Glossary of Terms
Allegory: the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence
Assay: to appraise a state of affairs
Audacious: intrepidly daring; recklessly bold
Beatify: to make supremely happy; to declare to have attained the blessedness of heaven and authorize the title "Blessed" and limited public religious honor
Calligraphy: artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering
Calliope: a keyboard musical instrument resembling an organ and consisting of a series of whistles sounded by steam or compressed air
Centrifuge: a machine using centrifugal force for separating substances of different densities, for removing moisture, or for simulating gravitational effects
Croupier: inflammation, edema, and subsequent obstruction of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi especially of infants and young children that is typically caused by a virus and is marked by episodes of difficult breathing and hoarse metallic cough
Cumulus: a dense puffy cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain
Cuneiform: having the shape of a wedge; composed of or written in wedge-shaped characters
Dirge: a slow, solemn, and mournful piece of music
Effulgence: radiant splendor
Epilepsy: any of various disorders marked by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain and typically manifested by sudden brief episodes of altered or diminished consciousness, involuntary movements, or convulsions
Facsimile: an exact copy
Faustus, Doctor: A character in a popular German story who makes a pact with the devil, first published in the 16th century.
Ferment: to be in a state of agitation or intense activity; to undergo fermentation, a chemical change with effervescence
Foible: a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior
Gesticulation: the act of making gestures
Harlequin: a variegated pattern; character in comedy and pantomime with a shaved head, masked face, variegated tights, and wooden sword
Incongruous: incompatible, disagreeing
Indelible: that cannot be removed, washed away, or erased
Interminable: having or seeming to have no end
Leprous: of, relating to, or resembling leprosy or a leper
Libidinous: having or marked by lustful desires
Machiavelli: A political philosopher of the Italian Renaissance. He is best know for The Prince, in which he describes the ways - often evil - by which a ruler can maintain his thone.
Moriarty, Professor: A fictional supervillain in Sherlock Holmes stories
Narcissism: love of or sexual desire for one's own body
Pantomime: conveyance of a story by bodily or facial movements especially in drama or dance
Phrenology: the study of the conformation of the skull based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties and character
Propound: to offer for discussion or consideration
Semaphore: an apparatus for visual signaling
Sibilant: having, containing, or producing the sound of or a sound resembling that of the s or the sh in sash
Vainglorious: marked by excessive or ostentatious pride especially in one's achievements
ClassicNote on Something Wicked This Way Comes
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