A lot of Victorian and English terms used in Dickens' books are unfamiliar to Americans, and even to modern readers in the UK. Dickens also stressed moral themes by including passages from the Christian Bible. This page is divided into two sections: one is an alphabetical glossary of unfamiliar words, the other is a series of Biblical references arranged by the chapter in which they appear. If you have any information to add, or have a question about a term not covered here, please feel free to contact me!

Chapter 15
Uriah, David, and Agnes - it was an interesting choice by Dickens to name the presumed villain "Uriah". In Samuel 12:1-25, God sends Nathan the Prophet to speak to King David, who has just committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of loyal soldier Uriah the Hittite. Nathan tells David a parable in which a rich man steals a poor man's only lamb. King David is fiercely indignant until he realizes the story is about him. In David Copperfield, a rivalry is set up between Uriah and David, over Agnes; the name Agnes means lamb. Dickens seems to be almost sympathetic toward Uriah in creating this Biblical parallel.

Chapter 52
eleven o’clock to one - Uriah is referring to two charity school terms, the first of which would have been devoted to Scripture, and would have vilified work according to Genesis 3:16-19 (Introduction to the Penguin Edition); the second of which was dedicated to practical studies and according to English society stressed the importance of work. See also charity school.

Chapter 61
...making his forgiving nature the subject of a most impious and awful parallel - Uriah is most likely referring to Luke 24:34 - "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..."

#| A|B|C|D|E|FG...the rest are coming soon!

5th of November - David is accidentally quoting a song about popular British legend Guy Fawkes. It begins, “Remember, remember the fifth of November/The gunpowder, treason and plot/I know of no reason/Why the gunpowder treason/Should ever be forgot." See also Guy Fawkes.

all-fours - a popular card game played by two people, in which the first to get four pre-designated cards wins
area way - an opening outside of the basement, used by servants
articles...articled clerk - in the English law tradition, students had to purchase their "articles" and serve as apprentice to a lawyer for 5 years.
astrand - stranded

bandbox - oval-shaped box, often made of wood, for carrying or storing belongings
Bath water - mineral water from the town of Bath
bear's grease - hair product for men
Blood - aristocrats
blue bag - a bag made of blue fabric, used by law students as a sort of briefcase for carrying legal documents and occasionally garments
bootjack - device usually made of wood to help remove knee-length boots
bumpers - glasses filled to the brim, as in a toast
brazier - someone who shapes brass for a living, like a silversmith

casino - another card game
casters - shakers used for salt and pepper and other spices
charity school - a free or very inexpensive school for children, usually boys. Education generally included the three R's as well as Biblical study but these schools could be quite brutual, and Dickens publicly condemned them and their effects on children. It is interesting, then, that he makes a point to mention Uriah is a product of charity school.
charing - housecleaning
coguomen - nickname
court cards - the royal cards (king, queen and jack) in a deck of playing cards
cowpock - cowpox, illness similar to chickenpox or smallpox
chip bonnet - bonnet woven from palm leaves
cockboat - small, fragile boat
cock-hat note - a note folded so that it resembles a tricornered hat
corner things - side dishes
cupper - refers to early methods of drawing blood using a cup
cuirass - paper pattern for making clothing

dab - small flatfish
double one - a molar tooth
downy - alert, wide-awake
dress-box - area of seating in a theatre, usually in the lower balcony
DV, Deo volente - God willing

egg-hot - a drink made with ale
escritoire - writing surface

facers - a punch or strike in the face
father-in-law - early term that does double duty as its modern use and also "stepfather", as in David's case
first boy - top student, student leader
flip - mixed drink with beaten eggs
fly conveyance, fly-drivers - a fly was the Victorian equivalent of a taxi, fast and cheap, it could be hired to ride in
frock - woolen sweater worn by sailors
foundation school - see charity school

galvanic - jerky, a reference to Galvani's projects of shooting electric currents through dead frogs and making their limbs move
gammon and spinnage - gammon and "spinach", nonsense. These two words were also the names of two of Miss Flite's birds in Bleak House, named after Chancery practice.
Great Plague - the bubonic plague of 1665, in which millions died
goblin pieman - trader that gambles and bargains with customers over product prices
grog - watered down rum, characteristically drunk by sailors
gormed - dialectal version of "damned"
Gunpowder Plot - a plot planned by British Roman Catholics, who were religiously persecuted in England. They intended to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James and other officials. Guy Fawkes was involved, tried for treason, and hanged. See also Guy Fawkes and 5th of November
Guy Fawkes - a member of a group of Roman Catholic restorationists from England that planned the Gunpowder Plot. He is often depicted in effigy form as ugly and scarecrow-like.

"Remember" is a fan site dedicated to Charles Dickens' 8th novel, David Copperfield. This website is in no way official, it is simply a fan project and is completely non-profit. No copyright infringement is intended; please review the resources or disclaimer or contact with questions. In short? Don't sue me!