Authors: William Shakespeare
182
apace
swiftly
188
belly
stomach/womb (playing on
drink
in its slang sense of “have sex”)
189
of God’s making
i.e. a real man
193
stay
wait for
197
sad … maid
i.e. seriously and truly
204
Wherein went he?
What was he wearing?
204
makes he
is he doing
208
Gargantua
the giant in François Rabelais’ book
Gargantua
(1534)
210
particulars
details
210
catechism
series of set questions and answers used as a form of instruction by the Church
214
atomies
motes, atoms
214
resolve the propositions
answer the questions
216
relish
flavor
216
good observance
close attention
218
Jove’s tree
oak trees were associated with Jove
220
Give me audience
listen to me
222
along
out
225
“holla”
stop (used to a horse)
225
curvets
leaps about
226
furnished
dressed
227
heart
puns on “hart” (male deer)
228
burden
chorus
232
bring me out
make me forget what I was saying
232
Soft!
Wait a moment!
235
lief
willingly
237
society
company
243
ill-favouredly
poorly
245
just
exactly
251
pretty
clever
252
acquainted
plays on the sense of “sexually familiar”
252
conned
learned by heart
253
rings
which had verses engraved on them (also slang for “vaginas”)
254
right painted cloth
in the manner of a cheap hanging depicting commonplace mythological scenes
255
questions
topics
257
Atalanta
famed for her swiftness
259
breather
i.e. living being
262
change
exchange
264
troth
faith
268
figure
image (Orlando plays on the sense of “number”)
269
cipher
zero
274
saucy lackey
insolent minion
275
habit
appearance
275
play the knave
play a boy/trick him
282
detect
reveal
286
divers
various
291
hard
with an uneasy pace, with difficulty
292
contract … marriage
formal betrothal
293
se’nnight
week (seven nights)
299
lean
unrewarding/thin
299
wasteful
time-wasting/causing one to waste away
300
tedious
troublesome/painful
304
softly
slowly
306
vacation
period during which the law courts are suspended
307
term
period appointed for the sitting of courts of law
309
skirts
outskirts
312
cony
rabbit
312
kindled
born
314
purchase
acquire
314
removed
remote
316
religious
pious/monastic/scrupulous
317
inland
of civilized society
317
courtship
court life/wooing
319
touched
tainted
320
generally
without exception
326
his
its
328
physic
medicine
329
haunts
who hangs around
332
fancy-monger
dealer in love
334
quotidian
daily recurring fever
337
marks
signs, symptoms
338
cage of rushes
i.e. flimsy prison
341
blue
i.e. with dark circles
342
unquestionable
unwilling to be questioned
344
your … revenue
your beard is like a younger brother’s income (i.e. small)
346
ungartered
not tied up
346
unbanded
without a colored hatband
349
point-device
immaculate
349
accoutrements
clothes
349
as
as if
353
apter
more likely
355
still
always
356
sooth
truth
362
merely
entirely
363
dark … do
imprisonment in the dark and whipping were “treatments” for the insane
365
profess
practice, have knowledge in
370
moonish
changeable
371
fantastical
fanciful, impulsive
372
apish
foolish
374
cattle … colour
beasts of this kind
375
entertain
welcome, treat well
376
forswear
deny, reject
376
that
so that
377
drave
drove
377
living
genuine
379
merely
utterly
381
liver
thought to be the seat of the passions
381
sound
healthy
385
cote
cottage
387
by
on
Act 3 Scene 3
1
apace
quickly
2
how
what
3
simple feature
plain appearance (Audrey may understand “specific part/penis”)
4
warrant
protect
6
capricious
lascivious, fickle (from the Latin
caper
meaning “goat”; the wordplay is reinforced by
goats/Goths
having similar pronunciations)
6
Ovid … Goths
Roman poet
Ovid
, author of
The Art of Love
, was banished to live among the
Goths
; he complained that they did not understand his
verses
7
ill-inhabited
poorly lodged
7
Jove … house
having been turned away by others, the disguised
Jove
and his son Mercury were welcomed into the humble dwelling of Philemon and Baucis
10
seconded
backed, supported
10
forward
precocious
11
great … room
large bill for insubstantial accommodation; some critics see a reference to the 1593 tavern murder of playwright Christopher Marlowe, supposedly the result of a dispute about the bill
14
honest
respectable/genuine
17
feigning
imaginative/deceitful
21
honest
truthful/chaste
25
hard-favoured
ugly
27
material
meaningful, full of matter/concerned with earthly things
30
foul
loathsome/filthy/ugly
30
slut
woman of slovenly habits/kitchen maid/whore
31
meat
food (plays on the sense of “penis”)
31
dish
plays on the sense of “vagina”
35
Sir Oliver Martext
“Sir” was sometimes used for priests who were not university graduates;
36
Martext
(mar-text) suggests an uneducated priest who could not expound upon the Scriptures
36
next
nearest
37
couple
marry (plays on the sense of “get us to have sex”)
38
fain
willingly
38
meeting
encounter/sexual union
41
stagger
falter
42
assembly
congregation
42
horn-beasts
suggestive of cuckolds
42
what though
what of it
43
necessary
inevitable
44
knows … goods
i.e. is very well off
47
deer
plays on the sense of “dear”
48
rascal
young or inferior deer in a herd/ordinary husband
49
walled
i.e. fortified
51
defence
possibly plays on type of fortification known as “hornwork”
52
to want
be lacking
55
dispatch us
settle (i.e. marry)
58
on
as the
62
What-ye-call’t
probably a joking reluctance to say “Jaques” (i.e. “jakes” meaning “lavatory”)
63
’ild
yield (i.e. reward)
63
last
most recent (i.e. present)
64
toy in hand
trifle to attend to
65
covered
i.e. put on your (respectfully removed) hat
67
bow
yoke
67
curb
restraining strap attached to the bit
68
bells
attached to the falcon’s leg
69
bill
stroke beak with beak
69
nibbling
having sex/seizing
73
wainscot
wooden paneling
74
green
not dried thoroughly/unseasoned
75
warp
shrink/go wrong
76
I … but
I am inclined to think that
77
of
by
77
like
likely
78
well
properly
82
bawdry
lewdness
84
“O … thee”
lines from a lost Elizabethan ballad, originally paired with a reply; Touchstone rejects the lines of the abandoned woman, in favor of the dismissive answer
84
brave
fine, worthy
87
Wind
wend, go
90
fantastical
capricious, mad
91
flout
mock/jeer
Act 3 Scene 4
6
dissembling
deceitful
6
dissembling … Judas
i.e. reddish, traditionally the hair color of
Judas
, the disciple who betrayed Christ with a kiss
7
his … children
refers to the kiss with which Judas betrayed Christ
10
your
this
11
only
i.e. most desirable
13
holy bread
bread blessed and distributed to those who had not taken Communion; after the Reformation, bread provided for the Eucharist
14
cast
sculpted/cast-off/chaste
14
Diana
goddess of chastity
15
of winter’s sisterhood
i.e. sworn to coldness
22
verity
sincerity
22
concave
hollow
23
covered goblet
empty drinking vessel (covered when not in use)
28
tapster
barman, tavern keeper
29
reckonings
personal esteem/bills
31
question
conversation
37
traverse
crosswise/poorly aimed and broken across (jousting term)
37
puny tilter
insignificant, petty jouster
39
goose
fool
42
complained of
lamented over
47
pageant
spectacle, scene
51
mark
observe