Finnegans Wake



rearing - the action of erecting, building up, etc. the action (practice or occupation) of bringing up to or towards maturity.

weeny - exceptionally small

teeny - tiny

het - hot, heat, 8. letter of Jewish alphabet

wis - know

newt - a small tailed amphibian (Triton), allied to the salamander.

lissom - supple, limber                                                                                               listen

corne - a musical instrument, a horn; a corner

entreat - to ask earnestly for (a thing), to beseech, implore.

prittle prattle* = prattle - to talk or chatter in a childish or artless fashion.

lang - long

old stone age*          auld - old;          stane - stone.

eld - age, old age, antiquity

delve - explore, to work hard, slave, drudge

spin - to revolve or gyrate, to whirl round.

to spin one's wheels* - to do nothing productive;         silt - fine sand, clay, or other soil, carried by moving or running water and deposited as a sediment on the bottom or beach.

leal - loyal, true

billy - lad, fellow

biddy - woman

jarl - a medieval scandinavian noble ranking immediately below the king.

burnt - set on fire; excited; that had suffered injury from fire; affected by veneral disease.

jiminy - used as a mild oath; alt. of gemini (pair, couple).

ourn - ours

kick one's heels* - to have nothing to do esp. while being kept waiting;         kick up one's heels* - to have a lively time.

dummy - doll

oilcloth - a canvas of various degrees of thickness, painted or coated with a preparation containing a drying oil, used for table-cloths, floor-cloths, etc.

flure - floor

earth house* - a dwelling built into or covered with earth;      earthen - made of earth.

keep - central tower of a medieval castle (serving as a last defence), a tower.

inn - a dwelling place, a house

niece in law* - the wife of one's nephew

prank - to adorn in a gay or showy manner, to dress ostentatiously;            Frank - a person belonging to the Germanic nation, or coalition of nations, that conquered Gaul in the 6th century, and from whom the country received the name of France.

rosy - having the crimson or pink colour of a rose; rose-coloured.

wit - mental capacity, understanding, intellect;    to make one's wise - to do what one can.

fornenst* - right opposite to, over against; facing

dour - hard to move, stubborn, obstinate, sullen                                                       door

Ireland

ablaze - on the fire, radiant with light

petty - of small importance, inconsiderable, insignificant, trivial; little-minded, 'small'.

Parisian* - the French spoken in or associated with Paris

wan* - one

poss - to push, thrust, pound

porter - one who has charge of a door or gate, esp. at the entrance of a fortified town or of a castle or other large building; a kind of beer, of a dark brown colour and bitterish taste.

skirmish* - a petty fight or encounter

answered*;        antworten (d) - to answer.

malice - the desire to injure another person, active ill-will or hatred.

kidnap* - originally, to steal or carry off (children or others) in order to provide servants or labourers for the American plantations; hence, in general use, to steal (a child), to carry off (a person) by illegal force.

shandy - wild and inclined to irresponsible ideas, wild, boisterous.

wilderness

run

wireless* - to send a message by wireless

lovecall* - a call or note used as a means of amorous communication between the sexes.

deef - deaf                                                                                                             thief; dear

swear* - to utter a form of oath lightly or irreverently, as a mere intensive, or an expression of anger, vexation, or other strong feeling.

unlikelihood* - something improbable, improbability

brannew - brand new (quite new, perfectly new)

ail - trouble, ailment

sabbath* - Saturday

suddle - a stain, soil, to soil, defile

owler - the tree; one engaged in the illegal exportation or 'owling' of wool or sheep from England;                old master -  a 'master' who lived before the period accounted 'modern'; chiefly applied to painters from the 13th to the 16th  or 17th century.

tickle - an act of tickling

allgood* - sort of plant

Luder (d) - carrion, carcass;     Lutheran - a member of Lutheran church.

in a brace of shakes* - in a very short time = in two shakes.

pinafore* - a covering of washable material worn by children, and by factory girls or others, over the frock or gown, to protect it from being soiled. Also, a low-necked, sleeveless fashion garment worn by women and girls, usu. over a blouse or jumper.

hostelry* - an inn, a hostel

cellar - an underground room or vault.

malt - barley or other grain prepared for brewing or distilling by steeping, germinating and kiln-drying.