Act 5, Scene 2

Windsor Park.

Word definitions on hover

Notes

TLN 2015archaic vocab
“couch i' the castle-ditch”
'Couch' means to lie low and hide, not to sit on a sofa. The 'castle-ditch' is the moat or defensive ditch around Windsor Castle. Page is telling the group to conceal themselves at the edge of the moat until the mock-fairy procession lights up the park.
TLN 2017archaic vocab
“we have a nay-word how to know one another”
A 'nay-word' is a watchword or secret code — a phrase agreed in advance so two people can recognize each other in the dark or in disguise. Slender explains that Anne will be dressed in white; he will call out 'mum' (silence) and she will reply 'budget' (probably a corruption of the French 'bouger,' meaning 'stir' or 'move'), confirming her identity.
TLN 2021archaic vocab
“The white will decipher her well enough”
'Decipher' here means 'identify' or 'distinguish' — not decode a secret message, but simply pick her out from the crowd. Shallow's point is practical: since Anne is supposed to be the only person dressed in white, anyone can spot her without needing a password.