Angels in
America: Glossary
Pages 1-15 | 16-56 | 57-89 | 90-116
Note: Page numbers refer to the paperback edition of Angels in America published by the Theatre Communications Group.
| Page Number, Line, Character | Definition, Source, Contributor |
| Page 3 Federal Court of Appeals |
The
U.S. Courts of Appeals
are the middle level of the federal judicial
system. They stand between the federal district
courts at the bottom and the Supreme
Court of the United States at the top. Source: Oxford Guide to the United States Government Contributor: LR |
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Page 3 Agoraphobic |
Irrational fear of open spaces Contributor: Raz |
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Page 3 Valium |
A tranquilizer used to relieve anxiety and relax muscles; acts by enhancing the inhibitory actions of the neurotransmitter GABA. Source: WordNet Contributor: LR |
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Page 3 Word Processor |
A program used to create and print (chiefly textual) documents that might otherwise be prepared on a typewriter. The key advantage of word processor is its ability to make changes easily, such as correcting spelling, changing margins, or adding, deleting, and relocating entire blocks of text. Once created, the document can be printed quickly and accurately and saved for later modifications. Source: www.dictionary.com Contributor: LR |
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Page 3 Emanations “Divine Emanations. Fluor. Phosphor. Lumen. Candle” |
Emanations: something that issues from a
source, an emission. Fluor- from ‘Fluorite, a mineral that is often fluorescent in ultraviolet light and occurs in light green, blue, yellow, brown and colorless forms. Phosphor- from ‘phosphorescence,’ persistent emission of light following exposure to and removal of incident radiation. OR emission of light without burning or by very slow burning without appreciable heat as from the slow oxidation of phosphorous. Lumen- in physics, the unit of luminous flux in the international system equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle by a source of one candela intensity radiating equally in all directions. Candle- an obsolete unit of luminous intensity, originally defined in terms of a wax candle with standard composition and equal to 1.02 candelas. Candela- a unit of luminous intensity equal to 1/60 of the luminous intensity per square centimeter of a black-body radiating at the temperature of solidification of platinum which is 2046 degrees Kelvin. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 4 Orthodox Jew |
…used by the traditionalists themselves as a convenient shorthand for the attitude of complete loyalty to the Jewish past, although some traditionalists prefer the term ‘Torah-true’ to describe their religious position. In any event, Orthodoxy came to mean for Jews faithfulness to the practices of Judaism, to the Halakhah in its traditional formulation. Source: A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion Contributor: LR |
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Page 5 Roy M. Cohn |
An American lawyer who came to prominence
during the investigations by Senator Joseph McCarthy into communism in the
government and especially during the Army-McCarthy hearings. He was widely
unpopular during his lifetime but wielded tremendous political power at
times.
He was born in Manhattan, the only child of Albert Cohn, a New York judge who was influential in Democratic Party politics, and Dora Marcus Cohn. He lived with his parents until his mother's death in 1969, after which he lived in New York, the District of Columbia, and Greenwich, Connecticut. He died at the National Institute of Health Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Source: Wikipedia Contributor: Raz |
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Page 9 Coffin pegs |
A spike driven with a hammer to fasten and
secure a coffin; a customary practice of Orthodox Judaism Source: A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion Contributor: LR |
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Page 9 Yarzheit Candle |
Usually lit for 24 hours on the anniversary of
someone's death. It is to remain untouched or unharmed during the
duration and one would say the "mourner's kaddish." Contributor: Raz |
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Page 10 Goyische, "their children with the goyische names" -Rabbi |
Non-Jewish: "Goy-shu" Contributor: Raz |
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Page 10 Litvak shtetl, "your clay is the clay of some Litvak shtetl" -Rabbi |
Litvak-A Jew from Lithuania or one of its
neighboring regions. Whatever the reason many Litvaks led the way in
emigration when the circumstances were most daunting. Shtetl: Closed off communities that many Jewish people live in. Not enforced by law, but a seclusion that they chose. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 10
steppes |
German from a Russian word meaning a flat
plain, dry Contributor: Raz |
| Flatbush |
A neighborhood in New York City, also the name
of a street Contributor: LR |
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Page 12 Kate Smith "He sounds like Kate Smith" -Roy |
A famous singer of the 40s and 50s.
Irving Berlin regarded the song she made most famous, God Bless America,
as his most important composition. She had the most popular radio
variety hour, the Kate Smith Hour, which aired weekly from 1937-1945.
At the same time, she the had the No. 1 daytime radio show, the midday
Kate Smith Speaks, a news and commentary program. In 1950, Kate
entered television with a Monday-Friday afternoon variety show, the Kate
Smith Hour (1950-1954). Her last TV series was CBS's The Kate
Smith Show, a weekly half-hour musical series in 1960. She made many
guest appearances on top TV shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The
Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, The Jack Paar Show, ABC Hollywood Palace, The
Dean Martin Show, the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Andy Williams Show,
The Tony Orlando Show and Dawn Show, and The Donny & Marie Show. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 12
La Cage |
A hit Broadway musical of the 80s. The
original production of La Cage Aux Folles opened on Broadway at the
Palace Theatre on August 21, 1983. It ran for 1,761 performances and
was one of the most successful new American musicals of the decade, winning
six Tony Awards including Best Musical. A fierce and funny dazzler
from start to finish, "La Cage" is set in an elegant nightclub where
surprises are lurking at every turn. And when a family's future
in-laws come for a visit, the truth comes out in the wildest of ways. For more info, visit: www.lacage.com Contributor: Raz |
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Page 13
Weehawken |
A city in New Jersey, New Jersey being a
"dumping ground" for chemical waste, human beings, poverty and crime. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 14
Schtupping |
Having sex Contributor: Raz |
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Page 15 Ed Meese, Joe: "Ed...?" Roy: "Meese. The Attorney General." |
The Honorable Edwin Meese III served on the
Council for National Policy (CNP) Executive Committee in 1994 and as CNP
President in 1996. Distinguished fellow and holder of the Ronald
Reagan Chair in Public Policy, the Heritage Foundation; former Attorney
General of the U.S.; Counselor to the President, 1981-1985; former Chief of
Staff and Senior Issues Advisor for the Reagan-Bush Committee; former
president, Council for National Policy; former professor of law, University
of San Diego; former vice president for administration, Rohr Industries.
As Chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and the National Drug Policy
Board, and as a member of the National Security Council, he played a key
role in the development and execution of domestic foreign policy.
During the 1970s, Mr. Meese was Director of the Center for Criminal Justice
Policy and Management and Professor of Law at the University of San Diego.
He earlier served as Chief of Staff for then-Governor Reagan and was a local
prosecutor in California. During the Reagan Kitchen Cabinet, Joseph
Coors and others from the Heritage Foundation received a letter of
endorsement from White House Chief of Staff Ed Meese in which Meese promised
Ed Feulner, the president of Heritage, that "this Administration will
cooperate fully with your efforts." After leaving the Reagan
Administration, Meese joined the staff of the Heritage Foundation. Source: http://watch.pair.com/database1.html Contributor: Raz |