Read The Merry Wives of Windsor Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
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