| gilded | gold-plated, covered with a thin layer of gold | When I'm a millionaire, I want a pair of gilded shoes. |
| "bits" | in American slang 12.5 cents, so 2 bits is a quarter | I need two bits to put in the parking meter. |
| helter-skelter | random, crazy things, esp. violence | Charlie Manson believed that there would be a helter-skelter race riot. |
| privy | outdoor toilet | The old shack was so small that it had a privy in the backyard. |
| lacquered | varnished, covered with lacquer | She got a gift of a lacquered wooden box. |
| singing | in this text, ringing out | The bell sang out. |
| in mock alarm | pretending to act concerned | In mock alarm, he looked behind the curtain. |
| gouged | dug out | His cheek was gouged where he was hit by the bottle. |
| wrested | forced away from | They wrested his wallet from his fist . |
| camp meetin'(g) | outdoor religious gathering | They went to the camp meeting over in Memphis. |
| pone | oval shaped cornbread | They served 'pones at the camp meetin' . |
| banter | teasing comments | The banter between the boys and the girls grew more serious as the night went on. |