Crows & Cards (32 page)

Thebes

Name of ancient Egyptian and Greek cities.

three R's

The three fundamentals taught in frontier schools: reading, writing, and arithmetic. The phrase comes from saying the three words this way:
reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic
.

throw

Bedcover or blanket.

tick mattress

Fabric covering that is filled with straw, corn husks, or feathers for sleeping on.

to-do

Activity, bother, or fuss.

trappings

The appearance or outward sign of something.

travois
(truh-VOY)

Sled used by Plains Indians. Comes from a French word that means "to travel." Pulled by ponies or dogs, the travois was the moving van of its day.

trey

The number three card in a deck of cards.

tribulations

Troubles or difficulties.

truck

Two different meanings are used by Zeb in the story. First,
truck
can be small stuff of little value. Second, it can mean to have a close connection to something.

tsa kic ti
(tsah kick TEE)

Translates as "very good." It is from the Hidatsa language. The Hidatsa are an Indian tribe that lived on the upper Missouri River in the 1840s. They still live in the same general area, which today is part of North Dakota.

tsa ki ha
(tsah kee HAH)

Translates as "quiet." It is from the Hidatsa language. The Hidatsa are an Indian tribe that lived on the upper Missouri River in the 1840s. They still live in the same general area, which today is part of North Dakota.

turnkey

Someone in charge of a prison's keys.

tyke

Small child.

V

varmint

Animal that is a nuisance.

Venus

Roman goddess of love and beauty.

victuals

Food.

vittles

Food again.

W

wampum

Money. The word originally referred to shells that Indians used as money.

war bonnet

Headdress worn by the men in some American Indian tribes. It is made up of feathers that circle the head and trail down the back.

wardrobe

Upright trunk that is big enough to hang clothes inside. It used to do the same job that closets do in today's homes.

washbasin

Bowl or basin to wash in. No indoor plumbing!

weather eye

An eye that's quick to notice changes in anything, especially the weather.

wheat berry

Dry seed of wheat.

whilst

While.

whim-wham

To have the jitters.

whistler

Horse that makes a whistling sound when breathing hard. Not good.

whit

Smallest thing you can imagine.

willies

Jitters, often caused by something that frightens you.

works

Building where factory work is done.

wrangle

To get something you want by being persistent.

Y

yarb and root doctor

Yarb is another word for
herb,
so this is a doctor who uses plant remedies.

yoke

Wooden frame that connects the heads of two work animals, like oxen.

*
Anyone wondering what mumblety-peg is can risk a trip to the small dictionary lurking at the back of this book. But proceed with caution. That dictionary's filled with words and foreign phrases that have been dying off in these parts since the time of this story. There's no telling what kind of diseases you might catch from them.

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