Victorian, Gothic, Sci-Fi & Dystopian Fiction: A Glossary of Terms

A

abbess: nun in charge of a convent; female brothel keeper, a madame

abhorrence: feeling of loathing or revulsion

abode: place where people live; period of living somewhere

abominable: causing revulsion or disgust

aggrandizement: self-promotion; increase in power or status air-blebs: air heads, empty-headed people

afterlife: existence after death; eternal life

alchemy: mythical practice of turning base metals into gold, prolonging life or finding a universal remedy for disease

alderman: term for a half-Crown; senior local government official

ale: alcoholic drink made from hops and fermented malt, stronger and heavier than beer

almanac: annual calendar which contains information on important dates, tides, astronomical data, etc.

almshouse: lodgings for the poor, privately funded (often by the church), as opposed to the workhouse, which was publicly funded

amorphous: undefined, without clear shape

anatomical: relating to the structure of the body

antagonist: enemy or adversary

antinomianism: policy which allows Christians freedom from moral obligations

apoplexy: a crippling cerebral stroke, sometimes fatal; a fit of anger

apothecary: pharmacist; one who prepares drugs and medicines and gives medical advice; lowest order of medical man

apprentice: someone who works under a skilled professional for a specific amount of time (usually seven years) in order to learn a trade. When one finished his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman and would get paid for work himself

Armageddon: the final battle between good and evil

asylum: institution for people with mental health problems, often referred to as lunatic asylums

athwart: across; in opposition to

atone: to make amends for a crime or offence

automaton: someone who resembles a machine by going through motions repetitively, but without feeling or emotion

B

Babylonian finger: that which spells out the writing on the wall; delivering a judgement

balderdash: nonsense, senseless or exaggerated speech or writing

banns: announcement or notice of a forthcoming marriage in a parish church, proclaimed on three consecutive Sundays

beak: magistrate

bearer up: thief with a female accomplice who would distract the victim so the crime could be performed

beating: repeatedly hitting someone; scaring birds from bushes out into the open for shooting parties

Bedlam: nickname for the Hospital of St Mary of Bethlehem, a London psychiatric hospital; place or situation full of noise, frenzy and confusion

beg to: wish to

berserker: traditionally an ancient and ferocious Norse warrior known for savagery

bizarre: unusual or strange

blackleg: someone who works during a strike, often criticized by those who obey the strike (also known as a ‘scab’)

blag: to steal something, often by smash-and-grab; to trick or con someone

blasphemy: sacrilegious talk concerning God or religion

blighter: annoying or contemptible person

bloodletting: reducing the volume of blood in the body by either opening a vein or applying leeches as a way of restoring health, used from ancient times up to the nineteenth century

bloofer: vampire, usually female; term possibly comes from the mispronunciation of ‘beautiful’

bludger: violent criminal who often used a bludgeon or heavy, stout weapon

blue bottle: policeman

blunderbuss: musket, used at close-range; clumsy or awkward person

boarder: person paying rent for a bed, a room and usually meals in a private home or boarding house

bob: cockney slang for a shilling or five-pence piece

Boche: German person; the term was often used to describe soldiers

body-snatching: the act of stealing corpses from graves, tombs or morgues, usually for dissection or scientific study

borough: town that had been given the right to self-govern by royal charter; in Victorian London, Southwark was referred to as ‘the borough’

Bow Street Runners: detective force in London who pre-dated the police, organized by novelist Henry Fielding and his brother John in 1750 up to 1829, when Robert Peel founded London’s first police force

brackish: slightly salty, usually refers to water

buck cabbie: dishonest cab driver

bug hunting: stealing from or cheating drunks, especially at night in drinking dens

bull: cockney slang for five shillings

C

calamity: accident or distressing event

cant: a free meal; language or vocabulary spoken by thieves or groups of people perceived to be common

caper: criminal act; dangerous activity

caravanserai: roadside inn for travellers, often found along the Asian trade routes

cash carrier: pimp or whore’s minder, who would literally hold the money earned by soliciting

casuist: skilled orator, who uses clever but potentially deceptive reasoning

cavalier: Royalist soldier; often used to describe a chivalrous man or gentleman

census: official list of the British population, including address and details of age, gender, occupation and birthplace, carried out every ten years since 1841

charlatan: person who assumes false skills or knowledge; also known as a mountebank

charnel-house: vault containing the remains of dead bodies or skeletons

cherubim: winged celestial beings (singular: cherub)

chilblains: red, itchy swelling to parts of face, fingers and toes caused by exposure to cold and damp

chimera: something wished for but impossible; a fire-breathing monster from Greek mythology

chink: money (from the noise coins make when they knock against each other)

chiv/shiv: knife, razor or sharpened stick used as a weapon

chivvied: harassed or annoyed by attacks; to be encouraged to do something

choker: clergyman, referring to the clerical collar worn around the neck

cholera: disease of the small intestine, often fatal, marked by symptoms of thirst, cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea, caused by drinking water tainted with human waste. Victorians were hit with several cholera epidemics before sanitation conditions were improved

choused: to have been cheated

christen: to remove identifying marks from; to use for the first time; to make something like new again

chronometer: tool for measuring accurate time

claustrophobia: abnormal dread of being imprisoned or confined in a close or narrow space

cly faking: to pick someone’s pocket

coal scuttle: metal pail for carrying and pouring coal

colonial: native of a colony; something characteristic of or relating to a colony

commencement: the beginning or start of something

comrade: term used for someone with shared interests or beliefs, commonly used among communist or socialist parties

confabulation: to cause confusion on purpose by filling in memory gaps with untruths

connubial: conjugal; relating to marriage

contagion: spread of disease caused by close contact

cop/copper: policeman

costermonger: street peddler, usually selling fruits or vegetables

cracksman: safecracker, someone who cracks or breaks locks

cravat: scarf or band of fabric worn around the neck and tied in a bow

creator: someone who makes something come alive

crib: building, house or lodging; location of a gaol

crossgrained: bad tempered or stubborn

crow: lookout during criminal activities; doctor

crusher: policeman

cudgel: heavy stick used as a weapon

cursory: quick, superficial and not very thorough

cypher: coded message; secret way of writing

D

daguerreotype: photograph taken by an early process, now obsolete

dandy: a man very concerned with his appearance and clothing; something excellent or agreeable

daresay: venture to say; think probable

day boarder: someone who spends the day at school but lives at home, as opposed to someone who boards at the school

deadlurk: empty premises

deaner: shilling

debouchment: narrow, confined opening or area; the act of moving from a confined area into an open space

deformity: disfigurement or malformation, often of a body part but can also refer to morals or the mind

deity: god or goddess; supreme being

depraved: wicked, immoral or corrupt

deputation: group of people charged with a mission or to represent other people

despatch: send something; to send someone to carry out a task

despotism: oppressive and often tyrannical rule or authority

deuce: euphemism for ‘devil’, used to express annoyance; the two on a die or playing card

deuce hog: two shillings

device: tuppence; an emblem or motto

Devil: the Devil, as depicted in Christianity and some other religions, stands as the enemy or opposite to God and tempts people to sin so that they go to Hell; the actual term ‘Devil’ comes from the Latin diabolus, meaning slanderous. Gothic characters are often tempted by agents of the Devil

dewskitch: a beating (bodily assault)

diligence: public stagecoach; taking care or attention over something

ding: to throw something away; to take something that has been thrown away

diphtheria: infectious disease caused by germs in the throat, causing difficulty in breathing, fever and damage to the heart and nervous system

dirge: funeral hymn, mournful lament for the dead

dispatches: loaded dice; sends someone to carry out a task

do down: to beat someone with fists, especially as a punishment

dogmatism: emphatic belief presented as fact without consideration of truth or others’ opinions

dollyshop: unlicensed, often cheap, loan or pawn shop

don: eminent, professional or clever person; leader or head of a group

Doppelgänger: literally translated from German as ‘doublegoer’; the ghostly apparition of another, living person; double or alter ego

double-knock: applied to the door by a confident visitor, one who was known to the family and comfortable with the purpose of his visit (a single-knock signified a more timid caller, often of an inferior class)

dowager: widow with an inherited title or property from her deceased husband; distinguished, respected older woman

down: cause suspicion or doubt; to inform on a person, when used in the expression ‘to put down on someone’

dragsman: someone who steals from carriages or coaches

draught: cheque or bill of exchange; a small quantity of liquid drunk in one mouthful

duckett: street dealer or vendor’s licence

duffer: someone who sells allegedly stolen or worthless goods, also known as a ‘hawker’

E

ecod: mild curse, most likely derived from ‘My God’

economy: cheapness; giving better value

eldritch: ghostly or sinister

Elysian Fields: from Greek mythology, term for the afterlife of the blessed; blissful or heavenly place

employ: to hire someone to work for you; if you were in the employ of or employed by someone, you worked for them

entrapment: imprisoning someone; incarcerating or trapping someone, often in dark, strange or claustrophobic surroundings

epidemic: illness that spreads rapidly and extensively, affecting most of the people who come in contact with it

epoch: period of time marked by particular events

equinoctial: occurring at the time of or near to the equinox, a twice-yearly event when the sun crosses the celestial equator

erethism: extreme excitement or stimulation

escop/eslop: policeman

establishment: shop, place of business

exculpation: exoneration; being cleared from guilt

exorcism: act of forcing the Devil, a demon or evil spirits from the body of someone who is possessed, done through religious prayer or rituals

expectations: chance of coming into an inheritance, property or money

extant: living or existing

extermination: destruction of an entire group or civilization

extra-terrestrial: existing outside of the earth’s atmosphere

F

fadge: slang term for farthing

fakement: sham or trick, often used when begging

fan: to feel surreptitiously under someone’s clothing while they are wearing it, searching for objects to steal

fanatical: zealous or single-minded

farthing: monetary unit worth a quarter of a penny; something almost worthless or of the lowest value

fawney-dropping: trick where a criminal pretends to find a ring (which has no actual value) and sells it as an item of possible worth

fiend: evil demon; evil or wicked person

finny: slang term for five-pound note

flam: lie or deception

flash: to show off or try to impress; something special or expensive-looking

flash house: public house with criminals as clientele

flimp: snatch stealing or pickpocketing from a crowd

flue faker: chimney sweep, usually young boys

footman: servant in livery, usually in a mansion or palace; a servant who serves at table, tends the door or carriage, runs errands

forebodings: feelings of apprehension or anxiety

forfeits: parlour games where each player needs to supply a correct answer and has a forfeit if the answer is not given

fossicking: rummaging or searching, usually for something valuable. The term is often used to describe searching for gold or valuable stones

foundling: orphan or abandoned child raised by someone else

furlong: unit of measurement equal to 201 m (660 ft), the length of the traditional furrow or plough trench on a farm

furtherance: helping or advancing the progress of something

fusillade: volleys of shots fired simultaneously or in rapid succession

G

gable: triangular end of a building where the wall meets the roof

gaff: show or exhibition; cheap, smutty theatre; hoax or trick

gainsay: contradict; deny

galvanize: to shock someone or something into action

gammon: misleading comment, meant to deceive

gammy: someone false who is not to be trusted

gaol: jail

garniture: decorative ornament or embellishment

garret: fob pocket in a waistcoat; room at the top of the house

gattering: public house

general post: mail that was sent from the London Post Office to the rest of England

ghost: phantom or spirit of somebody who has died and who has possibly not gone on to the afterlife, which often inspires fear or terror

gibbet: post with a projecting beam for hanging executed criminals, often done publicly as a warning to the public

gig: light, open, two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse

gill: unit of liquid equalling a quarter of a pint

gimlety: piercing, sharp-eyed

glim: light or fire; a source of light; begging by saying you are homeless due to fire; venereal disease

gloaming: dusk or twilight

glock: slow, half-witted person

gonoph: petty, small-time criminal

Gordian knot: an impossible or extremely complex problem; from the legend of Gordius, king of Phrygia, who tied a knot that could only be cut by the future ruler of Asia and which was cut by Alexander the Great

Gorgon: female monster from Greek mythology with snakes for hair

gothic: style of architecture, music, art or fiction generally associated with strange, frightening occurrences and mysterious or supernatural plots, characters or locations

gout: disease mainly affecting men, causing inflammation and swelling of the hands and feet, arthritis and deformity; caused by excess uric acid production

governess: woman employed to teach and care for children in a school or home

greatcoat: long, heavy overcoat worn outdoors, often with a short cape worn over the shoulders

grog: mixture of alcohol, often rum, and water, named after an English admiral who diluted sailors’ rum

grotesque: misshapen or mutated character; something or someone unexpected, monstrous or bizarre

gruel: watery, unappetizing porridge, popular with the owners of the workhouse or orphanage due to its cheapness

guinea: gold coin, monetary value of twenty-one shillings or one pound and one shilling

gulpy: someone gullible or easy to fool

H

haberdasher: someone who sells personal items, often accessories such as thread or ribbons

habiliments: clothing

hackney coach: carriage for hire

hagiology: literature about the lives of saints or venerated people

hansom cab: two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage where the driver sat on a high seat at the back so that the passengers had a clear view of the road

harbinger: something that signals or foreshadows an event or person

haybag: derogatory term for a woman

hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure

heliograph: signalling device that works by moving a mirror to reflect sunlight

heresy: belief that contradicts generally accepted or official religious teaching

hob: metal shelf or rack over a fireplace where the pans or kettle could be warmed

hoisting: shoplifting; to lift something up

hopping: picking hops, used for making beer

humbug: something insincere or nonsensical, meant to deceive or cheat people; used to express disbelief or disgust; a hoax or fraud

hykey: pride, arrogance

I

inchoate: partly or imperfectly formed; not fully in existence

incubus: name for a male demon, thought to be a fallen angel, who forces himself sexually upon sleeping women, which often resulted in the birth of a demon or deformed, half-human child

infusoria: single-celled organisms

indefatigable: tirelessly persistent; not giving in to fatigue

influenza/flu: viral illness causing aching joints, fever, headaches, sore throat, cough and sneezing, even followed by death in Victorian times

inmate: someone confined to an institution such as a lunatic asylum or prison

Inquisition: organization founded by the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresy or acting against God, by which those found guilty were often put to death; (lowercase) period of extended questioning, often associated with violence and torture

insensate: lacking understanding, sense or reason; without sensitivity or feeling

insurrection: uprising in revolt or rebellion, usually against an established government or authority

integument: tough, protective outer layer

interred: buried

invidious: unpleasant or undesirable

ironclad: armoured warship

ironmonger: someone who sells metal goods, tools and hardware

irons: guns, usually pistols or revolvers

J

jolly: disturbance or brawl; cheerful or happy

journeyman: skilled worker who has finished an apprenticeship and is qualified to hire himself out for work

Judgement Day: the end of the world when God judges humanity and the dead come back to life; also known as doomsday

Judy: term for a woman, usually a prostitute

juggernaut: massive and destructive force that is almost impossible to stop

jump: ground-floor window, or a burglary committed by entering through the window

K

kecks: slang term for trousers

ken: house, lodging or public house

keystone: wedge-shaped stone placed at the summit of an arch, which locks the other stones in place; a central principle or policy

kidsman: organizer of child thieves

kismet: fate or destiny

kith: someone’s friends, neighbours or relatives

knacker: someone who disposes of injured, unwanted or dead animals, often turning their carcasses into by-products such as animal food, fat or glue

knaves: jacks in a deck of cards

knee breeches: trousers that reach the knee

knock up: to bang loudly on someone’s door to wake them up

know life: to be familiar with criminal ways; to be street-wise

kopjes: small hill, South African term meaning ‘little head’

L

lag: convict; someone sentenced to transportation or gaol

lassitude: feeling of weariness, lack of energy

laudanum: solution of opium and alcohol used as pain relief or to aid sleep, highly addictive

lavender, lay in: to hide from the police; to pawn something for money; to be dead

league: group or association with mutual interests, such as individuals, states or countries

leg: dishonest person, cheat

Lethean: forgetfulness or oblivion; from the river Lethe, one of the rivers of Hades in Greek mythology. Drinking from the river Lethe made people completely forget their past

leviathan: sea monster; large and powerful object or thing

liberal: generous; tolerant or open-minded

link boy: boy who carries a torch to light a person’s way through the dark streets

liverish: feeling unwell, especially bilious; feeling disagreeable or peevish

lodger: person paying rent to stay in a room (or bed) in somebody else’s house

logbook: book in which a teacher would comment on pupils’ attendance, behaviour, learning progress, etc.

lumber: wood used for building or woodworking, often second-hand furniture; to pawn something; to go to gaol

Lunnun: slag term for London

lurker: criminal; beggar or someone who dresses as a beggar for money

lush: alcoholic drink; someone who drinks too much alcohol; luxurious

M

macaroni: term used to describe young men dressed in the fashionable continental style

macer: cheat

mag: slang term for a ha’pence piece

magistrate: judge over trials of misdemeanours; civil officer who upholds the law

maid-of-all-work: usually a young girl, hired as the only servant in the house and required to do any job asked of her

mail coach: carrier of the mail and a limited number of passengers, replaced in the mid-nineteenth century by the railroad

malefactor: someone who commits a crime or wrongdoing

malignity: malevolence, bad feeling towards someone

malt: grain, such as barley, that has been allowed to ferment, used for brewing beer and sometimes whisky

mandrake: homosexual; type of plant

mania: mental obsession or abnormality which can cause mood swings

manifestation: a sign or visual proof of existence

manifesto: declaration of policy or intent, often published by a political party

mark: the victim of a crime

market day: the regular day each week when country people would bring their livestock and goods to sell in town

market town: town that regularly held a market, usually the largest town of a farming area

masochism: psychosexual perversion where someone gains erotic pleasure by having pain, abuse or humiliation inflicted on them

materially reduced: having your circumstances and/or finances reduced or lessened

maxim: statement or saying

mead: fermented alcoholic drink made of water, honey, malt, yeast and sometimes spices

mecks: alcohol, usually wine or spirits

mesmeric: causing someone to be entranced or rendered unaware of their surroundings

Messrs: plural of Mr., used when referring to more than one man

metamorphosis: change or complete transformation in physical form, shape or structure, thought to be caused by supernatural powers

miasma: unpleasant smell or vapour, often related to disease or death

Michaelmas: Christian festival celebrating the archangel Michael, celebrated on 29 September, one of the four quarters of the year

middle class: people who earn enough money to live comfortably, often in a skilled profession, such as doctors and lawyers

misanthropy: hatred of humankind

mist: cloud of water particles that condense in the atmosphere, often used in Gothic literature to obscure objects or to prelude something or someone terrifying

mizzle: steal or disappear; fine rain

moniker/monniker: signature; first name

monolithic: something huge and impenetrable, often describing a building or an organization

mortality: death rate; the number of deaths in a given time or given group

moucher/moocher: rural vagrant or beggar, someone who lives on the road

mourning clothes: black garments worn after a relative dies, the length of which depended on your relationship to the deceased

muck snipe: someone down on their luck

muffler: scarf

mug-hunter: street thief or pickpocket, from which the modern term ‘mugger’ comes

mutcher: pickpocket who usually steals from drunks

myrmidons: loyal follower or acolyte, often someone who follows orders blindly or who acts with few scruples

N

nail: steal; to catch someone who is guilty of a crime

narcissism: egotism or self-idolatry; term comes from Greek mythology where the boy Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a lake

natural philosophy: the science of nature

nebulous: hazy; vague

necromancy: black art of conversing with the spirits of the dead, usually done to predict or influence the future, also for making the dead perform tasks for you; witchcraft or sorcery

nethers: charges or rent for lodgings

netherskens: cheap, unsavoury lodging houses, flophouses

new-fangled: new or original, not necessarily an improvement over a previous version

nib: point of a pen, often a fountain pen

nibbed: arrested

nickey: slow or simple-minded

nightmare: frightening or unsettling dream, often used in Gothic literature to heighten drama or fear; a malign spirit thought to haunt or suffocate people during sleep

nobble: to inflict severe pain or bodily harm

nocturne: romantic or reflective musical composition; night scene

nonpareil: unequalled or unsurpassed, often used to describe the most popular person of the season

nose: informant or spy; to try to find something out

O

occult: relating to the supernatural, witchcraft or magic; something not capable of being understood by ordinary people, but known only by the initiated

occupation: job, means of earning a living

odour: smell

Old Country: country of origin or of ones’ ancestors, usually used to describe European countries

omen: sign or portent of a future event

omnibus: single or double-decker bus which was pulled by horses, capable of carrying lots of people

omnipotent: having unlimited power, god-like, infinite

on the fly: while in motion, moving quickly; done quickly or spontaneously

opium: drug extracted from the dried juice and seeds of the opium poppy which is highly addictive

orthodox: following established rules of religion or society; proper way of behaving

outdoor relief: charity for the poor which did not require them to enter the workhouse, eliminated in 1834 by the New Poor Law to stop people playing the system

outsider: instrument used for opening a lock from the wrong side; stranger or interloper

P

pacifist: someone who is against war or violence for any reason

page: boy or young man working as a servant or running errands

palanquin: box-shaped travelling conveyance, usually carrying one person and borne on horizontal poles by four or six others

pall: detect; become dull or fade; gloomy atmosphere or mood

palmer: shoplifter; someone who ‘palms’ items to steal them

palsy: medical condition producing uncontrollable shaking of the muscles

pandemonium: wild disorder, chaos

panegyric: impassioned speech or text praising something or someone

parlour: living room, usually for guests

patterer: someone who earns a living by recitation or hawker’s sales talk, convincing people to buy goods

peach: inform against someone or give information against someone, often leading to imprisonment

pea-coat: short, heavy, double-breasted overcoat worn by seamen, usually dark blue or black

peelers: nickname for the new London police force, organized by Sir Robert Peel in 1829

perdition: eternal damnation following death; loss of the soul

pertaining to: concerning or to do with

phantasm: ghost or apparition

phenomenon: fact or occurrence that is out of the ordinary or hard to believe, even though it can be seen, felt, heard, etc.

phonograph: gramophone; machine for recording or playing sound

picnic: any informal social gathering for which each guest provided a share of the food; informal meal eaten outside

pidgeon: victim; also known as a plant

pig: policeman, usually a detective

pig in a poke: something for sale at more than its true value

pile: a fortune; large amount of money

pistoles: Spanish gold coin, used until the late 1800s

pleurisy: inflammation of the lungs producing a fever, hacking cough, sharp chest pain and difficulty in breathing

polyglot: someone who can speak or understand several languages

poorhouse: place where poor, old or sick people lived, where anyone able was put to work; also known as the workhouse

portrait: likeness of an individual or group created through photography or in paintings

possession: being controlled by an evil, demonic or supernatural force

post chaise: enclosed, four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage, used to transport mail and passengers

post-human: class of humans who have evolved or changed to be beyond human, such as the Eloi and Morlocks in The Time Machine

premonitory: premonition or warning

prig: self-righteous or superior person

proctor: court officer who manages the affairs of others, answering to an attorney or solicitor

prodigious: great in amount or size; a lot

profane: disrespectful of religious beliefs

prognathous: projecting chin or lower jaw

prolixities: speeches or utterances of tedious or unnecessary length

Prometheus: a Titan who stole fire from the Greek god, Zeus, in order to give it to humankind

proprietor: owner of a commercial or business enterprise

puckering: jabbering; speaking in an incomprehensible manner

pugilistic: relating to the practice of boxing or fist fighting

punishers: men hired to give beatings or ‘nobblings’

pursuit: the act of chasing after someone, usually to attack or catch them, often inspiring fear

push: slang term for money

putrefactive: causing decay or putrefaction

Q

quadrille: card game for four players using forty cards; dance

quarter days: four days of the year when quarterly payments were made: Lady Day (25 March), Midsummer (24 June), Michaelmas (29 September) and Christmas (25 December)

quay: wharf or platform in a port or harbour where ships are loaded or unloaded

quick-lime: white, corrosive, alkaline substance consisting of calcium oxide, acquired by heating limestone

quid: slang term for pound

quidnunc: gossip or busy body

quixotic: something unrealistic or improbable

R

racket: illicit or dishonest occupation or activity

ream: someone superior, real or genuine

rebellion: resistance and overthrow of authority, such as a leader or government, in order to change the way things are run

red planet: name for the planet Mars, given due to its red colour

remembrance: memory

repeater: pocket watch that chimed on the hour or quarter past the hour, making it easier to tell the time in the dark

republic: state or country in which the people elect representatives via elections rather than being run by a monarchy

reservist: reserve member of the military

resurrectionist: body snatcher; someone who steals corpses from graves, usually to sell to medical students. Legally, only the bodies of criminals could be used, but demand for corpses was so high that resurrectionists dug up the graves of the recently dead

revenant: dead person who has returned to terrorize or to avenge a score with someone living

revenge: act of avenging or repaying someone for a harm that the person has caused; to punish someone in retaliation for something done to them or to a loved one, carried out by humans or by spirits; a popular theme in Gothic literature

revery: daydream or musing; state of abstraction, also spelt reverie

ribald: description for vulgar, lewd humour, often involving jokes about sex

roller: thief who robs drunks; prostitute who steals from her (usually drunk) customers

Romanticism: arts and literature of the Romantic movement, characterized by the passion, emotion and often danger of love and associated feelings

Romany: gypsy or traveller; language spoken by gypsies

rookery: urban slum or ghetto; nesting place for rooks

rozzers: policemen

ruffles: slang term for handcuffs

ruin: to go out of business; lose all your money or possessions

runic: inscriptions on runes; written in the runic alphabet

S

saddle: loaf; cut of meat

sadism: perversion where one person gains sexual gratification by causing others physical or mental pain, first coined to describe the writings of the Marquis de Sade; delight in torment or excessive cruelty

salubrity: health or well-being

Salvation Army: worldwide religious organization founded by William Booth in 1865; it provided aid to the poor, helped those in need and sought to bring people back to God

sanctum sanctorium: holiest of holy places; place of secret or vital work, also spelt sanctum sanctorum

sapper: military engineer

savan: scientist or learned person

sawbones: physician or surgeon

scarlet fever: infection usually suffered by children, causing a red rash and high fever; also called Scarlatina

screever: forger; writer of fake documents

sealing wax: wax that is soft when heated, used to seal letters – red for business letters, black for mourning and other colours for general correspondence

sentient: able to feel and respond to sensations

sentinel: guard or soldier who keeps watch

sepulture: act of burial or interment

servant’s lurk: public house used primarily by crooked or dismissed servants

sharp: conman, card swindler

shilling: unit of money equal to five pence in today’s money

shirkster: layabout, work-shy

shofulman: someone who makes or passes bad money

silicious: consisting of silica, a crystalline compound

slap-bang job: public house frequented by thieves, where no credit is given

slate: used to teach children to write; they would write on black slates with white chalk, instead of the paper used today

slum: ghetto; false or faked document; to cheat someone or pass money you know to be bad or false

smasher: someone who passes bad or false money

snakesman: small boy used for housebreaking, as they could enter a house through a small gap

snoozer: someone who steals from sleeping guests in hotels

snowing: stealing clothes that have been hung out on a washing line to dry

somnambulism: sleepwalking, a dissociated mental state that occurs during deep sleep during which, in Gothic literature, people would do things they would not normally do

spectroscope: tool for recording and measuring spectra of light or radiation

spike: slang term for the workhouse

sponging-house: temporary prison for those who cannot pay their debts, prior to them being sent to a prison such as the Marshalsea in London

srew: skeleton key, for use in burglaries

stratagem: scheme or plan that has been carefully worked out

stricken: affected by; suffering or struck by

sublime: the concept of being awed, moved or transported by something, such as religion, beauty or emotions; used in Gothic literature for the thrill of being terrified, because fear inspires such strong emotions

substratum: underlying layer

succubus: female demon, counterpart of the incubus (q.v.)

supernatural: used to describe phenomena or events that seem unbelievable or cannot be explained by natural laws or occurrences relating to magic or the occult

superstition: deep-seated but often irrational belief in something, such as an action or ritual, that is thought to bring good or bad luck

supplication: asking for or begging humbly, often to a deity

surreal: bizarre or fantastical

sweetmeat: sweet treat, such as candy or candied fruit, often served at the end of a meal

swell: elegantly or stylishly dressed gentleman; expensive dress

T

tallow: hard, fatty substance from sheep or oxen, used to make candles or soap

taper: small, slim wax candle, narrower at the top than at the bottom

taproom: bar room in a public house where working-class people ate and drank, as opposed to the parlour, used by the middle classes

terrestrial: an inhabitant of, or relating to, the earth

thick ’un: slang term for sovereign

thicker: slang for sovereign or pound

thriving: to be profitable or successful; flourishing

thwart: to prevent someone from doing something

timorous: timid or nervous

Titan: name for the giants from Greek mythology; one of Saturn’s moons

tocsin: warning signal or bell

toff: elegant or stylish gentleman; someone rich or upper-class

toffken: house in which well-to-do, upper-class people lived

tonneau: rear compartment of a car, usually consisting of the back seats

topped: to be hung

torpidity: mental inactivity; feeling sluggish or lacking in vigour

tradesman: man in a skilled trade, such as a carpenter or plumber; shopkeeper; someone who buys and sells goods

transfigure: to transform

transportation: when exiled British criminals were sent to the colonies, usually Australia, as punishment

trephining: surgery on the skull to remove sections of bone, sometimes used to treat mental illness

troglodytic: to describe a cave-dweller; bestial or brutal of character

turnkey: jailor; keeper of keys

typhoid: serious, often fatal, illness caused by drinking polluted water (contaminated by sewage)

U

ululation: howling or crying out, often from pain

ulster: long, heavy coat with a cape covering the shoulders and upper arms

umbrageous: providing or creating shade; also describes someone who is angry or has taken offense

unanimity: consensus or agreement

uncanny: something or someone too strange, weird or eerie to be natural or human; supernatural

unclean: dirty, impure

union workhouse: workhouse for the poor, which parishes were obligated to provide after the 1834 New Poor Law

unhallowed: unholy or not consecrated ground

unprovided for: left with no money or security

upper class: people from rich, moneyed families, such as landowners or aristocracy

utopia: imaginary society, place or period in which everything is perfect

V

vamp: to steal; to pawn something; to brazenly seduce or manipulate someone

vampire: supernatural being of a malignant nature, believed to leave its coffin at night to suck the blood of the living for sustenance, from European folklore

vapour: steam

vaporize: to convert something or someone into vapour; to destroy someone or something

veld: open country or grassland in southern Africa

venal: corrupt, capable of being bribed

vespers: evening church service, prayers

vicissitude: contrast or change, often unwelcome

vintner: wine maker or merchant

vivisection: surgery performed upon living organisms for scientific research or investigation

volplaning: gliding

W

watch: men chosen to guard the streets at night, periodically calling out the time and ensuring that no crimes were being committed

werewolf: someone who is human by day and turns into a wolf at night, living off humans, animals or even corpses, from European folklore

whist: popular card game, a variant of which developed into contract bridge

witchcraft: spells and magic performed by a witch; in Gothic fiction the witch is usually depicted as an old, hag-like crone or a beautiful, seductive young woman

without: outside, usually referring to outside the house in which someone is

woe-begone: sad or miserable in appearance

worldling: sophisticated or worldly person

work capitol: crime punishable by death

workhouse: place where the sick, poor, old and those in debt went or were sent for food and shelter. The New Poor Law (1834) made the workhouse almost a prison for the poor, who had to work hard in miserable conditions, often fed on gruel only and separated from their families

working class: those in heavy manual labour, usually for low, hourly wages, such as farm labourers, factory workers and builders

worrit: worry; worry-wort

wretch: miserable or unhappy person

Y

yack: slang term for a watch

Z

zenith: peak; most powerful or successful point

zombie: corpse, believed by voodoo followers to be reanimated by witchcraft; often presented as a monster who bites living people to infect them and spread the disease

zoophagous: carnivorous, feeding on animal flesh