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Full Glossary
action (234) legal action by which one seeks to have a wrong put right; lawsuit.
Adonis (50) in Greek myth, a handsome young man loved by Aphrodite: he is killed by a wild boar.
Aeacides (51) descendant of Aeacus, King of Aegina and grandfather of Ajax.
affect (14) love.
affect (40) find pleasant.
against you come (103) "in anticipation of your arrival."
Alcides' twelve (256) reference to the twelve labors of Hercules (reputed grandson of Alcaeus).
Alla nostra casa ben venuto, / Molto oronato signor mio Petruchio (25-26) "Welcome to our house, my much honored Petruchio."
Amends (97) recovery.
amort (36) dejected, disspirited.
Anna (155) confidante of her sister Dido, Queen of Carthage, beloved of Aeneas.
Apollo (59) the god of music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine, represented as exemplifying manly youth and beauty: later identified with Helios.
argosy (372) a large ship, especially a merchant ship.
Aristotle's checks (32) constraining philosophic study of Aristotle.
arms (223) coat of arms.
The Art of Love (8) Ovid's Ars Amatoria.
aweful rule (113) authority commanding awe or respect.
Bacare!(73) "stand back!"
balk logic (34) argue.
banns (180) the proclamation, generally made in church on three successive Sundays, of an intended marriage.
bar in law (136) "legal impediment."
Basta! (199) "Enough!"
belike (16) perhaps.
be-mete (111) measure; thrash.
bemoiled (67) dirtied with mire.
beseem (65) to be suitable or appropriate.
bestraught (24) distracted.
big (174) boastful; pompous; extravagant.
boot (180) profit, use.
bots (54) the larvas of the botfly.
bottom (133) ball or skein.
braved (109) defied.
bravely (54) splendidly dressed.
bravery (57) finery.
break a jest (71) "play a joke."
Breathe Merriman — the poor cur is embossed (16) "Let the dog, Merriman, breathe. The poor dog is foaming at the mouth from exhaustion."
burden (67) a repeated, central idea; theme.
butt (39) to strike or bump against; to bump with the head.
buttery (101) a place where the food supplies of a household are kept; pantry.
by my halidom (103) "by my holiness."
by this" (62) "by this time."
candle-cases (45) discarded boots, used only as a receptacle for candle ends.
cardmaker (19) maker of cards, or combs, used to prepare wool for spinning.
cavil (388) to object when there is little reason to do so; resort to trivial fault-finding; carp; quibble.
censer (91) an ornamented container in which incense is burned.
'cerns (70) concerns.
chapeless (47) without the chape, the metal plate or mounting on a scabbard, especially that which covers the point.
clear (172) serene and calm.
cockle (66) cockleshell.
cock's passion (107) by God's (Christ's) suffering.
comb your noddle (64) "rake your head."
come roundly (58) "speak plainly."
compound (27) to settle by mutual agreement.
Con tutto il cuore ben trovato (24) "With all my heart, well met."
coney-catched (93) tricked.
coney-catching (38) cheating, trickery.
Confounds thy frame (144) "Ruins your reputation."
conserves (3) a kind of jam made of two or more fruits, often with nuts or raisins added.
conster (30) construe.
copintank (62) high-crowned, sugar-loaf shape.
countenance (89) to give support or sanction to; approve or tolerate.
counterfeit assurance (92) pretend wedding.
counterfeit supposes (110) suppositions; false appearances.
course (47) hunt the hare.
cozen (38) to cheat; defraud.
crab (229) crab apple.
crackhemp (43) rogue likely to end up being hanged.
craven (227) a thorough coward.
credit (108) the favorable estimate of a person's character; reputation; good name.
credit (94) pay respects to.
crupper (60) a padded leather strap passed around the base of a horse's tail and attached to the saddle or harness to keep it from moving forward.
cullion (20) a low, contemptible fellow.
cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum "with exclusive printing rights."
curious (36) unnecessarily inquisitive; prying.
custard-coffin (82) pastry crust for a custard.
Cytherea (51) Aphrodite.
Daphne (57) a nymph who is changed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo's advances.
Daughter of Agenor (169) Europa, beloved of Jove.
demicannon (88) large cannon.
denier (8) a small, obsolete French coin of little value.
desperate mart (325) "risky venture."
despiteful (14) spiteful; malicious.
Dian (255) Diana, the virgin goddess of the moon and of hunting: identified with the Greek Artemis.
diaper (56) a napkin or towel.
dower (119) that part of a man's property which his widow inherits for life.
dresser (151) the person who dresses or prepares the food.
drudge (117) a person who does hard, menial, or tedious work.
eleven-and-twenty long (58) "right on the money"; allusion to the card game "one-and-thirty."
esteem (63) favorable opinion; high regard; respect.
fallen out (48) quarreling.
father's (9) father-in-law's.
flat (35) absolute; positive.
Florentius (68) a knight in John Gower's Confessio Amantis who promises to marry an ugly old woman if she solves the riddle he must answer. After fulfilling the promise, she becomes young and beautiful.
fondly (31) foolishly.
for thee straight (147) ready for you immediately.
fortune stays him from his word (23) "misfortune keeps him from fulfilling his promise."
forwhy (167) because.
foul (60) muddy.
furniture (176) furnishings, clothes.
fustian (42) a coarse cloth of cotton and linen.
galled (60) injured or made sore by rubbing; chaffed
gamut (66) any complete musical scale, especially the major scale.
gird (58) gibe; scoff; jeer.
glanders (50), chine (50), lampass (51), spavins (52), fives (53), staggers (54) diseases that afflict horses.
go thy ways (185) "well done."
good husband (63) "good provider."
good shipping (40) bon voyage.
grace (130) goodwill; favor.
grateful (76) pleasing.
green (46) fresh; new.
Grissel (292) Griselda; the heroine of various medieval tales, famous for her meek, long-suffering patience.
had as lief (132) "would as willingly."
haggard (39) a wild hawk.
haled (101) pulled forcibly; dragged; hauled.
half-cheeked bit (56) one in which the bridle is attached halfway up the cheek, thus not giving the rider sufficient control over the horse.
happy be thy speed (138) "may it turn out well for you."
Ha'to thee (37) "Here's to thee."
Have at you for (45) "Be on guard against."
health (51) a wish for a person's health and happiness, as in drinking a toast.
Hic ibat Simois; hic est Sigeia tellus; / Hic steterat Priami regia celsa senis (28-29) "Here flowed the river Simois; here is the Sigeian land; here stood the lofty palace of old Priam" (Ovid).
hilding (17) a low, contemptible person.
hipped (48) wounded in the hip.
hold your own (6) "play your part."
humor (197) disposition or temperament.
hurly (191) uproar; turmoil.
husbanded with modesty (67) "managed with decorum."
I'll be your half (81) "I'll cover half your bet (for half the winnings)."
imprimis (59) in the first place.
in possession (122) "in immediate possession."
Io (54) a maiden loved by Zeus and changed into a heifer by jealous Hera or, in some tales, by Zeus to protect her: she is watched by Argus and is driven to Egypt, where she regains human form.
iwis (62) certainly; assuredly.
jacks (43) servingmen; also, drinking vessels.
jade (247) a horse, especially a worn-out, worthless one.
jealous (75) very watchful or careful in guarding or keeping.
jills (44) maidservants; also "gills," drinking vessels.
joint-stool (198) a well-fitted stool made by an expert craftsman.
jointure (368) an arrangement by which a husband grants real property to his wife for her use after his death; also, the property thus settled, widow's portion.
jolly (213) arrogant; overbearing.
jolt-heads (154) blockheads.
kersey boot-hose (65) coarse, lightweight woolen cloth for wearing under boots.
kites (183) any of various accipitrine birds with long, pointed wings and, usually, a forked tail: they prey especially on insects, reptiles, and small mammals.
'larums (205) alarums; calls to arms.
Leda's daughter (242) Helen of Troy.
let me alone (72) "count on me."
lie (56) lodge.
lightness (24) wantonness.
link (122) a torch made of tow and pitch.
list (165) choose.
list (67) a strip of cloth.
list (7) wish.
Lucrece (293) Lucrecia; Roman lady who took her own life after her chastity had been violated.
lusty (160) full of vigor; strong, robust, hearty, etc.
maintain (71) afford.
man my haggard (181) "tame my wild [female] hawk."
marcantant (64) a merchant.
meacock (311) cowardly.
mend it with a largess (149) "improve with a gift or gifts given in a generous, or sometimes showy, way."
mete yard (148) measuring stick; yardstick.
mew (87) confine in or as in a cage; shut up or conceal: often with up.
Mi perdonate (25) "Pardon me."
Minerva (84) the [Roman] goddess of wisdom, technical skill, and invention: identified with the Greek Athena.
miry (67) full of, or having the nature of, mire; swampy.
movable (197) one easily changed or dissuaded; also a piece of furniture.
My cake is dough (132) "I'm out of luck."
near-legged (55) with knock-kneed forelegs.
neat's foot (17) foot of a bovine animal (ox, cow, etc.).
nice (79) ignorant; foolish.
odds (150) inequalities.
offer (59) dare.
on the score (23) "in debt."
or ere (8) before.
orchard (111) garden.
orderly (45) in regular or proper order; methodically.
ordnance (202) cannon or artillery.
Out of hope of all but (133) "Having no hope except."
outvied (383) outbid.
overeying (94) witnessing.
packing (111) conspiracy.
Paris (245) a son of Priam, king of Troy: his kidnapping of Helen, wife of Menelaus, causes the Trojan War.
pass (128) state of affairs.
pass (57) transact.
pass assurance (119) to give a legal guarantee.
passing (239) surpassing; extreme; very.
paucas pallabris (5) In Modern Spanish, pocas palabras means "few words."
pedant (64) a schoolmaster.
Pedascule (49) a word of contempt coined by Hortensio based on the Latin "pedasculus," or "little pedant."
pip (33) any of the suit-indicating figures on playing cards, or any of the dots on dice or dominoes.
porringer (64) a bowl for porridge.
port (204) the manner in which one carries oneself; carriage.
present her at the leet (87) "bring accusation against [the Hostess] at the manorial court."
proceeders (11) workers.
prodigy (96) an extraordinary happening, though to presage good or evil fortune.
profit (6) reap an advantage or benefit.
put me in heart (76) "encouraged me."
quaff carouses (275) drink toasts.
quantity (110) fragment.
rayed (3) dirtied.
Redime te captum quam queas minimo (163) "Buy yourself out of bondage for as little as you can."
repute (114) regard.
resolve (7) determine; answer.
respecting (32) compared to.
right (12) genuine, real.
roundly (107) vigorously, bluntly, severely, etc.
rout (181) a group of people; company (ie: a wedding party).
rudesby (10) unmannered fellow.
sack (2) any of various dry white wines from Spain or the Canary Islands, popular in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
sadness (63) seriousness.
scapes (3) escapes.
sedges (51) any of the plants of the sedge family often found on wet ground or in water, having usually triangular, solid stems, three rows of narrow, pointed leaves, and minute flowers borne in spikelets.
Semiramis (39) a queen of Assyria noted for her beauty, wisdom, and sexual exploits: reputed founder of Babylon: based on a historical queen of the ninth century B.C.
sermon of continency (171) lecture on self-restraint; moderation.
set your countenance (18) "put on the expression of an austere father."
Sibyl (69) prophetess to whom Apollo gave as many years of life as she held grains of sand in her hand.
simple (165) having or showing little sense or reasoning ability.
slender pittance (61) scanty banquet.
slipped (52) unleashed.
small ale (1) weak (and therefore cheap) ale.
sorted to no proof (43) "proved to be to no purpose."
soud (130) a nonsense expression of impatience.
specialties (126) a special contract, obligation, agreement, etc.
sped (189) done for.
stale (89) decoy, bait.
stay my leisure (217) "wait until I'm ready."
stayed (84) stopped; halted.
steal our marriage (140) "elope."
suffer me (31) "let me have my way."
swinge (108) to punish with blows; beat; whip.
take upon you (110) play your part.
tall (17) fine.
think on prating (112) "remember this thrashing."
third-borough (10) constable.
to the proof (140) in armor.
took him such a cuff (163) "gave him such a blow."
toward (186) obedient.
trenchers (153) wooden boards or platters on which to carve or serve meat.
trick (67) trifle.
trow (4) to believe, think, suppose, etc.
trunk (137) full; wide.
turned (44) turned inside out in order to get more wear from the material.
Unapt to (170) "Unfit for."
uncase thee (208) get undressed.
unpinked (121) lacking in eyelets or in ornamental tracing in the leather.
unwilling (144) unintentional.
vail your stomachs (180) "lower your pride."
veriest antic (100) oddest buffoon or eccentric.
vied (307) bet; wagered.
wants no junkets (248) "lacks no sweetmeats."
watch (154) spend or pass.
welkin (45) the vault of heaven, the sky, or the upper air.
wert best (98) "might as well."
Where away? (27) "Where are you going?"
whom thou keep'st command (254) "whom you employ"; that is, servants.
windgalls (52) soft swellings of the fetlock joint of a horse.
with one consent (35) unanimously.
wonderful (15) that causes wonder; amazing.
Xanthippe (70) fifth century B.C.; wife of Socrates: the prototype of the quarrelsome, nagging wife.
yellows (53) jaundice.
You shall not choose but drink (11) "I insist that you drink."