Glossary
Here, you’ll find definitions for the more obscure words and references in this text. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact us!
Definitions are pulled from the Folger Shakespeare Library notes and the Oxford English Dictionary.
Act I, scene 1
Epheseus and Syracuse
The travels of St. Paul, recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, associated Ephesus prominently with witchcraft and sorcery. Syracuse was famous in classical times as a major Greek settlement.
bird
A noblewoman, a lady; a young lady, a maiden.
hallowed
Sanctified, blessed, consecrated, dedicated.
Act I, scene 2
bread
Cash, money
repentant
Experiencing repentance; feeling contrition or regret for past sins or actions (in this case, the other Antipholus’ actions).
strap
The original word is “crupper”: leather strap that goes under the horse’s tail to steady the saddle.
fleeced
To strip (a person, city, country, etc.) of money, property, etc., as a sheep is stripped of its fleece.
Act II, scene 1
situate
situated, located
horn-mad
mad with rage
peon
An attendant, an orderly; a footman or messenger having subordinate authority over other staff… An unskilled farmworker or day labourer under the charge of a foreman or overseer… A person of little or no importance; a lowly or menial person, a drudge; a lackey, underling.
bigwig
A person of high official standing; a noteworthy or important person.
Punch and Judy
A traditional English puppet show consisting of slapstick comedy inflicted by Mr. Punch on his wife Judy.
wherefore
why
dry basting
dry beating (a harsh beating that does not draw blood)
cad
A man who acts with deliberate disregard for another person's rights or feelings, or who behaves dishonestly or dishonourably, especially towards women.
carcanet
an ornamental collar or necklace
a pair of stocks
a heavy timber frame with holes for the ankles (stocks were for punishing disturbers of the peace, among others)
truant
(1) One who begs without justification,
(2) A lazy, idle person.
salt rheum
(1) mucus;
(2) English Channel (which lies between England and France and is overlooked by the Dover Cliffs)
plod
To walk heavily or without elasticity; to move or progress doggedly or laboriously; to trudge.
rope’s end
piece of rope used for flogging
Akon’s single
A reference to the musician Akon’s song, “Locked Up”. Dromio is saying that Antipholus is in jail.
Brothers Grimm
German publishers of famous folk stories like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and others.
durance
(1) durable, imitation-leather cloth;
(2) imprisonment, confinement
respice finem
Latin proverb meaning “consider the end”
wan
sickly, pale
priory
a monastery or nunnery
prostrate
lying with the face to the ground, in token of submission or humility, as in adoration, worship, or supplication
dote
lose my mind
deciphers them
makes them out, i.e., distinguishes between them
needled
To haggle or bargain with (a person).
commend you to your own content
Deliver you over to your own pleasures
default
offense
minion
A follower or underling, esp. one who is servile or unimportant; a servant, officer, subordinate, assistant; a henchman.
fowls
birds
cuckold
A man whose wife is unfaithful and who therefore has horns growing out of his forehead.
yakking
To engage in trivial or unduly persistent conversation; to chatter.
spliff
A cannabis cigarette.
mare
A female horse.
windy
Having ‘nothing in it’, ‘airy’, intangible, empty, unsubstantial, flimsy, vain, frivolous, trifling, worthless.
accords
permission, consent
yokel
An uneducated and unsophisticated person from the countryside; a rustic, a country bumpkin.
Swisher Sweet
A cigar/cigarillo brand
Act II, scene 2
sauciness
The quality of being saucy; insolent presumption, impudence.
lackey
A footman; a valet.
licentious
Disregarding the restraints of chastity.
usurping
To appropriate or seize wrongfully or forcibly.
Good Book
The Bible
respite
Temporary rest or relief from an unpleasant, undesirable, or tiring situation.
carbuncles
A large precious stone of a red or fiery colour: in early use of unsettled identity, as a ruby, garnet, spinel, etc..
abhor
To regard with disgust or hatred; to loathe, abominate.
oinker
cop, police man
coterie
An organized association of persons for political, social, or other purposes; a club.
so much we tender him
i.e. I have thus much pity or compassion for him; or, I offer him this much
haply
perhaps, perchance (Here the word reflects its connections with “happily.”)
the calendars of their nativity
the twin Dromios (Because they were born at the same time as their masters, they, like calendars, fix the date of their masters’ births.)
heedful
Full of heed; careful, attentive, watchful, mindful.
nullify
To discredit, efface, or undermine (a person).
the marker by which I know my true age
Like a calendar, Dromio reminds Antipholus of his exact age because they were born at the same time. (Antipholus’ words are true even though this is the “wrong” Dromio.)
mongrel
The offspring or result of cross-breeding, interracial relationships, etc. (offensive with reference to people).
sconce
Head; A fortification being subjected to battering; A protective screen.
basting
To baste is (1) to moisten meat as it roasts; and (2) to beat soundly.
hustle and flow
A contemporary reference to the 2005 film Hustle & Flow.
fallacy
A mistaken or delusory belief or idea, an error, especially one founded on unsound reasoning.
Act III, scene 1
twit
A stupid, silly, or annoying person; a fool, an idiot.
can I slip in my staff?
Proverbial for “shall I make myself at home?”
Act III, scene 2
expatiate
To speak or write at some length; to enlarge; to be copious in description or discussion.
chalky cliffs
(1) chalk cliffs of Dover; (2) her teeth
menial
domestic
sovereign
high, lofty
Act IV, scene 1
dalliance
talk, conversation
peevish
silly, senseless
Act IV, scene 2
stigmatical in making
deformed in build
lapwing
A well-known bird of the plover family, common in the temperate parts of the Old World.
McGruff
A reference to McGruff the crime dog, an animated character used in advertisements to “take a bite out of crime.”
Act IV, scene 3
Johnny in Quentin
A reference to Johnny Cash’s 1969 live album Johnny Cash at San Quentin, recorded in San Quentin State Prison. The lyrics Dromio sings are from the titular track “San Quentin”.
wiles
A crafty, cunning, or deceitful trick; a sly, insidious, or underhand artifice; a stratagem, ruse.
decayed
ruined (financially and/or physically)
covetous
Culpably or inordinately desirous of gaining wealth or possessions; esp. of that which belongs to another or to which one has no right; greedy, grasping, avaricious.
Act IV, scene 4
mimbo
a male bimbo; attractive and unintelligent
verity
truth
conniver
one who pretends ignorance
Act V, scene 1
lambasting
scolding
assay
attempt
ireful passion
irate emotions
dopple
doppleganger
felicity
the state of being happy