Vocabulary in Gone with the Wind

Not very often; rarely. Used here to show that men almost never noticed Scarlett's lack of classic beauty because her charm distracted them.

A contracted, old-fashioned form of 'it is,' used here to reflect Gerald O'Hara's Irish speech pattern.

Has real value or importance; is worth something meaningful. Gerald uses it to argue that land is the only possession that truly matters.

A person who behaves dishonestly or without moral principles; a rogue. Rhett uses the word proudly, treating it as a comfortable identity rather than an insult.

Lasting only a very short moment before passing away. Used to describe a brief, quickly vanishing impression Scarlett has.

Intensely bright, striking, or full of life. Here it describes eyes that are unusually bright and impossible to ignore.

The hidden, darker, or unpleasant side of something normally kept out of sight. Here it refers to the suffering, death, and ugliness of war that Scarlett is being forced to witness.

Remaining suspended in one place, like something waiting to descend. Used here to give death an almost physical presence hanging over the city.

A dialect form of 'birthing,' meaning helping to deliver a baby. The dropped 'g' reflects the speech of enslaved characters in the novel.

To defeat or overcome completely. In Scarlett's vow, it means she refuses to let hardship or the war beat her down.

Showing a strong feeling that someone or something is worthless and beneath one's respect. The look combines desire with scorn, as if the person feels superior even while attracted.

Completely fallen apart emotionally; collapsed under pressure. Scarlett notes with pride that she held herself together when others would have broken down.

A person who uses ships or other means to smuggle goods past an enemy's naval blockade. During the Civil War, blockade-runners brought supplies through the Union naval blockade of Southern ports for profit.

A derogatory term for Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, often to profit from Reconstruction. Southerners viewed them as opportunists exploiting a defeated region.

A government official who collects taxes owed on property. In this context, the threat of the tax collector seizing Tara drives Scarlett to desperate measures to raise money.

The practice of using prisoners as a workforce, often leased out cheaply to businesses. Scarlett uses convicts at her lumber mill to cut costs, a morally troubling choice even by the standards of those around her.

Evidence or a story that proves or claims a person was somewhere else when a crime occurred. Rhett provides the men with a false alibi to protect them from being arrested after the Klan raid.

Vague, unclear, or only half-formed in the mind. Here it describes a feeling Scarlett has that is not yet fully conscious or understood.

Repaired after being broken. Rhett uses it to say that something fixed after breaking is never truly the same as it was before.

Small broken pieces of something that was once whole. Used figuratively to describe the shattered pieces of a relationship or life that some people try to reassemble.

In a calm, steady way without giving up or losing composure. Rhett contrasts this careful, tolerant approach with his own unwillingness to endure further pain.

A moment of facing the consequences of past actions and decisions; a final accounting. Used to describe Scarlett's forced confrontation with the results of her choices.

To care at all about something or someone. 'I don't give a damn' means complete indifference — Rhett is saying he no longer cares what happens.