The Bold Dare All Glossary
Stories from the Golden Age reflect the words and expressions used in the 1930s and 1940s, adding unique flavor and authenticity to the tales. While a character’s speech may often reflect regional origins, it also can convey attitudes common in the day. So that readers can better grasp such cultural and historical terms, uncommon words or expressions of the era, the following glossary has been provided.
bandolier: a broad belt worn over the shoulder by soldiers and having a number of small loops or pockets for holding cartridges.
belaying pin: a large wooden or metal pin that fits into a hole in a rail on a ship or boat, and to which a rope can be fastened.
blackbird: to kidnap South Sea Islanders (Australian descendants from the more than eighty islands in the western Pacific) for use or sale as laborers.
black ivory: slaves.
bone: bone in the teeth; said of a ship speeding along sending up spray or foam under the bow. The phrase comes from the image of a dog, merrily running with a bone in its teeth.
bower of swords: the arch, or simulated shelter, formed by swords held by military personnel for the bride and groom to walk under as they exit the church.
cable length: a maritime unit of length measuring 720 feet (220 meters) in the US and 608 feet (185 meters) in England.
Celebes Sea: a section of the western Pacific Ocean between the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes), Borneo and the southern Philippines.
copra: the dried kernel or meat of the coconut from which coconut oil is obtained.
davits: any of various cranelike devices, used singly or in pairs, for supporting, raising and lowering boats, anchors and cargo over a hatchway or side of a ship.
Derringer: a pocket-sized, short-barreled, large-caliber pistol. Named for the US gunsmith Henry Deringer (1786–1868), who designed it.
Enfield rifle: any of several rifles formerly used by British and American troops, especially the .30- or .303-caliber, bolt-action, breech-loading model.
fantail: a rounded overhanging part of a ship’s stern (the rear part of the ship).
flivver: a small, cheap and usually old car.
Flores Sea: a sea situated between the eastern end of the Java Sea and the western end of the Banda Sea in Indonesia.
fo’c’s’le: forecastle; the upper deck of a sailing ship, forward of the foremast.
German East Africa: former German territory comprising present-day Burundi, Rwanda and mainland Tanzania.
gig: a boat reserved for the use of the captain of a ship.
give way: begin to row.
grease: bribe or protection money; money given for corrupt purposes.
guilders: Dutch coins. Guilder means golden in Dutch. The guilder originated as a gold coin (hence the name) but has been a common name for a coin of silver or other metal for some centuries.
gunwale: the upper edge of the side of a boat. Originally a gunwale was a platform where guns were mounted, and was designed to accommodate the additional stresses imposed by the artillery being used.
hawser: a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship.
Herr: (German) Mister, used as a title before a surname or profession.
Iron Cross of the First Class: a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, first awarded in 1813. The Iron Cross was awarded for bravery in battle, as well as for other military contributions in a battlefield environment. The Iron Cross First Class was a pin-on medal with no ribbon and was worn centered on a uniform breast pocket. It was a progressive award, with second class having to be earned before the first class and so on for the various degrees.
Kanakas: inhabitants of the South Sea Islands.
keel: a lengthwise structure along the base of a ship, and in some vessels extended downwards as a ridge to increase stability.
lam: to escape or run away, especially from the law.
le Maroc: (French) Morocco.
light out: to leave quickly; depart hurriedly.
longboat: the longest boat carried by a sailing ship.
monkey fists: ball-like knots used as ornaments or as throwing weights at the ends of lines.
Oberleutnant Kommandant: (German) chief lieutenant commandant.
pipe-clayed: made clean and smart; pipe clay is a fine white clay used in whitening leather. It was at one time largely used by soldiers for making their gloves, accouterments and clothes look clean and smart.
points: a point is 11.25 degrees on a compass, thus two points would be 22.50 degrees.
Prussian: a native or inhabitant of Prussia. Prussia, a former northern European nation, based much of its rule on armed might, stressing rigid military discipline and maintaining one of the most strictly drilled armies in the world.
Punch: the chief male character of the Punch and Judy puppet show, a famous English comedy dating back to the seventeenth century, by way of France from Italy. It is performed using hand puppets in a tent-style puppet theater with a cloth backdrop and board in front. The puppeteer introduces the puppets from beneath the board so that they are essentially popping up to the stage area of the theater.
quirt: a riding whip with a short handle and a braided leather lash.
schooner: a fast sailing ship with at least two masts and with sails set lengthwise.
scupper: an opening in the side of a ship at deck level that allows water to run off.
Sulu Archipelago: island group in the Philippines lying between the Celebes and Sulu Seas. It includes over 900 volcanic islands and coral islets extending almost to Borneo.
superstructure: cabins and rooms above the deck of a ship.
tatterdemalion: raggedly dressed and unkempt.
Tawan: now Tawau; British-controlled town on the coast of Borneo facing the Celebes Sea. In the early nineteenth century, the British and Dutch governments signed a treaty to exchange trading ports that also divided Borneo into British- and Dutch-controlled areas.
.38 Colt: a .38-caliber revolver manufactured by the Colt Firearms Company, founded in 1847 by Samuel Colt (1814–1862) who revolutionized the firearms industry with the invention of the revolver.
Very pistol: a special pistol that shoots Very lights, a variety of colored signal flares.
