Lexicon

Technicolor

a motion-picture process which utilizes dye-transfer to produce color print and reached maturity in 1932

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Technicolor

Salome

According to the Holy Bible, Salome was the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee in Palestine. When John Baptist, the biblical prophet and cousin of Jesus of Nazareth, spoke out against the marriage between Salome's mother and her father's half-brother, Herod, he was imprisoned by the furious king. Pushed by her mother, Salome convinced King Herod to give her anything she wanted. When she requested John the Baptist's head on a silver platter, she received it and gave it to her mother.

Source: http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/salome.html

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

An 1876 novel by Mark Twain credited by the National Endowment for the Arts as, "[m]ore than any other work in our culture...establish[ing] America's vision of childhood". Notably, he book encouraged Americans to embrace the mischief and wandering nature of youth as a universal metaphor for the inherent flaws in people of all ages.

Source: https://www.arts.gov/national-initiatives/nea-big-read/the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer

Tahiti

a South Pacific island belonging to the Îles du Vent (Windward Islands) of the Society Islands in French Polynesia and the largest land mass in the group

Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Tahiti

Fiji Islands

an archipelago of about 300 islands and 540 islets in the South Pacific, about 1300 miles north of Auckland, New Zealand

Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Fiji-republic-Pacific-Ocean

National Geographic Society

an organization founded in Washington, D.C., on January 27, 1888, for “the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge”; started by a group of 33 geographers, explorers, teachers, lawyers, cartographers, military officers and financiers who believed in an American hunger for discovery and research

Source: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/national-geographic-society-founded

telegram

A message sent via electric telegraph, a mid-19th century device which was dominant for over a century and transmitted printed information by wire or radio wave.

Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/telegram

Source: https://www.britannica.com/technology/telegraph

diptheria

an infection caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium that usually spreads via coughing/sneezing, but also through contact with open sores, their secretions, or objects covered in the bacterium

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/diphtheria/about/causes-transmission.html

tuxedo studs

decorative pieces worn as the top buttons on a dress shirt to add extra formality, typically coming in a set of four or five

Source: https://www.generationtux.com/blog/tuxedo-tips-how-cufflinks-and-studs-work

Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple located at the hill of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, built mid-5th century BCE in dedication to the dedicated to the goddess Athena. It is widely considered to be a prime example of of Classical Greece's Doric architecture.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon

penny-ante

can be used as either adjective or noun; both definitions are relevant and add color to George's statement

adjective: "small-time" or "two-bit"

noun: "poker played for very low stakes"

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny-ante

one-horse

According to Collins Dictionary, "If someone describes a town as a one-horse town, they mean it is very small, dull, and old-fashioned."

Source: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/one-horse

mercenary

Used adjectivally, it means "serving merely for pay or sordid advantage".

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercenary

necking

an informal term referring to kissing, caressing, and other sexual activity between partners that does not involve stimulation of the genitals or sexual intercourse

See: World of the Play - Courtship in the 1940s

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/necking

moss-back

alternately, and perhaps relatedly:

"a large sluggish fish (such as a largemouth bass)"

or

"an extremely old-fashioned or reactionary person"

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mossback

yokel

"an unsophisticated person from a rural area; a country bumpkin"

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/yokel

garlic eaters

Mr. Potter uses this derogatory anti-Italian slur against the people of Bedford Falls in response to George's plea for help when the Building and Loan is in dire straits. According to NPR, this was a common sentiment in the mid-1940s, when just at the beginning of World War II the United States had deemed 600,000 Italian-Americans "resident aliens" and placed hundreds in internment camps.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167620418/its-a-wonderful-italian-american-life

scurvy

Used adjectivally as by George, it means "arousing disgust or scorn".

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scurvy

USO

The United Service Organizations is a non-profit entity separate from the Department of Defense which "strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation". Formed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 with the goal of bringing together various service associations for the purpose of lifting military morale and well-being. The entities which comprised the USO included the Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association, and the National Jewish Welfare Board.

Source: https://www.uso.org/about

Four-F

According to the Selective Service System, an agency classification which deemed an American male unqualified for military service.

Source: https://www.sss.gov/Classifications

V-E Day

Short for "Victory in Europe Day", May 8, 1945, the day German forces ceased their fighting against the Allied Forces, notably through a surrender in Prague to Soviet opposition and formal documentation signed in Berlin and eastern Germany.

Source: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe

V-J Day

Short for "Victory over Japan Day", August 14, 1945, the day of the announcement of Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces and the effective end of World War II. The term has also been used in reference to Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945.

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day

riffraff

"disreputable persons"

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/riffraff

malfeasance

"an example of dishonest and illegal behaviour, especially by a person in authority"

Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/malfeasance

Sam Hill

a slang term for "hell". According to Dictionary.com, "used especially in WH-questions as a mild oath expressing exasperation and usually preceded by in or the)".

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sam-hill

mulled wine

also known as "spiced wine", it is "a hot alcoholic drink made of wine mixed with sugar and spices, traditionally drunk at winter festivals such as Christmas"

Source: https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/mulled-wine

Rummy

a slang term for "drunkard"

Source: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/rummy