This is getting serious
SPOTTED DOG = pudding; aka Spotted Dick
CATCHPENNY = with appeal of reduced charge; A worthless thing made only for profit
DROGUE = anchor; parachute
PELF = cash; derog. riches (in a bad sense); money
UNCTION = something soothing; anointing, that which is used for anointing
BITTS = Sailors take a turn round these; post for winding rope around
choking = containment (inside)
BETEL = leaf;
CUPBOARD LOVE = Affection motivated by self-interest;
ARRANT = out-and-out;
PUTCH = political revolt;
SAPIENT = wise
LIGNITE = fuel; brown coal
LIANAS = climbers in tropics; climbing plant esp. in tropical rainforests
ITEM = Notice;
NURSELING = tiddler; infant that is being suckled.
blooming = BALLY, INFERNAL etc.
PA = previously; past
EVANESCENT = short-lived
BILKED = cheated
runner = river
ROOD = crucifix
TWAIN = 2; a couple, pair, two.
better = one who bets
LHASA APSO = dog
PARKINSONS LAW = working rule; “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”
DEAL = wood; soft wood
SO = very good
OP ART = abstract paintings;optical art
AURORA = merry dancers;
BAY RUM = fragrant liquid;
LAMMAS = old feast day
MARCH = boundary;
ABJURE = disavow; renounce solemnly or on oath.
CHAMBREY = fabric
ATROPINE = drug; poison; from deadly nightshade (Belladonna)
cooler = FAN
ORANGE STICK = make-up item
ORISON = prayer
TISANE = infusion
sarcastic = PUNGENT
GADARENE = like Biblical swine; Indicative of mass panic and headlong flight into disaster. From swine of GADARA in Matthew 8.28
EOLITH = early stone tool
stock = flower eg. Virginia stock
GALATEA = Pygmalion’s lover; Pygmalion fell in love with a statue he carved from ivory which was brought to life by Venus.
WETHER = male sheep; castrated ram
TEMPORIZE = stall; use delaying tactics
MARGE = margin (poetic)
PIPE = pule; weep
PULE = pipe; wimper or whine
OGAM = letters past; Ancient Celtic/Pictish alphabet
GYP = (Cambridge) college servant
CLAMANT = calling out; calling aloud or earnestly
CAKE = bar
CHANTICLEER = one to crow; Rooster (from Raynard The Fox fables)
ANTITHETIC = opposition
CARRIAGE TRADE = Business from upper-class customers
CURARE = poison; paralysing poison used by S. Americans on arrow tips.
SPATHE = something botanical; A sheathing bract.
CELLARET = A case, cupboard or drawer for storing wine.
KNOT = sandpiper
ANNELID = leech for example; A member of Annelida, a class comprising the red-blooded worms; having a long body comprised of numerous rings
CATHAY = China long ago; poetic name for China
HAY = dance
LEE = grounds; sediment that forms during fermentation of alcoholic liquor esp. wine
YET = after
AFTERMOST = right at the back; last
AXLE-TREE = shaft across a cart or similar about which wheels rotate at each end
ACERBATE = put out; embitter or irritate
RUTH = pity
NOBLE = old gold coin
GRAPNEL = anchor
RUSTICATE = suspend; to banish for a time from town or college because of wrongdoing
MAILLOT = tights;
CHEVALIER = knight
PALE = heraldic stripe
COYPU = rodent
LEVANT = Eastern Mediterranean; to decamp
KNIT = contract; draw together e.g. The eyebrows
MEDLAR = fruit tree; related to the apple
UNDERCUT = strike cf UPPERCUT
GALLIARD = dance
PULCHRITUDINOUS = beautiful
FELL = cruel
CRUMPET = the head sl.
TRAMP = cargo boat with no fixed route
LIVING = Benefice; A position as a vicar or rector with an income or property (Oxford Dictionaries)
BENEFICE = a church living
GLEBE = land attached to a parish church
FARTHINGALE = Victorian habit; kind of crinoline for extending a dress out from the waist
SULKY = carriage;
MANDARIN = loose jacket
CASUARINA = tree
GODWIT = flyer; bird
CURVET = horsy leap; dressage jump
CALDERA = volcanic crater
PHONEME = small bit of speech
CODLING = kind of Apple
ANALPHABET = illiterate
HINNY = crossbred animal; stallion and ass or donkey
MODISTE = fashionable dressmaker
WAIST = ship’s middle
SHAGREEN = type of leather
LEADER = sinewy; a tendon
ERICA = plant of the heath genus; heathlike
CALUMNIATE = slander
CHATELAINE = lady of the house;
CASCARA = Californian buckthorn the bark of which is used as a tonic and laxative
rubber = MASSEUR (one who rubs)
figure = body
OROTUND = pompous
FEUDAL = old fashioned (derogatory)
LEAT = water course;
GROGRAM = course stuff;
butter = RAM (one who butts)
HAWSER = cable from ship to shore
PIETA = religious work
LANCERS = dance; set of quadrilles
carrier = TRAY
listener = EAR, listeners = EARS, listener’s = EARS
DARNEL = grass
PERIDOT = green stone;
LUNETTE = aperture, crescent or semi-circular shaped; such a recess often filled with a window
YAWL = sailing ship
CHINE = backbone
NAEVI = spots
METTLESOME = game; spirited
HAW = something to do with hip; fruit of a dog rose or hawthorn
evokes = h.
EDUCED = developed;
LASSITUDE = lethargy;
MISSAL = book;
CAMBRIC = material;
SEROUS = watery
CLERESTORY = enlightenment for the church; upper row of windows in the nave wall, above the roof of the aisle
common = GREEN; common land/village green
ROTIFER = small animal; wheel-animalcule;
LANDRAIL = bird;
reduced = abbreviation
CHEESEPARING = parsimonious behaviour
ORDER = architectural style; eg Doric, Ionic (scrolls) and Corinthian (acanthus leaves etc.)
PARTITA = set of musical compositions;
HOMOGRAPH = word that has the same spelling but a different meaning
HETERONYM = homograph that sounds different
HOMONYM = words that sound the same (HOMOPHONE = HOMONYM with different spelling)
PARTISAN = old weapon;
LIEU = place; place or stead
SLUMMOCK = slut; to move slowly and awkwardly
QUEUE = tail; The tail of an animal in heraldry
PURSE = contract (e.g. lips)
key = ESC
tower = TUGGER
HALBERD = old weapon
SCENARIST = writer of dramatic script
PENNON = flag
BODEGA = wineshop (spanish)
SAI = monkey;
DAL = pea-like; pulse cf. DHAL
GOP = US party; Grand Old Party, Republicans
STEROL = waxy stuff;
AVE = hail;
TON = fashion;
TONG = Chinese society;
AWN = beard of barley
CHANDLER = candlemaker
SHAR-PEI = muscular dog
CHEONGSAM = dress; high neck dress as worn traditonally by Chinese women
YELLOW JACK = Yellow fever
YELLOW = sensational inf.
JACK = detective sl.
ALAR = wings; relating to a wing
MOW = make grimaces
RANI = princess; female of raja
SCRYER = Crystal-gazer
PALATE = relish
INCOMMODE = trouble
suit = law suit
DEFRAY = PAY
IDEATE = Imagine
WYVERN = heraldic beast
NAIAD = nymph
STROPHE = bit of poetry
ORPIN = plant
ESSENE = ascetic
DOCTRINAIRE = dogmatic
HORNBEAM = wood
VOILE = material;
NATIVE = (of an oyster) raised in a (British) artificial bed; a secretive person
NORI = edible seaweed
WRANGLER = American cowboy
UNREGENERATE = incorrigible
SEN = part of Japanese capital; 1/100th of a YEN
AYE = always; ever; for ever
KESTEVEN = part of Lincolnshire once
PALMATE = webfooted
CABLE = 200 yards in length
DEAD-LETTER = Uncalled-for correspondence; A letter undelivered and unclaimed at the Post Office
PATEN = A plate; A communion plate;
maximum speed = C
THRIFT = plant
FALSE RIB = part of so-called cage
wife = RIB
WAGON-LIT = sleeping car
ALL-FOUND = board and lodging provided free
ANIMADVERSION = critical comment
GENTIAN = flower
FLUKE = the barb of an anchor
PERSIMMON = fruit
ASPERITY = harshness
FURBELOW = border for skirt; a plaited border or flounce
OBELUS = A dagger sign (†) used in printing esp footnotes: ‡ (double dagger)
spitfire = SHREW
answer = SERVE
PERORATE = spout; harangue; make a peroration (rhetorical or long speech)
SARABAND = dance tune;
PICARESQUE = involving antiheroes; of a roguish hero cf. PICAROON
SHOAT = young pig
CENTAVO = small amount of money
LENTIGO = One is naturally spotted having this
strange = QUAINT
GENTLE = soft maggot used in angling
CALF = piece of iceberg;
PEREGRINATE = voyage here and there;
MÉTIER = job
FLANEUR = idler; saunterer, loafer
DUOMO = Italian cathedral
TOURNADOS = steak;
MAJOLICA = decorative ware; tin-glazed earthenware (esp. Produced in16c Italy)
ISINGLASS = it will make things clear; thin transparent sheets of mica
CUPIDS BOW = An archery bow in the shape of a double curve; human lips shaped (naturally or by lipstick) like this.
bare = “nothing inside”
PENTAD = Only five here
BEL CANTO = Style of singing
VALE = goodbye; farewell
IN ONES CUPS = drunk
PREFERMENT = promotion
BOTTOM = staying power
DIVES = doomed rich man
DIVINES = theologians
radical = AMYL; alcohol radical C5H11; group of atoms behaving as one entity
BATIK = dyed cloth
ENTITLE = to give style; to style
FLAGEOLET = musical instrument
FORAGE CAP = item worn on the head; undress cap of infantry
GATED = punished;
DANDY = COXCOMB
EXEGESIS = critical interpretation;
SENESCENT = getting on;
ORC = sea monster (mythology); ogre (Tolkien); killer whale
GEIST = spirit; inspiring or dominating principle
IDE = carp;
The Mechanicals = The acting troupe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who perform the play-within-a-play Pyramus and Thisbe.
VICTORIA = Carriage
HOLY WRIT = sacred work
WEB OFFSET = Method of printing
METHOUGHT = It seemed to me
DUCHESSE = item of furniture
ESSE = actual existence; essence
BALUSTER = support
ESCRITOIRE = writing desk
HUMBUG = imposter
EXIGENCY = need
PARR = young salmon; cf SMOLT
given acceptance? = containment
TALLITH = (Jewish) prayer shawl
BUSHIDO = Code of chivalry; “The way of the warrior” (Samurai)
DE REGLE = according to rule
BENISON = blessing
MERRYTHOUGHT = wishbone
LADING = cargo
DINGBAT = a tramp
GLEE = What people sing; a form of short part-song
WATCH NIGHT = Christmas Eve
COLA = tree
SALLET = helmet
ATTAINDER = punishment for treason
AMATORY = of love
SPINDRIFT = spray
EMINENCE = TOR, rising piece of ground or ridge; RC Cardinal
COPRA = dried kernel of the coconut
das64 