19th Century Vocabulary List 1

One interesting note about reading these novels is that it may be difficult to those who are not familiar with the vocabulary of the times. It may be overwhelming to a person who's never heard of a "fortnight" before (I know I found myself confused on more than one occasion when I started reading Pride and Prejudice at 14...). So I thought creating vocabulary lists would help. I'll do what I can.

Note: Please remember that these definitions are by no-means comprehensive. They are just words that I thought were unique when I first encountered them, and I'm providing the basic understanding for what they mean, in my own terms.

Some basics, some oddities:

1. the Season: the time when-- while Parliament was in session-- notable families would go to London and attend numerous social events, all while trying to marry off their single daughters! (the peak months were around April-July)
2. coming out: being formally presented into Society; a rite-of-passage for young ladies, signifying they're marriage material
3. fortnight: two weeks (fourteen nights)
4. lover: suitor (To "make love" was to flirt, give endearments, etc.)
5. pianoforte: piano! (Simple enough, I know, but when I first saw the word I thought it was a variation of the instrument... It's not.)
6. dowager: upper-class widow
7. rake/rakehell: a man with no scruples... known for immoral behavior (the type who'd seduce women)
8. dudgeon: (I recall, in the '95 P&P mini-series, Lydia saying, "I've been in high dudgeon all morning!") angry mood
9. expectations: (as in Great Expectations) good fortunes; in the 19th century, it generally meant wealth and social standing (When Pip was told that he was to have great expectations, it meant that circumstance provided he'd be well taken care of in the future, as he was to have a benefactor who'd provide him money!)
10. effrontery: audacity, shameless boldness

Bonus: tomorrow week: (This I first heard in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, and I resolved on figuring it out.) a week from tomorrow