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.