Here is vocabulary and idioms to go along with To Kill A Mockingbird as discussed in this thread
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/

Chapter 1 - Vocabulary

ambled: (vb.): to walk at a slow, leisurely pace.
apothecary (n.): an early form of a pharmacist, apothecaries could also prescribe drugs.
assuaged (vb.): to assuage is to lessen or to calm. Therefore, if Jem's fears about being able to play football were assuaged, it means that he no longer feared that he wouldn't be able to play the sport.
beadle (n.): a minor city official, lower in rank than either a sheriff or a policeman, whose main duties revolve around preserving order at various civil functions such as trials and town hall meetings.
brethren (n.): in this case, members of a particular church or sect
corsets (n): a corset is a ladies undergarment designed to produce a particular effect on the figure. That effect usually results in a slim (or slimmer) waist and larger busts and hips.
dictum (n.): in this case, a formal statement of principle
domiciled (vb.): A domicile is a house or a place where a person lives. If you are domiciled somewhere, that is where you live. The Finch family lived in the northern part of the county.
eaves (n.): the lower edges of a roof which usually project beyond the side of a building
foray (n.): When you make a foray, you go somewhere or do something that is unusual or not normal for you. It was certainly not Jem's usual behavior to go near the Radley house; thus, doing so was a foray for him.
human chattels (n.): slaves
impotent (adj.): powerless. Simon's fury and anger regarding the Civil War would certainly have been impotent because there would have been nothing he could have done about it.
impudent (adj.): To be impudent is to be shamelessly bold, as if you don't care what anyone thinks about you. Since the Haverfords did something illegal in front of witnesses, Lee rightfully describes them as impudent.
malevolent (adj.): evil
Methodists (n): members of a branch of a Protestant Christian denomination. Find out more about the United Methodist Church.
picket (n): a pointed or sharpened pole or stake. Many pickets held together can make a picket fence.
piety (n): devotion to religious duties and practices
predilection (n.): a predilection is a preference, or a preferred way of doing something. Thus, the Radley's preferred way of spending a Sunday afternoon was to keep the doors closed and not receive visitors
ramrod (adj.): rigid, severe, straight
repertoire was vapid: (n. + adj.): a repertoire is all the special skills a person has; vapid, in this case, means boring or uninteresting. So, when Scout says that their repertoire was vapid, she means that the games they had invented to pass the time had become old and had lost their interest.
scold (n.): A scold is a person who scolds; that is, someone who often finds fault with people or things (and usually lets you know about it under no uncertain terms)
spittoon (n.): a jarlike container to spit into; usually used to spit tobacco juice into. See a picture of a spittoon.
strictures (n.): conditions or rules
taciturn (adj.): almost always silent. Apparently, Aunt Alexandra's husband was a very quiet man.
unsullied (adj.): something that is unsullied has been basically untouched or unused. The fact that Atticus's edition of the Code of Alabama is unsulliedwould, in this case, indicate that he seldom consults this book.
veranda (n): a portico or porch with a roof

Chapter 2 - Vocabulary

auburn (adj.): reddish-brown
catawba worms (n.): catawba worms are actually caterpillars that are highly prized by fishermen in the Southern United States.
condescended (vb.): To condescend is to agree to do something that you believe to be beneath your dignity. Jem condescends to take Scout to school, even though, as a fifth-grader, he feels superior to his first-grade sister.
covey (n.): a group
crimson (adj.): blood-red
cunning (adj.): In this case, cunning means attractive or cute -- almost too cute
entailment (n.): a legal situation regarding the use of inherited property.
hookworms (n.): a type of parasite. Hookworms usually enter the body through bare feet and move through the body to the small intestines where they attach themselves with a series of hooks around their mouths. See a picture of a hookworm.
immune (adj.): In this case, to be immune to something means that it has no effect on you. The story Miss Caroline reads to the class has no effect on them; they don't get it.
indigenous (adj.): belonging to a particular region or country
scrip stamps (n.): paper money of small denominations (less than $1.00) issued for temporary emergency use. During the Great Depression, many local and state government gave out scrip stamps, or sometimes tokens, to needy people.
seceded (vb.): To secede is to break away. During the Civil War, Alabama was one of the states that broke away, or seceded from the Union.
smilax (n.): a bright green twinning vine, often used for holiday decorations. See a picture of smilax.
sojourn (n.): a brief visit
subsequent mortification (adj. + n.): Something that is subsequent will follow closely after something else. Mortification is a feeling of shame or the loss of self respect. If Scout had been able to explain things to Miss Caroline, she could have prevented her teacher from losing self respect of feeling shameful later on.
vexations (n.): To vex is to annoy, so a vexation is something that causes annoyance or problems.
wallowing illicitly (vb. + adv.): In this case, to wallow is to indulge in something (usually an activity) with great enjoyment. Illicit, used like this, means unauthorized or improper. After listening to Miss Caroline, Scout feels that, by reading, she has been happily indulging in something which she should not have been doing.

Chapter 3 - Vocabulary

amiable (adj.): friendly
compromise (n.): an agreement where each person agrees to give up something
contemptuous (adj.): To be contemptuous is to have the feeling that someone or something is beneath you; that it or they are worthless. The Ewell boy obviously feels this way about his teacher, Miss Caroline.
contentious (adj.): always ready to argue or fight
cootie (n.): a slang term for a head louse. A louse (plural: lice) is a bloodsucking parasite. See a picture of a head louse. (note: current use of the term cootie is any type of "germs" from a boy or a girl)
cracklin bread (n.): a type of cornbread mixed with cracklins (bits of fried pork skin). Want to make some? Here's a recipe for cracklin' bread.
diminutive (adj.): smaller than ordinary
disapprobation (n.): disapproval
discernible (adj.): understandable
dispensation (n.): a release from an obligation or promise. In this case, by offering friendship to Walter and promising that Scout won't fight with him, Jem dispenses her threat to fight with him more.
dose (of) magnesia (n. + n.): A dose is an exact amount of medicine. Magnesia is a medicine used as a laxative and antacid.
eddy (n.): a current of water that moves against the main current; a whirlpool
erratic (adj.): irregular. Calpurnia usually uses good grammar, but when she is angry, her grammar is irregular.
flinty (adj.): Flint is a very hard rock. Something that is flinty is extremely hard and firm.
fractious (adj.): mean or cross
gravely (adv.): seriously
haint (n.): a ghost or spook; someone or something very scary
irked (v.): to be irked is to be annoyed. Scout is annoyed when Jem tells Walter that she won't fight with him (Walter) anymore.
kerosene (n.): a thin oil. Kerosene is sometimes used as a solvent or cleaning agent, although its more common use is for fuel or lighting.
lye soap (n.): Lye is a very strong alkaline substance used for cleaning. Lye soap is very strong, harsh soap that contains lye.
monosyllabic (adj.): Mono means "one." A syllable is word or a part of a word which can be pronounced with a single, uninterrupted sound. The name "Atticus," for example, is made up of three syllables: at + ti + cus. Thus, monosyllabic literally means "one sound." Scout's monosyllabic replies to Atticus's questions about her first day at school might have been made up of one-sound words like "yes" and "no."
mutual concessions (adj. + n.): A concession is an agreement; something that is mutual is done by two or more people. Thus, a mutual concessionoccurs when two or more people agree on something.
onslaught (n.): a violent attack
persevere (v.): to carry on in spite of difficulties
tranquility (n.): peacefulness; serenity