Finnegans Wake



alphabet

several;              silver

cue - to twist, braid; to make an indicatory mark on

peteet - small; of little importance or value

pea - the round seed of Pisum sativum, a well-known article of food; something small and round like the seed.

pecuniar = pecuniary - of, belonging to, or having relation to money.

inasmuch as* - in so far as, in that, in view of the fact that, seeing that.

pellet - any globe, ball, or spherical body, usually one of small size.

tom tommy* - a double breasted plough;    tummy - belly, stomach.

payroll - a employer's list of those entitled to receive compenstion at a given time and of the amounts due to each.

roll - a quantity of bills or notes rolled together; hence, the money a person possesses.

rank - to form a rank or ranks, to stand in rank

ragnarok* - in Scandinavian mythology, the destruction of the gods or the twilight of the gods; spec. the last battle of this world, in which gods and men will be defeated by monsters and the sun will grow dark.

rox - to decay                                                                                                               rocks

orangutan* - an anthropoid ape

rangle - to rove, wander; to argue noisily or vehemently

wisha - used as an intensive or exp. of surprise

thik - that same, this, that

thrust - a forcible push or pushing.                                                                             thirst

hoard - an accumulation or collection of anything valuable hidden away or laid by for preservation or future use, a stock, store, esp. of money.

alpha

beet - a plant or genus of plants (N.O. Chenopodiacea), having, in cultivation, a succulent root much used for food, and also for yielding sugar.

kimmel - a tub used for brewing, kneading, salting meat, and other household purposes.

dolly - a pet name for a child's doll

owlet - an owl; a young owl or little owl.

x

bleakish* - rather pale (obs.)

quite - rather, to a moderate degree

y

wobble - an unsteady rocking motion or movement                                                            w

keep of the grass* - do not take liberites

worm* - to move or progress sinuously like a worm

to swarm in* - to be crowded with

sneak - a sneaking person                                                                                       snakes

prairie - a tract of level or undulating grass-land, without trees, and usually of great extent.

rare = rear - to erect by building, construct, elevate, raise.

caldron* - a large kettle, a natural formation suggesting a cauldron;      cargo - a ship-load.

prohibitive - that forbids or restrains from some course of action

pome - a fruit of the apple kind or resembling an apple;     pome fruit - a plant that bears pomes;     fruct = fruit.

paddy - rice; Irishman; policeman, cop

cotch - catch

prick - erect and pointed                                                                                            quicker

pick up

tally - any tangible means of recording a payment or amount.

racketeer - one who extorts money

bootlegger* - one who carries liquor in his boot-legs; hence, an illicit trader in liquor

axe - the axle of a wheel                                                                                              ace

thwack - bang, whack, to strike with something heavy                                         two

thrack - to pack full, fill, to load                                                              three;  tracks

one by one - one after another, one at a time

plus

ditto* - the aforesaid, the same; Used, in accounts and lists to avoid repetition of a word or phrase appearing above.

minus

plausible - worthy of being applauded, agreeable, popular

start off - to set out, to begin a journey; to begin to move, to leave the point of departure in any kind of progression.

boa - a genus of serpents native to the tropical parts of S. America.

threelegged - having three legs

calver - a pregnant cow

jade - a contemptuous name for a horse; a horse of inferior breed, e.g. a cart- or draught-horse as opposed to a riding horse.

con - to get to know; to study or learn, esp. by repetition.

All Hallows Day* - All Saints' Day; the first of November.

unfurl - to open or spread out

Tom, Dick and Harry* - any man taken at random

larry - confusion, excitement, noise; a long handled hoe

the (old) sod - one's native district or country; spec., Ireland.

little son - a grandson

lea - land 'laid down' for pasture, pasture-land, grass-land.

siss - hiss

sally - the european house wren

accusative - marking direct object (gram.); accusing

nullus* - no one, nobody

as yet - up to this time, hitherto.

penn = pen (obs.)

groan - to breathe with a deep-toned murmur; to utter a low deep sound expressive of grief or pain; to yearn or long, as if with groans.

ancientry - ancient times, antiquity

give (I) the boot - to dismiss (someone from his job) or end a relationship with (someone), kick out, dismiss.

to eat the air* - to have vain hopes;           wind - Applied to something empty, trifling, or unsubstantial.

quiz - to question, interrogate; to find out (a thing) by questioning.

quid - a sovereign; one pound sterling; a piece of something (usu. of tobacco), suitable to be held in the mouth and chewed.

quod - prison;         go to the bad - to develop a bad character.