1. mort — hunting horn note signifying death of the prey; [obsolete] death
Let the trumpet sound a mort that all may know he lies here dead, and with him all our hopes.
2. mort — three year old salmon
For this dish Chef Jackson prefers a mort to any younger fish, to better highlight the heartiness of the soup.
3. mort — [cant] girl, woman; harlot
Go down to Butcher’s Row, then, if your lust is upon you, and find a walking mort to slake your lecherous thirst, the better to have your mind upon our business on the morrow.
4. roneo — to copy or produce a document by means of a mimeograph
“I’ve had my girl roneo these sheets for you to use when performing the inventory.”
5. synclinal — sloping downward
Unaware of these regular though infrequent floods, the settlers built their outpost at the very base of this synclinal trough, placing themselves directly in the path of disaster.
6. rundlet — small barrel or cask; old British measurement equivalent to about 18 US gallons
Besides several bundles of foolscap and bottles of ink, he also carried a rundlet of oil with which to light his lamp so that he could write deep into the dark night.
7. clew — skein or ball of yarn, etc.
After the dye has set, from the spindles are drawn the thread to make clews of each color.
8. galloon — close-woven braid often used in military uniforms
The robin’s egg damask seemed to be covered at almost every inch with a gold galloon of dazzling brightness, as if the sun itself were shining upon the brave hussar.
9. mongery — trade, the business of buying and selling
This petty mongery is all very well and good, but I’m talking about an chance to set yourself up for life, to live in a manor with a title and servants, to never have to work again.
10. writing-block — small board or firm tablet upon which to set paper for writing, used in travel
I managed to save both my journals and my writing-block, which MacAdam had cunningly outfitted with a compartment for a pen and a small store of ink, with which I am writing you this missive.
Bonus Vocabulary
(fashion, mid-19th c.)
Dundreary whiskers — overly long bushy sideburns worn without a beard (called in England ‘Piccadilly weepers’)
Before Booth’s cowardly assassination of the president at Ford’s Theatre, the play Our American Cousin was perhaps most famous for the introduction of the brief fad for Dundreary whiskers, ridiculous facial hair worn by a fatuous character of the same name in the play.