Revenger (58 page)

tow:
strands of flax, hemp, or jute used in torches

toy:
(1) trifle or small object; (2) whim

trencher:
large, flat plate of wood

trillibub:
bag of guts, entrails

trug:
slut, whore

trugging-house:
brothel

turnkey:
jailer, gaoler

unspotted lamb of the Lord:
a Puritan

vaulting-house:
brothel

verinshe:
superior tobacco from Venezuela

viol:
stringed instrument of five to seven strings, played with a bow

wainscot:
paneling

wanton:
lascivious, immoral

wattle, wattlework:
twigs and poles for building; wickerwork. Used with daub.

wheel-lock:
matchless gun. A serrated steel wheel is spun against a plate—the resultant sparks ignite the gunpowder.

wherry:
light rowing boat used to ferry goods and people on rivers; a large river barge

whittawer:
a glover, one who works with white leather

Winchester geese:
prostitutes (Southwark, where many whores plied their trade, was largely owned by the Bishops of Winchester.)

wink at:
to overlook an indiscretion

wit:
cleverness

yard:
male member

About the Author

After a career in national newspapers, Rory Clements now lives with his family in an old farmhouse in Norfolk, England, and writes full-time.
Martyr
and
Revenger
are the first two novels in a planned series featuring intelligencer John Shakespeare.