The Merry Wives of Windsor (36 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: The Merry Wives of Windsor
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77
that
so that

83
knaves, his hinds
servants (both terms may also be derogatory)

89
held
withheld

91
mark
note

92
several
separate

93
detected with
discovered by

93
rotten
diseased

93
bell-wether
ram (sometimes castrated) wearing a bell around his neck as a means of leading the flock

94
compassed
surrounded/bent over like a strong sword

94
bilbo
sword from Bilbao, town in Spain noted for excellent sword manufacture

94
peck
two-gallon container used to store dry goods

95
stopped
shut, stoppered

96
distillation
concentrated substance

96
fretted
became corroded/fermented

97
kidney
constitution/nature

99
dissolution
melting/dissolving (puns on the sense of “loose living”)

101
Dutch dish
the Dutch were supposedly very fond of butter

105
good sadness
all seriousness

108
Etna
volcano in Sicily

111
embassy
message

120
hole … coat
i.e. even I have a fault (proverbial; possibly with sexual connotations)

125
halfpenny purse
small purse for small coins

127
what I am
i.e. a cuckold

130
horn-mad
wildly enraged, like a horned beast/madly jealous like a cuckold

2
by this
by this time

3
courageous
vigorously/extremely, or possibly a malapropism for “outrageous(ly)”

4
suddenly
immediately

7
playing-day
holiday

9
is … play
i.e. has asked that the boys be given a holiday, the privilege of a visitor to the school

13
accidence
principles of Latin grammar; the following examples are drawn from William Lilly and John Colet’s
A Short Introduction of Grammer
, the official prescribed text for schools

18
Two
i.e. single and plural

20
‘Od’s nouns’
Quickly is confusing the abbreviated phrase “by God’s (i.e. Christ’s) wounds” with the idea of odd numbers

21
Peace your tattlings!
Leave off your prattling!

23
Polecats
weasel-like animals/whores (pronounced in a more similar manner than today, Quickly is confusing the word with the Latin
pulcher
)

33
articles
i.e. the (definite article) or a/an (indefinite article)

34
Articles …
hoc
a direct quotation from Lilly’s
Grammer

34
pronoun
part of speech used to designate an object without naming it directly; e.g. “this/that”

36
Singulariter
in the singular
nominativo
in the nominative case
hic, haec, hoc
common Latin pronouns

37
genitivo
the genitive case (is)

39
hinc
the correct form is in fact
hunc
, though Evans fails to spot this (unless his subsequent
hing is
a printer’s error for
hung
)

41
hing, hang, hog
i.e.
hunc, hanc, hoc

42
“Hang-hog”
hanging up a pig is necessary to produce bacon

43
prabbles
silly chatter/irritating interruptions

43
focative
i.e. vocative; Evans’s pronunciation inadvertently plays on “fuck”

44
case
plays on the sense of “vagina”

45
O
suggestive of the vagina

46
caret
Latin for “is missing”; Quickly’s response shows that she hears the word as “carrot,” which, along with
root
, is slang for “penis”

53
horum
plays on “whore”

53
harum
plays on “hare” (another slang term for a prostitute)

54
Vengeance of
a plague upon

54
Ginny’s case
Quickly misunderstands “genitive case” as “this woman Ginny’s case (vagina)”

58
hick … hack
drink (hiccup) and to go whoring/to have sex (with whores)

65
declension
the variation of a pronoun etc. through its different cases

69
preeches
breeched (i.e. whipped on the buttocks)

72
sprag
i.e. sprack (smart/alert)

2
sufferance
suffering

4
obsequious
compliant/dutiful

4
office
role/(sexual) performance

4
accoutrement
adornments, apparel

5
complement
accompanying etiquette

5
sure of
secure from

8
gossip
friend

12
people
i.e. servants

17
lines
tricks

18
takes on
rants

20
complexion
appearance/coloring

21
Peer out
i.e. show yourselves (addressed to his cuckold’s horns)

23
to
compared to

30
experiment
trial

38
bestow
dispose of/stow (him) away

44
what make you
what are you doing

46
use … birding-pieces
make it a custom to fire their guns

47
kiln-hole
opening to the oven

50
abstract
list

54
semblance
appearance

59
muffler
scarf covering part of the face and the neck

61
mischief
injury, misfortune

62
Brentford
originally “Brainford,” a village between Windsor and London, known for amorous assignations

63
above
upstairs

65
thrummed
fringed/with a shaggy surface

68
look
look for

69
straight
straight away

70
the while
in the meantime

72
shape
outward appearance/disguise

78
good sadness
all seriousness

79
intelligence
information

80
try
test

87
dishonest
deceitful, lecherous

89
honest
chaste, virtuous

90
act
actually commit misdeeds/have sex

91
still
quiet

91
draff
swill, leftovers given to pigs

93
hard at
close by/right at the

94
dispatch
hurry

97
as lief
rather

99
Ay … again?
Ford’s reply to whatever Page has just said—presumably something to the effect of “if it prove false that Falstaff is there, you will look like a fool”

103
panderly
pimping/go-between

103
gin
gang

104
Now … shamed
i.e. now the truth will out (proverbial: “speak the truth and shame the devil”)

107
passes
surpasses/is excessive

108
be pinioned
have your wings clipped

118
hold it out
keep up your deception

132
flea’s death
i.e. a miserable death/he shall be crushed like a parasitic insect

135
fidelity
faith

142
show … extremity
offer no excuse for my extreme behavior

143
table-sport
joke among company

144
leman
lover

151
quean
hussy/whore

151
cozening
cheating

152
of
on

153
under the profession
in the name

155
by th’figure
by drawing up horoscopes

155
daubery
trickery

156
element
understanding (literally, the element in which one rightfully belongs)

160
Mother Prat
prat means “a trick” though it was also slang for the buttocks

161
prat
practice tricks on/beat (or simply a nonce-word derived from the name)

162
rag
worthless wretch

162
runnion
abusive term for a woman, perhaps “mangy old bag”

166
’Tis … you
i.e. that will reflect well on you (said in irony)

168
By … no
a very mild oath (moderated from the Quarto text’s stronger “By Jesu”)

172
cry … trail
bark like a hunting dog when there is in fact no scent

173
open
bark loudly at a scent

174
obey his humour
humor him

179
hallowed
blessed/dedicated to God

180
meritorious
deserving of reward

181
warrant
assurance/authorization (with play on the legal sense: “document authorizing a judicial sentence”)

184
wantonness
lust

185
fee-simple
absolute possession (legal term used of land or property)

185
fine and recovery
legal procedures employed to transfer the ownership of land

186
waste
legal term referring to the damage or alteration of land or property by a tenant (puns on “waist”)

188
served
treated (with a play on the sense of “had sex with”)

191
figures
fantasies

193
ministers
agents

195
period
conclusion

197
forge

197
shape it
i.e. as one would mold hot iron in the

9
sauce them
make them pay overly high prices

9
at command
at their disposal

10
come off
pay up

1
’Tis …’oman
she is one of the most prudent/sensible women

3
an instant
the same time

8
heretic
unbeliever/holder of unorthodox religious beliefs

24
use
treat/behave toward

26
Herne the hunter
huntsman of great skill who was wounded after saving the king from a vicious stag; his own life was saved when the dead beast’s antlers were tied to his head, but he was later framed for or caught poaching and hanged himself from an oak in Windsor Great Park, which he is said to haunt

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