Able Seaman: A cut above ordinary seaman or hand. More skilled and with specific duties. Comparable to a Private First Class in the United State army.

Baby-farming: The taking in for a fee of children for nursing and other care. A sort of foster care system but lacking its controls.

Ballad: A poem which tells a story such as Ralph's description of his love for Josephine.

Barcarole: The barcarole originated with Venetian gondoliers. The style was copied by many composers such as the well-known barcarole from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann. It is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier's stroke or the lapping of waves

Boatswain (pronounced and abbreviated bos'n): The warrant officer in charge of equipment such as ropes, sails, etc.

Bobstay: A particular ship's rope.

Bumboat: From the Dutch boomboat or wooden ship. It carries merchandise to ships for sale to sailors.

Cat-o'-nine-tails: A whip with nine knotted cords. It left marks like the scratches of a cat. Because of cramped quarters on a ship it gave rise to the expression "Not enough room to swing a cat". In 1866 this punishment was limited to forty-eight strokes.

Cat's-paw: Someone forced to do dirty work for someone else. From the story of a monkey belonging to Pope Julius II who used the paw of a cat to pull chestnuts from a fire.

Clerk: The British pronunciation is CLARK, rhymes with mark. An articled clerk is one serving an apprenticeship prior to becoming a full-fledged solicitor (lawyer).

Conies: Wild Rabbits

Dick Deadeye: A dead-eye is a round wooden block with three holes used for extending the shrouds (ropes) on a sailing ship.

Farthing: Old British coin, one-fourth of a penny.

Finger-glass: A Finger bowl.

Fo'c'sle (pronounce. FOHK-sul): Forecastle or the deck at the front of a ship. The lower class seaman were housed there. It was raised and protected like a castle, hence the name.

Foremast Hand: A common sailor; a man stationed to attend to the gear of the foremast or the mast nearest the front of the ship.

Ganglion: A cyst or tumor under the skin, usually near a joint.

Glee: An unaccompanied song for three or more voices, in this case Ralph, the Boatswain and the Boatswain's Mate.

Grog: Rum mixed with water. A daily ration for each sailor in the British navy was authorized in 1740.

Highlows: Laced shoes reaching above the ankle, work shoes. Patents are low.

Hornpipe: There are many versions of this dance. The so-called "Sailors' Hornpipe is usually in 4/4 time (sometimes 2/2) and is danced wearing a hard shoe.

Jacky: Rum-soaked chewing tobacco.

K. C. B.: Knight Commander of the Bath. Not a peer, not in House of Lords. British Knights are not nobility.

Madrigal: A secular song rather than a religious one, usually sung without accompaniment and for three or more voices.

Marines: Marines are soldiers who are part of the navy rather than the army. British warships carried such soldiers who were to fight the enemy when encountered but were not part of the ship's crew.

Midshipmite: A very small midshipman, often boys in their early teens or even younger, etc. The role in H.M.S. Pinafore is usually played by a small boy who has no lines but does have comic actions.

Peer: A peer is a member of the nobility and is entitled to sit in the British House of Lords. Knights such as Sir Joseph Porter are not peers, but commoners. For the various ranks of peers see The British Peerage.

Pocket Borough: Members of the House of Commons represent boroughs, comparable to American election districts. In the early nineteenth century there were still some ‘pocket' or ‘rotten' boroughs. Joseph Porter became so rich as a lawyer that he could 'buy' such a borough. Since boroughs were originally distributed by land area, with the growth of cities gross inequities occurred. For example the hamlet of Old Sarum had two representatives for about ten people while the entire great city of Manchester had none. Most of these boroughs were controlled by peers who, before the day of the secret ballot, could force inhabitants to vote as they dictated. Peers often ‘gave' seats in Commons to their sons and thus had influence in both Houses. The Reform Act of 1832 disenfranchised fifty-six of these boroughs and all were abolished by 1867, before the date of Pinafore.

Poop: a raised deck at the back of a ship from Latin puppis for stern of a ship.

Polonies: Pork sausages from Bologna (like baloney)

Quarter Deck: Where officer's quarters are; not quarter as in 1/4. Only commissioned officers could linger there. Aft of the main mast toward the rear of the ship.

Queen: The Queen is Queen Victoria (reigned 1837-1901)

Round Hand: Each letter is written separately, almost like printing. Important for legibility as opposed to cursive writing.

Selvagee: A skein or hank of rope yarns wound round with with other cords.

Seven bells: Ships bells were rung every half-hour from one to eight. Thus it took four hours for a complete eight bell cycle and there were six such cycles in a twenty-four hour day. One bell was at 12:30 AM so seven bells could be 3:30 A.M., 7:30 A.M., 11:30 A.M. 3:30 P.M., 7:30 P.M. or 11:30 P.M. The position of the sun could distinguish which time was meant.

Solecism: A minor mistake in grammar or etiquette.

Soft tommy: Baker's bread or soft rolls as opposed to hardtack, the usually sailors' fare.

Topman: The top is a platform half way up a mast for attaching rigging. The topman sits there as lookout.

Treacle: (pronounced TREE-kul) Molasses.

Upper Crust: The aristocracy. Comes from the fact that the upper crust of a loaf of bread was served to the most important guest.

Writ: A legal document which is served on someone by a court, such as a subpoena to appear in court or a writ of habeas corpus.

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Revised January 2008
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.