Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald Glossary

Glossary of Terms

acciaccare

Musical term meaning an unexpected or unusual chord strike.

Constance Talmadge

a famous star of silent movies.

Convivial

lively or friendly.

Croesus

a Greek king known for his immense wealth.

Dangerous Dan McGrew

The ill-fated hero of a 1907 narrative poem.

Ennui

a feeling of boredom.

faux pas

French term meaning a social mistake.

fille de joie

French term meaning 'girl of fun' - usually used as a euphemism for prostitute.

Gilded Age

term taken from a text by Mark Twain and C. D. Warner referring to post Civil war success and prosperity.

Grandiloquence

with pretension and authority.

Hades

the Greek god of the underworld.

Khubla Khan

A poem written in 1797 by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, inspired by an opium dream.

Lady Diana Manners

Also known as Viscountess Norwich, Lady Diana Manners was a popular English actress, aristocrat and socialite in the late 1900's.

O D coat

abbreviation for olive drab coat - the field coat issued to soldiers in the First World War.

Pabulum

nourishment from trivia and popular culture.

Phaeton

an open, horse-drawn carriage.

Pneumatique

a letter sent by pneumatic dispatch, or air tubes.

Pulchritude

Fifteenth century word for beauty.

Pullman

The sleeping-car of a train.

Sybarite

Individual devoted to pleasure and enjoyment

The Revolt of the Angels

A novel written in 1914 by Anatole France. The storyline depicts a rebellion of angels against God, and as a result the book was condemned by the Roman Catholic church.