| A | B |
|---|
| 451 degrees Fahrenheit | The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns. |
| burn bright | from william blake's poem "The Tiger" |
| cacophony | A variety of harsh, jarring sounds heard all at once. |
| Clarisse | A name derived from the Latin word for "brightest". |
| dentifrice | Any preparation for teeth cleaning. |
| Guy Montag | His first name refers to Guy Fawks, a man who plotted to blow up British Parliament in 1605. Montag, a trademark of Mead (an American paper company), makes stationary and furnaces. |
| Icarus | Son of Daedalus in Greek mythology. He flew too close to the sun and his wings made of wax melted, sending him plummeting to his death. |
| infinitely | Lacking limits or bounds, specifically regarding time. |
| November 4 | Historically, the eve of Guy Fawkes' "Gunpowder Plot" to burn the British Parliament, a plan meant to destroy James I who oppressed Catholics. In F. 451, the firemen play cards together on Nov. 4. |
| phoenix | In Egyptian mythology a bird that, after a long life, sets itself on fire, and then rises from the ashes to begin a new life. |
| pratfall | Slang for falling on one's rear end. Often used in burlesque routines. |
| proboscis | A tubular organ used for smell and sense. The human proboscis is the nose. |
| salamander | Amphibian resembling a lizard. In mythology, salamanders are said to live through fire without burning. |
| theremin | An early electronic musical instrument whose sound is controlled by moving the air between two antennae. |
| trench mouth | An infectious disease producing mouth ulcers in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. |
| V-2 Rocket | The first long-range liquid fueled missile carrying one ton of explosives, used first by the Germans in WWII. |
| Vesuvius | A volcano in Italy, near Naples, that erupted in 79 A.D., burying Pompeii in volcanic ash. |
| Ray Bradbury | author of Fahrenheit 451 |
