaulin
tocsin: alarm bell
toilet: dress, appearance
trades: trade winds
transom: horizontal boards in the stern of a ship
vice-regal: representing the king's authority
wen: abnormal growth or cyst
whale-boat: long, narrow rowboat used for hunting whales
whiskerando: a facetious term for a Spanish old man
windlass: a machine for hoisting or hauling
ClassicNote on Benito Cereno
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