Glossary
Use these terms from East Texas Hot Links to better understand the world of Top o’ the Hill Café.
| WORD/PHRASE | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Chunk | (v) To throw something at someone |
| Rope like Okra | (v) An expression meaning to beat someone senseless |
| Pony Express | (n) Horse-mounted mail delivery services active in the US from 1860-1861 |
| Corn | (n) A shorthand for corn-based whiskey, similar to moonshine |
| Liable | (adj) Responsible for |
| Viaduct | (n) A bridge-like structure that supports a road or railway |
| Chitlins | (n) The intestines of a pig, prepared for food; short for “chitterlings” |
| Wrinkles | (n) Another word for chitlins |
| Bootleggin’ | (v) The illegal manufacture or sale of alcohol |
| Machiavelli | (n) A 16th century Italian political philosopher; famous for advocating for the expanse of power and that the ends justify the means |
| Aquinas | (n) Thomas Aquinas was a 13th century Italian priest and philosopher known for his teachings on the importance of reason in faith |
| Crispus Attucks | (n) A formerly enslaved man of African and Indigenous descent who worked as a whaler and sailor; he is who is traditionally regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, and thus the American Revolution |
| High Yellow | (adj, n) A dated and offensive term denoting a Black person with very light skin |
| Cut the Cards | (v) To split a card deck; used here as a fortune-telling strategy |
| Julius Caesar, Calpurnia | (n) Caesar was a Roman general and dictator in the first century BCE; Calpurnia was his wife at the time of his assassination |
| Judas Goat | (n) A goat trained to herd other livestock animals; called “Judas” because it will lead lambs to slaughter, in a reference to Jesus’s death |