Glossary of Terms
abysmal: very bad; without hope; terrible
barbarism: savagery
deter: restrain; resist
elixir: delicious drink; healthful drink
four bits: fifty cents
hard-pan: rock layer
hell-bent: determined; stubborn; unstoppable
indecipherable: impossible to read; puzzling
intermeshed: intermingled; mixed
jailbird: prisoner
mare: female horse
marksman: expert shooter
mend: fix; repair; sew
outskirts: immediately outside
paradox: contradiction; irony
pummeled: beaten
quarter-section: small area of land
regiment: troop of soldiers
salinas: salt
san Quentin: prison
sanctuary: safe place
six bits: seventy-five cents
syphilis: venereal disease
taciturn: quiet; instrospective
tallow: fat used for candles
thunderhead: dark cloud
timshel: Hebrew verb meaning "thou mayest"
translucent: semi-transparent; limited ability to see
two bits: a quarter
unkempt: untidy; dirty; disheveled
weathered: survived; aged
weltschmertz: painful world; depression; melancholia
ClassicNote on East of Eden
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