Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (115 page)

NOON (TO NOON):
To noon in the saddle is to spend noontime (or the afternoon) riding. You can also “noon with” someone, which means to spend the afternoon with them. V:205

NOT BY MY WARRANT:
Not if it’s up to me. V:47

NOT JUST ONE POINT OF WHEN:
Not just one point in time, but more than one. V:103

NOW WHILE WE BIDE:
Now while we stay here. V:230

NOZZ-A-LA:
The Great Old Ones must have preferred Nozz-A-La cola to either Coke or Pepsi, since some of the cans are still kicking around End-World.
Nozz-A-La may also be found in many of the ALTERNATIVE AMERICAS. V:36, V:560, VII:724

NUB (TO HAVE THE NUB OF IT)
To have the essence of it. W:42

NUMMORE:
No more. W:91

NUMMORE THAN:
No more than. W:58

OAST:
See
BASTED IN A HOT OAST
,
above

OGGAN:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

OH BITE IT!:
This was Pat Delgado’s favorite cuss. IV:239

OLD BONE-TWIST MAN:
See
DRY-TWIST
,
above

OLD ONES:
The Old Ones (also called the Old People or the Great Old Ones) were the technologically advanced inhabitants of Mid-World. By Roland’s time, they were long gone, and all that remained of them were their weapons and dangerous, half-fried technology.
See
OLD ONES
,
in
CHARACTERS

OLD ONES’ DOOR:
This is Roland’s term for a mechanical door made by the Old Ones. Unlike the magical doors left over from the PRIM, or the enchanted doors created by KA or art, the Old Ones’ doors are dedicated and always come out at the same place. Few are in good condition, so passing through them can make a person physically sick.
See also
DOORWAYS BETWEEN WORLDS
,
in
PORTALS. VII:35

OLD RED FURY (THE OLD RED FURY):
Battle fury. V:171

OLD WAR:
See
GREAT POISONING
,
above

OLLIE KNOT:
A sloppy kind of knot used to secure things to the back of a wagon, etc. W:126

ONCE UPON A BYE, BEFORE YOUR GRANDFATHER’S GRANDFATHER WAS BORN:
In Mid-World, this is how folktales and fairy tales begin. It is equivalent to our “Once upon a time.” W:105

ONE TO WATCH AND ONE TO WORK. PULL TOGETHER AND NEVER APART:
According to the old-timers of Tree Village, this was how woodcutting partners had to work. It was too dangerous to go into the Endless Forest alone. W:117

ONLY A FOOL BELIEVES HE’S DREAMING BEFORE HE WAKES UP:
Don’t ignore the situation, deal with it! Also, hope for the best and expect the worst. III:59

ORIZA:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

OTHER WHERE-AND-WHEN:
On some other level of the Dark Tower. In some other
where
-and-
when
, Lud is a version of New York City. V:179

OUTER DARK:
Chaos. Evil. The Crimson King serves the Outer Dark. Roland and his fellow gunslingers serve the WHITE. V:115

OUTLANDERS:
To the Pubes, outlanders are people not from Lud. III:321, III:322

PAIN RISES, FROM THE HEART TO THE HEAD:
This is one of Roland’s sayings. Eddie has a strange feeling that he’s heard similar sentiments in cowboy flicks. When Roland removes a bullet from Eddie’s leg, he tells Eddie to bite down on a belt so that he can catch the pain as it rises. The trick seems to work. VI:203

PALAVER:
To hold palaver is to hold counsel.
Palaver
tends to imply the exchange of important ideas. I:197, V:108, V:158, VI:66, VI:183, W:7

PAÑUELO:
Handkerchief. A Spanish term used in Hambry. IV:374

PARD:
Short for “pardner.” We use this term in our world too. It means partner or comrade. W:77, W:119

PASSING FINE (I’M PASSING FINE):
I’m fine. W:175, E:179, W:77, W:198

PARTI:
A brand of cigarettes once smoked by the inhabitants of End-World. V:560

PASEAR:
To take a little pasear around town is to take a short tour of the town, or a short wander around the town. V:584

**PASS-ON-BY COUNTRY:
Ugly country. The land between Pricetown and Tull is pass-on-by country.

PATH OF THE BEAR, WAY OF THE TURTLE:
The section of the Bear-Turtle Beam which leads from Shardik’s portal to the Dark Tower. Once the Dark Tower is reached and you begin to travel toward Maturin’s portal, you’re on the Path of the Turtle, Way of the Bear. In the final book of the Dark Tower series, the Path of the Bear, Way of the Turtle is called Beam of the Bear, Way of the Turtle. VI:15, VII:295

PATRONO:
A term used in Hambry which means employer or boss. It is very similar to the Spanish word “patrón.” IV:237

PEAK SEAT:
The seat at the front of a BUCKA WAGGON, where the driver sits. V:655

PEDDLER (PEDDLER’S MOON):
The late-summer moon. When the moon is full, you can see the squint-and-grin of the Peddler upon its face. This moon is also called Old Cheap Rover Man’s moon.
See also
MID-WORLD MOONS
,
at the beginning of this
Concordance. V:37, VII:165

PEELED OFF:
Turned off, or left the path. V:42

PEEP:
A peep is an eye. W:36

PENNY FOR EM, DIMMY-DA:
Penny for your thoughts. VII:316

PENNY, POSY, JACK’S A NOSY! DO YA SAY SO? YES, I DO-SO! HE’S MY SNEAKY, PEEKING DARLING BAH-BO!:
This bit of “cradle nonsense” was sung to children in Mid-World. Roland would have known it well. VII:171

PERT:
Impertinent or impertinently. (Mercy of River Crossing is blinded with a branding iron for looking “pert” at some harriers.) However, it can also mean smart, leaning toward “smart-ass.” Coming from the right person, however, it can be meant somewhat admiringly. Gasher refers to Jake as “pert,” implying that he has a smart mouth but is also quick-witted and gutsy. III:328, III:351, III:356–57, VI:104

PETTIBONE:
An alcoholic drink. IV:251

PIG-BACK:
Roland’s term for “piggyback.” III:57

PLUG:
A plug in a mine is a fresh deposit, one that can be dug out for profit. W:56–57, W:64

POINTING TO THE CENTER OF YOUR FOREHEAD:
See
MID-WORLD GESTURES

POINTS (WICKETS):
A Mid-World game much like baseball. In Mid-World it was played with croquet balls. I:96, V:236

POISONING, THE:
See
GREAT POISONING
,
above

POISONTHORN:
A poisonous bush that people avoid. A person can also behave like a poisonthorn. W:122

POKE:
A small bag for carrying meat, tobacco, or other substances. We use this term in our world as well. I:21

**POKEBERRIES:
Waxy-skinned berries that taste like sweet cranberries. Like corn, this is one of the crops grown between Tull and Pricetown. V:245, VI:102, VII:716

POKIE:
A wandering cowboy not signed to any particular ranch. W:70

POOKY:
A pooky is huge, reddish snake with a spade-shaped head as big as a cooking pot. It has amber eyes with black slit pupils, glittering fangs, and a ribbon-like tongue which is split into a fork. A pooky’s bite paralyzes its victim, but does not kill it. (Pookies like to eat their prey alive.)
For more page references, see
POOKY
in the
CHARACTERS
section.
W:151

POPKIN:
A sandwich. II:45, V:175, VII:42, VII:503

POSSE:
A strong force, a company of men. II:342, VI:51

POUR DOWN LEAD:
To shoot a lot of bullets. W:58

POXY WHORE:
Nasty term for anything female. W:44

PRAYER AFTER A SUCCESSFUL HUNT:
Roland recites this prayer after he and Susannah successfully hunt down deer. The prayer is addressed to the head of a dead deer.

We thank you for what we are about to receive.

(Father, we thank thee.)

Guide our hands and guide our hearts as we take life from death.

(VII:636–37)

PRIM:
The magical soup of creation from which all life arose. It is sometimes called the Greater Discordia or the OVER.
See also entry in
CHARACTERS

PRINK-A-DEE:
A trinket. V:661

PRODDIE:
A proddie is a cowboy, or hired hand, assigned to a particular ranch. At the Jefferson Ranch, when a man signed on, he put his mark on the wall. W:70

PROVING HONESTY:
A physical exam used to verify physical and spiritual purity. The examiner checks virginity and looks for suck marks (left by demons). IV:132

PUBES:
A Pube is a young person. In Lud, which our KA-TET had to pass through during their
Waste Lands
journeys, the Pubes were the descendants of the city’s original inhabitants. Originally, the term
Pube
had been short for “pubescent”; however, by the time Roland and his
ka-tet
arrived in the city, the original Pubes had grown older than GAN and had marched to the CLEARING AT THE END OF THE PATH. Like their enemies the Grays, the descendants of the Pubes were riddled with diseases and were half-mad. They also played a game of chance in which the winner was lynched to please the demonic GOD-DRUMS.
For more information about the Pubes, See entry in
CHARACTERS
. VII:84

PULER:
A young man. Cort uses this term to address Roland. We hear it again in Hambry. I:163

PULING:
Crying, moaning, and making a fuss. II:155, III:173

PULL A COSY:
To tell a half-truth, or to trick. Very similar to “pull a fast one.” W:86

PRAY FOR RAIN ALL YOU LIKE, BUT DIG A WELL WHILE YOU DO IT:
This was one of Big Jack Ross’s sayings. Basically, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. W:172

PURSE:
Roland’s scuffed swag-bag. V:45

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP:
As in our world, people in Mid-World tell puzzled children to put on their thinking caps. The story stems from the belief that the Guardians each carried an extra brain on the outside of their heads. They kept these brains in a hat. Actually, the “hats” were radar dishes. III:40

QUESA:
A dance similar to a simple reel. IV:209

QUICKENED:
A child quickens in the womb when it begins to move. V:480

QUICKPIT:
Pit of quicksand. III:251

QUIRT:
A whip. W:185

RAIN, HEALTH, EXPANSION TO THE SPIRIT:
This is a blessing used by Brown, the Border Dweller. I:19

RAISED TO THE GUN:
Gunslingers are raised to the gun, or trained to be fighters. W:36

RANCHER’S DINNER:
A big dinner, which is meant to fill you up for your chores. V:134

REAP:
Reap is both the season and the festival of harvest. In the days of Arthur Eld it was celebrated with human sacrifice, but by the time Roland was born, STUFFY-GUYS were thrown onto Reap bonfires instead of people. During the season of Reap, people decorate their houses, and their stuffy-guys, with Reap charms. Reap charms can also be painted on the body or worn like pendants. Although it is followed by the Year’s End festival, Reap is the true closing of the year.
See
STUFFY-GUYS
,
in
CHARACTERS,
MID-WORLD HOLIDAYS
,
in
APPENDIX IV,
and
GILEAD FAIR-DAYS
,
at the beginning of this
Concordance. V:13

REAP CRACKERS:
REAPTIDE firecrackers. V:226

REAP MOON:
The Reap Moon is the DEMON MOON. VII:229

REAPTIDE:
The time of REAP. V:202

RED DEATH:
The Red Death can be found in Edgar Allan Poe’s famous tale “Masque of the Red Death.” In Poe’s story we learn the symptoms of this awful plague. First, the sufferer complains of sharp pains, then of a sudden dizziness, and finally he or she begins to bleed profusely from all pores. The entire seizure—from first symptom until death—takes one-half hour. The people of Fedic were decimated by this terrible disease. VI:105, VI:243, VI:244

RED PLAGUE:
The Red Plague is probably the same as the RED DEATH. VII:429

REDEYE:
A strong intoxicating liquor. Also a tavern or bar. W:119

REMEMBER THE FACE OF YOR FATHER. HE WATCHES YOU FROM THE CLEARING:
Remain honorable because your ancestors are watching you. W:285

REMUDA:
A remuda is a corral. V:321, V:336, W:85

RHEUMATIZ:
Rheumatoid arthritis.
See also
DRY TWIST
,
above.
V:240

RHODITE:
Big Jack Ross wore a lucky rhodite coin, or rhodite double, around his neck. However, knuckles of rhodite can be used as money. W:133

RICE SONG:
See
RICE SONG
and
COMMALA
,
both in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

RIDE THE HANDSOME:
To Ride the Handsome is a Lud euphemism for dying. III:300

RIDING DROGUE:
Riding behind. V:128

RITUAL OF RENUNCIATION: I CURSE THEE WITH THE ASHES! I CURSE THEE TO DARKNESS! YE LOST AND RENOUNCED!:
Cordelia Delgado performs this ancient ritual when she utters these words and smears her niece Susan with ashes. It is meant to dishonor Susan and brand her as an outcast. IV:497