The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows Glossary

fiddle

a violin.

perverted

sexually abnormal.

psychotic

insane or delusional.

Eiffel Tower

A wrought iron tower in Paris built for the 1889 World's Fair, now an architectural icon of France.

recess

A recreational time in the middle of the school day.

sourpuss

A sullen or humorless person

pinup

A poster depicting a sex symbol.

Juvenal

A satirical Roman poem.

Alexandrine

A poetic line with 6 iambic feet.

Place Pigalle

A public square in Paris.

blank verse

rhyme-less verse.

"The Hare"

A poem Antoine and his classmates are studying in class about freedom versus slavery.

gland

An organ in the body that secretes particular chemical substances.

puppy love

intense adolescent romantic attachment.

Balzac

A famous French novelist and playwright.

Archimedes

An ancient mathematician and physicist.

arsonist

someone who deliberately sets things on fire.

plagiarism

copying someone else's work directly.

punk

a criminal or ne'er do well.

vagrancy

homelessness and poverty.