“Do you think the dictionary ever says to itself I’ve got these words that mean completely different things inside myself and it’s tearing me apart?”  – Dean Young “Selected Recent and New Errors”                                

Aa   A: word’s a bridge between worlds; a dictionary   abbreviates: represents the full   alphabet: in the order fixed by custom. Elementary principles of   altitude: above sea level, above the horizon, a high position or rank   aroma: characteristic odor of an   ass: chiefly British.                            

Bb   Bat: a stout wooden stick, having membraneous wings, to wink at a   boy: male child, informal fellow, mild exclamation   break: crack, pierce, or penetrate, escape from   bright: shining dyestuff full of promise, intelligent   bulb: stem of the onion or tulip, incandescent.  

Cc   Call: cry out, summon, label   call girl: hired by telephone   cheap: worth more than the price   cherub: angel with a chubby, rosy face.                      

Dd   Deliver: from evil, give birth, utter, secure votes for   Democratic-Republican Party: founded by Thomas Jefferson   dues: payable immediately for membership in   dusky: dark, gloomy   dyad: divalent atom or radical pair.                            

Ee   Echo: in imitation of a sympathetic response   eddying: against the main current, as in   education: the act or the field of   electromagnets: with a current-carrying   enginery: machinery or instruments of   English: the spin given with a sharp twist.                            

Ff   Feel: touch with caution, guided by fire: that releases heat or light   flick: a quick touch or motion picture   flop: plop, flap   flush: from fever, embarrassment, rapid gush.                

Gg   Gather: into one place, apprehend, attract   glares: angry stares, intense and blinding   guided missiles: also called robot bombs   gushes: of tears   gusts: of rage.                            

Hh   Heretics: dissent from the dogma of the   hive: a place swarming with   honeyed: ingratiating, sugary, dulcet   horseshit: vulgar nonessential nonsense.                            

Ii   I: elliptically understood   identify: with another or   imagine: picture   incandescence: a hot object.                                

Jj   Jack: an ordinary man, a sailor   jaded: wearied, spiritless, not sated, in   jams: fetches his instrument   jangling: with little bells, the mingled din of voices   jilted: abruptly rejected.                            

Kk   Kisses: brushes against lips, chocolate confections   kneejerk: sudden, involuntary   Kyrie eleisons: prayers with musical settings, Supreme Authority show mercy.                        

Ll Larvae: wingless, wormlike before metamorphosis   living: currently active    loving: experiencing desire or tenderness.                            

Mm   Mania: intense desire or enthusiasm, rapidly changing ideas and   meaningful: significant   meaninglessness: senseless   music: sounds, aesthetically pleasing.                      

Nn   News: unusual or notable, previously unknown   nocturnal: flowers open the night as certain animals   nose: find out by smell, nuzzle, sniff in a meddlesome way.                            

Oo   O: in poetry and prayer, variant of   oh: used to express surprise, fear, anger, pain, or   OH: Ohio, state of the United States, Iroquois ohiyo, “grand river.”                            

Pp   Peter: the Hermit preacher, the first   piper: plays on a pipe, installs plumbing   picks: a tune on his guitar, a pointed instrument, with a   pepper: to season to make lively and vivid.

Qq   Queens: chess pieces able to move in any direction, fertile bees   quivering: shaking, trembling, vibrating.                          

Rr Remember: to think again of the faculty   reports: formal accounts or gossip, explosive noises   researched: studied to seek out, to search again   revenge: to inflict punishment, avenge   rhythms: of the tides, of the heart, beat heavy stress.                            

Ss   Save: from the wages of   scholarship: awarded to a student by a   school: a large group swimming together   screwing: making a mess of sexual intercourse, screw threads coiling like a sow’s tail.                        

Tt   Tap: a rap with rhythm, a light click or blow   this: thing nearby in space, time, or thought   thread: twisted together, to wind through a course   threatened: as dark skies threaten rain.                            

Uu   Ugliness: repulsive, reprehensible, ominous   unblinking: without emotions   unblushing: without shame   unbound: freed from shackles, released   upward: toward a higher place   upwind: from which the wind blows.                            

Vv   Vagabond: roaming tramp   vamps: improvises tunes, seduces in the manner of a   vampire: reanimated at night to suck   vernal: fresh, young   virgins: in a pure or natural state, not processed or refined.                      

Ww   Wait: in one spot until   whatever: you wish for blows across whatever you   wonder: feeling curiosity or awe at the   world: in motion.                            

Xx   X: the signature of an illiterate person   xenophobic: unduly fearful of strangers, as reflected in   Xeroxes: copies made to reproduce   x-rated: explicit   x-rays: exact nature not known.                            

Yy   Yammer: for change in a clamorous tone   yawp: utter a sharp bark   yeah: yeah yeah   yelp: in pain or surprise   yowl: howl, wail.                            

Zz   Zany: extravagant outlandish strangeness   zaps: with heavy firepower, strafes or bombards a   zebra: wild ass   Zen: enlightenment attained through   zeugma: for example The businessman left in high spirits and a Cadillac   zig-zagging: in alternating directions, such sharp turns.