— A —

Act of Contrition: a traditional Catholic prayer said by sinners who are repentant for their sins

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: "to the greater glory of God"

— B —

in a bake: angry

bally: a euphemism for "bloody," a British curse

black twist: a cigarette of tobacco leaves twisted together

boatbearer: a participant in the Catholic Mass who carries the container of incense (the "boat")

Bonum est in quod tendit appetitus: "The good is in that toward which the appetite tends"

— C —

cachou: a cashew mint

camaun: a piece of equipment in the sport of hurling; the stick used to hurl the ball

car: a two-wheeled horse-driven carriage

catafalque: a structure upon which a dead body is laid for viewing

catechism: a set of formal questions and answers that sums up Catholic beliefs

chasuble: a sleeveless garment worn by a priest when leading Mass

ciborium: a container for the host used during Mass

cock: a faucet

come-all-you: a form of pub song that begins with the phrase "Come all you..."

Confiteor: a Catholic prayer said at the beginning of Mass; literally, "I confess"

constitutional: a walk or stroll taken for health purposes

Contrahit orator, variant in carmine vates: "An orator concludes, poets vary in their rhyming"

cope: a long semicircular vestment

cassock: a close-fitting, ankle-length garment worn by Catholic clergy

Credo ut vos sanguinarius mendax estis . . . quia facies vostra monstrat ut vos in damno malo humore estis: "I believe that you are a bloody liar . . . because your face shows that you are in a damned bad mood."

— D —

Davitt, Michael: a radical leader of Irish land reform who served time in prison for trying to smuggle arms into Ireland

dead mass: a Mass said for the dead

Dominicans: a Catholic order of monks who focus on preaching the gospel

drisheen: a traditional Irish dish made of sheep's blood, chopped mutton, bread crumbs, milk, and other ingredients

— E —

Ego credo ut vita pauperum est simpliciter atrox, simpliciter sanguinarius atrox, in Liverpoolio: "I believe that the life of the poor is simply atrocious, simply bloody atrocious, in Liverpool"

ego habeo: "I have"

ejaculation: a short prayer or exclamation

elements: required classes, such as Latin or mathematics

Et ignotas animum dimittit in artes: "And he sent forth his spirit among the unknown arts"; from Ovid's Metamorphoses

Et tu cum Jesu Galilaeo eras: "And you were with Jesus of Galilee"

false sleeves — pieces of material that hung from each shoulder of the soutane, the garment worn by Jesuits

— F —

feck: to steal

fender: a guard that keeps sparks from flying out of a fireplace

fenian movement: an Irish revolutionary movement

ferule: a flat rod of wood used to punish children; plural "ferulae" refers to the number of lashings a student gets

fireeater: a person who likes to argue

foxing: pretending

Franciscans: a Catholic order of monks who focus on asceticism

— G —

gallnut: an abnormal growth on a tree

gamecock: a bird bred for cockfighting

gibbet: a structure for hanging

gingernuts: gingerbread

glass: a monocle

greaves: shin guards

— H —

hacking chestnut: a chestnut used in a game of beating one chestnut against another until one breaks

haha: a fence or wall around a garden that is set in a ditch so as not to block the view

hamper: a basket of food

Hill of Allen: a flat-topped hill in County Kildare, Ireland, famous for its memorial to Finn MacCool, a third-century Irish hero

hoardings a fence on which posters and advertisements have been pasted

hob: a shelf by a fireplace

hurling: a traditional Celtic sport similar to rugby and field hockey

— I —

in tanto discrimine: "in so many disputes"

in vitam eternam: "into eternal life"

India mittit ebur: "India exports ivory"

Indian club: a club used for gymnastics

Inter ubera mea commorabitur: "My beloved is to me a bag of myrrh that lies between my breasts"; from the Song of Solomon in the Bible

ipso facto: "obviously"

Ite, missa est: "Go, the Mass is ended"; spoken at the end of Roman Catholic Mass

— J —

Jakeen: a lower-class person

jingle: a covered, two-wheeled wagon

— K —

Kentish fire: strong applause, accompanied by stamping the feet

kisser: slang for "face"

— L —

lemon platt: lemon-flavored candy

— M —

"Madam, I never eat muscatel grapes": a line from The Count of Monte Cristo spoken by the hero, Dantès (the count of the title), claiming that he cannot eat any food in the house of his enemy

maneen: an Irish diminutive for "men"

monstrance: a container in which the host, or communion, is displayed in Roman Catholic ceremonies

muff: a person who is awkward at sports

mulier cantat: "a woman is singing"

— N —

Nos ad manum ballum jocabimus: "Let's go play handball"

novena: a Catholic devotion involving prayers said over the course of nine days

number: a locker

— O —

oilsheet — a cotton fabric treated with oil to make it waterproof

— P —

pange lingua gloriosa: "celebrate with a boastful tongue"

paten: in Catholic tradition, a plate on which bread is placed for consecration

Paulo post futurum: "It's going to be a little later"

Pax super totum sanguinarium globum: "Peace over the whole bloody globe"

to peach on: to tattle or inform on

per aspera ad astra: "through adversity to the stars"

per pax universalis: "for universal peace"

pernobilis et pervetusta familia: "a very noble and ancient family"

pierglass: a tall mirror between two windows

pope's nose: the fleshy part of the chicken to which the tail feathers are attached

prefect: a teacher who leads a class or organization

press: a piece of furniture used for keeping clothes

provincial: a provincial head of a religious order

Pulcra sunt quae visa placent: "The beautiful is that which pleases one's sight"

punch: a hot alcoholic drink

— Q —

Quis est in malo humore . . . ego aut vos?: "Which one is in bad mood . . . me or you?"

quod: "what"

— R —

real Ally Dally: slang for "the best" or "the real deal"

to redden a pipe: to light a pipe

refectory: a dining hall

ripping: slang for "the best"

risotto alla bergamasca: an Italian rice dish prepared in the style of the city of Bergamo

rosary: a series of Catholic prayers usually said with rosary beads

— S —

sacristy: a room where religious vessels and clothes are kept

sailor's hornpipe: a kind of dance popular with sailors

scribbler: a notebook

seawrack: seaweed washed up on the beach

seraphim: the highest order of angels, according to Catholic theology

sick in your breadbasket: slang for "sick to your stomach"

sideboard: a piece of furniture used for keeping dining items such as tablecloths and silverware

singlet: an undershirt

slim jim: a strip of candy

smugging: a slang term for homosexual play

Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary: a lay religious association honoring the mother of Jesus

soutane: a garment worn by Jesuits

square ditch: a cesspool

stone: a measure of mass, equivalent to fourteen pounds

suck: a sycophant; someone who follows without question; a brownnoser

sums and cuts: math theorems

super spottum: "on this very spot"

surd: an irrational number

surplice: a loose white outer vestment with open sleeves, worn by Catholic clergy

Synopsis Philosophiae Scholasticae ad mentem divi Thomae: "Summary of the Philosophy and Scholastic Opinions of Saint Thomas"

— T —

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis: "The times change and we change in them"

Thoth: the Egyptian god of wisdom, learning, writing, and the arts; equivalent to the Greek god Hermes or the Roman god Mercury

the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity

third of grammar: the level of an advanced student

thurible: a container in which incense is burned

toasted boss: a heated footstool

tram: a horse-drawn streetcar

— V —

venial sin: a minor sin

Vexila Regis: "royal flag"

villanelle: a poetic form that is French in origin, nineteen lines long, with strict rhyming conventions

— W —

in a wax: angry

Whitsuntide: the Christian feast of Pentecost, which occurs the seventh Sunday after Easter

— Y —

yard: a urinal