Glossary
This glossary includes helpful vocabulary and allusions that will deepen your understanding of the language of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
| WORD/PHRASE | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| Balky | (adj) Uncooperative or reluctant |
| Blasphemy | (n) Words or actions that demonstrate contempt or disrespect towards God or another holy thing |
| Brogans | (n) Ankle-high footwear, somewhere between a shoe and a boot; the original workboot |
| Buddy Bolden | (n) A New Orleans cornet player, widely considered to be the first ever jazz musician and bandleader; Bolden was active around the turn of the 20th century |
| Carpet Bag | (n) A travel bag made of the same material carpets are made from |
| Clod-Hoppers | (n) Shoes that aren’t particularly fancy |
| Cornet | (n) An instrument similar to a trumpet, but shorter and wider; common feature of old jazz bands |
| Corns | (n) Thick, hardened layers of skin that develop in response to repeated friction or pressure |
| Elemental | (adj) Fundamental; the basics |
| Florsheims | (n) A brand of shoes, known to be quite nice |
| Jug Band | (n) A music group made of people who play both conventional and homemade instruments, e.g. washboard, spoons, and jugs; jug bands were usually part of Black American vaudeville and medicine shows |
| Juke Joint | (n) A small place where patrons can go to dance, drink, and eat; they were places where Black people could enjoy entertainment in the Jim Crow South |
| King Oliver | (n) Joseph Nathan “King” Oliver was an American musician and bandleader active in the early 20th century |
| Languidly | (adv) Slowly and without effort; in a relaxed way |
| Placatingly | (adv) In a manner to make someone less angry or upset |
| Reefer | (n) A marijuana cigarette |
| Slow Draggers | (n) The Slow Drag was a dance popularized in Black communities in New Orleans in the late 1800s; it was characterized by a close embrace and slow, dragging steps with languid hip movements |
| Uppity | (adj) Arrogant and self-important; a racially charged adjective that was used to describe Black people who “didn’t know their place” in Jim Crow-era society |
| Virtuoso | (n) Someone who has a great deal of talent or ability |
| Windbag | (n) A person who gossips or chatters incessantly |