Glossary of Terms
balmy: crazy
blasphemy: profane speech
bloke: man
cab: a carriage with the same function as a taxi
chap: man
circulars: advertisements addressed to a large number of people
divan: a low couch
dustman: a person whose job is to remove trash
guttersnipe: person of the lowest class
mendacity: untruthfulness
navvy: a laborer, especially in construction projects
pantomime: a performance which consists entirely of actions--nothing is said
phonetic: representing the sounds of speech with symbols, each designating a different sound
phonograph: an old-fashioned recording and playing device, more recently called a record player
straitened: narrowed; confined
superlatively: extremely (a play on the linguistic term "superlative," which refers to words like "most," "best," "fastest," "slowest," and so on)
to have a drop in: slang for drunkenness
toff: gentleman
ClassicNote on Pygmalion
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