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Shakespearean Sexual Glossary
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Shakespearean Sexual Glossary
Shakespearean Sexual Glossary
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1
Question
What is the sexual meaning of abhor in Shakespeare's works?
Answer
Quibble on whore yielding several senses like despise as a whore or make whorish.
2
Question
Define ability in the context of Shakespeare's sexual language.
Answer
Sexual potency, as in Cressida's cynicism about lovers reserving ability never performed.
3
Question
What does able signify in Shakespeare's sexual terminology?
Answer
Virile, as in the king grieving to leave a sweet bedfellow.
4
Question
Define abstinence in Shakespeare's sexual language.
Answer
Avoidance of sex, lending easiness to next abstinence.
5
Question
What is the innuendo of acceptance in Shakespeare?
Answer
Vaginal receptivity, as in will no fair acceptance shine.
6
Question
Define accost in Shakespeare's sexual context.
Answer
Engage sexually, as in glib wantons giving accosting welcome.
7
Question
What does account signify sexually in Shakespeare?
Answer
Cunt quibble in C17, as in thy store's account I one must be.
8
Question
Define achieve in Shakespeare's sexual language.
Answer
Win sexually, as in achieve her whom I love meaning rape.
9
Question
What is act in the glossary of Shakespeare's sexual terms?
Answer
Sexual congress, as in bed-vow broke in act.
10
Question
Explain Actaeon as a sexual symbol in Shakespeare.
Answer
Type of cuckold, transformed into stag by Diana.
11
Question
What does the term 'canker' symbolize in Shakespearean language when referring to lust?
Answer
It signifies lust as a destructive force, comparable to a caterpillar threatening a spring bud.
12
Question
How does the term 'capon' function in Shakespearean language?
Answer
It denotes a gelded cock, used figuratively to mean a eunuch or a fumbler.
13
Question
What is the meaning of the term 'capricious' in the context of Elizabethan innuendo?
Answer
It is a whimsical term that plays on the Latin 'caper' (goat), implying goatish or lecherous behavior.
14
Question
What is a 'carbonadoed' face in the plays?
Answer
It refers to a face slashed or scored like meat for broiling, often alluding to incisions made to relieve syphilitic swellings.
15
Question
What is the primary association of the 'Cardinal's Hat' in Shakespearean London?
Answer
It was one of the most notorious Bankside brothels in Elizabethan England.
16
Question
How does Shakespeare use 'carnal' in a sexual sense?
Answer
It is used to denote that which pertains to the flesh or is specifically sexual in nature.
17
Question
What does a 'carpet-monger' represent in Elizabethan drama?
Answer
A haunter of women's chambers; specifically, a man who spends his time with women in their private spaces.
18
Question
How is the term 'carrion' used to describe a woman?
Answer
It serves as a term for a whore, drawing upon the standard sense of rotten or vile matter.
19
Question
What is the function of the word 'cart' in Shakespearean sexual language?
Answer
It refers to the public punishment of a whore or bawd, who was forced to ride in or behind a cart through the streets.
20
Question
What does it mean to 'carve' as an amatory signal?
Answer
It is an amatory signal made with the fingers, essentially a digitary ogle or gesture of invitation.
21
Question
What is the meaning of 'case' as a Shakespearean sexual term?
Answer
It acts as a quibbling term for the sexual organs of both sexes, though it predominantly denotes the vagina.
22
Question
How were 'casements' associated with prostitutes in Elizabethan times?
Answer
Whores displayed themselves in windows, or casements, to allure potential clients.
23
Question
What is the sexual connotation of 'catch'?
Answer
It refers to the act of contracting a venereal disease.
24
Question
What does a 'caterpillar' symbolize in Shakespeare's erotic language?
Answer
It serves as a figure of devouring and destructive lust.
25
Question
What type of brutish lust does a 'centaur' represent?
Answer
A figure of brutish, overwhelming lust, often used to attack female character below the waist.
26
Question
What is the primary anatomical meaning of 'chamber'?
Answer
The vagina.
27
Question
What is a 'chamberer'?
Answer
A haunter of women's chambers; one who spends time with women.
28
Question
What defines a 'changing piece' in Shakespearean drama?
Answer
A fickle wanton; a woman who changes partners easily.
29
Question
What is the meaning of 'charge' as an erotic verb?
Answer
To assail sexually; it pivots on senses of filling a container or loading a weapon.
30
Question
How is 'chaste' defined regarding virginity?
Answer
It specifically refers to sexual purity or virginity, often metaphorically linked to things like snow or ice.