Pygmalion Study Guide

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