Act I
Baronet	The lowest hereditary rank taking precedence next below a baron and above a knight.
Disendowed 	A charity which no longer fulfils its intended purpose may have its funds legally withdrawn and put to better use.
Workhouse door	Workhouses were institutions run by parishes, providing accommodation and employment for those otherwise unable to support themselves. Abandoning an unwanted baby at the door of a workhouse was not uncommon. Workhouses were abolished in 1930 in favour of less austere forms of poor relief.
Marquis	More usually spelled ‘marquess’ – the second highest rank of the British peerage.
I would fain consult you	I would like to consult you.
Welkin	The arc of heaven; the firmament.
Revenue sloop	A naval patrol ship deployed to prevent smuggling.
Cape Finistere	The most westerly point of mainland France is in the departement of Finistère. One of the most westerly points of mainland Spain is Cape Finisterre. Despite the spelling Gilbert probably referred to the latter.
Merchantman 	Civilian ship carrying merchandise.
Frigate 	A warship, which in the 19th century would carry between 28 and 60 guns on the main deck.
Up with her ports	Opens the apertures in the ship’s side through which a cannon is then pointed.
A thirty-two	A 32-pound gun.
Strike	To lower a sail or flags as a sign of surrender.
Fal-lal	Finery or frippery; a showy adornment in dress.
Lubberly	Loutish
We up with our helm	Upping the helm brings a ship to leeward, enabling the sails to catch the wind.
Scuds before the breeze	Move briskly with the wind behind.
Stow my jawing tackle	Stop talking.
Belay	Stop.
Vast heavin’	‘Avast heaving’, that is, stop sighing.
A-cockbill	Naval imagery of sorrow, deriving from an anchor when it hangs at the cathead ready for dropping, or from the yards of a vessel, when placed at an angle with the deck.
To’gall’n-m’st	Topgallant mast, the highest part of the mast. The Royal Navy traditionally uses eccentric pronunciations of many words, and Richard’s ‘to’gall’n-m’st’ is correct.
Fore-stay	Rope holding the mast upright.
Binnacle 	Housing for a ship's compass.
On a bowline	Sailing close to the wind.
Bos’n’s mate	A boatswain (traditionally pronounced as by Richard here) was a senior crew member, below officer rank, in charge of the deck, sails, ropes and anchors of a ship. His assistant was the boatswain’s (or bosun’s) mate.
A Crichton	James Crichton, nicknamed ‘the Admirable Crichton’ (1560–1582) was a child prodigy who in his teenage years displayed exceptional skill as a classicist, linguist and poet, together with an astounding memory.
Ovid and Horace	Publius Ovidius Naso and Quintus Horatius Flaccus, Latin poets of the Augustan age.
Swinburne and Morris	Algernon Swinburne and William Morris, English poets (and in Morris’s case, designer and architect) of the Victorian era.
Took flat aback	At a sudden halt.
Parbuckle	Nautical term for lifting objects by means of a looped rope.
False colours	Flags to which one is not entitled, or which deliberately mislead.
Blue-jacket	Sailor, from the traditional navy blue uniform.
Lothario 	A shameless libertine, from the name of such a character in William Davenant’s play Cruel Brother (1630) and Nicholas Rowe’s The Fair Penitent (1703).
Turning-in a dead-eye 	Rigging a block and tackle, a lifting device.
Cot	Cottage.
Daft Madge! Crazy Meg! Mad Margaret! Poor Peg!	Madge, Meg and Peg are all traditional contractions of the name Margaret.
Cytherean posies	Cythera, the Latinised form of Kythira (Κύθηρα), one of the Ionian Islands, traditionally the island of Aphrodite, goddess of love.
It is the accusative after the verb	Referring to Rose’s pedantic correction of Margaret’s technically incorrect but natural-sounding use of the nominative ‘who’ rather than the formally correct accusative case, ‘whom’.
An Italian glance	Authorities vary on the meaning and derivation of the phrase, but its context suggests a seductive and probably cynical ‘come-hither’ look.
Affidavit	A statement in writing sworn before a qualified lawyer.
Intramural	Indoor.
Elysian	In Greek mythology Elysium is the home of the blessed in the afterlife.
Amaryllis	Latin version of the Greek name Άμαρυλλίς: a country-girl in Theocritus’s Idylls, Ovid’s The Art of Love, and Virgil’s Eclogues.
Chloe 	Shepherdess in the Greek pastoral romance, Daphnis and Chloe, attributed to the writer Longus.
Phyllis	Shepherdess found in classical Latin and English Tudor literature. Gilbert earlier used the name for his shepherdess in Iolanthe.
Becalmed in the doldrums	Equatorial regions noted for calm periods when the winds drop completely, leaving sailing ships immobilised.
Stand off and on	Hesitate – from nautical usage meaning cautiously tacking in and out along the coast.
Bring her to	Stop her.
Taradiddles	Untruths.
	
Act II
Elision	Dropping or suppressing a letter or syllable in pronunciation, as in the pronunciation of ‘Ruthven’ as ‘Rivven’.
Valley-de-sham	Mangled version of valet-de-chambre, a man’s personal attendant.
Poltroon	Coward.
Footpads	Highway robbers.
Mop and mow	Grimaces.
Lantern chaps		Gaunt cheeks.
Bank holiday	In Britain, a public holiday, on which by law banks are not open. Almost all British public holidays are bank holidays, and the terms are generally used interchangeably.
I shot a fox	In Victorian England it was not illegal to shoot a fox, but doing so was viewed by adherents of foxhunting as unsporting, depriving them of the pleasure of the chase.
Black-and-tan	A kind of terrier dog, with black hair on its back, and tan (yellowish brown) hair on the face, sides, and legs.
Galoshes	Rubber overshoes.
Bohemian	Term for those, such as creative artists, who lead an unconventional lifestyle, ignoring social respectability.
Satyr	Minor Greek woodland gods, in form part man and part beast, known as companions of Bacchus. A byword for debauchery.
The Times	England’s oldest national newspaper, founded in 1785 as ‘The Daily Universal Register’, changed in 1788 to the present title. All other newspapers with ‘Times’ in their title, from The Times of India to The New York Times, derive their titles from the original.
Old Bailey	Common name (origin uncertain) for the Central Criminal Court in London where many of the most serious criminal cases are heard.
Prigging	Stealing.
Thimble-rigging	A game – usually a swindle – played with three thimbles and a pea. Bystanders would be challenged to guess under which thimble the pea had been placed, and to bet on their choice. The sharper’s sleight of hand usually ensured that the pea was in fact under none of the thimbles.
The three-card delusion at races	A card trick also known as ‘Find the Lady’, much practised by racecourse sharpers. A queen and two other cards are spread out face down; bystanders are invited to bet which is the queen. As with ‘thimble-rigging’, above, sleight of hand is generally used, ensuring that none of the three is actually the queen.
Athenæum 	Originally an academy in Ancient Rome, named in honour of the goddess Athene, later used as the name for literary or scientific institutions and for gentlemen’s clubs.
Linen-drapers		Retailers of linens, laces, calicos and other articles of textile manufacture.
A dab	An expert.
Penny readings	Wholesome entertainments provided for the poor, with admission charged at a penny.
National School	One of many schools founded in 19th century England by the National Society for Promoting Religious Education, providing elementary education on Anglican lines.
Barley-water 		A drink, made by the decoction of pearl barley, frequently given by Victorians to invalids.
Deadly nightshade	Atropa Belladonna, a toxic shrub, and the poison extracted from it.
Basingstoke	A town in Hampshire, 48 miles south-west of London.
Mickle	Gilbert, like many people, evidently thought ‘mickle’ means ‘little.’ It is so used here, but it is in fact an Old English word meaning ‘great’ or ‘many.
Suicide is, itself, a crime 	Suicide or attempted suicide was a criminal offence in England until 1961.
Like the mousie in the fable	Aesop’s fable of The Lion and the Mouse tells of a lion, trapped in a net, freed by a mouse who gnaws through the netting.
Pipe my eye	Weep.
Bread and cheese and kisses	Phrase coined by Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) to describe a bachelor lifestyle.