 | | A a. | Ablution,
The Act of Cleansing. | The little sweep has washed his face, But not as we advise; For black as soot he's made the soap, And rubbed it in his eyes. |
| | B b. | Barter,
Exchange. | Here's Master Mack presenting fruit, Of which he makes display; He knows he'll soon have Lucy's rope, And with it skip away. |
 | | C c. | Catastrophe,
a Final Event, (generally unhappy.) | "O, here's a sad catastrophe!" Was Mrs. Blossom's cry; Then—"Water! water! bring to me— Or all my fish will die." |
 | | D d. | Delightful,
Pleasant, Charming. | These boys are bathing in the stream When they should be at school; The master's coming round to see Who disregards his rule. |
 | | E e. | Eccentricity,
Irregularity, Strangeness. | We often see things seeming strange; But scarce so strange as this:— Here every thing is mis-applied, Here every change amiss. |
 | | F f. | Fraud,
Deceit, Trick, Artifice, Cheat. | Here is Pat Murphy, fast asleep, And there is Neddy Bray; The thief a watchful eye doth keep Until he gets away. |
 | | G g. | Genius,
Mental Power, Faculty. | A little boy with little slate May sometimes make more clear The little thoughts that he would state Than can by words appear. |
 | | H h. | Horror,
Terror, Dread. | This little, harmless speckled frog Seems Lady Townsend's dread; I fear she'll run away and cry, And hide her silly head. |
 | | I i. J j. | Ichabod at the Jam.
——
Ichabod, a Christian Name.
Jam, a Conserve of Fruits. | Enough is good, excess is bad; Yet Ichabod, you see, Will with the jam his stomach cram, Until they disagree. |
 | | K k. | Knowing,
Conscious, Intelligent. | Tho' horses know both beans and corn, And snuff them in the wind, They also all know Jemmy Small, And what he holds behind. |
 | | L l. | Lucky,
Fortunate, Happy by Chance. | We must admire, in Lovebook's case, The prompt decision made, As he could not have gained the wood If time had been delayed. |
 | | M m. | Mimic,
Imitative, Burlesque. | The Gentleman, who struts so fine, Unconscious seems to be Of imitation by the boy Who has the street-door key. |
 | | N n. | Negligence,
Heedlessness, Carelessness. | The character Tom Slowboy bears Would much against him tell, For any work that's wanted done, Or even play done well. |
 | | O o. | Obstinacy,
Stubbornness, Waywardness. | The obstinacy of the pig Is nature—as you see; But boys and girls who have a mind Should never stubborn be. |
 | | P p. | Pets,
Favorites, Spoilt Fondlings. | Some people say that Aunty Gray To animals is kind; We think, instead, they are over fed, And kept too much confined. |
 | | Q q. | Quandary,
A Doubt, a Difficulty. | Dame Partlett's in difficulty, And looks around with doubt; Let's hope, as she some way got in, She may some way get out. |
 | | R r. | Rivalry,
Competition, Emulation. | In every competition prize This should be kept in view— Whoever wins should be the one Who does deserve it too. |
 | | S s. | Sluggard,
An Inactive, Lazy Fellow. | To lie so many hours in bed You surely must be ill, And need some physic, Master Ned, As birch, or draught, or pill! |
 | | T t. | Topsy-Turvy,
Upside Down, Bottom Top. | Here's Topsy-Turvy, upside down, The ceiling seems the base; Reverse the ground and 'twill be found The things are out of place. |
 | | U u. V v. | Uncommon Vegetation.
——
Uncommon, Rare, not Frequent.
Vegetation, the Power of Growth. | Th' uncommon vegetation, here, With art has much to do; The trees are nature, but the fruit Uncommon and untrue. |
 | | W w. | Wonder,
Admiration, Astonishment. | The wise may live and wonder still, However much they know, But simple Giles has wonder found Within the penny show. |
 | | X x. | NO ENGLISH WORD BEGINS WITH THIS LETTER.
——
Xantippe,
A Greek Matron, Wife of Socrates. | Here's Socrates and Xantippe— Philosopher and wife— For gentleness renowned was he; She, better known for strife. |
 | | Y y. | Yearn,
To Grieve, to Vex. | Miss Cross has tried to reach the grapes, She's tried and tried again— And now she's vexed to think that all Her efforts are in vain. |
 | | Z z. | Zany,
A Buffoon, a Merry Andrew. | Here's Zany reading in a book, With heels above his head; And, judging by his laughing look, Finds fun in what he's read. |
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