The Human Comedy Glossary

The Human Comedy Glossary

telegraph

A means of communication that sent messages great distances by means of coded signals over a wired grid.

dumbfounded

Astounded and amazed; flabbergasted; struck mute in confusion.

solicitude

Attentive and concerned.

simpleton

Slang term for someone not very bright; offensive term for someone suffering intellectual disabilities.

repose

A state of rest; relaxed and peaceful state of tranquility.

gondola

An open railroad car used for conveying large amount of loose bulk materials.

proprietor

The owner and operator of a store.

somnolence

Trancelike state of slumber; stupor.

contraption

A homemade invention; a gadget.

hubris

A state of excessive pride that usually prefigures events which result in a comeuppance.

wop

A derogatory term directed at Italian-Americans.

patronizingly

Treating someone in a way that is condescending; attempting to mask a sense of superiority by treating people as if they are so inferior they must depend on your charity.

vicissitudes

The effect of life’s ever-unpredictable randomness.

toady

Someone who offers flattery and grovels in expectation of reward; a sycophant.

loitering

Illegally hanging around a public space without doing anything after having been told by police to disperse.

allusion

A reference made to the past to lend a deeper significance and expansion of themes surrounding contemporary subjects.

parable

A story taking the form of a folk tale or legend that instructs with a moral lesson.

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