Languish

I think this means to become weak.

Lickin'

"Round a week later de man brought de picture for Mis' Washburn to see and pay him which she did, then give us all a good lickin'."

p.9
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

I think the means beaten. A punishment.

Mulatto

"She walked around the dence corner and went in the intimate gate with her heaping plate of mulatto rice."

p.4
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

I didn't know what this ment but, the dictionary said it was the first generation offspring of a black person and white person.

Vigorously

"She took the cloth and rubbed vigorously."

p.5
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

This means with force, or energy.

Resignation

"...Never landing until the Wtcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time."

p.1
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

an act of resigning / sign again

delerium

"she noted that even in his delerium he took good aim."

pg.183harper perenial modern classicsanother form of
delerious

sullenly

"'Mis' Janie,'' Hezekiah began sullenly next day, ''you oughtn't 'low dat Tea
Cake tuh de house wid yuh.'"

p. 102
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

I think this means sad or maybe emo. (Sullen Cullen)

bitch's baby

"Ah'm uh bitch's baby round lady people."

p. 36
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

In this context, 'bitch's baby' means puppy.

britches

"Mah britches is just as long as his."

p. 35
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Britches are pants.

metropolis

"Ah means tuh put mah hands tuh de plow heah, and strain every nerve tuh
make dis out town de metropolis uh de state."

p. 42
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Metropolis refers to a city. (Like the metro bus in the city)

incredulous

"They tried hard to hold it in, but enough indredulous laughter burst our
of their eyes and leaked from the corners of their mouths to inform anyone of
their thoughts."

p. 37
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

This means expressing disbelief. Like "incredible!"

Newel Post

" At the newel post Janie whirled around and for the space of a thought she was lit up like a transfiguation."

Pg 105
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

This is the post at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs and it supports the handrail.

Wash Board

"When Ah come round de lake 'bout noontime mah wife and some others had ' inn flat on de ground usin' his sides fuh uh wash board."

Pg 52
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

It means a board used to hand wash clothes.

Spittoon

"There was the matter of the spittoons."

Pg 47
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

A spittoon is a bucket where people spit, mostly used by chewers of tobacco and spitting.

Hint- Spit

saw-horses

"The younger boys had to rig up the saw-horses with boards..."

Page 45.

Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Saw-horses are work horses used to do labor around a farm or a town.

shot wid tacks

"...Ah'd rathur be shot wid tacks..."

Page 24.

Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

"Shot wid tacks" is an expression that was used to mean that she would rather be tortured or hurt than to do something she didn't want to do.

pone

"...pies and cakes and sweet p'tater pones."

Page 44.

Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

A pone is an oval-shaped cake made out of potatoes or cornmeal.

ponderous

"...he took off with ponderous flight..."

Page 61.

Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

I think that ponderous means wondering or curious.

temerity

"...none of them had the temerity to challenge him."

Page 50.

Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

I believe that temerity is a noun meaning courage or nerve.

stand up wid him

"Wait till you see de new blue satin Tea Cake done picked out for me tuh stand up wid him in."

p. 115 Their Eyes Were Watching God
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Stand up wid him means to stand up with him.

jook

"Better than the jook and the pool-room unless some special band was playing for a dance."

p. 131 Their Eyes Were Watching God
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

A jook is a place where a band would play

hint: a jukebox plays music.

oblique

"He saw a cow swimming slowly towards the fill in an oblique line."

p. 165 Their Eyes Were Watching God
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Oblique means not straight or direct, as a course (or mathematically neither parallel nor perpendicular) .

hint: cows swimming would be in a zig-zagged way.

inaudible

"She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her."

p. 11 Their Eyes Were Watching God
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Inaudible means not audible; incapable of being heard.

hint: in Jack Johnson's song, Inaudible Melodies, the phrase "silent films are full of sound, inaudibly free."

clamor

"All night now the jooks clanged and clamored."

p. 131 Their Eyes Were Watching God
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

A clamor is a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people.

hint: two clam shells hitting together makes a "clank!" noise.

Chasten

" It happened over one of those dinners that chasten all women sometimes."

Pg 71
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Chasten means to correct by punishment

Hyperbole

"It was a contest in hyperbole and carried on for no other reason."

Pg 63
Harper Perennial Modern Classics

I think this means an exaggerated statement.

ribbon cane syrup

Us got plenty syrup in de barn. Ribbon-cane syrup.

Modern Classics
Page 28

Ribbon cane syrup is a type of sweetener made from ribbon cane and used in desserts.

rounder

You figger Ah'm uh rounder and uh pimp and you done wasted too much time talkin' wid me.

Modern Classics
Page 104

A rounder is a drunkard or wastrel.

box

Thought y'all might lak uh lil music this evenin' so Ah brought long mah box.

Modern Classics
Page 100

I think box is another word for an instrument.

swagger

He cautioned her about about the catches on the windows and doors and swaggered off to Winter Park.

Modern Classics
Page 94

Swagger means to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air.

usurper

She almost apologized to the tenants the first time she collected the rents. Felt like a usurper.

Modern Classics
Page 92

Usurper means to seize and hold a position or power by force.

hint: use power

Ostentatiously

"They came to the store and ostentatiously looked over whatever things like"Mr. Starks need somebody tuh sorta look out for 'im till he kin git on his feet again and look for hisself."

Modern Classic
Pg. 83
Ostentatiously means excessive display

Diasticutis

"Just g'wan back home and set down on you' royal diasticutis and say nothin."

Modern Classic
Pg. 82

Diasticutis means ones buttocks

Commiserate

"Ah ruther be shot with tacks that tuh hear dat 'bout mahself," Lig Moss commiserated."

Modern Classic
Pg. 79

Commiserate just means to express pity

Varmint

"Aw 'tain't no sich a varmint nowhere dat kin eat no house!"

Modern Classic
Pg. 66

Varmint- is just an animal

Hint: some people call rats varmints; they'reanimals.

Coon-can

"Tea Cake and Janie playing checkers; playing coon-can; playingFlorida flip on the store porch all afternoon as if nobody else was there."

Modern Classics
Pg. 110

Coon- can is just a game that was played in the south back then.

Hint: raccoon in a can.