The Emperor Jones

The Emperor Jones Glossary

portico (noun)

a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building.

vista (noun)

a pleasing view, especially one seen through a long, narrow opening.

scarlet (adjective)

a brilliant red color.

tom-tom (noun)

a drum beaten with the hands, associated with North American Indian, African, or Eastern cultures.

bloody (adjective)

A British colloquialism used to express anger, annoyance, or shock, or simply for emphasis.

blimey (exclamation)

An informal Britishism used to express one's surprise, excitement, or alarm.

souse (verb)

Soak in or drench with liquid. Informally, to get drunk.

Cockney (noun)

A native of East London, traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells.

stowaway (noun)

A person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus, in order to travel without paying and without being detected.

craps (noun)

a gambling game played with two dice, chiefly in North America. A throw of 7 or 11 is a winning throw, 2, 3, or 12 is a losing throw; any other throw must be repeated.

Martinique (proper noun)

An insular region of France located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea.

gunboat (noun)

a small, fast ship with mounted guns, for use in shallow coastal waters and rivers.

Pullman porter (proper noun)

Someone hired to work on the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars.

spade (noun)

An offensive term for a black person.

feverish (adverb)

dangerously, grievously, hazardously

grub (noun)

The larva of an insect, especially a beetle. Also, an informal term for food.

haunches (noun)

Buttocks and thighs considered together, in a human or animal.

Panama hat (proper noun)

A wide-brimmed hat of strawlike material, originally made from the leaves of a particular tropical palm tree, worn chiefly by men.

automaton (noun)

a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being.

witch-doctor (noun)

(among tribal peoples) a magician credited with powers of healing, divination, and protection against the magic of others.