"from Nebuchadnezzar to the Swaffam tinker"
a British idiom, referring to any phrase or situation that references or includes both the highest and lowest classes of society
"make a round 'O'"
a British expression meaning to write clearly
Ahasuerus the Jew
Known as the "wandering Jew," Ahasuerus was condemned to wander the earth without rest.
barrow
prehistoric burial mound
casque
helmet
cima recta/cyma recta
an architectural term referring to the curve formed by two arcs with parallel ends; also known as ogee
faggot
bundle of sticks or branches, bound together to use for fuel
furze
very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flower
heath croppers
wild ponies
Lammas tide
a harvest festival
mummer
an actor involved in masked performances, especially of a type associated with Christmas and popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries
ooser
a Dorsetshire horned devil mask, often been linked to witchcraft
pattens
wooden overshoes
pis aller
a French idiom, meaning the last resort
Scyllaeo-Charybdian position
an idiom derived from Greek mythology, indicating any situation in which both options spell potential doom or loss
skimmity ride
a public parade mean to mock or humiliate an unfaithful or nagging spouse
slittering maid
a young woman of marriagable age
stays
corset
Tartarean situation
an expression meaning a dreadful or hellish predicament; refers to the place that Zeus imprisoned the Titans in Greek mythology
twanky
peevish, put out
