Of Mice and Men:

Chapter One

Understanding Vocabulary

blow their stake: Lose and/or spend all their money blowin' in our jack: losing, spending, or gambling away all our money bustin' a gut: Your gut is your stomach area. To bust a gut is to engage in very hard physical labor -- so hard that you ache all over -- even in your gut. in hot water: to be in hot water is to be in trouble. jungle-up: During the Great Depression, many wanderers (hoboes and tramps would settle !or the night in groups. These areas would be "nown as hobo #ungles. To #ungle-up is to camp out !or the evening in the company o! other li"e companions o! the road. live off the fatta the lan': Live o!! the !at o! the land. The !at o! the land is an e$pression that re!ers to having the best o! everything. %n the case o! Lennie and George and their dream !or a place o! their own, it also means that they believe they will be able to survive and prosper by simply relying on what they can grow and raise -- that the land is so &!at& they will need nothing else to be happy. 'hapter Two - %dioms

Chapter bu! steer: bum, in this instance, means !alse or erroneous. ( bum steer is !alse in!ormation or directions. canned: !ired clear out: leave !or good

done "uite a bit in the ring: The ring here re!ers to a bo$ing ring. 'andy is ma"ing a re!erence to the !act that 'urley has done some bo$ing. #rink hearty: in other words, &Drin" up, drin" well, have a good time)& flapper: mouth ga!e: courageous gang up: attac" as a group get the can: get !ired got the eye: 'andy is re!erring to the !act that, instead o! being !aith!ul to her husband, 'urley*s wi!e tends to loo" around at other men. in heat: +or a !emale animal (in this case, a dog , to be in heat (also "nown as estrus is to be in a state o! se$ual e$citement when she will accept mating !rom a male. jail bait: a girl below the legal age o! consent !or se$, an underage girl who tempts a man to se$ual intimacy which is punishable by imprisonment licked: beat, loses the !ight old lady: mother, or, in this case, Lennie*s (unt 'lara. old !an: in this case, !ather pants is full of ants: To have &ants in one*s pants& is to be nervous and restless. pants rabbits: any type o! parasites, such as lice, especially those that might a!!ect the genital area picking scraps: ( scrap is a !ight or argument. To pic" a scrap is to provo"e !ights or -uarrels.

plug hi!self up for a fighter: to &plug onesel! up& is to advertise or display onesel!, to boast. George is re!erring to the !act that 'urley may want to prove what a good !ighter he is by going a!ter Lennie. poison: ( woman who is poison is one who can only mean trouble, especially to a man. poke: ( po"e is a wallet or purse. .o"e also re!ers to money, especially all the money one has. pokin' your big ears into our business: eavesdropping, listening in, uninvited, on a private conversation poop: energy, desire rassel: li!t, carry, and handle, especially something heavy and aw"ward rattrap: a rattrap is a hopeless situation, one that no good can come !rom. George is warning Lennie to stay away !rom 'urley*s wi!e because getting involved with her would only result in a bad situation. scrappy: aggressive, !ond o! !ighting and arguing shove off: leave shove out of here: get out o! here slang her pups: gave birth to her pups sore as hell: e$tremely angry take the rap: ta"e the blame, be the one who gets into trouble tangles: !ights, argues

two bits: a -uarter, twenty-!ive cents what stake you got in this guy: %n this case, a sta"e is an interest (!inancial, personal, etc. in a person or thing. The boss is as"ing George what interest he has in Lennie. what the hell's he got on his shoulder: This re!ers to the e$pression &to have a chip on one*s shoulder,& which is used to describe someone who is bad tempered, easily angered, or always ready !or a !ight. George is wondering why 'urley seems so bad tempered.

Chapter $ bucks: dollars crack: ( crac" re!ers to an attempt or a try. %n this instance, a crac" means one session o! se$ual intercourse with a prostitute. cut off his wind: wind, in this case, re!ers to breath or the ability to breathe. /hen someone is hit in the stomach and has his wind cut o!!, that person my have trouble breathing !or a time. flat bust: completely bro"e, without any money flop: se$ual intercourse with a prostitute goo-goos: silly young men, idiots, perhaps those who are a little lovestruc" hoosegow: #ail looloo: a se$y woman !ake it stick: To ma"e something stic" is to be success!ul. 'urley was not success!ul in his attempt to scare or intimidate 0lim.

old lady: in this case, wi!e on the county: on wel!are, on public relie! people: !amily punk: an insigni!icant person, someone o! no importance rabbits in: #umps in roll up a stake: save up some money scra!: leave, usually in a hurry set on the trigger: 0omeone set on the trigger is on the verge o! causing (#ust about to cause trouble. set you back: cost shot: one drin" (an ounce o! li-uor start a party out to lynch: To lynch is to murder someone, usually by hanging, without !ollowing a legal procedure. ( lynch party is a mob o! people who ta"e the law in their own hands and are determined to illegally "ill someone. (ccording to George, some men in the town o! /eed wanted to capture Lennie and "ill him. throw a litter: give birth. ( litter is the young o! an animal that were born at the same time. throw a scare: scare, intimidate welter1 a welterweight, a bo$er who weighs 234 to 256 pounds wing-ding: a terri!ic person, someone to be admired

yella-jackets in his drawers: Yellow-#ac"ets are a !orm o! wasps (see a picture o! some wasps . Drawers, in this case, are underwear. /hit*s description o! 'urley is a lot li"e saying that he has ants in his pants, that is, that he is restless and nervous. yella: yellow, a coward Chapter % balony: nonsense booby hatch: insane asylum, a place designed to house people who are metnally unstable corn: whis"ey made !rom corn cover 'i! up: protect him, ma"e e$cuses !or him, cover up !or him doped out: !igured out old lady: in this case, the mother dog put !e in pitchers: put me in pictures, gotten me a #ob as an actress in the movies (motion pictures right cross: in bo$ing, a punch delivered by the bo$er*s right !ist screwy: cra7y sellin' !e: trying to ma"e me believe set: sit, sit down strung up on a tree: hanged, lynched

take you out in a bo&: in this case, the bo$ is a co!!in. 'roo"s is telling 'andy that the old man will remain where he is until he dies. took a powder: le!t went with shows: been an entertainer on the stage.