I. Vocabulary and grammar list

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I. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR LIST

NO	LANGUAGE UNITS	NOTES
1.	And Hilly’s devilled eggs. No paprika.	devilled British English; deviled American English DFCDFdevilled food is cooked with very hot pepper: deviled eggs
2.	The birthing blues got hold of Miss Leefolt pretty hard.	baby blues informal an illness in which a woman feels unhappy and tired after her baby is born
3.	Double major!	especially American English the main subject that a student studies at college or university: Her major is history.
4.	The baby must have come out of her like the 11 Commandment. Once she had a baby everyone else had to have a baby.	The Ten Commandments according to the Old Testament of the Bible, the set of rules that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, in order to tell people how they should behave. They are supposed to have been written on two stone tablets (=flat pieces of stone) and they appear in the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions. The ten rules include 'Thou shalt not kill' and 'Thou shalt not steal'.
5.	It’s 98 degrees out there.	Fahrenheit TMTa scale of temperature in which water freezes at 32º and boils at 212º: 72º Fahrenheit Conversion formulas: °F = °C x 9/5 + 32 °C = (°F - 32) x 5/9
6.	Put mama in a chair before she breaks a hip.	one of the two parts on each side of your body between the top of your leg and your waist: She stood there with her hands on her hips glaring at him.
7.	Will you see if she has some of that ambrosia?	literary food or drink that tastes very good
8.	Well, if it isn’t “ Long Haul ” Skeeter.	long haul long period of time: Over the long haul the candidates performed well. Skeeter gets her nickname from her older brother, Carlton. When she was born, he said, "It's not a baby it's a skeeter!" (slang for “a mosquito”). The name Skeeter means quick and darting.
9.	He got held up on the oil rig. It’s offshore.	= oil platform
10.	I’m starting to think this Stuart is a figment of your imagination.	a figment of somebody's imagination something that you imagine is real, but does not exist
11.	Just to help me with some of the letters till I get a knack for it.	a natural skill or ability: Some people seem to have a knack for making money.
12.	You scared the daylights out of me.	scare/frighten the (living) daylights out of somebody informal to frighten someone a lot: It scared the living daylights out of me when the flames shot out. *daylight robbery British English informal a situation in which something costs you a lot more than is reasonable: £2.50 for a cup of coffee? It's daylight robbery!
13.	She can’t take a hint, can she?	Interpret.
14.	She’s that tacky girl Johnny married.	if something is tacky, it looks cheap or badly made, and shows poor taste: tacky ornaments
15.	I ran into her at the beauty parlour and she had the nerve to ask if she could help with the Children’s Benefit Ball.	British English PEWmoney provided by the government to people who are sick, unemployed, or have little money [= welfare American English]: unemployment/housing/child etc benefit You might be entitled to housing benefit. families on benefit
16.	Every penny he spends he’ll get back in spades when you all sell.	in spades to a great degree, or in large amounts: Beauty, intelligence, wealth - my mother had all of them in spades. * spade taboo old-fashioned a very offensive word for a black person. Do not use this word.
17.	That’s why I’ve drafted the Home Health Sanitation Initiative.	draft to write a plan, letter, report etc that will need to be changed before it is in its finished form: Eva's busy drafting her speech for the conference. initiative an important new plan or process to achieve a particular aim or to solve a particular problem: a government initiative to help exporters an education initiative
18.	It’s been endorsed.	to express formal support or approval for someone or something: endorse a proposal/an idea/a candidate etc The Prime Minister is unlikely to endorse this view.
19.	Is that Preacher Green sermon?	preacher someone who talks about a religious subject in a public place, especially at a church sermon a talk given as part of a Christian church service, usually on a religious or moral subject give/preach/deliver a sermon (on something) The vicar gave a sermon on charity.
20.	Your daddy bought me this dress right after Ole Miss won the Sugar Bowl.	The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university in Oxford, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1848. The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009.
21.	She got that teller job. She was swimming in proposals.	teller BFBBOsomeone whose job is to receive and pay out money in a bank
22.	Just show a little gumption.	the ability and determination to decide what needs to be done and to do it: At least she had the gumption to phone me.
23.	You can write my o΄bituary!	an article in a newspaper about the life of someone who has just died
24.	My daughter’s upset my cancerous ulcers.	a sore area on your skin or inside your body that may bleed or produce poisonous substances: stomach ulcers
25.	Mama was third runner-up in the Miss South Carolina pageant.	runner-up the person or team that comes second in a race or competition pageant American English a public competition for young women in which their appearance, and sometimes other qualities, are compared and judged[= beauty contest]
26.	I am ready to read what you come up with. The book biz could use a little rattling.	1. = shake 2. informal to make someone lose confidence or become nervous: His mocking smile rattled her more than his anger. It was hard not to get rattled when the work piled up.
27.	This takes the goddamn cake!	(British, American & Australian) also take the biscuit (British & Australian) if you say that something someone has said or done takes the cake, you mean that it was very bad, and even worse than things they have said or done before: She's been opening my letters - that really takes the cake!
28.	It’s scaring me more than Jim Crow.	The phrase "Jim Crow Law" first appeared in 1904 according to the Dictionary of American English,^[2] although there is some evidence of earlier usage.^[3][4] The origin of the phrase "Jim Crow" has often been attributed to "Jump Jim Crow", a song-and-dance caricature of blacks performed by white actor Thomas D. Rice in blackface, which first surfaced in 1832 and was used to satirizeAndrew Jackson's populist policies. As a result of Rice's fame, "Jim Crow" had become a pejorative expression meaning " Negro" by 1838. The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a "separate but equal" status for African Americans. Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated.
29.	I am not eloquent.	able to express your ideas and opinions well, especially in a way that influences people: an eloquent appeal for support
30.	My two boys graduated from school on honour roll.	roll of honour British English [= honor roll American English ] a list of people who are officially praised, especially because they were brave in battle: the roll of honour on the war memorial
31.	Don’t hit their children. White folks like to do their own spanking.	to hit a child on their bottom with your open hand, as a punishment[= smack]
32.	No sass -mouthing.	sass American English informal to talk in a rude way to someone you should respect: Don't you sass me, young lady!
33.	It’s not like I’d be fibbing.	spoken to tell a small unimportant lie: I think you're fibbing.
34.	We already filled every raffle slotfor baked goods.	a competition or game in which people buy numbered tickets and can win prizes: a woman selling raffle tickets
35.	Think we can put a dent in African children’s hunger this year? (charity)	a reduction in the amount of something: The trip made a big dent in our savings. Eight years of effort have hardly put a dent in drug trafficking.
36.	You shrunk five inches*. *1 inch = 2,54cm	to become or to make something smaller in amount, size, or value [≠ grow]: The firm's staff had shrunk to only four people. We want to expand the business, not shrink it.
37.	No gentleman wants to spend the evening with a sourpuss. Don’t mope! Smile! And don’t sit like some squaw Indian! Cross your ankles!	sourpuss old-fashioned someone who complains a lot and is never happy or satisfied mope to feel sorry for yourself, without making any effort to do anything or be more happy: Don't lie there moping on a lovely morning like this! The week he died, we all sat around and moped. squaw old use a word for a Native American woman, now usually considered offensive
38.	You boys talk about quarterbacks or something.	the player in American football who directs the team's attacking play and passes the ball to the other players at the start of each attack
39.	Double Old Kentucky, straight with a water back. Make that two backs.	It means two shots. A shot is a serving size equivalent to one ounce (about 30 cubic centimeters). He wants two shots of Old Kentucky whiskey. He wants the water in a separate glass. He intends to drink the whiskey "straight" or "neat" meaning mixed with nothing and no ice. He will then drink the water.
40.	It sounds to me like a ploy to find a husband, becoming an expert in keeping house.	a clever and dishonest way of tricking someone so that you can get an advantage: His usual ploy is to pretend he's ill. a smart ploy to win votes
41.	I can cook cornpone. I can do grits.	cornpone a kind of American bread made from cornmeal (corn flour) grits American English DFa type of grain that is roughly crushed and cooked, and often eaten for breakfast
42.	You got gum in your hair. You got creaky door hinge. You got bags under your eyes. Want to soften your husband’s scaly feet… Crisco!	1HBa scaly animal or fish is covered with small flat pieces of hard skin 2HBHMIscaly skin is dry and rough Crisco is a brand of shortening (fat made from vegetable oil that you mix with flour when making pastry) popular in the United States. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil.
43.	Looks like frosting.	especially American English DFCa sweet substance put on cakes and made from powdery sugar and butter [= icing British English]
44.	And that Bertha, she’s got chutzpah, I’ll give her that.	informal a lot of confidence and courage to do something, especially something that might involve being impolite to someone in authority - used to show approval [= nerve]: It took a lot of chutzpah to talk to your boss like that. (pron.: /ˈhʊtspə/ or /ˈxʊtspə/ The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה). In more traditional usage, chutzpah is invariably negative).
45.	He fell carrying two-by-fours at the mill.	a length of lumber that is 2 inches thick and 4 inches wide
46.	Doesn’t she look glowing, everybody?	flushed and rosy, as from exercise or excitement: glowing cheeks
47.	You hold on to it, to the bitter end.	hold on to to continue doing something that is very difficult to do: San Francisco held on to win 4-2. to the bitter end continuing until the end, even though this is difficult: Employees have vowed to fight the closure to the bitter end .
48.	I’ll be on the lookout.	be on the lookout for somebody/something to continuously watch a place or pay attention in order to find something you want or to be ready for problems or opportunities: We're always on the lookout for new business opportunities. Police were on the lookout for anyone behaving suspiciously.
49.	I’m not always a jerk.	informal someone, especially a man, who is stupid or who does things that annoy or hurt other people: I swore at him for being such a jerk.
50.	Boys caught me reading Miss Myrna column on the rig the other day.	a large structure that is used for getting oil from the ground under the sea
51.	I had no idea that ground egg shells got grease out of clothes.	grind to break something such as corn or coffee beans into small pieces or powder, either in a machine or between two hard surfaces: freshly ground pepper
52.	Drop old coats at my house, not commodes.	DHFa piece of furniture shaped like a chair that can be used as a toilet
53.	I go potty, Mommy.	1 DHBa container used by very young children as a toilet 2 go potty American English to use the toilet - used by young children or when speaking to them: Do you need to go potty?
54.	Let the merchants feel the economic pinch.	to have financial difficulties, especially because you are not making as much money as you used to make: Local stores and businesses are beginning to feel the pinch.
55.	In a vacant lot a sniper fired a single shot.	especially American English an area of land used for building on or for another purpose: the vacant lot (=empty land) behind the Commercial Hotel a used-car lot
56.	KKK shot him.	abbr. Ku Klux Klan
57.	What are they gonna do? Hitch us to a pickup? Drag us behind?	to fasten something to something else, using a rope, chain etc: He hitched our pickup to his trailer. a goat hitched to a fence
58.	We needed your column 30 minutes ago. Chop-chop. Good Lord!	informal right away; quickly
59.	A nigger walks into a pawn shop…	to pawn to give or deposit (personal property) as security for the payment of money borrowed
60.	I used to make a shortcut every day when I went to work.	a quicker and more direct way of getting somewhere than the usual one: Carlos decided to take a short-cut home. We were late for the game, but found a short cut through the fields.
61.	40 lower	It refers to the lower forty acres of land, the part of a farmer's land that was perhaps not the best for farming but might be very useful for other purposes. Perhaps the woodlot was located there, or it might have been marshy, or bordered by a bush and good for hunting, or by a river or lake and good for fishing.
62.	I think we’re on track, we’re doing quite well.	be on track spoken to be likely to achieve the result you want: We're still on track for 10% growth.
63.	They know about you being knocked up by Mr Johnny.	informal not polite to make a woman pregnant
64.	She thinks I was fooling around with Johnny when they were still going steady.	go steady (with somebody) to have a long regular romantic relationship with someone
65.	I know you didn’t fall in no tub, Minny.	American EnglishDHHa large container in which you sit to wash yourself [= bathtub]: I had a long soak in the tub.
66.	I’d hit him over the head with a skillet.
67.	I’m not having my stomach pokeout.	if something is poking through or out of something else, you can see part of it but not all of it: Ella looked at the tiny face poking out of the blanket. Weeds had started poking through the cracks in the patio.
68.	The winner of the beautiful mink car coat is…	mink a small animal with soft brown fur, or the very valuable fur of this animal which is used to make coats, hats etc car coat a hip-length overcoat or jacket originally designed to be worn while driving a car
69.	Next up, Debby’s peppermint bark.	a chocolate confection consisting of peppermint candy pieces, such as candy canes, in white chocolate on top of dark chocolate, but peppermint bark can refer to any chocolate with peppermint candy pieces in it. It is especially popular around the Christmas season.
70.	How about a nightcap?	an alcoholic drink that you have at the end of the evening, just before you go to bed
71.	I reckon it’s time you knew.	spoken especially British English to think or suppose something: Do you reckon he'll agree to see us? 'There's nothing we can do about it.' 'You reckon (=used to express doubt or disagreement) ?'
72.	It’s my fault she pounced on you.	to criticize someone's mistakes or ideas very quickly and eagerly: Teachers are quick to pounce on students' grammatical errors.
73.	I’ve just been appointed state regent.	a local government official
74.	I needed someone to look up to.	to admire or respect someone: I've always looked up to Bill for his courage and determination.
75.	It’s a wonderful book filled with grippingtestimonials from Mississippi’s housekeepers.	gripping a gripping film, story etc is very exciting and interesting: Collins' gripping detective novel testimonial a formal written statement describing someone's character and abilities [↪ reference]
76.	Why go stir up trouble?	to deliberately try to cause arguments or bad feelings between people: John was always stirring up trouble in class. Dave's just trying to stir things up because he's jealous.
77.	My health’s been on the uptick these last few weeks.	an increase, especially a small one: last week's uptick in interest rates
78.	Fried chicken and okra the first night? You could have at least put some cornpone on the table.
79.	She’s trying to blame it on a toddler.	a very young child who is just learning to walk
80.	It behooves me to inform you that you are fired.	to be necessary or proper for: It behooves you at least to try.

SOURCES:
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.thefreedictionary.com

II. DISCUSSION:

1) Which qualities helped Skeeter reach her target of writing the book about coloured maids? How was she different compared to other women?

2) How do you account for Minny's doing? Do you think this was an acceptable way to express her feelings towards Hilly? Do you think she could have achieved the same goal without humiliating Hilly? What could it have been?

3) Would you like to have any of Aibileen’s character traits? Which ones? Why does her character generally inspire our respect?

4) Would you recommend the film to teenagers? What could they learn from the story?

5) Does the story remind you of anything similar? What other films or books devoted to conflicts between nationalities can you think of? Do you consider the film to be up to date? Why (not)?

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