Anna in the Tropics

Anna in the Tropics Glossary

Cockfight

A blood sport in which two chickens, raised for the purposes of fighting each other, spar to the death in a ring or cockpit

Lector

In this context, someone whose job it was to read the newspaper, proletarian press, and literature to the cigar rollers in a cigar factory

Hombre

The spanish word for "man"; used as an informal form of address like "dude" in English

Jinxed

Doomed to bad luck or ill fortune

Gardenia

A white, subtropical flower indigenous to the Eastern Hemisphere

Buncher

One in a cigar factory who make the bunch of the cigar (i.e., the mix of filler and binder leaves)

Bunion

A bony bump that protrudes from the joint at the base of one's big toe

Alms

Money or food given to the poor or needy, especially in a religious or historical context

Caloric

Relating to heat

Zeppelin

A rigid airship filled with hydrogen, used for commercial travel and warfare in the early 20th century

Animalistic

Physical, violent, or impulsive; like an animal

Asphyxiated

Suffocated; deprived of air

Banyan

A large, Indian fig tree whose roots prop it up and grow above ground, merging with the primary trunk over time

Clara Bow

A movie star of the silent film and early talkie eras

Malady

A disease or condition of illness

Taino

An indigenous North American people who formerly occupied many islands of the Caribbean

Waltz

A dance performed in 3/4 time by a couple as they twirl and hop around a room

Dickens

A word often used as a mild oath or profanity

Pansy

A derogatory term for an effeminate or feminine man

Bohemian

Someone who is unconventional or artsy in their appearance and lifestyle