Vocabulary Words

“The Gift” from The Red Pony By John Steinbeck

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Barn Owls Scientific name: Tyto alba

Common name: Barn Owl, hoot-owls • A species of owl whose habitat extends throughout the United States and South America. • These owls require large areas of open land to hunt. The areas, or ecosystems, can be

marsh, grasslands, or mixed agricultural fields. • Barn owls have excellent low-light vision. They can hunt in complete darkness using only

their hearing. Barn Owls eat mostly small mammals, rats, mice, voles, lemmings, shrews, bats, and rabbits. Sometimes they eat other small birds.

• They prefer to swallow their prey whole, and they then cough up pellets with bones, hair, and other material that cannot pass through their digestive tracts.

• They prefer quiet spaces like trees or man-made structures such as barns or silos for nesting and roosting.1

“Jody heard the hoot-owls hunting mice down by the barn, and he heard a fruit tree limb tap-tapping against the house. A cow was lowing when he went to sleep.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 7)

1 The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2015) All About Birds. “Barn Owl.” https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/lifehistory

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Wooden Washtub • A low, wide wooden container used for many purposes. • Before the invention of the washing machine, many people used tubs like these to do their

laundry or wash things in. • It could also be used to store water or other materials.

“He went on to the sagebrush line where the cold spring ran out of its pipe and fell into a round wooden tub.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4)

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Overalls • Clothing made of sturdy materials worn over clothes to protect them. • They have pants, a bib, and shoulder straps. • Usually have many pockets and are loose fitting.2

“He got up and found his overalls and searched for the legs, and then the clock in the other room struck two. He laid his clothes down and got back into bed.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 25)

2Rotenberk, Lori. (Oct. 23, 2013). “Bib Overalls: From Farmware to Fashion Icon.” Modern Farmer. https://modernfarmer.com/2013/10/bib-overalls/

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Curry Comb • A tool made of rubber or plastic with short “teeth” on one side and on the other a flat

space with a handle in which a person can put their hand. • It is usually the first tool used for grooming a horse. • The horse is rubbed or “curried” to help loosen dirt and hair, and to stimulate the skin to

produce natural oils. • The curry comb is usually used in a circular motion to work loose embedded material.

“He took the brush and currycomb from the wall, took down the barrier of the box stall and stepped cautiously in.”

“Jody curried and brushed until a pile of dead hair lay in the stall and until the pony’s coat had taken on a deep red shine.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 12)

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Oil Lamp (or lantern) • Before the invention of electric light bulbs in the 1880s, people used oil lamps to light their

homes and work. They were an alternative to candles because they were brighter. • Different types of oils were used as fuel such as walnut, almond, sesame, olive, castor, flax

oil. Animals fats like butter, fish oil, shark liver, whale blubber, and seal oil were also burned. Modern oils like kerosene and paraffin are still used today.

• Oil lamps consisted of a burner, a mantel, and a chimney.3

“Billy found and lighted a lantern. He and Jody walked through the mud to the barn. The barn was dark and warm and sweet. The horses still munched their evening hay. “You hold the lantern!” Billy ordered.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 24)

3 Red Hill General Store. (2018). “Lantern Oil”. http://www.redhillgeneralstore.com/Oil-Lamp-Parts/Lantern-Oil.htm#oil-lamp-fuel-options

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Sagebrush Scientific name: Artemisia californica

Common name: California Sagebrush & Coastal Sagebrush • Shrub that is native to coastal areas in California from Baja to north of Sacramento. Grows

in coastal, chaparral, and dry foothill ecosystems. • The shrub grows 5-8 feet tall. The stems of the plant are thin and flexible. The leaves are

hairy and light green to gray in color. The flower clusters are leafy, narrow, and sparse. • The plant can grow in very dry climates and is resistant to drought.4 • The plant smells very floral and similar to sage. • Several species use the plant as their habitat, including critically threatened California

gnatcatcher and Bell’s sage sparrow. • Native Americans used the plant in teas to reduce swelling, as poultices for wounds, and to

put in baths or fires to help with coughs and colds. Hunters of the tribe used the plant’s scent as camouflage and rubbed it on their bodies before hunting.5

• Gold miners used it as filler in their bedding to keep insects and fleas away.

“Behind him, in the tall sagebrush, the birds were scampering on the ground, making a great noise among the dry leaves; the squirrels piped shrilly on the side-hills.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4).

4 California Native Plant Society. (2014). “California Sagebrush”. http://calscape.org/Artemisia-californica-() 5 Young-Mathews, A. (2010). “Plant guide for California sagebrush (Artemisia californica)”. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation

Service, Plant Materials Center. Lockeford, CA, 95237.

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Geraniums Scientific name: Pelargonium Common name: Geraniums

• Geraniums are a popular and hearty flowering plant known for their brightly colored petals. • They can grow up to 1-2 feet tall and come in many different colors and provide many

various scents. • They are grown for their beauty and pleasing scents, but also for their botanical (plant)

properties. Geraniums have been used in beauty products to clear hair and skin.

“Then he turned and looked back on the ranch, on the low, whitewashed house girded with red geraniums, and on the long bunkhouse by the cypress tree where Billy Buck lived alone.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4)

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Cypress Tree Scientific name: Hesperocyparis macrocarpa

Common name: Cypress

• Cypress trees that grow in this area have adapted to living in the often dry, windy climate of the central coast of California.

• They are coniferous tree (meaning their seeds come in cones, like pine cones) and evergreen (meaning it has green leaves all year round).

• The trees have scale-shaped leaves, gnarled trunks, and often have flattops due to the strong winds in the coastal areas they grow.

• They give off a lemony scent. • They grow to be very old.

“In the gray quiet mornings when the land and the brush and the houses and the trees were silver-gray and black like a photograph negative, he stole toward the barn, past the sleeping stones and the sleeping cypress tree.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 13)

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Muskmelon Scientific Name: Cucumis melo

Common Name: Muskmelon, cantaloupe, melon, winter melon • Mushmelons originated in Persia but are now grown all over the world. • Two groups fall under the muskmelon category:

o C. melo cantalupensis (cantaloupe or muskmelon) – Matures into medium sized fruit. The surface is netted, warty, or scaly. The flesh is usually orange but sometimes green. Tastes aromatic or musky.

o C. melo inodorus (the winter melon) – Has a smooth or wrinkled surface. The flesh is usually white or green, like honeydew. It does not smell as musky.

• Melons that have not ripened fully can be used in salads, cooked (soup, stew, curry, stir-fry), or pickled.

• Ripe fruit can be eaten fresh as a dessert fruit, canned, or used for syrup or jam; dehydrated slices (lightly processed) for short-term or moderate storage can be

reconstituted; and the pressed juice can be canned.6

“Back through the vegetable garden he went, and he paused for a moment to smash a green muskmelon with his heel, but he was not happy about it.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 5)

6 Rhodes, David. (Jan. 7, 2008). “HORT410 - Vegetable Crops”. Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture. Purdue University. https://hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort410/muskm/mu00001.htm

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Airedale • A dog in the terrier group, which was bred to be feisty and hunt rodents.7 • Airedales are the largest of the terrier group. • They have wiry black and tan fur, long faces with beards and mustaches, and front-facing

ears. • They have an alert personality and are smart and eager to train with humans. They do not

always get along with other animals or dogs. • Fun fact: Steinbeck owned an Airedale.

“A red pony colt was looking at him out of the stall. Its tense ears were forward and a light of disobedience was in its eyes. Its coat was rough and thick as an Airedale’s fur and its mane was

long and tangled.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 9)

7 American Kennel Club. (2018) “Airedale Terrier”. http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/airedale-terrier/

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Saddle • A supportive structure that can be strapped to the back of a horse or other four-legged

animal in order for a rider to have a secure seat while riding. • The most common type of saddle is made of leather and sits on a horse’s back. • The most commons types of saddles are English saddles and western saddles. • Western saddles originated from the Mexican vaqueros who were the early horse trainers

and cattle handlers of Mexico and the American Southwest. • Western saddles were created to give the horse freedom of movement and the rider

complete control. They were designed with a saddle “horn” which allows riders working with livestock or horses to tie the other animals to the horn with ropes.

• This allows the rider to corral and manage the other animals as well.

“In the harness room he lifted down a little

saddle of red morocco leather. ‘It’s just a show saddle,’ Billy Buck said disparagingly. ‘It isn’t practical for the brush, but it was

cheap at the sale.’ (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 10)

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Hackamore • A type of bridle or headgear for horses that does not have a bit (the metal bar that is

inserted into the horse’s mouth). • It has a special noseband which puts pressure on the horse’s nose and jaw. • They are used on young horses to train them to wear more complicated bridles and gear. • It has a long rope rein called a mecate and may also add a type of stabilizing throatlatch

called a fiador, which is held to the hackamore by a brow band.

“If you will collect the tail hair, I might be able to make a hair rope for you sometime. You could use it for a hackamore.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 10)

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Sawhorse • Also called a saw-buck, trestle, or buck. • It is a beam with four legs used to support a board or plank for sawing. • A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, log, or other long object, as a scaffold. • Modern sawhorses are made out of many materials and some can fold up for easier

storage.

“He practiced on the sawhorse how he would hold the reins in his left hand and a hat in his right hand.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 20)

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Black kettle • Also called a cauldron. • It is a large, metal, typically cast iron, pot for cooking or boiling over an open fire. • Usually with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger. • Traditionally used to cook stews or large amounts of food over open flame, outdoors. • Stereotypically associated with witches through popular fiction which depicted witches

using caldrons to brew potions. • In Irish culture, a cauldron is what mythical leprechauns used to store their gold.

“Jody could see the great black kettle under the cypress tree. That was where the pigs were scalded.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4)

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Vegetable Patch • A “patch” is a word to describe a small plot of land. • A vegetable patch is where a gardener plants fruits, herbs, vegetables, or root vegetables. • Historically, many homeowners living in rural areas with land to spare would try to cultivate

a portion of it. • Usually small enough to garden and tend by hand, using no heavy machinery. • Generally enclosed by a fence or barrier to keep animals out. • It is more for function than for looking pretty. Food grown would be used in the kitchen as

opposed to large scale farming used to feed many people, or for decorative gardens used for beauty and leisure.

“Jody continued on through the large vegetable patch where the green corn was higher than his head.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4)

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Twenty-Two Rifle • .22 Long Rifle, or .22 LR, is a type of rifle that can shoot .22 caliber bullets. • It is considered the most popular rifle for beginner shooters because it is relatively

inexpensive, quiet, and its recoil is less powerful than most rifles. o Recoil (of a gun) is the fast movement backward as a reaction to firing a bullet. It

often jerks back, springs back, or kicks back into the shooter’s shoulder or hand. • It is widely used for recreational purposes like target practice, training and practicing, small

game hunting, and pest control. • John Steinbeck has a 22 rifle as a young boy.

“When the wood-box was full, Jody took his twenty-two rifle up to the cold spring at the brush line. He drank again and then aimed the gun at all manner of things, at rocks, at birds on the wing, at the big black pig kettle under the cypress tree, but he didn’t shoot for he had no cartridges and he wouldn’t have until he was twelve.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 6)

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Quail Scientific Name: Callipepla californica

Common Name: California Quail • A quail is a round shaped bird whose habitat is in coastal sagebrush, chaparral, foothills,

and the high desert of California and the northwestern United States. • Quails are grey with rich decorations in their feathers. They have a distinct forward-

drooping plume on their foreheads. • They forage for seeds, vegetation, and small invertebrates on the ground and are known

for their speedily moving feet when running through open area. • They are adapted for arid climates and can survive without water, getting moisture from

succulents and bugs. 8 • Quail chicks mix with the brood (group of birds) after they hatch and adult quails help raise

all of the chicks. • The California quail is California’s state bird.

“At his feet Jody could see the little arms of new weeds spreading out over the ground. In the mud about the spring were thousands of quail tracks.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 34)

8 The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2015) All About Birds. “California Quail.” https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Quail/lifehistory#at_nesting

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Iron Triangle • Also called a dinner bell or a chuck wagon bell. • Made from a piece of iron shaped into a triangle. • When struck with another piece of metal, it has a high, loud ring. • In the past, triangles were used to call people to a meal in the place of a bell. Triangles

were flat and light, therefore easy to pack and transport while traveling.

“The high angling note of the triangle put the boy Jody into motion.” “The triangle picked him up out of sleep. It didn’t occur to him to disobey the harsh note. He never had: no one he knew ever had.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 2)

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Boots

• A shoe worn while doing hard manual labor, walking on tough terrain, or during inclement weather.

• Usually made of very sturdy leather and covering the ankles and calves. • There are many different types of boots, depending on when they are worn and the

occasion they are worn at. There are rain boots, dress boots, riding boots, and many more.

“Jody’s tall stern father came in then and Jody knew from the noise on the floor that he was wearing boots, but he looked under the table anyway, to make sure.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 3)

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Quartz

Scientific Composition: Silicon dioxide (SiO2) Common Names: Milky quarts, rose quartz, amethyst, smoky quartz

• Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the earth’s crust. • It is hard and brittle, but can break apart. It cannot be scratched with a knife, but it can

scratch glass. • It is hexagonal, which is characterized by six-sided prisms ended by six-sided pyramids. • It is resistant to wear and weather, which is why it makes up beach and stream gravel and

sand. • Some cut sections of clear quartz crystals can be used as crystal oscillators to control the

frequency of radio transmitters. (An oscillator is a device for generating electric currents or voltages by non-mechanical means)

• Clear or attractively colored crystals are cut for gem stones. • Native American Indians, African tribes, ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, Romans, Scots and

countless other cultures used Clear Quartz in diagnostic healing, meditations and spiritual development, as religious objects and in funerary rites, and to dispel evil and magical enchantments.9

“Jody started his journey. He filled his pockets with little pieces of white quartz that lay in the road, and every so often he took a shot at a bird or some rabbit that had stayed sunning itself in the road too long.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 5)

“He held the neck to the ground with one hand while his other found a piece of sharp white quartz.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 36)

9 Megemont, Florence. (2008). The Metaphysical Book of Gems and Crystals. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594772142/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=crysvaul-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1594772142

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Stetson Hat

• John B. Stetson was originally from New Jersey, where his father was a hat maker. • He traveled west during the Gold Rush to become a prospector and, while he was there,

made some hats out of fur felt as a joke. • His first hats, named “Boss of the Plains,” had four-inch flat brims, a straight-side crown

with rounded corners. They were lightweight, waterproof, and natural in color. The hats were fitted to head size and had John B. Stetson’s name on the sweatband.

• He created the hats with high quality materials and charged a high price, too. • Outdoorsmen wearing the “western” style hat communicated that they were rugged and

well-off and, at the same time, city-dwellers who wore their “dress” version of the hat communicated that they were well-off in their own way.

• Different versions were made, but were well known as the cowboy hat of the west. • Stetson’s company was so successful that it still operates today, selling hats and now

clothes, belts, perfume, and clothing.

“His eyes were a contemplative, watery gray and the hair which protruded from under his Stetson hat was spikey and weathered.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 1)

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Turkey Vulture

Scientific Name: Cathartes aura Common Name: Buzzards, vulture

• Turkey vultures are birds of prey, or raptors. This means that they are carnivorous, or eat meat.

• Specifically, they are carrion birds, or scavengers, which means they eat dead animals and carcasses.

• They are large black or brown birds with featherless red, leathery heads. • They soar in the air or close to the ground, smelling for fresh carcasses. Usually their

soaring has a little teetering to it. • Turkey vultures can be found in any habitat, urban and rural.

“Over the hillside two big black buzzards sailed low to the ground and their shadows slipped smoothly and quickly ahead of them. Some animal had died in the vicinity. Jody knew it. It might be a cow or it might be the remains of a rabbit. The buzzards overlooked nothing. Jody hated them as all decent things hate them, but they could not be hurt because they made away with carrion.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 4-5)

“The first buzzard sat on the pony’s head and its beak had just risen dripping with dark eye fluid.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 36)

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Carbolic Salve

• Carbolic salve is also known as phenyl alcohol. • It is distilled from coal tar. • Carbolic salve is a salve, or balm, which contains diluted carbolic acid mixed with an oil base

and used to treat minor cuts, scrapes, burns, skin rashes and insect bites. • Before modern antiseptic, the salve was used to kill bacteria on wounds, cuts, splinters and

scrapes.

“He lashed out with his hind feet and tried to rear, but Jody held his head down while Billy mopped the new wound with carbolic salve.” (The Red Pony, Penguin, 1992, 32)

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Horse Anatomy

• Anatomy is the science that deals with the form and structure of organic bodies, anatomical structure or organization.

For more information and pictures of a horse’s anatomy, visit:

http://www.thinklikeahorse.org/index-5.html