Conner. A conner or ale-conner was an official appointed in a city (usually the common hall of the city appointed four each year) to examine the bread, beer and ale sold in the city to make sure they were good, wholesome and sold at proper prices. It may sound like a great job, but it wasn’t. First, this was before the introduction of hops to beer (hops are a preservative), so it would not have been uncommon to encounter beer that had gone bad. Second, if the beer was not wholesome, or if the seller was cheating on measures, the conner would issue a fine, essentially making him a sort of specialist tax-collector. Conners were not popular.
Everybody’s Innocent-wise. Any prisoner you ask will tell you they are innocent of the crime they’ve committed. This is a statement of cynicism on the part of the gaoler. He’s heard all the excuses and sad stories before. He can pick these stories apart.
Intense. Of extreme force, degree or strength. Having very strong opinions. Extremely earnest or serious.
Ornery. Bad-tempered and combative. Grouchy.
Quick-witted. An agile mind. Someone who can react to a rapidly changing situation quickly and effectively. Clever. Intelligent.
Happy-go-lucky. Carefree. Casually unconcerned about the future.
Salt of the Earth. Idiomatic English phrase drawn from the Bible (Matthew 5:13). Decent, unpretentious people. Unsophisticated. Often applied to farmers and others who work with their hands.
Fall Grass-wise. Does calling it Autumn Grass-wise help at all? Field Laborers know all about grass in autumn. When it’s ready, how it needs to be cut, how you dry and gather it for haymaking, etc.
White-Gold Wielder. A reference to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson, in which a writer from our world, who has been afflicted with leprosy, finds himself in a fantasy world where his wedding ring, made of white gold, is a powerful magical artifact. White-Gold Wielder is the title of the last book in the second trilogy. It’s essentially a joke.
Cassandra. Cassandra is a character from The Iliad. She is the daughter of King Priam of Troy and the sister of Paris and Hector. She was beloved by Apollo but had taken a vow of chastity and so refused him. Apollo cursed her with the gift of prophecy. Her visions would always be true but no one would believe her. She is the one that foresees the fall of Troy. She even warns the Trojans of the Greeks hiding within the Trojan Horse, but none heed her. In the sack of the city she seeks refuge in the Temple of Athena but is dragged out and raped by Ajax the Lesser. Odysseus insisted the Greeks stone Ajax to death for his sacrilege, but he protests his innocence and the Greeks fail to punish him, which is why Athena convinces Zeus and Poseidon to destroy most of the Greek fleet on the way home. Cassandra is taken as the concubine of King Agamemnon and is then promptly murdered, along with Agamemnon, by Agamemnon’s wife and her lover when they return to Mycenae. Cassandra’s infant twin sons by Agamemnon are also murdered. In short, a Cassandra is someone people refuse to believe when she tells them the ugly truth, or someone whom horror and tragedy follows.