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 |
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Page 16 Aureole, "A gentle shimmering Aureole encircling the atmosphere" -Harper
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Pronounced Or-ee-ol A circle of light or radiance surrounding the head or body of a representation of a deity or holy person; a halo Contributor: Raz |
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Page 17 Adepts, "We are adepts of motion" -Lies |
A highly skilled person, an expert Contributor: Raz |
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Page 17 Acolytes, flux, "acolytes of the flux" -Lies |
Acolyte-One who assists the celebrant in
performances of liturgical rites. A devoted follower or attendant. Flux-A flow or slowing Contributor: Raz |
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Page 17 "Hole in the ozone" -Harper |
Refers to global warming Contributor: LR |
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Page 18 "maybe Christ will come again..." -Harper |
And "He (William Smith) shall be preserved and
remain on the earth, until Christ shall come to take vengeance on the
wicked." Source: http://members.aol.com/healinglvs/pt-06.htm Contributor: MO |
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Page 18 Emma Goldman, "My grandmother actually saw Emma Goldman speak" -Louis |
International anarchist who conducted leftist
activities in the United States from about 1890-1917...Goldman spoke often
and widely, not only on anarchism and social problems but also on the
contemporary dramatic works of Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg, George
Bernard Shaw, and others...She also lectured on "free love," by which she
meant an uncoerced attachment between two persons for who conventions of law
and church were irrelevant, and she was jailed briefly in 1916 for speaking
out on birth control.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2003 Contributor: MO |
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Page 19 "Everybody gets to put dirt on the coffin once it gets lowered in." -Louis |
Filling in the grave is a startling, unusual
action, that forces us to confront the reality of death. According to
Maurice Lamm, "the heart-rending thud of earth on the casket is enormously
beneficial. In proclaiming finality, it helps the mourner overcome the
illusion that the relative still lives; it answers her disbelief that death
has indeed claimed its victim; it quiets his lingering doubts that this may
be only a bad dream." Source: http://www.jewish-funerals.org/burialexplore.htm Contributor: MO |
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Page 20
WASP -Prior |
White Anglo Saxon Protestant Contributor: Raz |
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Page 20 "Feh" -Prior |
An expression conveying disapproval, displeasure, or disgust Source: Oxford Dictionary of English Contributor: LR |
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Page 20 "Babylonians sealed them [cats] up in bricks" -Louis |
"The Babylonians were really big on omens.
Clouds, abnormal birds, they even used to read thunder," Bisno says.
"These guys were always looking for some divine message, And there's
one text that says if you find a cat in your house it is really bad
luck...So they didn't like them at all. and if you found a cat in your
house you had to say a bunch of prayers, you had to throw gypsum around the
house and smear pitch on your door." Things got downright ugly for the
cat in Europe during the Middle Ages, after someone noticed that the Bible
neglects to mention the cat in any of its passages. While not
officially condemned by the church, many people considered the cat to be an
agent of the Devil and hunted them down by the thousands. This was
despite the outstanding job the cats were doing in keeping down rats and
mice, which fed on human food supplies and carried such diseases as the
plague. Source: http://www.exn.ca/cats/firstpets.cfm Contributor: MO |
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Page 21 "Come back Little Sheba" |
William Inge published a play entitled Come
Back Little Sheba in 1985. Summary: For two decades Doc and Lola
Delaney avoided coming to terms with what Doc considered a "shot gun"
marriage. Lola lost the baby and gives a lot of her affection to
Sheba, a dog that disappeared a few months before the film opens. Doc
blames Lola for having to drop out of medical school and not becoming a
"real" doctor. Until joining AA a year ago, his escape was alcohol.
Then college student Marie rents a room in their home. Doc feels a
passion for the first time in 20 years. But Marie has two suitors her
age. Lola--unaware of Doc's emotions--becomes as interested in Marie's
future as if Marie were her daughter. Source: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0044509/plotsummary Contributor: MO |
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Page 21 "Le chat, elle ne reviendra jamais, jamais..." -Prior |
The cat, she's never coming back, never. Contributor: MO |
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Page 21 Kaposi's Sarcomas, "K.S. baby. Lesion number one." -Prior |
A cancer characterized by numerous bluish-red nodules on the skin, usually on the lower extremities. Is endemic to equatorial Africa and often occurs in a particularly virulent form of people with AIDS. |
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Page 23
Conran's |
A home furnishings retail store. Contributor: LR |
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Page 24
Rosemary's Baby |
Paramount, 1968. "Rosemary and Guy
Woodhouse move into an apartment in a building with a bad reputation.
they discover that their neighbors area very friendly elderly couple named
Roman and Minnie Castevet, and Guy begins to spend a lot of time with them.
Strange things start to happen: a woman Rosemary meets in the washroom dies
a mysterious death, Rosemary has strange dreams and hears strange noises and
Guy becomes remote and distant. Then Rosemary falls pregnant and
begins to suspect that her neighbors have special plans for her child."
Source: www.imdb.com Contributor: Raz |
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Page 24
The Exorcist, " |
1973. "Something beyond comprehension is
happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has
been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The
Exorcist." Source: www.imdb.com Contributor: Raz |
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Page 25 "Sharfer vi di tson fun a schlang iz an umdankbar kind!" -Rabbi |
"Sharper than the serpent's tooth is the ingratitude of children. Shakespeare. Kenig Lear." page 25 |
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Page 25 Neo-Hegelian positivist, "Maybe a person who has this neo-Hegelian positivist sense..." -Louis |
The philosophy of a school of British and
American idealists who follow Hegel in dialectical or logical method and in
the general outcome of their doctrine. Hegel introduced a system for
understanding the history of philosophy and the world itself, often called a
"dialectic": a progression in which each successive moment emerges as a
solution to the contradictions inherent in the preceding movement. Source: Wikipedia Contributor: Raz |
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Page 25 Bubbulah "Worse luck for you, bubbalah." -Rabbi |
Babbu: an endearing term usually used for
grandma. Adding "lah" is a common way to say a name as a pet/nickname. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 27 "I heard on the radio how to give a blowjob...It was a little Jewish lady with a German accent." -Harper |
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, self-proclaimed "Sex
Therapist for Couples." A pioneer in the field of media psychology,
Dr. Ruth Westheimer has been giving sex and relationship advice for over 20
years. During this time, Dr. Ruth, as she's widely known, has advised
millions of fans all over the world through her hugely popular television
programs, radio call-in shows, newspaper columns and more. Source: http://www.ivillage.com/relationships/experts/drruth Contributor: Raz |
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Page 30 "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille." -Prior |
From the movie, Sunset Blvd (1950).
Norma Desmond: [to newsreel camera] "And I promise you I'll never desert you
again because after 'Salome' we'll make another picture and another picture.
You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else!
Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the
dark!...All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Source: www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/quotes Contributor: Raz |
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Page 30 Zebra orchid, "...but with exquisite taste, and perfect timing, like a rare bloom, a zebra orchid." -Prior |
An orchid with red-tinged linear leaves and panicle of purple-marked pale-yellow flowers with deep red or purple lip; southwestern Australia. |
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Page 38 Afterlife, "Jews don't have any clear textual guide to the afterlife; even if that exists." -Prior "Very Greco-Roman" -Louis |
The ancient Hebrews emphasized the importance
of the present life over the afterlife. As with both the ancient
Greeks and Mesopotamians, the afterlife, if it was considered at all, was
conceived of as a pale shadow of earthly life, much like Greek Hades.
Also similar to the Greek Hades, in the Hebrew afterlife no distinction was
made between the treatment of the just and the unjust after death.
Instead, rewards and punishments were meted out in the present life, and in
the covenant "contract" Adonai promised to do just that. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 39 "There's protein in my urine." -Prior |
Normally, protein is not present in the urine
when measured by routine dipstick qualitative tests. This is because
the glomerulus (which is the part of the kidney nephron which filters fluid
from the blood) generally prevents large molecules (which includes most
proteins) from entering the renal filtrate. Even if small amounts get
through, they are normally taken up by renal tubular cells which then
metabolize the proteins as a source of energy. However, even if both
the glomerulous and renal tubules are completely normal, some proteins will
appear in the urine if plasma (blood) concentrations exceed the threshold
value. IF the kidney is diseased, protein will appear in the urine
even if the plasma concentrations are normal. Source: www.healthcentral.com Contributor: LR |
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Page 39 "Yesterday I shat blood." -Prior |
Blood indicates a disorder in the digestive
tract. It is most common in people with AIDS. Source: aids.about.com Contributor: LR |
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Nova Scotia "Foundered off the coast of Nova Scotia in a winter tempest." -Prior |
Canadian province on the Atlantic coast.
It is surrounded by water, and its capital is Halifax. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 41
Ballast |
Something that gives stability, usually in
reference to ships at sea. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 41 Halifax, "They arrived in Halifax with nine people on the board." -Prior |
Halifax is a Canadian city, the provincial capital and largest population center in Nova Scotia, and the economic center of the Atlantic Provinces. Halifax has the second-largest natural harbor in the world. |
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Page 41
Implacable |
Impossible to placate or appease. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 43 Lyphandenopathy |
Lymph nodes with abnormal size or consistency. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 43 Oral Candidiasis |
Also called thrush, it is a fungal infection
of the mouth and/or throat. The most common symptoms are discomfort
and burning of the mouth and throat and an altered sense of taste (often
described as "bad"). Creamy white or yellowish spots on the mouth and
throat that can be removed by light scraping are also common. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 43 Hemophiliacs |
Hemophilia is the name of any of several
hereditary genetic illnesses that impair the body's ability to control
bleeding. When a blood vessel is injured, a scab will not form and the
vessel can continue to bleed excessively for a very long period of time.
The bleeding can be external, if the skin is broken by a scrape, cut, or
abrasion, or it can be internal, into muscles, joints or hollow organs. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 44 Venereal Warts, "From syphilis to venereal warts..." -Henry |
A very contagious sexually transmitted
disease. About two-thirds of people who have sexual contact with a
partner with genital warts will develop warts, usually within three months
of contact. In men, genital warts are less common, If present, they
are usually seen on the tip of the penis. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 45 Clout, "Something much simpler; clout." -Roy |
Influence Contributor: Raz |
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Page 46 Sophistry, "This is not sophistry..." -Roy |
A plausible but misleading or fallacious
argument. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 46
NIH |
An agency of the Department of Health and
Human Services, the NIH is the Federal focal point for health research.
It is located in Bethesda, Maryland. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 46
AZT |
Zidovudine (zye-DOE-vue-deen). Drug used
to slow the destruction of the immune system. Also used to prevent
pregnant mothers from passing AIDS onto their children. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 49 "Jacob wrestles with the angel" -Joe |
A Biblical story (Genesis) in which Jacob has
a dream where he wrestles with an angel and wins, looks up and sees a big
ladder to heaven. God changes Jacob's name to "Israel" and tells him
he is now the leader of the Hebrews. Contributor: Raz |
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Page 51 Bayeux Tapestry, La Reine Mathilde "The Bayeux tapestry. Embroidered by La Reine Mathilde...Mathilde stitched while William the Conqueror was off to war." -Louis |
The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of William
the Conqueror's invasion of England through pictoral panels. We do not
know for certain who commissioned the tapestry, though the likliest
candidate is William's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux from 1050-1097, or
one of Odo's followers.
Although the story is told from a Norman point of view, the style of the needlework indicates that the tapestry was actually made in England. For many years a pleasant tale told of William's wife, Queen Matilda, and her ladies making the tapestry as a gift for her victorious husband, though this now seems little more than pleasant romantic fiction. Source: http://www.britainexpress.com/History/bayeux-tapestry.htm Contributor: Raz |
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Page 52 Central Park & gay meetings of the 80s, "Night air, good for the...The Park" -Louis |
In the 1980s, Central Park was considered a
meeting and mating territory for gays. Contributor: LR |
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Page 56 "Walter Winchell, Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy." |
Hoover (1895-1972) was appointed Director of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on May 10, 1924 and remained so
until his death in 1972. To date, he is the longest-serving leader of
an executive branch agency, having served under a record eight presidents,
from Calvin Coolidge to Richard Nixon. He is credited with creating an
effective law enforcement organization, but was also accused of flagrantly
abusing his authority in blackmailing notable public figures and
unwarrantably engaging in political persecution. Winchell (1897-1972) was an American journalist. Born in New York and spent his formative years there. In newspaper columns and on the radio, he invented the gossip column. He broke the journalistic taboo against exposing the private lives of public figures, permanently altering the shape of journalism and celebrity. He was extremely popular and influential in shaping public opinion, notoriously aiding and ruining the careers of many entertainers. He wrote many such quips such as "Nothing recedes like success" and "I usually get my stuff from people who promised somebody else that they would keep it a secret." Although his obituary appeared on the front page of The New York Times, he died forgotten and disgraced in Los Angeles. McCarthy (1908-1957) was a United States Republican Senator for the state of Wisconsin from 1947-1957. He and his staff members became notorious for aggressive accusations and witch hunts against Communists and suspected Communists in the U.S. government and entertainment industry. His controversial actions resulted in the word "McCarthyism," which specifically described the intense anti-communist movement that occurred in America from around 1948- to the mid-1950s, when people in the media, in the motion picture industry, politics, the military and elsewhere suspected on disputed evidence of communist sympathies were subjected to what were regarded by many as aggressive witchhunts. The term McCarthyism has since come to mean a government witchhunt seeking to punish unapproved thoughts or political stances. Source: Wikipedia: Hoover, Winchell, McCarthy Contributor: Raz |