Flannery O'Connor's Stories Glossary

Glossary of Terms

bale

a large bundle secured with wire or string, as of hay

brocade

fabric woven with a raised, intricate design

calliope

a musical instrument that uses harsh-sounding steam whistles activated by a keyboard

catechism

an elementary book summarizing the doctrines of a religion in question and answer form

drag harrow

an obsolete tool for soil cultivation

gulley

a small valley worn away by running water and used for drainage

ineffable

incapable of being described in words

monstrance

a receptacle used during the Catholic mass to display the Host, or bread that has been converted into the body of Christ

newsreel

A short film presenting current events

Ordinary

a judge of a court of probate

organdy

a thin, cotton fabric with a crisp finish

pallet

a straw mattress

phantasm

a ghostly apparition

pickaninny

a derogatory term for a black child

reducing class

weight-loss class

saffron

a crocus with purple flowers

shiftless

lazy and not efficient

shoat

a young, weaned pig

silage

fermented, moist fodder that is fed to cattle or sheep

surplice

a loose, white vestament worn over the cassock by clergy, choristers, and altar boys

sway-backed

Having an excessive downward curvature of the spine, resulting in a sagging appearance

trough

a long, narrow receptacle for holding water or food for animals

valise

suitcase