aces first-rate; expert. Here, Holden uses the term sarcastically to Ackley.
affected behaving in an artificial way to impress people.
Annapolis the capital of Maryland and location of the United States Naval Academy.
asthma a generally chronic disorder characterized by wheezing, coughing, difficulty in breathing, and a suffocating feeling, caused by an allergy to inhaled substances, stress, etc.
backasswards similar to the slang term ass-backwards, meaning, done in a way that is particularly contrary to the usual way, confusing, etc.
bellboy a person employed by a hotel, club, etc. to carry luggage and do errands.
Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) notorious American Revolutionary War general, who became a traitor and attempted to surrender West Point to the British.
Beowulf hero of the Old English folk epic of that name, an Anglian poem probably composed during the first half of the 8th century, A.D.
Bloomingdale's a popular, Manhattan-based department store.
boardwalk a walk, often made of wood and elevated, placed along a beach or seafront.
bourgeois of or characteristic of a person whose beliefs, attitudes, and practices are conventionally middle-class.
bridge any of various card games, for two pairs of players, that developed from whist.
Broadway street running north and south through New York City, known as the center of the city's main theater and entertainment section.
Brown Betty a baked apple pudding made with butter, spices, sugar, and bread crumbs.
bunk talk that is empty, insincere, or merely for effect.
caddy a person who attends a golfer, carrying the clubs, finding the balls, etc.
can a toilet; here, the large room in the dorm that houses the toilets and sinks.
Canasta a card game, a variation of rummy, usually for two or four players, using a double deck of cards and four jokers.
carrousel a merry-go-round with various wooden or metal animals, especially ponies, serving as seats that go up and down.
Central Park popular, expansive public park in Manhattan, New York City.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist.
chiffonier a narrow, high bureau or chest of drawers, often with a mirror.
chisel to take advantage of by cheating.
cliques small, exclusive circles of people; snobbish or narrow circles of friends who share a common interest or background.
cockeyed tilted to one side; crooked, awry.
cocktail any of various alcoholic drinks made of a distilled liquor mixed with a wine, fruit juice, etc., and usually iced.
David Copperfield the first-person narrator of The Personal History of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, published serially 1849-50 and in book form 1850.
digression a wandering from the main subject in talking or writing.
Doberman pinscher any of a breed of large dog with erect ears, a docked tail, and a short, smooth, usually dark coat with tan markings.
double-decker bus a bus with an upper deck or floor.
dough money.
earlap earflap; either of a pair of cloth or fur flaps on a cap, turned down to protect the ears from cold.
faggy fatigued; wearied.
falsetto an artificial way of speaking, in which the voice is placed in a register much higher than that of the natural voice.
falsies devices, as pads or breast-shaped forms, worn inside a brassiere to make the breasts look fuller.
fantastic here, existing in the imagination; imaginary; unreal.
flitty here, Holden uses the term to refer to male homosexuals.
Flys Up a baseball or softball playground game in which the fielder who catches a fly ball is allowed to bat next.
foyer an entrance hall of a house or apartment.
fraternity a group of male students joined together by common interests, for fellowship, etc.
from hunger here, unattractive, unfashionable.
furlough a leave of absence granted to military enlisted personnel for a specified period.
galoshes overshoes, especially high, warmly lined overshoes of rubber and fabric.
get wise with her here, to approach her sexually.
Give her the time here, engage in sexual activity with the girl.
Gladstones light hand luggage with two hinged compartments.
glider a porch seat suspended in a frame so that it can glide or swing back and forth.
goose to prod suddenly and playfully in the backside so as to startle.
Grand Central Station a famous, expansive train station in New York City.
Great Dane any of a breed of very large, muscular dog with pointed, erect ears, a square muzzle, and a short, thick, smooth coat.
grippe influenza; the flu.
grool here, an unattractive person.
half gainer a fancy dive in which the diver springs from the board facing forward and does a back flip in the air so as to enter the water headfirst, facing the board.
halitosis bad-smelling breath.
halitosis bad-smelling breath.
hemorrhage the escape of large quantities of blood from a blood vessel; heavy bleeding.
highballs tall glasses of liquor, usually whiskey or brandy, mixed with water, soda water, ginger ale, etc. and served with ice.
Holland Tunnel a passageway connecting lower Manhattan with Jersey City, New Jersey, beneath the Hudson River.
hound's-tooth jacket a jacket featuring a pattern of irregular broken checks.
incognito with true identity unrevealed or disguised; under an assumed name, rank, etc.
inferiority complex any feeling of inferiority, inadequacy, etc.; originally a psychiatric term.
It's a secret between he and I. Mr. Antolini surely knows that this example of poor grammar is one that Holden frequently slips into, using the subjective form of the pronouns instead of the objective. The correct form would be to say, "It's a secret between him and me."
Judas Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:14, 48).
Lastex trademarked term for a fine, round, rubber thread wound with cotton, rayon, silk, etc., and woven or knitted into fabric.
Lord Randal My Son refers to an anonymous medieval ballad of northern England or Scotland.
louse a person regarded as mean, contemptible, etc.
lousy with dough here, oversupplied with money.
lousy with rocks here, wearing a good deal of jewelry, possibly diamonds.
the Lunts Alfred Lunt (1893-1977) and Lynn Fontanne (1887-1983), husband and wife, were revered stage actors of the day, often performing together.
Mass the Roman Catholic Eucharistic (communion) rite consisting of prayers and ceremonies centered on the consecration of bread and wine.
matinee a reception or performance, as of a play, held in the afternoon.
Navajo North American Indian people who live in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
necked kissed, hugged, and caressed passionately.
necking kissing, hugging, and caressing passionately.
nonchalant showing cool lack of concern; casually indifferent.
oiled up here, drunk, intoxicated.
ostracized banished, barred, excluded, etc. by general consent, as from a group or from acceptance by society.
ostracizing banishing, barring, excluding, etc., from a group or from acceptance by society.
pacifist one who is opposed to the use of force under any circumstances; specifically, one who refuses for reasons of conscience to participate in war or any military action.
pedagogical of or characteristic of teachers or of teaching.
Peter Lorre (1904-1964) Hungarian by birth, he was a recognizable character actor and movie star in several countries, including the United States.
pimpy-looking resembling a man who is an agent for a prostitute or prostitutes and lives off their earnings.
polo coat a loose-fitting overcoat made of camel's hair or some such fabric.
prince a fine, generous, helpful fellow.
Princeton a prestigious university in Princeton, New Jersey; part of the Ivy League, a group of colleges in the northeastern United States forming a league for intercollegiate sports and other activities.
prostitute to sell (oneself, one's artistic or moral integrity, etc.) for low or unworthy purposes; here, one who compromises principle for money.
Quaker a member of the Society of Friends, a Christian denomination founded in England (circa 1650) by George Fox; the Friends have no formal creed, rites, liturgy, or priesthood, and reject violence in human relations, including war. The term "Quaker" was originally derisive, aimed at the Friends because of Fox's admonition to "quake" at the word of the Lord.
qualms sudden feelings of uneasiness or doubt; misgivings; twinges of conscience.
racket any dishonest scheme or practice.
Radio City Music Hall a Manhattan theater featuring films and stage shows, including a lavish Christmas pageant.
rake an immoral , corrupt, depraved man.
ratty shabby or run-down.
Ring Lardner (1885-1933) U.S. sports reporter and humorist.
Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet.
Rockettes dancers at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, known for their chorus-line precision.
rubbering short for rubbernecking, meaning to look at things or gaze about in curiosity.
rubbernecks people who stretch their necks or turn their heads to gaze about in curiosity.
rye a hardy cereal grass, widely grown for its grain and straw.
sack bed.
sadist one who gets pleasure from inflicting physical or psychological pain on another or others.
sagitarius Phoebe, whose best subject is spelling, has misspelled "Sagittarius," the ninth sign of the zodiac, entered by the sun about November 21.
Salvation Army an international organization on semi-military lines, founded in England by William Booth in 1865 for religious and philanthropic purposes among the very poor.
scraggy-looking lean; bony; skinny.
shadow punches sparring with an imaginary opponent, especially in training as a boxer.
sinus any of the air cavities in the skull opening into the nasal cavities.
snowing deceiving, misleading, or winning over by glib talk, flattery, etc.
socks hard hits with the fist.
Stork Club or El Morocco fashionable New York City nightclubs, where one was more likely to spot celebrities.
storm shoes all-weather boots.
strong box a heavily made box or safe for storing valuables.
suave smoothly gracious or polite; polished; blandly ingratiating; urbane.
swanky ostentatiously stylish; expensive and showy.
t.b. tuberculosis (an infectious disease characterized by the formation of abnormal hard swellings in tissues of the body, especially in the lungs).
Tattersall having a checkered pattern of dark lines on a light background.
taurus Taurus (capital "T") is the second sign of the zodiac, entered by the sun about April 21.
Tom Collins an iced drink made with gin, mixed with soda water, lime or lemon juice, and sugar; typically a summer drink.
West Point military reservation in southeastern New York state; site of the U.S. Military Academy.
windbreaker a warm jacket of leather, wool, etc., having a closefitting elastic waistband and cuffs.
wooden press here, a frame that holds a wooden tennis racket to prevent warping.
yellow cowardly.
Yellowstone Park national park mostly in northwestern Wyoming, but including narrow strips of southern Montana and eastern Idaho; it contains geysers, boilings springs, etc.
Ziegfeld Follies a lavish Broadway variety show, produced by American Florenz Ziegfeld (1869-1932).