- vittlesnounChapter 1 →
Food and provisions; the basic meals and nourishment that keep a person alive. The word is a dialect form of 'victuals,' common in Southern American speech.
“Mah tub of suds is filled yo' belly with vittles more times than yo' hands is filled it.”
- tub of sudsphraseChapter 1 →
A large basin filled with soapy water used for washing clothes by hand, referring here to the hard physical labor of a washerwoman.
“Mah tub of suds is filled yo' belly with vittles more times than yo' hands is filled it.”
- unionnounChapter 1 →
Here used in the sense of a marriage bond or the joining of two people together, not a labor organization. It refers to the formal commitment Delia and Sykes made to each other.
“She had brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh.”
- longing after the fleshphraseChapter 1 →
A powerful physical desire or lust; the craving for sexual pleasure and bodily gratification rather than emotional or spiritual love.
“She had brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh.”
- reckonverbChapter 2 →
To believe, figure, or conclude something based on one's own judgment; a common Southern dialect word meaning 'I suppose' or 'I think.'
“Mah sweat is done paid for this house and Ah reckon Ah kin keep on sweatin' in it.”
- kinverbChapter 2 →
A dialect form of 'can,' meaning to be able to do something. Used here in Southern vernacular speech to assert a right or ability.
“Mah sweat is done paid for this house and Ah reckon Ah kin keep on sweatin' in it.”
- datChapter 2 →
A dialect spelling of 'that,' reflecting the pronunciation patterns of Southern Black vernacular English as Hurston renders her characters' speech phonetically.
“Too lazy tuh sweat, too lazy tuh work—dat's Sykes Jones.”
- tuhChapter 2 →
A dialect spelling of 'to,' capturing the relaxed, unstressed pronunciation used in Southern vernacular speech as transcribed by Hurston.
“Too lazy tuh sweat, too lazy tuh work—dat's Sykes Jones.”
SweatPlay by Lynn Nottage