Glossary
all clear: signal—often a siren—that danger is over
antenatal: clinic for the purpose of treating and giving advice to pregnant women
A.R.P.: Air Raid Precautions
barmy in the army: slang expression for “shell shock,” a nervous condition resulting from prolonged exposure to battle conditions
bath chair: wheel chair
bloke: man, fellow
brougham: one-horse carriage with the driver’s seat open
bunting: flags and similar festive decorations
chock: block or wedge placed in front of the wheels of a vehicle to keep it from moving
cloche: portable, translucent cover for protecting outdoor plants
cloth-ears: deaf because of inattention
coal tit: small, grayish bird with a dark head
demobbed: discharged from military service
demob suit: uniform of a discharged soldier (“demob” comes from “demobilization”)
Dick Barton, Special Agent: character in a radio series
dosh: money
dripping: fat melted from roasted meat
eiderdown: down-filled quilt
fifth columnist: member of a group working for the enemy within a country at war; traitor
five bob: five shillings, equal to about thirty-six cents today
flat: apartment
flypast: ceremonial flight, usually to celebrate victory
fortnight: two-week period
frock: dress
gas geyser: gas-powered apparatus for heating water
gas mantle: gauze covering enclosing a gas jet, which becomes incandescent when heated
grizzle: to cry fretfully
Harry flatters: exhausted or fast asleep
hatch: opening in a wall, usually for serving food
hoarding: temporary fence of light boards around a building, often covered with advertisements and flyers called bills
hooter: horn or siren
hopping the twig: dying; “kicking the bucket”
hot stone bottle: ceramic bottle filled with hot water; hot-water bottle
hoyden: girl who behaves boisterously
jumper: sweater
just having you on: just kidding
kip: sleep
kit bag: large, usually cylindrical bag for a soldier’s equipment and clothing
lift: elevator
lino: linoleum
lorry: truck
meat safe: cabinet for storing meat
mews: stables, usually with living quarters, built around a court
milk float: vehicle for transporting milk bottles
NAAFI: Navy Army and Air Force Institutes
nappies: diapers
not by a long chalk: not likely; “not by a long shot”
OHMS: On His Majesty’s Service
paper carrier: paper bag with handles
peaky: sickly, pale, unwell
pensione: inn or boardinghouse
petrol: petroleum gas; fuel
pip: small seed of an apple, orange, grape, etc.
plane tree: tall, spreading tree with broad leaves
pram: baby carriage
privies: bathrooms
queue: line of persons awaiting their turn; also a verb meaning to wait in line
R.A.F.: Royal Air Force
recce: colloquial term from the word “reconnaissance,” meaning a preliminary survey of an area
roller towel: towel with the ends joined, hung on a roller
runner bean: a long, thin green bean
scullery: back kitchen where dishes, etc., are washed
Shank’s pony: slang expression for walking: using one’s own “shanks,” or legs, to get around
smut: small flake of soot
spillikins: game, also known as pickup sticks
sticking plaster: adhesive bandage for wounds
stone: large seed, or pit, of a plum, peach, etc.
swede: rutabaga
ta: slang for “thank you”
telephone box: telephone booth
threepenny bit: an English coin, worth very little (about two cents)
titchy: very small
tits: small birds
trestle table: makeshift table, composed of a board laid across two supports
trough up: eat heartily
trug basket: shallow, oblong basket made of wood strips, often used by gardeners
tucking in: another expression for eating heartily
tussock: clump of grass
Underground: London’s underground train system, or subway
Union Jack: national flag of the United Kingdom
Up Jenkins: game involving manual dexterity, in which one player hides a small coin between his fingers
Very light: flare shot from a pistol for signaling, or for temporarily illuminating part of a battlefield
vest and knickers: undershirt and underpants
water butt: water barrel
wireless: radio
Henry Holt and Company, Inc.
Publishers since 1866
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Henry Holt is a registered trademark of Henry Holt and Company, Inc.
Copyright © 1991 by Rachel Anderson
All rights reserved.
First published in the United States in 1993 by Henry Holt and Company, Inc.
Published in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd.,
195 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario L3R 4T8.
Originally published in Great Britain in 1991 by Oxford University Press.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
ISBN 0-8050-2527-8
First American Edition—1993
eISBN 9781466878778
First eBook edition: July 2014
Paper Faces Page 12