Glossary
Download the Glossary as a PDF file.
Characters in Past/Present may sometimes use vocabulary words or historic slang that your students may be unfamiliar with. A complete list of such expressions and their meanings can be accessed by players anytime just by clicking the Glossary in the Brain. Certain words and concepts are central to understanding Walter and Anna's story; these are designated as Key Words and are displayed in red at the top of the list.
| Key Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| agitators | people who encourage others to protest or rebel |
| boarder | someone who rents a bed and takes meals in a private home, or boarding house, but who is not a family member |
| capitalist | someone who uses money to invest in businesses and make even more money; used to describe rich businesspeople |
| competition | other companies going after similar customers |
| compromise | when two parties each give up something in order to come to an agreement |
| dividend | A payment a company gives to its investors |
| efficient | the least wasteful way to go; that which doesn't waste time or money |
| foreman | someone who supervises other workers in a factory |
| inventory | products a business has to sell |
| investment | something that is bought with the hope that it will be worth more in the future |
| managers | the people in charge of planning and running a factory |
| negotiate | when two sides discuss their problems and try to come to an agreement |
| overseer | a boss on a factory floor |
| profitable | makes money |
| promotion | Getting ahead at work by advancing to a more important job |
| prospectus | A document that describes an investment |
| replacements | Workers brought in to replace strikers; also known as "scabs" |
| socialist | Someone who believes that workers should share in the ownership of companies and other property for the common good |
| Society | The wealthiest and best-known families of a town |
| strike | to stop working as a way of protesting working conditions |
| syndicate | A group of individuals or organizations with a common purpose, often involving large amounts of money |
| telegram | A short message sent via wires in the days before long-distance phone calls. When they were received they were printed out on small pieces of paper. |
| union | An organization created to protect workers and to push back against the power of an employer |
| wages | hourly or weekly pay for work done |
| abandon | to leave; get rid of |
| Andrew Carnegie | Millionaire steel tycoon who paid for libraries all across the U.S in the early 20th century |
| asylum | A hospital for the mentally ill |
| auditor | someone who looks at financial records |
| Auf wiedersehn | German for "goodbye" |
| balance due | the amount of money a buyer owes a seller after putting down a deposit on something |
| bankrupt | broke |
| bean-counters | Slang for someone who is overly concerned with how money is spent |
| beaneaters | Boston's National League baseball team, to become the Braves in 1912 |
| bile | Anger or irritability |
| bluffing | pretending something is true in order to gain an advantage |
| bobbin | A reel or cylinder on which thread is wound |
| book passage | To order tickets or arrange travel |
| boon companion | good friend |
| boxcarloads | contents of freight train cars |
| brigands | robbers that ambush people |
| calamity | a disaster |
| cannoli | an Italian dessert: a rolled pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta cheese |
| canucks | An insulting name for French Canadians |
| capital! | Exclamation meaning "Excellent!" |
| cephalopod | An animal having tentacles attached to the head, such as an octopus or squid |
| civic duty | something a citizen should do for his or her town |
| cobblestone | a small, round stone used to pave roads |
| coddling | babying, treating too nicely |
| commitment | a firm agreement and promise |
| compensated | paid enough for work done |
| comrades | friends and fellow-workers; used by socialists to suggest brotherhood |
| concession | agreeing to a demand by the other side |
| confederates | friends and fellow-workers |
| confidence | trust |
| consignment | a store might take a product on consignment; if they don't sell it, it goes back to the manufacturer |
| contraption | a machine that seems strangely put together |
| counsel | advice |
| counteroffer | a response to someone else's demand in a negotiation |
| credentials | evidence that a person is qualified to do something |
| cur | An insult meaning a mongrel or mangy dog |
| custer | Gen. George Armstrong Custer, famous for the "Last Stand" of 1876 when his troops were wiped out by Indians in Montana |
| dandies | men devoted to style and fashion |
| dead wood | unnecessary things to be gotten rid of |
| decadent | someone who indulges and spends too much on luxuries |
| deviltry | wicked behavior |
| diabolical | evil |
| dignity | being worthy of respect |
| dio mio! | Italian exclamation meaning "My God" |
| diplomatic | someone involved in government relations with other countries, like an ambassador |
| donnybrook | Irish expression meaning a brawl or intense fight |
| dyspeptic | to have indigestion and irritability |
| economize | to save money on little things |
| elixir | a potion used to cure a medical problem |
| endorse | to approve of a cause or a plan |
| enlightened | being rational, informed, and modern thinking |
| entrepreneur | Somebody who invests money in starting a company and who hopes to make a big profit |
| exquisite | extremely beautiful |
| financially | related to money |
| financier | someone who manages large amounts of money; a banker |
| florence Nightingale | A legendary English nurse from the nineteenth century |
| forthright | direct |
| fricaseed | Meat made into a stew |
| furlong | 1/8 of a mile; 220 yards |
| gala | A fancy party |
| gambit | a scheme or plan |
| glean | to get information from many sources |
| graciousness | having very good manners |
| grievances | complaints or protests |
| hapless | Unfortunate, unlucky |
| hash | Literally a meal made of chopped meat and vegetables; used to describe something that's a mess |
| heirloom | something valuable that is passed down in a family from parent to child |
| idle | not working |
| ignoramus | an ignorant or stupid person |
| illiterate | someone who can't read |
| incompetence | lack of ability; doing it wrong |
| infernal | horrible |
| inflexible | unable to change or compromise |
| ingrate | an ungrateful person |
| inquiries | questions |
| insolent | rude or disrespectful |
| intelligence | knowledge, information |
| interest | The money a bank or moneylender charges you when they give you a loan |
| intervene | get involved, or insert yourself between people or two opposing sides |
| invaluable | very valuable |
| John D. Rockefeller | John D. Rockefeller was the richest man in America in the early 1900s. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company. |
| Kinetoscope | An early machine to watch movies. Viewers would look through the top to see a short film. |
| kip | a bundle |
| kugel | A noodle pudding eaten in Jewish homes on the Sabbath or other holidays |
| laquered | something sleek and glossy |
| latrine | an army term for an outdoor bathroom without plumbing |
| lavish | expensive and fancy |
| legitimate | accurate; being what one says one is |
| livelihood | Someone's job, or how they earn a living |
| livery stable | A business where horses are kept. An important place in a town before there were many cars. |
| lucre | money |
| Mein Gott! | An exclamation in German meaning "My God!" |
| meshuggah | A Yiddish word meaning "crazy" |
| middling | average; just OK, nothing special |
| militia | a part-time military force under the control of each state, similar to the National Guard |
| misericordia! | Italian expression meaning "Mercy!" |
| mission work | Helping the poor in their neighborhoods, originally done by religious groups |
| mortgage | The loan a bank gives you to buy a house |
| my dogs are barking! | Slang expression meaning "My feet are killing me!" |
| naught | nothing |
| ne'er-do-well | a worthless, good for nothing person |
| non fa niente | Italian for "it doesn't matter" |
| non-negotiable | firm, cannot be changed |
| nudnik | A Yiddish word meaning a pestering, nagging, or irritating person |
| Odio questo paese! | Italian for "I hate this country!" |
| outhouse | An outdoor shed with a toilet. Before running water came to most houses, people had to use outhouses. |
| paltry | small amount |
| payment on the note | If a bank loans you money (the "note"), you have to pay part of the money back periodically |
| payout | a large payment of money |
| peculiar | strange or unusual |
| peddler | someone who sells food or products from a street cart |
| penitentiary | a prison or jail |
| perishing | dying or being ruined |
| pestilential | causing disease |
| photoplays | Another name for movies |
| pipsqueak | a small, insignificant person |
| position | Job; place in the company |
| precincts | surroundings |
| president Teddy | Theodore Roosevelt, who was president from 1901 to 1908 |
| productivity | the amount of work that is done in a certain amount of time |
| prudent | Wise; smart about making decisions |
| pungent | a strong smell or taste |
| purloin | steal |
| Queen of the May | A figure in English and Irish folklore who appears at springtime festivals |
| quota | A required amount of something; a minimum that you need to produce |
| rash | reckless, thoughtless |
| reputation | the way other people view someone |
| riff-raff | Slang: the poor and non-powerful people in town |
| ruffians | thugs |
| saints' bones | An extremely hard Italian cookie |
| sarsaparilla | an old-fashioned drink flavored with smilax root, used as a health tonic |
| scalpel | a very sharp blade used by doctors that can cut very precisely |
| scandalized | being shocked by something indecent or rude |
| scoundrels | dishonest people |
| sfogiatelle | A many-layered Italian pastry |
| shifty | someone who seems dishonest |
| skulking | lurking |
| slaughterhouse | a place where animals are killed for food |
| sleuthing | investigating like a detective would |
| smidgen | a little bit |
| soiree | French for "evening"; another way to say "party" |
| solidarity | Sticking together for a common purpose; workers being loyal to each other |
| sourballs | hard candies |
| spitfire | a female with a short temper who is not afraid to express herself |
| spud | potato |
| stature | someone's importance in the community |
| stoppage | when workers stop working |
| szarlotka | Polish apple cake |
| tannery | A place where animal hides are treated with chemicals and tanned in the sun to make leather |
| tea and crumpets | An English afternoon snack of hot tea and a griddle cake |
| terms | the details of an agreement |
| textile | fabric |
| tipsy | Slightly drunk |
| toughs | thugs |
| transpiring | happening or taking place |
| trice | quickly |
| upper crust | Slang: the rich and prominent people in town |
| upstanding | honest or respectable |
| uptick | increase |
| va bene | Italian for "all right" |
| Vanderbilts and Carnegies | two of the wealthiest families in America at the time. The Vanderbilts controlled railroads and the Carnegies controlled the steel industry. |
| vouched | confirmed something was true |
| waif | A homeless or orphaned child |
| wretched | miserable; poor; unfortunate |
Download the Full Classroom
