Glossary of Terms
Affectation: Pretending to feel or think something. Act IV: "I hate this affectation of youth..."
Appalling: The act of overwhelming with shock or horror. Act I: "What an appalling philosophy that sounds!"
Creed: A set of beliefs that express a particular opinion and influence how one lives. Act II: "...a thoroughly shallow creed."
Dandy: a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and the cultivation of leisurely hobbies.
Deteriorated: To become worse in condition. Act II: "unless he has deteriorated since I knew him first."
Dowdies: A shabbily dressed man or woman with a dull appearance. Act I: "The men are all dowdies..."
Expounded: To give a detailed explanation of something. Act II: "he expounded to us the most terrible..."
Heliotrope: A shade of purple. Act I: "That woman in heliotrope..."
Ignoble: The opposite of noble, worthy of shame. Act III: "I am ignoble in her eyes."
Infamous: Having an extremely bad reputation. Act III: "infamous thing."
Insolent: Boldly rude or disrespectful. Act II: "insolent letter to me."
Mar: To ruin or spoil. Act IV: "Don't mar both for him."
Pluck: Courage, bravery and the wish to succeed. Act IV: "It shows he has got pluck."
Reverberations: A loud, deep sound that continues to be heard for quite some time, and often makes the ground shake. Act III: "with shrill reverberations."
Scruple: A principle, belief, or moral feeling that informs behavior. Act II: "have the smallest scruple in doing so."
Superciliously: An act completed with disdain or arrogance. (Stage direction, Act I)
Swindle: A plan or transaction marked by its falseness and corruption. Act I: "Mrs. Cheveley, it is a swindle."
ClassicNote on An Ideal Husband
| 
