Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (116 page)

ROCK-CATS:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

RODERICK, CHILDREN OF:
See
CHILDREN OF RODERICK
,
above

ROLL IN (WHERE DID YOU ROLL IN?):
Where did you sleep? W:82

ROLLERS AND CHOCKER-TWISTS:
Mid-World candy. The chocker-twists are chocolate twists. W:100

ROOST ON (TO JUST ROOST ON):
To remain in place. It implies pointless waiting and a sense of futility. V:172

ROPE-SWINGERS:
Cowboys. W:46

ROSILLO:
Susan Delgado calls her horse Pylon a
rosillo.
IV:239

ROT, THE:
A disease which often affects the Border Dwellers of the Mohaine Desert. It sounds a bit like leprosy. People suffering from this disease are called “rotters.” I:18

RUN YOUR GUMS:
To run at the mouth. To talk endlessly and uselessly. W:272

RUSSEL:
A slang term that means to take a woman by force. II:46

RUSTIES (BARN RUSTIES):
A large Mid-World blackbird. The bird’s name derives from its harsh squalling cry, a call slightly shriller than that of a crow. V:7, V:154, V:162, VI:23, VII:193
(barn rusties),
VII:793

RUSTIE WALKED OVER MY GRAVE (A RUSTIE HAD JUST WALKED OVER HIS GRAVE):
“A cat stepped on my grave.” These kinds of phrases describe the deep chill or shiver we feel when someone’s statement (or something we experience) resonates with a deep, internal foreboding. V:103

SADDLE BRIGHTWORK:
The metal pieces on a saddle that catch the sun. W:58

SAI:
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

SALIG:
A salig looks like a crocodile or alligator and lives in the swamps of Mid-World. IV:70

SALLY:
Humorous reply, a riposte. W:54

SALT-HOUSES:
In Debaria, this is the term people use for the caverns in the cliff faces of the Salt Rocks or Salt Hills. In the past whole families lived in these places. The tunnels that went down into the earth from the backs of these caverns led to the salt mines. W:56, W:58.

SALT-MOLE:
A saltie, or salt miner. W:276

SALTIE:
one of the salt miners in Debaria. W:64

SANDAY:
In Mejis, this is the traditional cowboys’ day of rest. IV:282, IV:287

SANDITCH:
Roland’s pronunciation of
sandwich.
VII:42

SAWBONES’ BAG:
A doctor’s bag. VII:468

SAWGRASS:
A type of grass that grows in the Fagonard swamp. The blades are so sharp that they will cut you if you grab them. W:195

SAWSEE:
This is Roland’s confused term for “seesaw.” III:38

SCREW YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON:
This is another one of Zoltan’s favorite sayings. I:16

SCRIP:
Scrip has several definitions. 1. A lawyer. (VI:186). 2. Scrip is payment, but payment that isn’t in hard coin. If you’re paid in scrip, you’re essentially paid in a voucher for a certain shop, for example a company store or town mercantile. W:277

SECRET CODE:
This code is used by gunslingers when they communicate by carrier pigeon. The phrase below means “Farson moves east . . . Forces split, one big, one small. Do you see anything unusual.” IV:262

SEE ME! SEE ME VERY WELL:
Look at me.
See also
I SEE YOU VERY WELL
,
earlier in this section, and
I SEE YOU VERY WELL
in
MID-WORLD GESTURES. V:172, VII:115

SEE THE TURTLE OF ENORMOUS GIRTH:
This is the first line of a well-known and well-loved Mid-World poem which invokes the spirit of the Turtle Guardian. Although there are many variations, Rosalita Munoz’s version goes like this:

See the Turtle of enormous girth!

On his shell he holds the earth,

His thought is slow but always kind;

He holds us all within his mind.

On his back the truth is carried,

And there are love and duty married.

He loves the earth and loves the sea,

And even loves a child like me. (VI:15)

For more information and for page references, see
GUARDIANS OF THE BEAM
,
in
CHARACTERS

SEEN THE BOAT SHE CAME IN:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

SELLIAN DIALECTS:
Roland used to speak the Sellian dialects, but he has forgotten all but the curses. III:259

SEND YOU WEST WITH THE BROKEN ONES WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE FACES OF THEIR FATHERS (TO SEND YOU WEST):
In In-World-that-was, failed gunslingers were sent west in disgrace. Hence, this saying arose. V:568

’SENERS:
Keroseners, or kerosene lights. V:438, V:506, V:561, VI:14

SEPPE-
SAI:
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

SERAPE:
Worn in Mejis and New Canaan by both men and women. It is a bit like a poncho or cape. IV:282, IV:365

SET MY WATCH AND WARRANT ON IT:
You bet. I know it’s true. V:214

SEVEN DIALS OF MAGIC:
Vannay, Roland’s tutor, taught him about the Seven Dials of Magic. We have not, as yet, found out what they are. V:79

SHADDIE:
A bit of canvas used by cowboys in Debaria when they sleep under the stars. It won’t keep off the rain, but it will keep the cowboy from getting damp after dewfall. W:81

SHAKING HIS KNEE:
Pulling someone’s leg, teasing them, joking with them or lying to them. W:41

SHANNIES:
The pink-fleshed fish that live in the RIVER WHYE. (They are very tasty.) W:9

SHARPROOT:
This is one of Mid-World’s crops. V:1, V:151

SHAVELING:
A young man. W:97

SHEEVIN (SH’VEEN):
Literally speaking,
sheevin
means “quiet little woman.” In practice it means side-wife or mistress. IV:207, V:120

SHEPPIE:
A shepherd. W:105

SHINNARO:
In the alternative America where Eddie Dean is actually Eddie Toren, Shinnaro cameras are popular. VII:728

SHIPMATE’S DISEASE:
This malady is caused by nutritional deficiencies brought on by a lack of fruit and greens. In
The Drawing of the Three,
Roland and Eddie begin to suffer from this even though they are on dry land. II:268

**SHOOT-UP MONEY:
Money gained from the gun. It can be money earned by a hired gunman.

SHOOTING-IRON:
A gun. V:20, V:319, VII:47

SHOR’BOOTS:
Short boots. W:230

SHORT BEER:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

SHORTS:
Half-sized smokes. VII:310

SHUCKIES:
Corn shucks used to roll smokes. VI:299

**SHUT YOUR QUACK:
Shut up.

SIDE LINE OF DESCENT:
Descended from a jilly. The line of Deschain is a side line of descent. In other words, Roland’s ancestor was born to one of Arthur Eld’s side-wives. IV:184

SIGHE:
The sighe are Mid-World’s fairyfolk. They are tiny people with green skin and wings. They are beautiful but treacherous. W:164, W:170, W:182–83

SIGUL:
A
sigul
is a sign, symbol, or insignia which is secret but full of meaning. It often has religious, political, or magical significance. John Farson’s
sigul
is the same as that of the Crimson King—a staring red eye. III:353, VI:14, VI:65, VI:327, VII:26

**SILFLAY:
To graze. This term comes from the novel
Watership Down.

SILK-ARSE GENNELMAN:
This is a crass Lud-term for somebody who is well-bred. III:354

SILVA COMPASS:
This is a kind of compass used in Roland’s world. In
The Gunslinger,
one of the Border Dwellers gives Roland a stainless-steel Silva compass and bids him give it to Jesus. I:15

SILVER METAL:
What you paint on warts to make them go away. V:479

SIMOOM:
A kind of windstorm that blows over Debaria during the simoom season. PRODDIES and POKES hate them, because if they’re out on the range they have to sleep rough and can’t light a fire since the flames could easily spread. W:83, W:100

SINGLETS:
In our world, a singlet is an undershirt or vest worn under other clothes. Cort wears a singlet when he battles the apprentices. I:167, V:403

**SISSA:
Sister.

SKIDDUMS:
These are the shacks in Little Debaria where some of the miners sleep. The skiddums aren’t much, but at least they aren’t underground. W:275

SKIN-MAN:
Skin-men are shapeshifters, or beings that can change from human to animal form. They are also shapechangers, or creatures that can assume multiple forms. Although skin-men were thought to be legendary creatures, the out-world town of Debaria was stalked by one. Hence Steven Deschain sent Roland and his friend Jamie DeCurry to hunt it down. The skin-man turned out to be a SALTIE who had been exposed to one of the Old People’s ARTYFAX. In his myriad bestial forms, the skin-man had a taste for human flesh and human brains.
See also
SKIN-MAN
in the
CHARACTERS
section.
W:40

SKIN-TURNER:
A skin-man, or shapechanger. W:274

SKIT:
To skit in the wind is to become skittish. Some mules skit in the wind. W:88

SKÖLDPADDA:
A turtle.
See
GUARDIANS OF THE BEAM
: TURTLE GUARDIAN,
in
CHARACTERS

SLEWFEET:
Roland’s term for noisy trackers. V:44

SLINKUM:
A strap-style undershirt. VII:518. W:6

SLIP THE SILK (TO SLIP THE SILK or TO SLIP THE ROPE):
To marry. W:116

SLO-TRANS ENGINES:
Mid-World’s technology was one of unipolar circuits, dipolar circuits, and slo-trans technology. Blaine’s engines are slo-trans engines. Slo-trans technology was supposed to be immune to malfunction, but this is obviously not the case, since Blaine himself admits that he is going mad. IV:14, V:72, V:371

SLOW MUTANTS:
Slow Mutants are creatures damaged by radiation poisoning. They were the result of the Old Ones’ disastrous wars.
See
MUTANTS
: SLOW MUTANTS,
in
CHARACTERS

SLOWKINS FROM THE EYBROWS UP:
If you’re called a slowkins from the eyebrows up, someone is implying that you are slow or a bit thick. (Not very nice.): W:288

SLUGGARDLY:
Slow. W:126

SLUMGULLION:
This is a derogatory term for a man. III:249

SLUT OF THE WINDS:
Roland’s term for the female spirits who have sex (consensual or not) with traveling men. Often, these demonic sluts are deadly. VI:370

SMA’:
Small. W:64

SMA’ ONE:
A young one. A child. W:14

SMALLHOLDS:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

SNICK:
Smart, clever, wily. W:276

SNIVELMENT:
To snivel is to show weak or tearful resentment. It can also imply hypocrisy. A young snivelment is a sniveler.
Snivelment
can also be used as a noun, as in “stop your snivelment.” VI:29, VI:295

SNOOD:
A head covering worn by women in Mid-World, especially when they are in formal attire. IV:194

SO FELL LORD PERTH, AND THE COUNTRYSIDE DID SHAKE WITH THAT THUNDER:
“So Fell Lord Perth” is a line from a longer poem. The story is very similar to that of David and Goliath. According to the tale, Lord Perth was a giant who went forth to war with a thousand men, but he was still in his own country when a little boy threw a stone at him and hit him in the knee. He stumbled, the weight of his armor bore him down, and he broke his neck in the fall. Tick-Tock, the giant-sized leader of the Grays, thinks this story is unlucky. (He identifies with Lord Perth.)

SOFT:
Go forward carefully, slowly. Keep your emotions under control. III:278, IV:67

SOH:
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

SOLID AS A DROMEDARY:
Very dependable. W:88

SOMBRERA/SOMBRERO:
The wide-brimmed hats worn in Hambry. IV:365

SOME THINGS DON’T REST EASY EVEN WHEN THEY’RE DEAD:
Some things come back to haunt you. IV:98

SOMETIMES YOU CAN PULL A SMALL THREAD AND UNRAVEL A WHOLE GARMENT:
Sometimes a small clue can solve a big mystery. W:68

SONG OF THE TURTLE, CRY OF THE BEAR:
Roland tells a hypnotized Stephen King that whenever he hears the Song of the Turtle or the Cry of the Bear he must turn his attention back to the Dark Tower series and continue writing it. VI:296