“A Rose for Emily”
Glossary
august: venerable, inspiring admiration
cupolas:Small, domed structures on roofs.
spires:Structures that taper to a point at the top; pinnacles.
perpetuity:For an indefinite amount of time; forever.
aldermen:Members of a local legislative body; city council members.
gilt:Easel a gold, upright frame, or tripod, usually used to display a painting—in this case, Miss Emily’s crayon picture of her father.
crayons:Sticks of colored chalk, or pastels, were called crayons in this era.
invisible watch:Miss Emily’s watch is described as “vanishing into her waist”; symbolically, time has vanished for Miss Emily.
diffident deprecation:Timid disapproval.
lime:Also called quicklime, this white and odorless substance has many uses, including masking foul odors.
tableaux:A living representation of stock photographs of the era; however, in those photographs, the virginal-looking young woman in the background was usually a new bride, and the authoritarian man was usually a grim husband.
spraddled:Straddled, or sprawled.
noblesse oblige:Honorable behavior, considered to be the responsibility of persons of high birth or rank, to members of the lower class.
rustling of craned silk and satin:The reference is to women in high-necked silk and satin dresses, “craning” their necks to spy on Miss Emily and Homer Barron.
Elks’ Club:A social organization that supports a variety of youth activities; persons who apply for membership must be U.S. citizens and must be sponsored by an Elks’ Club member.
alousies:Blinds or shutters that have adjustable horizontal slats; today, similar fixtures are known as mini-blinds.
a man’s toilet set:A mirror, brush, and comb.
cabal:A secret group.
bier:A stand on which a coffin is placed before burial.
sibilant voices:Conversations containing hissing sounds, such as voicing many words with the letter “s.”
valance:Curtains ornamental drapery hung across the top edges of windows.
rustling of craned silk and satin:The reference is to women in high-necked silk and satin dresses, “craning” their necks to spy on Miss Emily and Homer Barron.
macabre: gruesome and horrifying; representing death, esp. the grimmer or uglier aspects of death
perverse: turned away from or rejecting what is right, good, or proper; wicked or corrupt
cuckold: a husband of an unfaithful wife