Mackenzie, our fictional lead, was an educated young man, heavily influenced by his British professor (this is addressed in the sequel, “The Hunt for Paul Kelly”). Mackenzie uses some terms that don’t translate well into our modern lingo. Below is a list of terms and expressions, common in the 19th and 20th century United States, England, and Scotland, which you’ll probably wish you knew while reading.
In order of appearance:
Barbigerous: bearded
Aptycock: an intelligent young man
Tewly: sickly
Sliving: a thinly sliced piece of meat or a sparing portion of meat
Flenched: when the weather looks as if it is going to get better, but never does, the day is flenched
Razzled: warmed or cooked on the outside
Hanspers: pains or stiffness felt in the legs after walking
Nawpy: a new pen
Crumpsy: grumpy
Weather-mouth: a patch of sky on the horizon that is sunny, yet has a dense bank of clouds on either side
Too high for my nut: beyond one’s reach
Fortnight: two weeks or a period of fourteen days
Some pumpkins: a big deal
Wake snakes: get into mischief
Spake: past tense of speak
Shinning around: move quickly
Limpsey: limp, used to refer to someone before they faint
Oft: often
Fauchling: to fauchle: make mistakes or fumble due to being tired
Mundling: to mundle: to do something clumsily or do something for enjoyment, regardless of the consequences
Outspeckle: a laughing stock
Vargle: to work messily or perform an unpleasant task
Greenbacks: Legal Tender Notes: a type of paper money used in the US from 1862 to 1971