roll - a loud, reverberating peal; a continuous reverberation
curl up - to adopt a reclining position with the legs close to the body and the back rounded
Olaf - first Norse king of Dublin
crumple - an irregular fold, crease, or wrinkle; to become incurved or crushed together + crumpleback - crook-back + Oliver Cromwell.
butt - a terminal point; a hillock, mound; promontory
THE CASTLE - Dublin Castle, was first built on the site of an early Danish fortress by Henry de Londres; Until 1921, the Castle was the official residence of Lords Lieutenant, the highquarters of British administration, and the hated symbol of British rule + 'I'm the king of the castle, Get down you dirty rascal' (English rhyming game, in which a player jumps on top of sand castle and then the player who pulls him down becomes the new king).
parsnip - a biennial umbelliferous plant (Pastinaca sativa), a native of Europe and part of Asia, having pinnate leaves, yellow flowers, and a pale yellow root (PICTURE).
Green Street Courthouse, Dublin
MOUNTJOY - Prison, between NCR and Royal Canal, East of Phibsborough Road.
slow coach - one who acts, works or moves slowly; a slow, idle or indolent person + (slow train).
openair - outdoor
hideous - terrible, distressing, or revolting to the moral sense; abominable, detestable
How did they manage it, says you (notebook 1922-23) → Leader 11 Nov 1922, 327/1: 'Our Ladies' Letter': 'You heard - or did you - Mary Rose of the bog was married. He's a general or something... How did they manage it, says you'.
I will go bail - I am certain
dairyman - a man who owns or manages a dairy; a man who works in a dairy
bumping - huge, great; 'thumping'
The butter is in the cow's horns (that is, she gives no milk) (notebook 1923) → Roberts: The Proverbs of Wales 59: 'The butter is in the cow's horns (that is, when she gives no milk)'.
Pearce: Sims Reeves, Fifty Years of Music in England 93n: (of Hector Berlioz) 'On one occasion at rehearsal the harps with their cases were put together to enclose a small space wherein he could change his shirt, the operation being necessary in consequence of his intense exertions'.
The Wren, the Wren, The king of all birds (song)
balbuties - stammering, stuttering; lisping + balbo (it) - stuttering + -accio (it) - (pejorative).
-uccio (it) - (diminutive)
Thought to have been brought to America by the Chinese railroad laborers, chow-chow is a mustard-flavored mixed-vegetable-and-pickle relish. Originally, the term was used to describe a Chinese condiment of orange peel and ginger in a heavy syrup.
chicken pox - the common name for Varicella, a mild eruptive disease, bearing some resemblance to small-pox, and chiefly attacking children
chamber - chamber pot
soft soap - to soothe or persuade with flattery or blarney + soft-soaping (Colloquial) - flattering.