Glossary

Glossary

twiddling my thumbs - being idle

Charles II - King of England from 1660 to 1685

foot pad - highway-man (robber) who goes about on foot (highwaymen on horseback were more common in those days)

game pie - meat (of animals or birds hunted and killed) covered with pastry and baked

lawdamussy - an exclamation (lord have mercy)

minutiae - minute details (often trivial)

gingerly - carefully

infernal - a concealed or disguised explosive device intended to destroy life or property

ilex tree - evergreen oak tree also called holm oak

foil - to frustrate or thwart the efforts of the assassin (i.e. to kill himself by handling that rusty pistol is a poor way of outwitting the assassin)

excursions and alarms - (alarms and excursions) noise and bustle (as those made on the stage to represent battles etc.)