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.
