Study Help Full Glossary for Flowers for Algernon

affront to insult openly or purposely; offend, slight.

all the tea in China a hyperbole meant to exaggerate an extreme amount.

brusque rough or abrupt in manner or speech.

catatonic stupor a state characterized by a noticeable lack of move-ment, activity, or expression, in which the mind and senses are dulled.

coalesced united or merged into a single group or mass.

commissary a restaurant.

coolie an unskilled laborer; generally, a derogatory term.

deleterious harmful to one's health or well being.

dilettantes here, people who follow an art or science only for amuse-ment and in a superficial way.

etymology the origin and development of a word or phrase.

free association the technique of having the patient talk sponta-neously, expressing without inhibition whatever ideas, memories, and so on come to mind; used to discover and clarify repressed material.


gauze here, a thin mist.

Greenwich Village a section of New York City, on the lower-west side of Manhattan, noted as a center for artists and writers.

grotto here, a cave.

House of Atreus or Cadmus Greek mythological characters. Atreus was king of Mycenae and father of Agamemnon; Cadmus was a prince who helped build the city of Thebes.

kimono a loose outer garment with short, wide sleeves and a sash.

Lautrec dancer refers to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), a French painter.


luminescent being capable of giving off light.

naivete the quality of being naïve, meaning simple and childlike.

neurosurgeon a surgeon who specializes in surgery involving some part of the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord.

oracle a divine announcement or revelation.

peroration the concluding part of a speech.


Photostat (Fotostat) a copy.

plateau a period that is relatively stable, or during which there is lit-tle change.

platitudes commonplace or trite remarks.

polygamy having two or more wives or husbands at the same time; plural marriage.

potted slang, meaning intoxicated, or drunk.

propound to put forward for consideration; propose.

psychiatrist a doctor of medicine specializing in the study, treatment, and prevention of disorders of the mind.


radioisotopes naturally occurring or artificially created radioactive element used in medical therapy.

riding on the coattails to have one's success dependent on someone else's.

Rorschach Test (Raw shok Test) named after Herman Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist. A test for the analysis of personality, in which the person being tested tells what is suggested to him by a standard series of inkblot designs: The person's responses are then analyzed and interpreted.


stimulus something to invigorate or that seems to invigorate.

stolid having or showing little or no emotion or sensitivity.


usurp to take or assume power.

vacuous having or showing lack of intelligence, interest, or thought; stupid, senseless, or inane.

vestibule a small entrance hall or room.

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