Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (120 page)

A MAN WHO CAN’T STAY A BIT SHOULDN’T APPROACH IN THE FIRST PLACE:
A man who can’t spend the time to finish a conversation (or a visit) should have the sense not to begin one. V:477

A STONE MIGHT DRINK, IF IT HAD A MOUTH:
This statement comes from Rosa Munoz, and is equivalent to “If pigs had wings, they would fly.” VI:8

ADDLED (HE AIN’T HALF-ADDLED):
Confused.
Addled
can also imply senility. V:346

ALL GODS IS ONE WHEN IT COMES TO THANKS:
In other words, it doesn’t matter which of Mid-World’s gods you thank, as long as you thank one of them. V:206

AND MAY YOU HAVE TWICE THE NUMBER:
See
PLEASANT DAYS, AND MAY THEY BE LONG UPON THE EARTH
,
below. See also
MAY YOUR DAYS BE LONG UPON THE EARTH
,
in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

AND WITH THE BLESSING, WHAT AIN’T FINE WILL BE:
With God’s blessing, what isn’t right will be put right. V:346

ANT-NOMIC:
The people of the CALLA use this word instead of
atomic.
V:151, V:340

ANY RO’:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

ARC:
See
GRAND CRESCENT
,
below

ARMYDILLO:
Armadillo. V:578

ASK PARDON:
I beg your pardon. V:123

BABBIES:
Children. V:611

BABY BANGERS (LITTLE BANGERS):
Small fireworks or Reap-crackers set off during festivals or holidays. Children love them. V:227

BAH AND BOLT:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

BARREL-SHOOTERS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

BEG-MY-EAR?:
This phrase is equivalent to “Excuse me?” or “Pardon me?” V:124

BIDE (TO BIDE):
To bide is to stay. V:322

BIG-BIG:
Very much. It is usually heard in the context of “thankya big-big.” It can also mean “a lot” or “a lot of.” V:312, V:368

BLOODMUCK:
Blood poisoning. V:651

BOAT, THE:
The boat
is a CALLA term for the rear part of a cowboy’s saddle, or the place where bedrolls are tied. V:557

BOLA:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

BOOM-FLURRY:
Boom-flurry
is the CALLA term for the nasty cacti which live in the desert dividing Calla Bryn Sturgis from Thunderclap. Boom-flurry eat humans. When they get all riled up (usually because a potential meal is passing by), they are said to be FASHED. V:571

BORDERLANDS:
Calla Bryn Sturgis and the other CALLAS of the GRAND CRESCENT are located in the area known as the borderlands. The borderlands sit between Mid-World-that-was and End-World.
For page references, see entry in
MID-WORLD PLACES

BRIGHT OR DIM, THAT’S A LOT OF MEAT IN MOTION:
Tian’s da, Luke Jaffords, coined this phrase. He used it to describe his daughter Tia (Tian’s twin), who was taken to Thunderclap by the Wolves and returned ROONT. Like the other roonts, Tia is a giantess, but her mental capabilities are extremely limited. V:8

BROWNIE:
Eben Took uses this nasty phrase to describe Susannah Dean. (Granpere Jaffords uses it too, but Susannah doesn’t take offense in Gran-pere’s case, probably because he is so old and ADDLED that she figures he doesn’t know any better.) Although many people in the CALLAS are dark-skinned, the term
brownie
refers specifically to a person who (in terms of our world’s geography) is of African, or Afro-Caribbean, descent. V:359, V:405

BUCKA WAGGONS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

BUCKBOARD:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

BUMPER:
A bumper is a brimful glass of wine or beer. V:219

BUZZ-BALLS:
See
SNEETCHES
,
below

CALLA:
According to Susannah Dean, the word
calla
means street or square. All of the villages in the BORDERLANDS are called callas.
For more information, see
BORDERLANDS
,
in
MID-WORLD PLACES

CALLUM-KA:
A callum-ka is a simple pullover worn by both the men and the women of the BORDERLANDS when the weather turns chilly. It looks like a boatneck. VI:229

CAN-AH, CAN-TAH, ANNAH, ORIZA:
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

CAT-OIL:
Rosa Munoz makes this arthritis rub. It contains mint and spriggum from the swamp, but its secret ingredient is ROCK CAT bile. It’s potent stuff. V:242–43

CAVE OF VOICES:
The Cave of Voices is located high in the arroyo country north of Calla Bryn Sturgis. Its name comes from the deep, noxious-smelling pit it contains—a pit that echoes with horrid, accusatory voices. What voices are heard depends upon who is there to hear them. Essentially, the demon of the cave (or its animating mechanism) taps into a listener’s most guilty memories and then plays back the sobbing or angry voices of all those whom the listener believes he or she has wronged. Once Pere Callahan entered the Calla, the Cave of Voices was renamed Doorway Cave. This renaming came about because the freestanding magical door which Callahan used to enter the Calla (or was forced to use to enter the Calla) became a permanent fixture of the Cave. The door itself is known as the Unfound Door.
For more information, see
DOORWAY CAVE
,
in
PORTALS

CHARY (YOU CHARY MAN):
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

CHRIST AND THE MAN JESUS:
The people of the CALLA are a little confused about whether the Man Jesus is the same as Christ. V:6

COMMALA:
The Commala is another name for the RICE SONG, which was known and sung throughout Mid-World, In-World, and the BORDERLANDS.
On our KA-TET’s first night in Calla Bryn Sturgis, Roland dances the Commala and wins the hearts (if not the trust) of the Calla FOLKEN.

In the borderlands, the term
commala
has more meanings than anywhere else in Roland’s world. Here is a fairly complete collection of those definitions: 1. A variety of rice grown at the farthermost eastern edge of All-World. 2. Sexual intercourse. 3. Sexual orgasm (Q: Did’ee come commala? A: Aye, say thank ya, commala big-big.) 4. The commencement of a big, joyful feast. 5. A fork. 6. Schmoozing. 7. TO STAND COMMALA: literally speaking, this means to stand belly-to-belly. It is a slang term which translates as “to share secrets.” 8. COME STURGIS COMMALA or COME BRYN COMMALA: literally speaking, to stand belly-to-belly with the entire community. 9. TO WET THE COMMALA: to irrigate the rice in a dry time. It can also mean to masturbate. 10. COMING COMMALA: a man who is losing his hair. 11. DAMP COMMALA: putting animals out to stud. 12. DRY COMMALA: gelded animals. 13. GREEN COMMALA: a virgin. 14. RED COMMALA: a menstruating woman. 15. SOF’ COMMALA: a man who can no longer get an erection. 16. THE COMMALA DRAWS: the rocky arroyos north of Calla Bryn Sturgis. 17. COME-COME-COMMALA: the Rice Dance. 18. LOW COMMALA:
see
KI’BOX
. 18. FUCK-COMMALA: a curse. 19. COMMALA-MOON: to stare aimlessly, or to be inattentive; to moon about. 20. STRONG COMMALA: a hard boy, or potentially dangerous man. V:208, V:230–33, V:325, V:484, V:486–87, V:489, V:587–89
(words for the Commala),
V:699, VI:229
(Commala-moon)

COOL EYES SEE CLEAR:
A person who has an emotional distance from a situation will be able to see it in a more balanced way. V:323

COSY (A GOOD COSY, I HAVE A COSY FOR HIM):
In our world, a cosy is a canopied corner seat for two. When Rosa Munoz says she has a “cosy” where Roland can sleep, she means she has a cot or a bed for him in a corner of her cabin. However, the sexual connotations of this phrase are fairly obvious. V:359, V:467

COWARDLY CUSTARDS:
Cowards. V:360, V:362

COZENING BASTARDS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

CROSS-WAY:
A person who holds to the Cross-way is a Christian. In other words, he or she follows the teachings of the crucified God. V:477

CRUSIE-FIX:
See
JESUS-TREE
,
below

CRY PARDON (CRY YOUR PARDON):
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

CULLIES:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

DAIRTY:
Dirty. V:402

DEEP HAIRCUT (A DEEP HAIRCUT):
Margaret Eisenhart’s term for the damage that can be done by an ORIZA. VII:83

DEVIL GRASS:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT
;
see also
DEMONS/SPIRITS/DEVILS
: DEVIL GRASS,
in
CHARACTERS

DINH:
See entry in
HIGH SPEECH

DIVE DOWN:
Like
yer bugger, dive down
is an exclamation often heard in the Calla. V:223

DO YA (IF IT DOES YA; DO YA, I BEG; MAY IT DO YA):
This is one of the CALLAS’ all-purpose terms. It is often used rhetorically. Depending on the circumstances, it can mean “if you want,” “if you know what I mean,” or “Beg pardon?” V:22, V:129, V:209, V:353, V:477

DO YA EITHER WAY:
This term translates loosely as “It’s up to you” or “Do whichever you feel like doing.” V:310

DO YA FINE:
See
MAY IT DO YA FINE
,
below

DO YA KEN:
See
KEN
,
below

DO YA TAKE NO OFFENSE, I BEG:
“No offense intended.” It can also mean “please.” V:123, V:139

DO YE, I BEG:
This is a polite way to demand what you want. For example, if you are in the Town Gathering Hall and the speaker is saying something with which you strongly disagree, you might demand the OPOPANAX feather by saying, “I’d have the feather, do ye, I beg!” V:22

DO’EE:
“Do you.” V:154

DO’EE FOLLER?:
Do you follow what I’m saying? V:360

DON’T HURT A BOY TO SEE A WOMAN DO WELL:
It’s good for a boy to see a woman succeed. V:332

DOORWAY CAVE:
See
CAVE OF VOICES
,
above

DROTTA STICK:
Dowsing stick. V:368

DRY-TWIST:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

DUSTER:
A duster is a kind of coat or rain-poncho. V:557

EARTHSHAKE:
An earthquake. V:22

’EE (TO TELL ’EE):
You (to tell you). V:417

EVEN HAND/ODD HAND:
This is a way to take turns. For example, when Jake and Benny share Benny’s room, Jake gets the bed on “odd hand” nights and Benny gets it on “even hand” nights. V:554

FAR-SEER:
A telescope. V:573

FASHED:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

FER GOOD OR NIS (FOR GOOD OR DIS):
For good or ill. V:603

FOLKEN:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

FOR GOOD OR DIS:
See
FER GOOD OR NIS
,
above

FOR THAT WE ALL SAY THANKYA:
For that we are all grateful. V:350

FUCK-COMMALA:
See
COMMALA
,
above

FULL EARTH:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

GALOOT:
We have this word in our world too. It means a clumsy person. V:703

GARN (GARN, THEN):
Go on. V:319, V:325, V:344

GET:
When a man speaks of his get, he is referring to his begotten children. V:21

GITS:
This word is used in our world too, especially in Britain. It translates loosely as “jerk.” Neil Faraday calls Roland, his
tet,
and the townies who support them “numb gits” for thinking that they can defeat the WOLVES. V:612

GIVE YOU EVERY JOY OF THEM:
May you enjoy them. V:173

GONE WORLD, THE:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

GOODISH WANDER:
Andy the Robot’s term for a long walk. V:3

GRAF:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

GRAND CRESCENT:
The Grand Crescent (also known as the Arc, the Middle Crescent, and the Rim) is a mild arc of land located in the BORDERLANDS. It stretches for approximately six thousand miles and contains seventy CALLAS, or towns. Many of the Callas of the Crescent suffer from the predations of the WOLVES. Calla Bryn Sturgis, setting for
Wolves of the Calla,
is located about one-third of the way down from the Arc’s northern tip.
See
BORDERLANDS
:
GRAND CRESCENT
,
in
MID-WORLD PLACES

GRAN-PERE:
Grandfather. V:251

GREEN CORN A-DAYO, THE:
A popular song often sung in the CALLA. It has twenty or thirty verses. V:5

GUT-TOSSERS:
Doctors. V:630

HE NEVER HAD NO SHORTAGE OF THORN AND BARK:
He never had a shortage of guts. V:348

HEAR ME, I BEG (HEAR, I BEG; HEAR ME WELL, DO YA, I BEG):
If you’re staying in the CALLA and want people to listen to what you’re about to say, or to contemplate what you’ve just said, then use this phrase. It can loosely be translated as “Hey” or “Listen up.” The stock response (whether your listeners agree with you or not) is “We say thankee-
sai
.” V:15, V:111, V:113, V:131, V:213, V:229