Louisa Alcott: Little Women

Best-selling first novel (1850) by American writer Susan Warner (pseudonym Elizabeth Wetherell), about the tribulations of a young girl whose mother has died.

In the poem “Nothing to Wear,” by American lawyer and author William Allen Butler (1825-1902), Miss Flora McFlimsey of Madison Square is a young woman with many clothes but “nothing to wear.”

Boaz is the biblical husband of Ruth; Amy actually means “the patience of a Job,” another biblical figure who suffers yet remains faithful to God; Miss Malaprop, in Irish playwright Richard Sheridan’s 1775 comedy The Rivals, habitually misuses words.

Sodium bicarbonate, used to make dough rise.

Sooty.

Arranged with the nicest ones on top; reference to the hypocrisy of some church-men.

Important Greek philosopher (c.428-c.347 B.C.) who studied under Socrates, taught Aristotle, and founded the Athenian Academy for the study of philosophy.

Ridiculous figure.

Light boat.

Turned the oars to reduce air resistance.

Durable, slightly ribbed fabric of cotton or silk.

Meaning he had used his final resource; a trump card is held in reserve to win a round.

Popular Victorian card game in which players collect cards representing the works of various authors.

Lively British folk dance, often performed by sailors.

Navy warship.

Moved.

Directly.

The English nation personified; a typical Englishman.

Principal play (1800) of premier German Romantic dramatist Friedrich von Schiller, about Mary, Queen of Scots.

Rotten Row in Hyde Park, a bridle path that was the place to see and be seen in Victorian London.

In The Pilgrim’s Progress (see endnote 1), the mountain range on which Christian and Hopeful stop to rest; shepherds there give them a fleeting view of the Celestial City.

Fern frond.

To steep.

Shepherd king of ancient Israel, renowned for his musical skill; reputed author of many biblical psalms.

Dutch oven, a type of covered pot.

He kills Hamlet with a poisoned sword in Shakespeare’s play.

Light, cylindrical boxes for storing small items of clothing.

Desirable.

In Greek myth, a speedy hunter who promises to marry the suitor who can defeat her in a race.

Debut novel (1778) of English writer Fanny Burney, first published anonymously, which won her early fame.

Also the title of Alcott’s first published story (1852).

That is, slapped the clay.

Long towel with the ends sewn together that hangs on a rolling cylinder; also called a roller towel.

In The Pilgrim’s Progress (see endnote I), one of the guides leading Christian’s wife, Christiana, and children to the Celestial City.

Drag, or trail.

Old Scottish ballad, adapted by poet Robert Burns (1759-1796); “Land of the Leal” refers to heaven (leal means “faithful”).

My dear Mama (French).

Pranks.

Virginia river flowing into Chesapeake Bay; during the Civil War, much fighting took place in the vicinity of the Rappahannock, including the battles of Fredericks burg and Chancellorsville.

Medicine containing arsenic.

Camphor is an aromatic liniment and pain reliever.

Poisonous plant, also called deadly nightshade; extracts derived from the plant were used to treat a multitude of ailments, including sore throats.

Jewel.

Abbreviation of videlicet, meaning “namely” (from the Latin).

Vest.

Used for ironing clothes.

Beautiful young woman in Maria Edgeworth’s novel Patronage (1814), known for her discretion and wise judgment; she listens to her suitor’s declaration of love with great composure, then rejects his proposal because she feels too young to marry.

That is, high-spirited people; a pepper pot is a peppershaker.

In Dickins’s novel Little Dorrit (1857), the governess Mrs. General advises Amy Dorrit to practice pronouncing words such as these to maintain an aristocratic, slightly puckered set to her lips.

Reference to Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), a biography of the iconic English author and lexicographer (1709-1784), by Scottish lawyer and author James Boswell.

Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia (1759), a romance by Samuel Johnson.

Periodical (1750-1752) largely written by Samuel Johnson.

The devil.

Maiden Maiden (German).

Highest mountain of the French Alps.

Boiling.

In The Pilgrim’s Progress (see endnote 1), Christian’s companion for much of his journey.

That is, the pilgrims of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Parian ware was a popular style of unglazed ceramic statuary—in this case, of the mythological figure of Psyche, a princess loved by Cupid, the Roman god of love.

Character from Richard John Raymond’s play The Toodles (1831), who buys profusely at auctions.

Messenger of the Roman gods.

Set of shelves for knickknacks.

Sleeveless, apronlike dress that fastens at the back.

Lustrous Lustrous patterned fabric.

Loose, flowing jacket.

Mrs. Gummidge, a “generally disconsolate” widow in Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield (1849-1850), throws a bucket of water at a ship’s cook when he proposes marriage to her.

Fabric with a wavy, shimmering pattern.

Oath combining the names of the chief Roman god and the biblical son of Lot.

Legendary hero of Greek myth, famous for his strength and labors.

Hebe is the Greek goddess of youth and cupbearer to the gods.

That is, sashayed in a sliding dance step.