Mohammedan
This is an archaic term for Muslim/Islamic, and is not favored by Muslims. In the 1799 happenings of The Moonstone, this is used to reference the Muslim conquerors under Mahmoud of Ghizni (alternately, Mahmud of Ghazni) in the eleventh century.
Sally
A military offensive.
Bailiff
In general, a bailiff is someone who performs certain actions under legal authority. In British English, a bailiff is a sheriff’s officer who executes writs and processes arrests, or a steward of a landlord. In this case, Betteredge becomes Lady Verinder’s bailiff, or steward – i.e. her head of servants.
Clergyman
A man who holds a religious, mostly Christian, office or position of leadership.
Barrister
A lawyer who practices as an advocate. This is Godfrey Ablewhite’s main profession.
Inveterate
Used to describe something that is long-established and unlikely to change.
Elocution
The skill or practice of good, clear speech.
Humdrum
Monotonous and dull; it can be used as an adjective or as a noun.
Sideboard
A piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers. In British English, it can also mean sideburns.
Hindoo
Hindu is a major polytheistic religion in India. Hindoo is an archaic spelling.
Cheroot
A cigar with both ends open and untampered.
Magistrate
A civil officer or layman judge who often deals with more minor offenses.
Boudoir
A woman’s bedroom or private room; an intimate setting.
Nota bene
A phrase directing one to observe carefully; Latin for 'mark well'. Betteredge uses this to draw attention, in his written text, to what follows.
Trumpery
Attractive and showy, but worthless in value.
Camphor
Camphor is a volatile solid chemical with a strong odor, used for medicinal purposes.
Worldling
A cosmopolitan person; Miss Clack uses this term pejoratively to describe those who are concerned only with the affairs of this world (for example, in her eyes, Mr. Bruff), while she believes herself to be concerned with higher things.
Solicitor
An agent or deputy; someone in the legal profession who is qualified to draw up wills and the like.
Usury
The illegal practice of lending money at unreasonably high interest rates.
Physiology
The way in which a living organism or bodily part functions; concerning the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
Colloquy
A formal term for conversation or discussion.
Opium
An addictive drug prepared from juices of the opium poppy. It is a narcotic, and also used medicinally as a pain alleviator.
Laudanum
An alcoholic solution in which morphine and opium are the active ingredients. A narcotic painkiller. This is the form in which the opium is administered to Franklin Blake.
Catechise
(In American English, spelled “catechize.”) To instruct someone (often in religion; Christian principles) by means of question and answer; education using interrogation.
Prostrate
To lie stretched out on the ground with one’s face downward.
