The Canterbury Tales

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The Canterbury Tales Page 159

by Geoffrey Chaucer


  3941 His name was hoten he was called deinous scornful, haughty

  3943 person parson

  3944 panne of bras brass pan

  3946 nonnerye nunnery 3948–9 Unless she was well brought up and a virgin, to preserve his standing as a yeoman

  3950 peert spirited, uppity pie magpie

  3952 halidayes (religious) feast days

  3953 tipet hanging part of a hood

  3954 gite gown

  3956 but ‘dame’ anything but ‘my lady’

  3957 hardy bold

  3958 rage banter

  3960 boidekin dagger

  3962 Algate at any rate wenden thought

  3963 somdel smoterlich of rather doubtful reputation

  3964 digne proud

  3965 hoker scorn bisemare disdain

  3966 Hir thoghte it seemed to her hir spare hold herself aloof

  3967 nortelrye education

  3972 propre page fine boy

  3976 heer hair

  3978 In purpos was intended

  3979 catel property mesuage house

  3980 straunge he made it of he was fussy about

  3981 hye into high position

  3982 auncetrye ancestry

  3983 despended spent

  3987 Greet soken a thriving trade

  3992 in a stounde at one time

  3993 maunciple see n. to GP 567

  3994 wysly for sure

  3995 stal stole

  3997 therbiforn previously curteisly ‘decently’ (in ironic sense)

  3998 outrageously flagrantly, without restraint

  3999 wardein head of the college chidde complained made fare made a fuss

  4000 sette… noght a tare did not care a jot

  4001 craked boost blustered

  4004 Testif headstrong lusty keen

  4005 mirthe fun reverye amusement

  4006 Upon… crye entreat bisily eagerly

  4007 stounde while

  4009 hardily boldly leye wager

  4010 pekke peck (a quarter of a bushel)

  4011 sleighte cunning reve rob

  4013 highte was called that oon… that oother one… the other

  4016 gere things

  4019 bokeler small shield

  4022 Al hail good health to you

  4026 nede has na peere necessity has no fellow

  4027 He who has no servant must serve himself

  4029 hope fear

  4030 The molar-teeth in his head ache so much

  4031 forthy therefore

  4032 ham home

  4033 I beg you to send us away as quickly as you can

  4036 hoper hopper (n.)

  4037 howgat how, in what way gas in goes in

  4039 til and fra to and fro

  4040 wiltow swa will you do so

  4041 croun crown, top of head

  4042 mele meal

  4043 sal shall desport amusement

  4045 ille bad, incompetent

  4046 of hir nicetee at their foolishness

  4047 but for a wile only for a trick

  4048 wene think

  4049 by my thrift as I prosper blere hir eye hoodwink them

  4050 sleighte cleverness

  4051 queinte crekes clever stratagems

  4053 bren bran

  4055 whilom once upon a time

  4056 I care not a jot for all their learning

  4057 prively secretly

  4058 softely stealthily

  4060 ybounde tied

  4061 levesel arbour of leaves

  4062 faire cheerfully

  4063 strepeth of strips off

  4064 laus loose

  4065 fen see n.

  4066 wehe a whinnying noise thurgh thikke and thenne through thick and thin

  4067 gooth again returns

  4068 note business pleyde joked

  4070 sakked put in a sack

  4071 fint (= findeth) finds

  4073 banes bones

  4074 Step on thy feet step on it Com of hurry up at anes at once

  4075 lorn lost

  4077 housbondrye household affairs

  4078 whilk which gane gone

  4079 ren run

  4082 Unthank a curse

  4083 knit tied

  4085 alswa also

  4086 wight agile, swift wat knows ra roe

  4087 bathe both

  4088 Why did you not put the horse in the barn

  4089 Il hail curse it fonne fool

  4090 sely poor

  4094 knede knead

  4095 aferd suspicious

  4096 make a clerkes berd get the better of a clerk

  4097 art study

  4099 lightly easily

  4101 Keep stand Jossa a call used in rounding up horses warderere (= ware derere) ?look out behind

  4102 Ga go

  4105 capul horse

  4110 til to hething mockery

  4113 namely especially

  4114 pleineth laments

  4115 Bayard traditional name for a horse, as ‘Dobbin’

  4116 fond found

  4118 bisoght asked

  4119 herberwe lodging ese hospitality

  4122 streit confined, restricted in space art logic

  4126 rowm roomy gise practice

  4128 Ay is thou mirye you are always humorous

  4129 taa take twa two

  4130 Slik such

  4132 make us cheere give us hospitality

  4134 tulle lure

  4136 sende (= sendede) sent

  4138 bond tied up

  4140 chalons a kind of tapestry bedspread made of a figured woollen material named after Chalonssur-Marne

  4143 by and by alongside

  4145 rowmer herberwe roomier accommodation

  4146 hem to solace to entertain themselves

  4147 at the beste to their heart’s content

  4149 vernisshed given a shine to

  4150 for dronken because of being drunk

  4151 yexeth hiccups

  4152 on the quake hoarse on the pose suffering from a cold

  4154 light merry jolif gay

  4155 So much had she drunk

  4157 sowke suck

  4158 crowke crock, jug

  4161 dwale sleeping-potion

  4162 wysly heavily bibbed tippled

  4163 fnorteth snores, snorts

  4165 burdon accompaniment

  4166 routing snoring

  4167 par compaignye in accompaniment

  4170 slik such sang song

  4171 whilk a what a complin compline, the last of the seven daily services sung by monks and priests (jokingly applied to the miller’s family snoring in concert) imel among

  4172 wilde fir destructive fire

  4173 Wha who ferly frightful

  4174 sal shall flour of il ending worst possible fate

  4175 This long night I shall meet with no rest

  4176 na force no matter

  4177 als evere moot I thrive as I prosper

  4178 swive lay (sexual sense)

  4179 esement compensation shapen us devised for us

  4181 gif if

  4182 releved compensated

  4183 it is na nay it cannot be denied

  4184 il fit unlucky time

  4185 nan no

  4186 Again in return for

  4187 saule soul

  4188 avise thee take thought

  4190 gif if abraide wake suddenly

  4191 vileinye injury

  4193 rist (= riseth) rises

  4194 upright on her back faste deeply

  4196 hadde been would have been

  4197 at oon in agreement

  4199 a furlong wey two or three minutes

  4200 maketh routhe and wo laments

  4201 wikked jape bad joke

  4202 ape fool

  4203 somwhat for his harm something in return for the injury done him

  4205 He took a chance and has got what he wanted

  4206 as a draf-sek like a sack of ch
aff or rubbish

  4207 tald told

  4208 I shall be considered a fool and a wimp

  4210 Unhardy cowardly unsely unfortunate

  4212 hente seized

  4213 baar it softe carried it quietly

  4214 leet left off

  4218 misgoon gone astray

  4220 foule ysped made a mess of it

  4222 alwey forther still further

  4225 niste did not know

  4226 creep crept

  4227 caught a sleep gone to sleep

  4228 leep leapt

  4230 fit bout

  4233 singe crow

  4234 Alein grew weary at dawn

  4235 swonken laboured

  4237 bide stay

  4239 awen own swa have I sel as I prosper

  4240 lemman sweetheart

  4242 wendest go melle mill

  4243 dore bihinde back door

  4246 heelp helped

  4249 uprist (= upriseth) gets up dawe grows light

  4252 wrang wrong

  4253 toty dizzy swink labour

  4257 a twenty devel way devil take it

  4259 wende have cropen intended to creep

  4262 swines-hed numbskull

  4263 saule soul

  4266 Swived laid (sexual sense) bolt-upright flat on her back

  4268 hast have you

  4271 disparage disgrace

  4273 throte-bolle Adam’s apple

  4274 hente seized despitously violently again in turn

  4275 smoot struck

  4277 to-broke bashed in

  4278 walwe thrash about poke bag

  4280 sporned stumbled

  4282 wiste knew nice strif foolish quarrel

  4283 a litel wight for a short time

  4285 breide awoke suddenly

  4286 cros cross

  4287 In manus tuas into thy hands (n.)

  4288 is on me falle has fallen on me

  4290 oon someone wombe stomach

  4292 sterte up jumped up

  4293 graspeth gropes

  4295 estres interior

  4297 shimering glimmer

  4300 sikerly assuredly

  4303 voluper night-cap

  4304 ay ner and ner ever nearer and nearer

  4305 Intended to hit Alein fairly and squarely

  4306 smoot struck piled bald

  4307 That so that

  4308 bette beat lete him lie left him lying there

  4309 greithen hem get ready

  4312 ybake baked

  4313 ybete beaten

  4317 swived fucked

  4320 Anyone who does evil need not expect good (in return)

  4321 gilour trickster

  4322 heighe on high

  4326 clawed scratched

  4328 sharp unpleasant

  4329 herbergage lodgings

  4332 herberwing taking in guests

  4333 avised for to be to take care

  4334 privetee private environment

  4336 sith I highte since I was named

  4337 yset a-werk set to work

  4338 jape trick

  4339 stinten leave off

  4343 fil happened

  4346 pastee pasty, pie laten blood let blood, i.e. drained (n.)

  4347 Jakke of Dover see n.

  4349 Of from

  4350 of… fare the wors are the worse for persely parsley

  4351 stubbul goos fatted goose (i.e. one fed in the stubble-fields)

  4354 wrooth for game angry at a joke

  4355 seye ful sooth speak truly

  4357 sooth pley, quade pley a true joke is a bad joke (n.)

  4362 quit paid back

  4365 prentis apprentice whilom once

  4366 craft of vitaillers guild of victuallers

  4367 Gaillard gay shawe copse, wood

  4368 propre fine

  4369 ykembd combed fetisly elegantly

  4370 jolily friskily

  4371 Perkin Revelour Fun-Loving Pete

  4372 paramour amorousness

  4375 hoppe dance

  4377 riding procession

  4381 meinee retinue

  4382 disport amusement

  4383 setten stevene arranged a rendezvous

  4384 dis dice

  4387–8 free Of his dispense generous in spending in place of privetee in a private place

  4389 chaffare trade

  4390 box strong-box

  4392 haunteth indulges in riot debauchery

  4393 abye pay for

  4394 no part of no share in

  4395 convertible interchangeable

  4396 see n. to Mil 3331–3

  4397 trouthe honesty

  4398 ful wrothe at odds with each other

  4399 bood remained

  4400 prentishood apprenticeship

  4401 snibbed reprimanded

  4403 –5 him bithoghte… Of called to mind paper accounts, papers

  4407 rotie rot

  4408 This is the case with a dissolute servant

  4409 pace go

  4410 shende ruin

  4411 yaf him acquitaunce discharged him

  4412 with sorwe and with meschaunce curse him

  4414 He can riot all night or not (as he pleases)

  4415 lowke accomplice

  4416 sowke squeeze out

  4417 bribe pilfer

  4418 array clothes

  4419 compeer companion, intimate

  4421 for contenaunce for appearance’s sake

  4422 swived for hir sustenaunce earned her living by prostitution

  2 ark of his artificial day semicircle of its daytime course (n.)

  3 ferthe fourth

  4 depe ystert in loore far advanced in knowledge

  5 eightetethe eighteenth

  7 shadwe shadow

  10 took his wit derived his opinion

  11 Phebus Phoebus, the sun

  12 was… clombe had climbed

  15 plighte snatched, pulled

  16 route company

  17 ferthe party fourth part, portion

  19 Leseth lose as ferforth as as far as

  21 what partly

  22 wakinge period of wakefulness

  27 catel wealth

  28 shendeth destroys

  29 drede doubt

  32 mowlen grow mouldy

  34 forward agreement

  37 Now fulfil your promise

  38 devoir duty

  39 depardieux certainly

  40 breke forward break an agreement entente intention

  41 Biheste is dette see n. fain gladly

  43 wight person

  45 Thus wol oure text so the saying goes

  46 thrifty respectable

  47–8 kan but lewedly On knows little about

  51 leeve dear

  54 made of mencioun mentioned

  56 What why sin since

  58 sithen afterwards

  59 eke also

  61 Cleped called

  66 pleinte lament

  69 dreinte drowned

  73 hals neck

  76 with the beste among the finest

  83 Birafte deprived

  85 pavement (paved) floor

  86 of ful avisement deliberately

  87 sermons writings

  88 unkinde unnatural

  89 reherce repeat

  90 doon act

  91 Me were looth be likned I would not want to be compared

  94 recche noght a bene do not care a bean

  95 hawe-bake baked haws, i.e. meagre fare

  97 cheere expression

  101 thee shameth makes you ashamed

  104 Maugree thin heed in spite of all you can do

  105 Either steal, beg or borrow your means of subsistence

  107 misdeparteth distributes unfairly

  108 witest blame

  109 to lite too little

  110 rekne render an account

  111 brennen in the gleede burn in the fire (of hell)

  112 nedefulle the
needy

  113 sentence maxim

  115 selve very

  116 thy reverence the respect shown to you

  117 sentence saying

  118 wikke wretched

  119 prikke condition

  122 wele wealth

  124 ambes as two ones, a double ace (n.)

  125 But with ‘six-five’ that runs in your favour (n.)

  127 seken explore

  128 th’estat the condition

  129 fadres fathers, originators

  130 debat war

  131 were would be desolat destitute of

  132 Nere were it not goon is many a yere many years ago

  134 Surrye Syria whilom once

  135 chapmen merchants sadde and trewe dignified and honest

  136 wide-where far and wide spicerye spices

  138 chaffare merchandise thrifty high-quality

  139 hath deintee to chaffare is delighted to do business

  141 sort company

  142 Han shapen hem determined wende go

  143 Whether it was for business or pleasure

  144 message messenger

  145 the ende the long and short of it

  146 avauntage convenient

  147 herbergage lodging

  149 fil to hir plesaunce suited their pleasure

  151 Custaunce Constance

  152 with every circumstaunce in full detail

  154 devise relate

  155 vois opinion

  156 God him se may God protect him

  158 rekne evaluate

  160 sustene sustain

  161 wolde would wish

  163 grenehede immaturity

  168 fredam generosity almesse alms-giving

  170 to purpos to the matter in hand

  171 han doon fraught hir shippes newe had their ships loaded afresh

  172 blisful blessed sayn seen

  174 doon hir nedes perform their business yoore formerly

  175 wele prosperity

  176 stode in grace enjoyed the favour

  177 Sowdan Sultan

  178 straunge foreign

  179 curteisye kindness

  180 Entertain them well and eagerly seek to discover

  181 sondry different leere learn about

  183 specially in particular

  185 ceriously minutely, in detail

  186 caught so greet plesaunce experienced such great pleasure

  187 figure image

  188 lust delight bisy cure earnest concern

 

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