Chapter 1 - page 8
sot
"Now I was to plunge into the dark, joining that endless procession of sots who had gone on before."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word sot functions as a noun. 2
Definition from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
amends
"What would I not give to make amends." Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8.
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word amends functions as a noun. 2
Definition from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
despair, bitter, morass, self-pity
" No words can tell of the loneliness and despair I found in that bitter morass of self-pity."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence bitter functions as an adjective: despair, morass, and self-pity functions as nouns. 2
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
quicksand
"Quicksand stretched around me in all directions."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word quicksand functions as as an noun. 2
Definition from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
overwhelmed
"I had been overwhelmed."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word overwhelmed functions as a past participle. 2
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
insidious
"Then came the insidious insanity of that first drink, and on Armistice Day 1934, I was off again."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence insidious functions as an adjective. 2
Bill is referring to the following incident in this sentence. Bill had been dry for weeks after undergoing treatment at Towns Hospital. That year, Armistice Day was celebrated on 12 November 1934. Armistice Day was a holiday to honor WWI veterans, equivalent to what is now called Veterans Day in the U.S. Bill used the holiday to play a round of golf on Staten Island. In Brooklyn, he caught the ferry to Staten Island, then boarded a bus for the golf course. The bus broke down en route. While waiting for the replacement bus to arrive, the passengers walked to a nearby cafe. A fellow passenger offered to buy him a drink, but Bill declined, explaining why he could no longer drink. A few hours later, at the golf club, a waiter offered him a free scotch in celebration of Armistice Day. As Bill reached for the glass, his companion commented, "Man, you would be insane to drink that after the story you told me." Bill replied, "I am," and downed the drink. Bill did not play any golf that day; instead, he was found by Lois the next morning sleeping in the vestibule of their Brooklyn home as she left for work. The all-too-familiar cycle began again, ending with another stay at Towns Hospital. 4 This incident proved what Bill later wrote in the Big Book: self-knowledge does not have the power to keep a person sober.
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
debauch
"In reality that was the beginning of my last debauch."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence debauch functions as a noun. 2
Debauch refers to an act or period of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, similar to a spree or binge.
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
catapulted, fourth dimension of existence
"I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word catapulted functions as a verb. 2
Bill described spiritual living as the fourth dimension, something outside his understanding, a higher level of living. He is using the word "catapulted," which refers to energy coming from outside himself. We all know length, width, and height as three dimensions we use every day. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity adds a fourth dimension, being time or spacetime. A practical example would be if you are going to meet someone, you need four coordinates: three for space (where we meet) and one for time (when we meet). Theoretical Physics now suggests that there may be an unlimited number of dimensions. For the different versions of string theory to work, there will have to be 10 to 26 dimensions to describe a place in the universe, including one for time.
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
musing
"My musing was interrupted by the telephone."
1
Big Book - Bill's Story - page 8
In this sentence the word musing functions as a noun. 2
Lost in thoughts (musing) about keeping his alcohol supply steady, Bill was snapped back to reality by the ringing phone.
Definitions from Webster's 1930 edition. 3
|
on to page 9 |
|
back to page 7 |
|
jump to the top of this page |
Footnotes for page 8;
1Quotes from the Big Book on listed on this page are from the public domain version, in the United States, of the 2nd edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Accessible at 12step.org
2Sentence diagramming, to determine the word usage within the sentence, was performed by CoreNLP at corenlp.run.
3Definitions used are from the Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language 1930 Edition. Access to this dictionary online is at Hathitrust.org
4Historical events taken from the books "Bill W." by Robert Thomsen (1975).