WORD DEFINITIONS
Here are some explanations of all the antiquated words from the 1950s Holden uses, as well as the current ones that are still hard to understand.
Definitions
hemorrhage- the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel
phony- fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
foil- a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button and used for fencing
grippe- an acute, febrile, highly contagious viral disease
lagoon- a body of water, like a lake or pond
qualm- an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one's own actions
swell- great
rostrum- a raised platform
sadistic- deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on another
halitosis- bad breath
unscrupulous- without principles
pacifist-someone opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes
tiff-a petty quarrel
stark- complete or extreme
lavish- very generous
conscientious- characterized by extreme care and great effort
matinee- a theatrical performance held during the daytime
incognito- with your identity concealed
burlesque- relating to a broadly humorous theatrical entertainment
suave- having a sophisticated charm
sterling- highest in quality
snub- reject outright and bluntly
chateau- an impressive country house (or castle) in France
rake- an immoral man in fashionable society
chisel- engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud
spendthrift- someone who spends money freely or wastefully
inferiority complex- an unrealistic feeling of general inadequacy caused by actual or supposed inferiority in some way
bourgeois- conforming to the conventions of the middle class
swanky- impressively fashionable and elegant
mushy- insincerely or over emotional
beret- a soft cap with no brim or bill
blasé- nonchalantly unconcerned
clique- an exclusive group of people with a common purpose
sacrilegious- having or showing a lack of proper respect for a sacred person, place, or object
furlough- a temporary leave of absence from military duty
inane- completely lacking intelligence
chew the fat- talk socially without exchanging too much information
superintendent- a caretaker for an apartment house
dandy- very good
digress- turn aside from the main subject of attention
pedagogical- relating to the study of teaching
harrowing- causing extreme distress
stenographer- someone skilled in the transcription of speech
reciprocal- concerning each of two or more persons or things
bawl- cry loudly
affected- speaking or behaving artificially to make an impression
rubberneck- someone who stares at other people
lulu- a person who is worthy or mention
louse- an unscrupulous person
grools- ugly, or inane
plug- (in this case), to shoot
flit- a male homosexual
crumb-bum- someone who is lazy and doesn’t do work
____ kills me- _____ really surprises or amuses me
It knocked her out- it amused her
yellow- cowardly
she was really putting it away- she was eating or drinking really fast
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