Bituminous Black-out paint
This was a substance derived from the same source as asphalt, and was used during the war to paint out streetlamps and other sources of light that were likely to show a pilot where landmarks were.
Elocution
This is the way a person expresses a story or poem when read aloud. This was especially popular when street readings were still popular.
St. John's Ambulance Men
This was a group of volunteers who drove amublances during World War 1, since there was a shortage of people due to enlistment.
Food-cupboards
In places such as dormitories or other communal living spaces, food cupboard were often locked with a key to preserve food during the rationing of World War 1
Ration Book Black Market
People were given their ration books, and if they did not like what was found in these ration books there was a black market to sell them on and trade for other coupons. Technically not illegal, but certainly frowned upon.
Cheese Pie
During World War One, meat was heavily rationed and hard to get a hold of. So, in an effort to find good substitutes for recipes, cheese was put in place of meat in a Meat Pie.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Again, certain foods were heavily rationed during World War One. Bread and Butter pudding was a 'desert' that was made with margarin and bread.
Rasison d'être
This is a French phrase meaning "reason for being". Like a claimed reason for existence for someone.
Débutante
one making a debut (see 1debut) : debutant; especially : a young woman making her formal entrance into society ("https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debutante"). This is also seen today in a different form, but is still reserved for upper class families.
The Wreck of Deutschland
This is a 35 stanza poem written by Gerard Manley Hopkins. It is an ode with heavy christian themes.
Moonlit Apples
This is a short poem by John Drinkwater as an ode to inner connectedness. (https://allpoetry.com/Moonlit-Apples)
Pensées
This translates to "thoughts". These are fragments of philosophy and theology written by Blaise Pascal. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pens%C3%A9es)
Orthosexual
Relating to or having the orthodox form of sexuality in a particular culture. (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/orthosexual)
Dyspepsia Remedies
Dyspepsia is simply a difficulty in digestion. The main cause of dyspepsia can be overeating, poor eating habits, or eating too rapidly. Home remedies for dyspepsia include the use of fresh fruits like grapes, oranges, pineapples, melons, apples, pomegranate, and pears in different forms. These were popular remedies in the 20th century.
Droits de seigneur
This is French for "Lord's Right". It means feudal lords have the right to sexual relations with subordinate women. This is considered historical fiction, as no hard evidence has ever come about concerning this matter. In this time period it was widely believed that this was a practice in the Medieval era and was used frequently when talking of courting.
Kubla Khan
This is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge based of an opium high after reading about the Mongols.
Saccharine
These tablets were an excessively sweet type of sugar, easy to get a hold of during rationing. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccharine)
Wireless This is a wireless radio they are referring to. This is how most people got their information about the war.
Evening Psalter
The Evening Psalter is a little book that contains the most used portion of the Book of Common Prayer.
English Aquiline nose
An aquiline nose is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquiline_nose). This phrase was used frequently to differentiate different ethnicities during the war. It was a word used with pride for the most part.