Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (121 page)

HOT-LUNG:
This disease killed Benny Slightman’s twin sister. Jake thinks hot-lung is similar to pneumonia. V:385

HOW FROM HEAD TO FEET, DO YA, I BEG?:
This is the CALLA way of saying “How are you doing?” The stock response is “I do fine, no rust, tell the gods thankee-
sai
.” V:113

HOWGAN:
Hogan or home. V:612

HUNTRESS MOON:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

I BEG:
I beg
is a term which, in the CALLA, is often tacked on to the end of sentences.
See
DO YA (DO YA, I BEG)
,
above

I DO FINE, NO RUST, TELL THE GODS THANKEE-
SAI
:
See
HOW FROM HEAD TO FEET, DO YA, I BEG?
,
above

I SET MY WATCH AND WARRANT ON IT:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

I WISH YOU JOY OF HIM:
“I hope you enjoy dealing with him.” Although this statement sounds pleasant enough, it is usually used sarcastically. In other words, “I hope you like dealing with the old bastard more than I do.” V:347

I’D DO THAT MUCH, GODS HELP ME, AND SAY THANKEE:
I’d do that much. V:128

IF IT DO YA FINE:
This is another rhetorical statement. It can be used to mean “if that’s all right by you,” “if you want to,” etc. V:127

IN THE END THE GROUND CURES ALL:
In the end, death puts an end to all suffering. V:630

IT SPLIT THROG:
It split three ways. V:359

IT’S TRIG AS A COMPASS:
It sure is clever. V:130

JESUS-TREE:
A Jesus-tree is a crucifix. Pere Callahan makes crucifixes (or “crusie-fixes”) for the Christian converts of the CALLA. V:2

JILLY:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

KA-BABY (KA-BABBY, KA-BABBIES):
This term can be used for little brothers and sisters or for young KA-TET mates. It can also be used to insult a person who appears to be too young for the title he or she holds. For example, George Telford refuses to acknowledge Jake as a gunslinger. Instead, he refers to him as Eddie’s
ka
-babby. V:9, V:223

KAFFIN TWINS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

KEN (AS YE KEN, DO YE KEN, DO YA KENNIT, I KEN, I DON’T KENNIT, YE KEN):
To ken is to know. “Do ye ken?” is the equivalent of both “Do you know?” and “You know what I mean?” V:23, V:131, V:158, V:347, V:659

KI’BOX:
Tian Jaffords explains human motivation to Eddie Dean in terms of a man’s (or a woman’s) body parts. Tian states that a human being consists of three boxes—a HEADBOX (also called a thoughtbox), a TITBOX (also called a heartbox), and a SHITBOX (also known as a ki’box). A person strives highest when he or she is motivated by the head or the heart. Nastiness, selfishness, lust, etc., all come from the ki’box. Actions motivated by the ki’box are LOW COMMALA, or base actions born of base desires. V:630–31

KI’COME:
Jake Chambers learned this term from his CALLA friend Benny Slightman.
Ki’come
means “utter nonsense.” It is probably related to KI’BOX. VII:396

KILLIN (YE FOOLISH KILLIN):
Gran-pere Jaffords calls his grandson Tian a “foolish killin” for proposing that the men of the CALLA stand up and fight the WOLVES. (According to Gran-pere, drunken men will stand up and fight, but sober men are cowards.) Although we are not given a literal translation of
killin,
we know that Gran-pere thinks Tian’s idea is admirable but unfeasible. Stephen King tells us that
killin
is a harsh word, but it can obviously be used in sadness as well. V:13

LADY OF THE PLATE:
The Lady of the Plate is no other than Lady ORIZA, the rice goddess. Although the story of Lady Oriza was known throughout Mid-World-that-was, the tale of her confrontation with the harrier Gray Dick has special significance in the BORDERLANDS. In honor of Lady Oriza’s clever revenge against her father’s murderer, many of the CALLA’s women practice throwing sharpened plates. Their deadly aim helps Roland’s KA-TET win their battle against the WOLVES.
See
ORIZA, LADY
and
ORIZA, SISTERS OF
,
both in
CHARACTERS

LADY ORIZA:
See
LADY OF THE PLATE
,
above, and
ORIZA
,
below

LAKE-BOAT MART:
The lake-boat marts are wide flatboats that are paddle-wheel-driven and gaily painted. They are covered with shops and float down the River Whye, selling wares. According to Gran-pere Jaffords, some of the women who work on these boats are as dark-skinned as Susannah Dean. V:211

LAST TIME PAYS FER ALL:
Gran-pere Jaffords uses this term to express his desire for vengeance against the WOLVES. When the Wolves descend this last time, he says, the people of the CALLA will pay them back for all their previous attacks. V:369

LEG-BREAKERS (LEG-SMASHERS):
These are the holes found in LOOSE GROUND. Leg-breakers are often nestled in innocent-looking weeds and high grass, so they can easily trap unwary or hurried people. Animals fall foul of them as well. There are many leg-breakers in Son of a Bitch, Tian Jaffords’s worthless field. V:2, V:347

LEGBROKE:
If you are lying on the ground legbroke, you have broken your leg. V:1

LEG-SMASHER:
See
LEG-BREAKERS
,
above

LIGHT-STICKS:
These are the fire-hurling weapons used by the WOLVES. They look like the light sabers used in the
Star Wars
films. V:26, V:151

LOAD (THE LOAD):
This term describes the stance taken by a woman (or boy) about to throw two ORIZAS at once. The stance was invented by Susannah Dean, but it was named by Margaret Eisenhart. VII:83

LONG DAYS AND PLEASANT NIGHTS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

LOOK HERE AT US, DO YA, AND SAY THANKEE:
“Look at this” or “Look at what we’ve done.” V:156

LOOSE GROUND:
This term is used by the old folks of Calla Bryn Sturgis to describe ground riddled with holes and underground caves. The holes are called LEG-BREAKERS. Some of the Calla FOLKEN believe that bogarts live in the caves under loose ground. V:2

LOW COACHES:
Like BUCKA WAGGONS, a low coach is a type of horsedrawn vehicle used in the CALLAS.
(For
BUCKA WAGGON,
see entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT
.) V:21

LOW COMMALA:
See
KI’BOX
and
COMMALA
,
both above

MADRIGAL:
Tian Jaffords wants to grow this valuable crop in his field known as Son of a Bitch. But like PORIN, which his mother dreamed would grow in this rock-strewn waste-ground, it will probably die. The only thing that Tian is likely to grow in Son of a Bitch is a good crop of blisters. V:1

MAN JESUS:
This is the CALLAS’ term for Jesus. It can also be used as a curse. V:6

MANY AND MANY-A:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MAY I SPELL YE A BIT?:
Shall I take a turn? V:129

MAY IT DO YA FINE:
This can be used in place of “you’re welcome.” V:133, V:219, V:320, V:373

MAY THE SUN NEVER FALL IN YOUR EYES:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MAYHAP:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MIDS, THE:
Another term for Mid-World, which lies to the west of the BORDERLANDS. V:25

MID-SUMMER:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MILK-SICK:
This disease affects milk cows. It can kill them. V:8

MOIT:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MORTATA:
Literally speaking, the mortata is the death dance. It is the opposite of the RICE DANCE (or COME-COME-COMMALA), which celebrates the fecundity of the rice. Some of the Calla FOLKEN suspect that Roland dances the mortata even better than he dances the commala. They have a point. V:607

MUMBLETY-PEG:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

MUSICA:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

NAR:
No. V:332

NAY (NAYYUP):
No. V:225, V:402

NEW EARTH:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

NOBBUT (HE WON’T HAVE NOBBUT TO DO WITH ME):
Nothing (he won’t have anything to do with me). V:346

NUMMORE:
No more, or no longer. V:322

NUP:
No. V:209

OGGAN:
This is the smooth-packed dirt used to make roads. V:654, VI:25, VI:272

OPOPANAX:
Whenever a male resident of Calla Bryn Sturgis has something important to share with the FOLKEN, he sends around the opopanax feather. If enough men touch the feather, then a meeting is held at the Town Gathering Hall. The feather is a rust-red, ancient plume. In our world, the opopanax is not a kind of bird but a gum resin used in perfumery. In the novel
Black House,
the word
opopanax
becomes a sinister mantra for the main character, Jack Sawyer. As he states near the beginning of the book, “I’m falling apart. Right here and now. Forget I said that. The savage opopanax has gripped me in its claws, shaken me with the fearful opopanax of its opopanax arms, and intends to throw me into the turbulent Opopanax River, where I shall meet my opopanax.” V:20–21

ORIZA:
An Oriza is a plate made from a light metal alloy, probably titanium. Unlike most plates, Orizas aren’t made for dining but for flinging. In fact, the deadly Orizas—which are manufactured by the ladies of Calla Sen Chre and thrown by the SISTERS OF ORIZA—are the deadliest weapons found in any of the CALLAS.

The Sisters of Oriza practice plate-throwing in memory of Lady Oriza, Goddess of the Rice, who invited her father’s murderer over to dinner and then sliced off his head by flinging her specially made plate at him. Orizas are decorated with a delicate blue webbing which depicts the seedling rice plant. Two of the rice stalks on the edge of the plate cross, forming the Great Letter ZN, which means both “here” and “now.” Luckily, the letter
Zn
also marks the one edge which is safe to hold. (Otherwise, an unwary person might absentmindedly pick up a plate and slice off a finger.) Beneath the plate is a small whistle, so the plate sings as it flies through the air. Interestingly enough, the Orizas bear a strong resemblance to a plate once owned by Susannah Dean’s maternal aunt, Sister Blue. Detta Walker broke this
forspecial
plate in a fit of temper.
For page references, see
ORIZA, SISTERS OF
,
in
CHARACTERS

OTTEN ELSE (I NEVER CONSIDERED OTTEN ELSE):
Anything else (I never considered anything else). V:615

OUT-WORLD:
To the people of Calla Bryn Sturgis, Out-World refers to the area west of the BORDERLANDS, close to Mid-World-that-was. V:8

PARD:
Pardner, partner, or comrade. V:655

PEAK SEAT:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

PLEASANT DAYS AND MAY THEY BE LONG UPON THE EARTH:
This greeting is a variant of MAY YOUR DAYS BE LONG UPON THE EARTH, a phrase heard all over Mid-World. If someone greets you in this manner, your response should be “And may you have twice the number.” V:3

PLOW-BREAKER (PLOW-BUSTER):
A large fieldstone. V:2, V:349

POISON FLURRY:
Poison flurry is a lot like poison ivy—the bane of Boy Scouts. If you find yourself needing to squat in Mid-Forest, make sure you don’t wipe
with this particular plant. Otherwise, you will develop a rash in a very uncomfortable place. V:137, V:644

PORIN:
This is a spice of great worth. Tian Jaffords’s mother thought it would grow in the family field known as Son of a Bitch. Unfortunately, the only things able to grow in that field are rocks, blisters, and busted hopes. V:1

PULLS:
Corn-shuck wraps used for rolling tobacco. V:320

REAP:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

RICE SONG/RICE DANCE:
The Rice Song and the Rice Dance (jointly known as the COMMALA) are sung, danced, and loved throughout Mid-World. They celebrate the planting of rice and are (in essence) a fertility rite.
For page references, See
COMMALA
,
above

RIM:
See
GRAND CRESCENT
,
above

’RIZA (BY ’RIZA):
Lady ORIZA is the rice goddess, who is worshipped all over Mid-World.
By ’Riza
is equivalent to
by God.
It can also be used in a stronger fashion. If you cry out because your “by ’Riza” eyes have been hurt, you mean your “goddamned eyes” have been hurt. Also, when the SISTERS OF ORIZA throw their sharpened plates (known as ORIZAS), they often cry “’Riza!” as they fling. V:360, V:572

ROCK CAT:
Rock cat
is the CALLA term for the wild cats that live in the desert east of the River Whye. Roland thinks they are probably pumas or cougars. Rock cat bile is the secret ingredient in Rosa Munoz’s arthritis rub. V:340

ROONT:
In Calla Bryn Sturgis, as in the other CALLAS of the CRESCENT, twins are the norm and singletons are rarities. Once a generation, the green-cloaked WOLVES sweep out of Thunderclap to kidnap one of every pair of prepubescent twins. Most of the children are returned, but they are returned roont, or ruined.