The Faulkner Glossary
P - R
PAGE 6
Projecking: fooling around in an irresponsible manner
"And dont you start no projecking with Queenie, you hear me" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 10).
Progenitive: variant of "progenitor" or "progeny," tending to produce offspring
"Say it to Father will you I will am my fathers Progenitive I invented him created I him…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 122).
Proscenium: the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides the arch that frames the stage
"…the dissolving proscenium of the doorway…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 221).
Pussel-gutted: bloated
"Get the goddamn stuff out of sight while you got a chance, you pussel-gutted bastard. You sweet son of a bitch" (As I Lay Dying, p. 13).
Putrefaction: decomposing organic material, often very stinky
"Liquid putrefaction like drowned things floating like pale rubber flabbily filled getting the odor of honeysuckle all mixed up" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 128).
Q
Quai: French for "quay," a reinforced bank where ships are loaded or unloaded
"I waked into the shadow of the quai" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 92).
Queer: odd, unusual (not as in "homosexual")
"It was Darl, the one that folks say is queer, lazy, pottering…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 24).
Quoil: as in "quarrel," or fight
"I wont quoil wid no man" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 114).
R
Rack: variant of "wrack," to cause the ruin of, fall apart
"If this team don't rack to pieces. Snopes must have fed them on sawdust" (As I Lay Dying, p. 196).
Ragtag and bobtail: a disorderly crowd
"You keep on worrying her like this until you get her into the graveyard too, then you can fill the whole house full of ragtag and bobtail" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 207).
Raiment: clothing
"…though his manner gradually moved northward as his raiment improved…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 97).
Ravelled out: unwound and frayed
"Some looked at him as they passed, at the man sitting quietly behind the wheel of a small car, with his invisible life ravelled out about him like a wornout sock, and went on" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 313).
Rawhiding: a whipping with a whip made from untanned cattle skin
"You got to take a rawhiding for thinking they meant it" (As I Lay Dying, p. 118).
Recapitulant or recapitulation: repeated more concisely
"How do our lives ravel out into the no-wind, no-sound, the weary gestures wearily recapitulant…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 207).
"… Lena tells her story again, with that patient and transparent recapitulation of a lying child…" (Light in August, p. 25).
Reconnoitred: variant of "reconnoitered," to make a preliminary inspection of, especially in order to gather military information
"Two gaudily painted pullman cars stood on the track. He reconnoitred them before he got out" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 308).
Reducto absurdum: variant of reductio ad absurdum, a Latin phrase meaning reduction to the point of absurdity. This describes the taking of an extreme position to disprove an argument
"…the reducto absurdum of all human experience…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 76). Reft: plundered, deprived of
"… his monkey body as reft of all motion as a mummy or an emptied vessel…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 294).
Repair: to betake oneself, go
"…repair to that home in which you have put a living lie…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 177).
Retail: to tell or repeat (gossip or stories, for example) to others
"…he began to retail the story himself…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 98).
Retrograde: tending toward or resulting in a worse or previous state
"Motionless, the tall buzzards hang in soaring circles, the clouds giving them an illusion of retrograde" (As I Lay Dying, p. 95).
Right smart: a goodly amount
"The horse is still a right smart piece away" (As I Lay Dying, p. 106).
Ricklick: as in "recollect"
"'I dont ricklick seeing you around here before.' Luster said" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 49).
Ricklickshun: as in "recollection," the act or power of remembering
"'I got de ricklickshun en de blood of de Lamb!'" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 295).
Right smart: a goodly amount
"The horse is still a right smart piece away" (As I Lay Dying, p. 106).
"'She's hitting that lick like she's been at it for a right smart while…" (Light in August, p. 9).
Rinktum: as in "rectum"
"I'll skin your rinktum" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 70).
Runnel: a brook, a narrow channel for water
"…about Jewel's ankles a runnel of yellow neither water nor earth swirls…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 49).
Ruther: as in "rather"
"Wouldn't you ruther have bananas?" (As I Lay Dying, p. 66).
Rutting: to have a strong sexual impulse at the reproductive period; said of livestock
"'Rutting,' Cash said" (As I Lay Dying, p. 131).
"And dont you start no projecking with Queenie, you hear me" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 10).
Progenitive: variant of "progenitor" or "progeny," tending to produce offspring
"Say it to Father will you I will am my fathers Progenitive I invented him created I him…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 122).
Proscenium: the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium and provides the arch that frames the stage
"…the dissolving proscenium of the doorway…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 221).
Pussel-gutted: bloated
"Get the goddamn stuff out of sight while you got a chance, you pussel-gutted bastard. You sweet son of a bitch" (As I Lay Dying, p. 13).
Putrefaction: decomposing organic material, often very stinky
"Liquid putrefaction like drowned things floating like pale rubber flabbily filled getting the odor of honeysuckle all mixed up" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 128).
Q
Quai: French for "quay," a reinforced bank where ships are loaded or unloaded
"I waked into the shadow of the quai" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 92).
Queer: odd, unusual (not as in "homosexual")
"It was Darl, the one that folks say is queer, lazy, pottering…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 24).
Quoil: as in "quarrel," or fight
"I wont quoil wid no man" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 114).
R
Rack: variant of "wrack," to cause the ruin of, fall apart
"If this team don't rack to pieces. Snopes must have fed them on sawdust" (As I Lay Dying, p. 196).
Ragtag and bobtail: a disorderly crowd
"You keep on worrying her like this until you get her into the graveyard too, then you can fill the whole house full of ragtag and bobtail" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 207).
Raiment: clothing
"…though his manner gradually moved northward as his raiment improved…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 97).
Ravelled out: unwound and frayed
"Some looked at him as they passed, at the man sitting quietly behind the wheel of a small car, with his invisible life ravelled out about him like a wornout sock, and went on" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 313).
Rawhiding: a whipping with a whip made from untanned cattle skin
"You got to take a rawhiding for thinking they meant it" (As I Lay Dying, p. 118).
Recapitulant or recapitulation: repeated more concisely
"How do our lives ravel out into the no-wind, no-sound, the weary gestures wearily recapitulant…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 207).
"… Lena tells her story again, with that patient and transparent recapitulation of a lying child…" (Light in August, p. 25).
Reconnoitred: variant of "reconnoitered," to make a preliminary inspection of, especially in order to gather military information
"Two gaudily painted pullman cars stood on the track. He reconnoitred them before he got out" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 308).
Reducto absurdum: variant of reductio ad absurdum, a Latin phrase meaning reduction to the point of absurdity. This describes the taking of an extreme position to disprove an argument
"…the reducto absurdum of all human experience…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 76). Reft: plundered, deprived of
"… his monkey body as reft of all motion as a mummy or an emptied vessel…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 294).
Repair: to betake oneself, go
"…repair to that home in which you have put a living lie…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 177).
Retail: to tell or repeat (gossip or stories, for example) to others
"…he began to retail the story himself…" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 98).
Retrograde: tending toward or resulting in a worse or previous state
"Motionless, the tall buzzards hang in soaring circles, the clouds giving them an illusion of retrograde" (As I Lay Dying, p. 95).
Right smart: a goodly amount
"The horse is still a right smart piece away" (As I Lay Dying, p. 106).
Ricklick: as in "recollect"
"'I dont ricklick seeing you around here before.' Luster said" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 49).
Ricklickshun: as in "recollection," the act or power of remembering
"'I got de ricklickshun en de blood of de Lamb!'" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 295).
Right smart: a goodly amount
"The horse is still a right smart piece away" (As I Lay Dying, p. 106).
"'She's hitting that lick like she's been at it for a right smart while…" (Light in August, p. 9).
Rinktum: as in "rectum"
"I'll skin your rinktum" (The Sound and the Fury, p. 70).
Runnel: a brook, a narrow channel for water
"…about Jewel's ankles a runnel of yellow neither water nor earth swirls…" (As I Lay Dying, p. 49).
Ruther: as in "rather"
"Wouldn't you ruther have bananas?" (As I Lay Dying, p. 66).
Rutting: to have a strong sexual impulse at the reproductive period; said of livestock
"'Rutting,' Cash said" (As I Lay Dying, p. 131).
NEXT STORY
