In Cold Blood Glossary

Glossary of Terms

4-H

A youth development program administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. Although it was originally geared toward instructing American youth in agricultural skills and technology, its mission also includes teaching leadership and general life skills, particularly to children in rural areas.

aft

The back of a boat (the stern)

agoraphobia

Fear of public and/or unfamiliar places. Individuals who suffer from agoraphobia are often afraid to leave the vicinity of their home.

cavalcade

A procession of cars or sometimes, riders on horseback

contrition

Repentance; the act of asking for forgiveness

emporium

A retail store, often carrying many different forms of merchandise; a place of trade

fleece

To defraud; or deprive of money through trickery

Foxtrot

A ballroom dance that became popular in the early part of the twentieth century; it was originally accompanied by ragtime music, which gradually became replaced by swing.

gemütlich

From German: greeably pleasant

Heathcliff

A character from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights; the name connotes an archetypal romantic hero

hoofer

A professional dancer

ineffable

Inexpressible, impossible to capture in words

Lilliputian

Very small (a reference to the undersized residents of Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travels)

mélange

From French: a medley or mixture of incongruous elements

mica

A mineral known for its distinct shine, which is often used for decorative purposes

Old Grad

A former prison inmate; an ex-convict

pedophiliac

A person who takes a sexual interest in children.

pragmatic

Oriented towards practical matters, as opposed to intellectual or artistic ones.

precipitate

To hasten the arrival of, or bring about

rankle

To cause irritation or resentment; to fester

slug

A fake coin

touristic

Pertaining to tourism

Vaudeville

A genre of theatrical entertainment, popular in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, consisting of a number of separate, unrelated acts.

venire

An entire panel from which a jury is drawn.

virile

Masculine; pertaining to manhood

voir dire

A preliminary examination to determine the competency of a witness or juror