Wilfair Encyclopedia

Note: This list contains references to all three Wilfair books, so please pause here if you're still reading or plan to read. Cheers!


BLUE: People
PURPLE: Places
RED: Stuff, objects, or physical items
GREEN: Sayings, thoughts, inside jokes, or intangible things   


0: Fair Finley's new favorite number ever, after Gomery changes her 100% to 1000%. (R)

3: Number of coffees ordered during The Redwoodian roadtrip (Gomery goes tea).(R)

6 and 8: The number-like shapes Gomery's curls form near his collar. 

17: How many fingers a glasses-less Gomery guesses Fair might be holding up. (SA)

$20 bill: What Gomery gives Fair for buying his tea and Monty's coffee; he won't accept change. Later, the $20 helps buy Beefy's right shoe for Fair to wear as she hops through the snow to the real Redwoodian. (R, SA)

26: The number of sweets in a standard-sized box of Sutton's favorite movie sweets (44 mega pack). (SA)

34: How many words Sutton counts in something Monty says (or 35, since he used a contraction).  (SA)

$35: What Monty, Fair, and Gomery pay to buy Beefy's Mega Rocker Runners.

36: The number of mattresses at Motel Fairwil.

100%: Fair's answer to whether she's okay with two conflicting concepts occupying the same space. She draws it on a foggy Redwoodian window. (R)

244: The number written on the business card left for Monty and Gomery. Gomery and Fair think it might be a hotel room. It's not, as they later find out. (R, SA)

300 five-minute conversations: What Fair and Gomery have had over their lifetimes. (SA)

500 Dip Bar: The Wilfair's restaurant. Over 500 different dips -- brie-bacon, asparagus-gouda, strawberry-caramel -- are served. It connects to the motel's dinner (though a screen of trees blocks the two).

1000%: Gomery adds a zero to Fair's 100%, the one she drew on the foggy Redwoodian window. (R)

7,000: The nights Fair has been alive, per Gomery. (SA)

7,600: The nights Gomery has been alive. (SA)

1-800-FAIR-CAN-HELP-MAYBE-OR-PROBABLY-NOT billboard: Fair writes a note to guests -- I work here, wake me -- on the back of a comment card and props it near her head as she sleeps in The Redwoodian lobby. Gomery later leaves her a note on the card, and doctors her message via few carefully placed underlines. (R, SA) 

24,500: Gallons of water in the Motel Fairwil swimming pool. (R, SA)

25,400: Gallons of water listed on the plaque Monty finds near The Wilfair's citrus topiaries. (SA)

1,000,000: How many ways a drop of water can split, per Gomery. (SA)

Alex: The Wilfair Hotel's night guard.

ampersand, full-body: What Fair makes inside The Redwoodian's boiler. Due to the tightness of the space, she can't quite manage a full-body okay sign, and ends up ampersanding her arms instead. (SA)

apron: Sutton dons an apron while chopping fruit. Her aprons typically get fruit-sticky, but that doesn't stop Prior Yates using it as an impromptu pillow. (W, R, SA)

artiste: What Monty refers to himself as, much to his own embarrassment. (SA)

atoms: What sometimes flies off of Fair and zings around the room when she's feeling full-to-burst with affection, excitement, and joy. Gomery's atoms sometimes go missing, too. (SA, F) 

Aunts Ever, Ingham, and Ursa Mathers: The World's Sexiest Aunts. A trio that intimidates Fair from afar, due to their confidence, beauty, and business acumen. Aunts to Thurs Mathers, great-aunts to Colty Mathers. Fair has a run-in with Aunt Ever at The Redwoodian, which proves slightly unsettling. (W, R, SA)

AutomaTowers: A Finley family hotel. Filled with cogs and gears. Located in Orange County. 

banjo: Fair spies one sitting behind the Motel Fairwil's front desk. Gomery puts it in the van when they drive to the mountains. He admits he's just getting good at playing it in "Stay Awhile." (W, R, SA)  

bathtub: Fair's more of a tub person, as Thurs Mathers suspects. (SA)

Beefy/Derrick/J23: The leader of the puffy-jacketed volunteers sent to collect Fair, Monty, and Gomery from The Redwoodian. Has anger issues, but Fair finds his openings. "Beefy" is what Fair calls him in her mind, Derrick is his real name, J23 is his code name, which Monty tells him needs work.

beep beep: The sounds Fair makes when Gomery nears her mouth. (F)

bell carts: The device used to transport luggage at The Wilfair. Wil and Bo Finley occasionally race them down the Faraway Passageway. (W)

bellows, fireplace: What Gomery blows at Fair. Fireplace bellows later replace the empty candy box that's sits in the space where Fair's heart is. They blow hot wind whenever something very interesting happens.

belt loop: Gomery missed one, with his belt, Fair notices. (R)

bew-bew-bew: The sound of rockets popping off the top of one's head. (R, SA)

Bic four-color pen: Gomery's chosen writing instrument. Black is for reservations, red is for cancellations, blue is for fixes around the motel, and green is for personal stuff. (W, R, SA)

bicycle: Fair, Gomery, and Monty do not know how to ride a bicycle. (R, SA)  

Billie Overbove: Monty's mom and an owner of the Motel Fairwil. Fair Finley is intimidated by the Overbove moms, but she comes to see that running a motel is pretty difficult and she misjudged them. She's married to Hal Overbove. Her sister-in-law is Jeri.

birthday candle, pink: Monty requests a candle for Fair's omelet at the Mmm Mmm Café, as her 20th is a few days away. It arrives after she's outside the restaurant, so Gomery hand-delivers it to her. (SA)

blue tile: Spied by Gomery on the floor of the Finleys' secret basement. (F)

Bo Finley: Fair's little brother, twin to Wil. He's more prone to backtalking and stirring up trouble. Fair's also concerned he may be, like, possessed, or something. There are strange, wrong-colored sequins under his bed.

bobby pin: Classic snood fasteners. Gomery removes a pin that's about to fall from Fair's hair, opening it with his teeth before refastening it. Later, a pin is used for wallpaper cutting.

boiler: The hot heart of a cold place. The Redwoodian's old steamy boiler is acting up, but Gomery fixes it, twice, with Fair's help.

brain kiss: A little sweet friend thing between Sutton and Fair. Gomery later embraces the concept, then riffs on it. (R, SA)

brain folders: How Fair attempts to organize where she needs to concentrate her thinking.

bread: Sutton's artillery. (SA)

Brylcreem: The old-school hair product preferred by Fair's little brothers, Wil and Bo. Wil is more of the Brylcreem man, but Bo likes a smooth wave, too. (W, SA)

Buildingy: The name Fair gives the strange pointy structure that pops up outside The Redwoodian. (R, SA)

bumper sticker: What the Motel Fairwil has been handing out for years. Fair and her friends discover it does more than promote the motel. The world's most dangerous bumper sticker. (W, R, SA)

bumper sticker contest: Fair suggests that they call in all of Motel Fairwil's bumper stickers as part of a contest. It'll help get dangerous bumper stickers off the streets and it will raise the motel's profile. An alternate form of advertising. The money raised will go into an account for the Overboves to buy the motel back one day, if they want to. (SA)

button: Gomery pulls it off his shirt, part of his Three Things. Later he gives it to Fair, a small, memory-packed memento. (SA)

Cabot Finley: Fair's father. Co-owner of all nine Finley hotels. A congenial man who is prone to wearing suits, thinking up outlandish new guest-pleasing concepts, and repeating himself, due to his busy mind. He's currently at The Redwoodian, overseeing it while Eoin Fernandez moves to Funeral Inn.

candy box heart: Empty and rattly, it's what is in the place of Fair's real heart. (W, R)

car chase, followed by a boat chase: What constitutes a real bleeding adventure, per Prior Yates. (SA)

carabid beetles: Two are struggling to stay afloat. Gomery rescues one, as does Fair. (W)

cerebellum, Fair's: It's under her snood, as Gomery shows her.

chair, Fair's: Faces her window, and Motel Fairwil, rather than her bedroom. Monty notices. (W, R)

chaperones: Fair Finley says they rule her life. (SA)

chauffeur's cap: Fair pretends she's wearing one, when Monty suggests she's in the driver's seat of their lives. Monty later says Gomery should borrow a cap from The Wilfair's chauffeur when he drives Sutton, Fair, and Monty to prom. A real chaffeur appears at the close of the book, with Clementine Hwang. (SA)

cherry: Fair prefers more cherries than Shirley Temple in her Shirley Temple. (W, R)

cherry on top of the cherry: The Finley family's policy on hotel amenities, design, and presentation.

cherry stems: Worn carnation-style by Gomery in his buttonhole. (SA)

chest hair: The guest Fair helps with stomach medicine has copious amounts. He's also the first shirtless person Fair has ever hugged. (R)

child's hand toy: How Fair thinks of Thurs. She can never quite get the little silver balls into the little holes, as far as he is concerned. (SA)

cinnamoning: The quality of amber light in The Wilfair's lobby.

citrus topiaries: The trees that separate The Wilfair from the Motel Fairwil's swimming pool area. Where the oranges are gathered to make The Wilfair's famous mimosas. (W, SA) 

classic conversation ender: I love you. (SA)

cleaver: Sutton uses one at her grandma's fruitcher shop. She wishes she had it with her when trouble arises at The Redwoodian. (W, R, SA)  

Clementine Hwang: An up-and-coming sound effects artist in the film industry. The Foley Artist prefers an old reel-to-reel machine to record sounds for movies. She doesn't agree to a meeting with Monty about sound effects for The Wilfair, but she suggests a lunch with Fair, where they can get acquainted.

club sandwich: The Motel Fairwil diner's best-known dish. Fair's never had one, and Gomery won't reveal its ingredients. 

code names: What some of the volunteers for the World's Basement use (i.e. J23, J37). Monty suggests that they test out some new code names, as those aren't especially creative. (SA) 

cogs: Gomery loves them, per Monty. (W)

conflicting concepts occupying the same space: Something that haunts Fair.

Colty Mathers: The niece of Thurs Mathers and the great-niece of Ever, Ursa, and Ingham Mathers. At 13, Colty is a couple of years older than the Finley twins.

complimentary toothbrushes: The Finley hotels provide them for guests. Monty is VERY excited. (R, SA)

cool-person license: Fair says she has one. Gomery does not concur. Other licenses Gomery confirms she does own include nice-person, smart-person, and interesting-person. (SA)

copper nozzle: Attached to the fireplace bellows that have replaced Fair's heart. Sometimes, when Gomery is being particularly sweet, the nozzle heats up and blows hot.

corduroys, Gomery's: Dark brown, rewashed to the point of softness, and highly distracting to Fair. (W, SA, R)

corduroys, Gomery's on loan to Prior Yates: The movie star's thighs split his loaner pants. (SA)

cot: Fair tucks a snore-y, sleepy Prior in on the engineer's cot next to the boiler. (SA)

couch, red: Fair, Gomery, and Sutton all take turns sleeping on the couch in The Redwoodian's lobby; Sutton and Fair share. (R, SA) 

crouton: A tiny, crunchy stand-in for the Motel Fairwil. (SA)

crystal factory, former: Where the Mathers family lives. In Pasadena, California.

cup: The business card left for Monty and Gomery at The Redwoodian's front desk tells them they'll need cups. They can't figure out what they're for, but then they learn they're combination devices for transporting copies to the World's Basement (among other uses). (R, SA) 

cup, empty: Thurs Mathers leaves one for Fair. Is it a message? (SA)

damsel bug: Prior pretends he's an insect when he's wrapped in his "pupae" (aka comforter). (SA)

December 12: Fair Finley's birthday

denial and reward: An architectural theory that says buildings should have some "denial" in their design (bushes and trees hiding some of the exterior), the better to build anticipation and ultimate reward (seeing the whole building at once). Fair and Gomery discuss. (SA)

deus ex: Monty says it to acknowledge surprising or helpful turns of events. (SA)

dimples, long: Montgomery #1 owns a pair, as Fair admires. (W, R, SA)

dips: The food of choice at The Wilfair Hotel's 500 Dip Bar. Onion, cheese, strawberry, maple... 

director's viewfinder: Monty carries one, in a rather affected fashion. (W, R)

ditto: A word Gomery says but doesn't care for.

diving board: The Motel Fairwil swimming pool has one. People do ridiculous things on them, per Mr. Finley. And under them, per Fair Finley.

diving board, thoughts of: Occupies one half of Fair Finley's brain.

diving board arms: A posture Gomery and Fair take several times, sans diving board, for the other's benefit. Arms upraised, hands flattened inward, comprise "diving board arms."

division sign: What Gomery's mouth forms, per Fair. His upper and lower mouth freckles further the resemblance.

dolphins: A door decoration in the Finleys' secret basement. (F)

donut: It sounds like "don't" but it's a nicer word. (SA)

doorknobs: They're breaking around The Redwoodian; Mr. Finley fixes one while he chats with Fair. Later, Fair finds out that World's Basement volunteers have been pinching them for various uses, including making buildings move.

DREAM: Written in glitter down the sleeve of one of Prior's trendy shirts.

drips, pool water: The Finleys attempted to stick a pool on The Wilfair's roof. Due to the hotel's tilt, it didn't work, and there's been a slow trickle of leftover pool water ever since. It falls into a blue bucket in Fair's office, reminding her of how she isn't making a decision about the Motel Fairwil pool. (R, SA)

drips, Boughery Bar: If dew from the old tree drops into a glass, that person is assured of returning to The Redwoodian one day with someone they love. Legend says, that is (a fake legend, per Sutton). (SA)

duck, a squeaky little rubber: The best amenity at Thurs Mathers's new Amsterdam resort. The magnate vows he'll ensure there's one next to Fair's tub, should she ever accept his invitation. (SA) 

eggplant wrap: What Gomery orders from Redwoodian room service. Fair later awakes in the lobby to see her cold soup has disappeared and the eggplant wrap is in its place.

elevators: Where the sexy happens in Prior Yates's movies per Fair. She vows to never make out in one, lest she has to turn over her cool-person license. (SA)

Eoin Fernandez: The knock-knock joke-telling bellboy Fair once crushed on. Now the manager of Funeral Inn, per Mr. Finley. (R, SA)

envelope: The business card left for Monty and Gomery is an envelope. Scrawled on the back? "My sister thinks your cousin is adorable." "Which sister?" asks Fair. "Which cousin?" asks Gomery.

evening gloves: Part of Fair's vintage costumes. They have a way of getting wet, getting greasy, and being peeled off by other people other than the wearer. Gomery ties them to his belt loop, "a creepy belt" per Monty. (W, R, SA)

ex-girlfriend, Prior Yates: Fair knows the movie star recently broke up with a singer. She sees photos of their vacation on Prior's tablet. (R, SA)

Fair Finley: The nearly 20-year-old owner of The Wilfair Hotel. Fair oversees the hotel when her parents, Cabot and March, are off tending to their eight other California hotels. Prone to saying "like," like, too much, over-sorrying and over-fruit-basket-ing guests, and wearing vintage movie star costumes. Stares out windows on occasion.

Fair Finley, cursive: Written on the inside of Gomery's forearm, in green, in lieu of her signing the motel's check-in register. (SA)

Faraway Passageway: A long passage connecting The Wilfair's lobby with the 500 Dip Bar. A gift shop, the ballroom, and a series of alcoves, including the Moonbeam Threshold, line it. (W, SA)

Farmers Market: The real Los Angeles public market where Sutton and her grandmother work. Located at Third & Fairfax, about seven blocks north of The Wilfair. (W, R, SA)

February 20: Monty Overbove's birthday 

felled sequoia: The location of the Boughery Bar, a tavern inside an ancient tree. (R, SA) 

Ferris wheel: There's a small one inside The Wilfair's lobby.

film equipment: Cameras, electric cords, and lights crowd the Motel Fairwil pool area when "Suntan Crime" shoots. (W)

fire: There's one going in each of The Redwoodian's nine fireplace nooks.

Fire: There's one going inside Fair, and Gomery, too.

fireplace, small: The Wilfair has one.

fireplace, nine-sided: The Redwoodian has one.

fireplace bellows: Gomery turns The Redwoodian's bellows on Fair, pumping air in her direction. Later, a copper-nozzled bellows, hot and full of flame, replaces the cardboard candy box heart that had been serving as Fair's real heart. (R, SA)
 
flightsuits, iridescent: Uniform worn by Valencia and Vinesssa Rainey-Palomo. (SA)

floors, Wilfair: The Wilfair Hotel has eight themed floors: Traditional, Spanish, Deco, Rococo, Gothic, Storybook, Mission, Modern.

flowers and hearts: Fair's preferred way of dotting the i in her name.

fog: Effective canvas for drawing pictures, especially on windows.

Foley artist: A sound effects professional. (What Clementine does.)

Fossil Finley (aka Fossy): The Dog from Under Space. Found in the desert by Fair and friends, adopted by a pleading Wil and Bo Finley, cared for by Monty and Gomery. (SA)

Funeral Inn: A Finley family hotel. Located in Death Valley, Funeral Inn was named after the nearby Funeral Mountains. But ghost fans started to show up and the hotel has taken on a rather macabre vibe. Eoin Fernandez, Fair Finley's old bellboy crush, is the new manager, as mentioned in "Redwoodian."

French fries: What Fair, Sutton, Monty, and Gomery dine upon in the 500 Dip Bar. Fair vows to eat fewer. Fries make a later appearance alongside Gomery's eggplant wrap. (W, R)

frosted window: Can prevent one from seeing outside. Also used for conveying secret messages between slightly reticent parties.

frosting: A common breakfast item for Fair, who samples all the wedding cakes made in The Wilfair's kitchen.

fruit: Sutton works in fruit design at Farmers Market. Fair gives away many, many fruit baskets at the hotel. Gomery wears the cherry stems from Fair's Shirley Temple in his buttonhold. And The Wilfair's citrus topiaries separate the hotel from the motel's pool area. (W, R, SA)

fruit basket: What Fair gives out so guests won't be angry. Her mother would like her to confront confrontations head on and give out fewer baskets. Sutton and her grandmother stock The Wilfair's baskets from their nearby fruitcher shop.

fun: Monty reveals that Gomery has a "no fun" policy in hotels and motels. Gomery corrects him and says they're places he can never relax. Fair later teases him about this policy. (R, SA)

future lemonade: What Gomery would like to enjoy on Fair's future porch one day. (SA)

The Gaylord: Clementine's old Koreatown building. The Gaylord's neon sign's fizz-fizz was one of her very first recordings.

gifts, two parts: How things unfold in this world, per Vinessa Rainey-Palomo. (SA)

Gomery Overbove: A lifelong resident of the Motel Fairwil, which has been in his family since his great-grandfather built it in 1936. Works at the motel and attends college. Studying architectural physics. Brown hair that's less curly and more sproingy, especially when he awakens to check in a guest. Prone to neckties and the revealing of long dimples. Can draw. Full name: Montgomery X. Overbove. Age: 20 and several months

GomFin Incorporated: The one-night-only corporation Fair proposes to Gomery. He suggests the name needs work. (R)

Gommy: Fair accidentally calls Gomery this when they're tired and stretched out on Prior's bed. (SA)

Grandma: Sutton lives with her grandmother. They also work together at the fruitcher shop at Farmers Market. (W, R, SA)

grated cheese: Fair grates a lot of cheddar to help out The Redwoodian's kitchen staff, getting much of it down the front of her bodice. Later it gets on Gomery when they're close-talking. Later, Monty notices. (R, SA)

GreatYates: Prior Yates gives Fair this password for his tablet so she may see a photo of his not-yet-built mansion. 

Gregory: Fair's make-believe boyfriend. He handed over the deed to his family's hot tub and the secret recipe to a grilled cheese sandwich without drama, she tells an amused Gomery.

Hal Overbove: The husband of Billie, brother to Hugh, and father to Monty. Described as very smart and working at a lab in Pasadena. Left the motel, presumably with his brother, when Monty and Gomery Overbove were young. Mentioned, not met.

hair pencils: How Sutton keeps her messy ponytail out of her face; she also needs access to pencils for fruitcher shop orders. Fair's concerned that her friend may one day use their sharp points for something other than writing.  (R, SA)

hair swoop: Thurs Mathers has a very pronounced side wave. It bothers Fair in the way hair swoops probably should not. (W, SA)

Hannah: A 500 Dip Bar waitress. A much better match for Rosa, an accountant Gomery once had a crush on, per Gomery.

hearts: Fair draws a pair of hearts on Gomery's fogged glasses inside The Redwoodian's boiler. (R, SA) 

Helena Tuergenson: A writer for "Suntan Crime," the television show that sometimes uses Motel Fairwil for a location. She tells Fair to use "like" less. Fair also wonders if the writer dated Gomery. (W, R, SA)  

high achievement hug: Sutton quizzes Fair and Gomery as to whether they shared a high achievement hug while she slept. When asked what that is, Sutton reveals its the hug you get when you win an award. You have to half-pose for the yearbook camera and it is all awkward and unsatisfying. (SA)

high ten: The way Valencia and Vinessa Rainey-Palomo punctuate a new plan, a positive statement, or good development. (SA)

hotel: A large, usually elegant form of lodging. The Wilfair is one.

hotel brochure: Fair is tasked by her father to write one; she daydreams about writing an honest brochure, that details her life as she sees it. (W)

Hotel Everywhere: A Finley family hotel. A hotel that's spread across California, with single rooms located here and there, in various towns.

hotel hallways: Interesting things, like quibbles and near kisses, happen there. (R, SA)

hotel robes: What Fair, Monty, and Gomery don at The Redwoodian, over their day clothes, in lieu of their pajamas, which are out in the snowy motel van. (R)

hottle: The little bottles in which warm beverages are delivered. A hotel staple. (R)

Hugh Overbove: The husband of Jeri, brother to Hal, and father to Gomery. He's a brilliant guy with a science background. He and his brother left or disappeared when their boys were younger. Mentioned, not met.

"I ♥ You" posters: What fans hold for Prior Yates as he films at the motel. (W) 

The Innigma: A Finley family hotel. It's a building that's on rollers. It occasionally turns up at different spots around the Lost Coast, near Mendocino County.

interpersonal relationships: Monty promises Fair he'll work on them (bumping his fists together to symbolize accord and harmony). (SA)

January 31: Gomery Overbove's birthday

Jeri Overbove: Gomery's mom and an owner of the Motel Fairwil. Jeri has long intimidated Fair Finley with her forthright and tough attitude, but Fair realizes there are reasons for this. Mentioned, not met, in the books. The wife of Hugh Overbove and sister-in-law to Billie Overbove.

Josie: The 500 Dip Bar's shy hostess. (W)

Kaeguri: Clementine's dog. She reveals he's small and a bit of a barker. (SA)

keys: The Motel Fairwil still uses old-fashioned keys. The Wilfair and The Redwoodian use keycards.

Katherine "Banquets" Smith: A Wilfair employee on loan to the hotel from Mathers Corporation. Fair wonders if Banquets isn't spying for Thurs Mathers, but she decides to take a chance on the gruff employee. (W, SA)

kittens, rainbows, ice cream, swing sets: Some of the words Sutton uses in lieu of the more controversial, heated words she is thinking.

knackies: The opposite of brains, per Sutton.

knock-knock jokes: Fair was delighted when Eoin Fernandez, former bellboy for The Wilfair, told them. The Overboves find this out at The Redwoodian; Monty later references her love of knock-knock jokes when Fair says he jokes too much. (R, SA)

La Brea Tar Pits: A neighbor (two blocks away) from The Wilfair Hotel and Motel Fairwil. The underground system of tar channels runs beneath the whole neighborhood; a small bubble percolates next to the motel.

Lady in Sequins: The possibly fake ghost haunting The Wilfair Hotel. Is she a long-ago starlet? Guests wonder as Fair watches her little brothers drop the wraith's signature orange sequins all over the place.

lanterns, Redwoodian driveway: They're snobby, says Monty. 

letting off steam: Old steam boilers are the origin of this phrase, which Gomery shares with Fair. (SA)
 
like: Fair's go-to conversation filler. (W, R, SA)

little firsts: Fair likes them. Fair and Gomery later discuss what constitutes a little first (vs. a big first) (SA)

little owl with a bell: What Fair pretends to be after her mind loops around the word "bellows." (R)

lobby flower arrangement: Large and funerary and occupying a prominent spot in The Wilfair.(W, SA)

Lodge Under Ocean: A Finley family hotel, known for its shark tanks. Fair's mom is working at this hotel, which is located on California's Central Coast, when the series opens. (W, R, SA)

Look: A form of communication in the Wilfair world, practiced thus far only by Fair Finley and Gomery Overbove. An entire Look conversation is comprised of four-to-six visually delivered thoughts/opinions, never more.

Love You: Real words, per Sutton.

the man in the magazine corner: Worry City for Prior Yates. (SA)

map: What Gomery is looking at on the drive to the mountains. He found it in his mother's lockbox. (R)

marathon, a cake running a: What Fair sweat smells like, per Sutton. (SA)

March Finley: Fair's mom. Co-owner of all nine Finley hotels. Fair's mom has been in touch via text and monitether with her daughter -- she's currently running Lodge Under Ocean -- but she needs to return to LA to help with the motel purchase. She's also curious about the man's watch she sees on Fair's wrist at the end of "Stay Awhile."

mastodon: A prehistoric mammal that lived in the area of The Wilfair Hotel, Motel Fairwil, and the La Brea Tar Pits thousands of years ago. Fair falls back on a mastodon impression -- "rrowr" with hand claws -- when she's at a loss for her next thing to say. A mastodon statue at the tar pits is mentioned in the books. (W, R, SA)

mattresses, motel: Used to stop tar flowing toward The Wilfair. Dragged by Monty, Gomery, and Thurs.

meddlers: Fair and Gomery, per Fair and Gomery. (SA)

Mega Rocker Runner shoe, left: Bought with Gomery's glasses.

Mer: What Monty calls Gomery. When Monty calls Gomery "Gomery" things are not good. (W, R, SA)

middle initial jail: What people go to when they have a quirky letter for a middle initial, per Sutton. Fair's Z, Monty's Y, and Gomery's X qualify. (R, SA)

mimosa: The Wilfair's signature cocktail. Made with oranges from the citrus topiaries between the hotel and Motel Fairwil's pool

mint dish: A cut-crystal bowl, with lid, that sits on The Wilfair's front desk. Fair Finley's nemesis, as it represents the superficial things she allows to rule her life, instead of the important issues.

The mint dish can go to hell! Fair's new rallying cry. (R)

Miss Finley: How Monty and The Wilfair's employees refer to Fair. (Monty cheekily, the employees uncheekily.)

Mmm Mmm Café: The all-night restaurant located next to Motel Fairwil; Gomery sends a pair of sloshy guests there for a discount omelet. Later, Gomery, Monty, and Fair head over for a middle-of-the-night meal. (W, SA)

monitether: Video monitors. How Fair's parents keep tabs on their daughter and sons when they're away.

Montgomery #1: What Fair calls Gomery. Sutton later lets that information "slip" in front of the cousins.

Montgomery #2: How Fair refers to Monty. He later takes great pride in this, referring to himself as Number 2.

Monty Overbove: A lifelong resident of the Motel Fairwil, which has been in his family since his great-grandfather built it in 1936. Works at the motel and attends college, where he studies cinema and directing. His dark hair is straighter than his cousin and he's got the general shape of an old-fashioned popcorn box, square shoulders and tapered waist, according to Fair Finley. Able to backtalk with flair. Full name: Montogomery Y. Overbove. Age: 20 and several months 

Moonbeam Threshold: An alcove shaped like a crescent moon. Inside The Wilfair Hotel's Faraway Passageway. 

motel: A smaller, usually basic form of lodging. The Fairwil is one.

motel bed: The bed in Motel Fairwil's Room 115 has a map of London on it, briefly. (W)

motel van: The friends drive to the mountains in the Motel Fairwil's only mode of transport. Monty and Gomery share the aged vehicle for their personal use, too. Its final resting place causes Monty much aggravation.

Motel Fairwil: A small motel on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Motel Fairwil neon sign: Gomery remembers when Fair walked over to complain of the sign's nighttime brightness. Later, Gomery says goodnight via the sign in a way that the heiress-next-door will understand. Later, Clementine tells Fair she wants to record the way wind sounds rushing around its neon tubes. (SA)

movie lobby standee: How Fair describes Monty's perfect posture.

movies, Prior Yates: "A Purse Full of Majesty" and "Up the Windmill, Down My Heart" are two of the celebrity's movies, as mentioned in conversation. (SA)

Ms. Finley: How Gomery sometimes refers to Fair. (Cheekily and uncheekily, depending on circumstances.)

Name-a-Dip Contest: What Fair thinks The Wilfair should hold instead of taking Motel Fairwil's pool. Her parents advise her she's not thinking big enough.

name-user: What Valencia Rainey-Palomo is, per Sutton. (SA)

nargins: Brains, per Sutton.

necktie: Fair finds this accessory distracting when it folds upon itself on a corduroy'd knee. Gomery wears one while working at the motel, and sometimes away from the motel, too.

Ned: A front desk manager at The Wilfair with a matchmaking eye towards his boss and the guys next door.

needle, boiler: The one on The Redwoodian's boiler is deep in the red, indicating extreme heat.

needle, Fair's inner: The one inside Ms. Finley's chest is deep in the red, indicating extreme heat.

needlepoint: What Monty wants to learn to do, so he can needlepoint pillows with Fair and Sutton's stranger aphorisms.

Nick: Works at the Mmm Mmm Café. Friendly with Monty. Aspiring screenwriter.

ninth floor: What Fair's parents are pressuring her to build atop The Wilfair. Later, she finds a much better ninth floor, and it's already built, too. (W, R, SA)

queues: Prior hates cutting them. (R)

okay sign, full-body: What Fair makes while sliding around The Redwoodian's terrace, to signify how okay she's feeling. (R)

old children: Fair, Gomery, and Monty, per Sutton. What happens when people grow up living in their family's workplace. A condition of being around too many adults, having to act polite and helpful all the time. A person is simultaneously too formal and mature while also being inexperienced at life. What happens when a person misses out on a few basic growing-up experiences.

omelets, discount: The Motel Fairwil gives out coupons for half-priced omelets at the Mmm Café, located next door to the motel.

The Oppositery: A Finley family hotel. Consists of two buildings, one on either side of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. If one room has purple rooms, the corresponding room in the other building has its opposite, yellow. One building serves hot food, the other, cold.

orange: The official color of The Wilfair, including the famous ghost sequins guests find on the ground. (W, SA)

oranges: The fruit from the citrus topiaries. Juiced for The Wilfair's famous mimosas. (W, SA)

paintings: What Gomery, Monty, and Fair stare at at the museum next door as they process seeing Fair's room over at the motel. (W)
 
pajama bottoms, blue: Montgomery #1 owns a pair, as Fair discovers. (SA)

pantry hug: The opposite of a high achievement hug, says Sutton. The nice and warm hug you might get in a darkened pantry at a party. 

Party Ville: What Prior Yates intends to make The Wilfair once he moves in for an extended stay, much to Fair's consternation and Gomery's amusement. (SA)

percentages: How Fair and Gomery summarize a current situation. One person will say what they think is happening; a percentage indicating how much they believe that (28%, 72%) follows. The other person has to give an opinion, on anything, with the percentage that will ultimately add up to 100.

personal affirmation: Fair adopts "personal affirmation" as her new personal affirmation. (R, SA)

phonebooth photo gallery: Located in The Wilfair Hotel's Faraway Passageway. Fair calls it the World's Smallest Photo Gallery. It's where historic photos of the hotel are displayed, including one of a cage over the Motel Fairwil's tar bubble.

pinecones: The vehicle for fortunes at The Redwoodian. Fair gets "despair," Sutton gets "creative" (or "reactive"), and Gomery gets "blissful." Monty opts out, because he believes stuff like that too much.

plaque: A brass city sign licensing a pool to the motel. The motel's pool plaque is by its towel rack, but Monty finds another nearly buried by the The Wilfair's citrus topiaries. It says the motel pool has 25,400 gallons, an incorrect number. (SA)

popcorn box: The general shape of Monty Overbove's form -- wider at the shoulders, slimmer at the hips -- per Fair. He's not red-and-white-striped, though he is prone to being salty and hot.

POYAAMANDFAYFT: Sutton's most baroque swear abbreviation. Meaning unknown.

Prior Yates, cocktail: Tasty strong cider muck, bourbon, egg foam, and a peppermint sweet at the bottom. A bartender at a club on Sunset Boulevard invented it for the star, at his request.

Prior Yates, movie star: One of the world's best known actors. He's trying to make more of a name for himself in LA by guesting on a crime TV show filming at the motel. The star later invites Fair and her friends to stay in his suite, but those who do leave due to his snoring. In general, he's very Nice Town.
 
Prior Yates, t-shirt: Prior loans Sutton a sleep shirt with his face on it.

preservation, anticipation, compassion: The themes of Sutton's movie.

Prophesy Pinecone: The "cherry on top of the cherry" at The Redwoodian. A mysterious figure sits inside a curtained booth and hands out pinecones. Each cone contains a word fortune. Fair fears that her future self is sitting behind that curtain, not doing much with her life. (R)

puffy jackets: Team J's uniform. Three jackets are "purchased" from the team so that Monty, Gomery, and Fair may hike to the real Redwoodian. (SA)

pupae: Prior uses this word as he stays wrapped in his comforter. Sutton does not care for it.

purse, spilled: Aunt Ever is rearranging her purse in the middle of the night. And crying. Fair and Gomery find her in a side parlor and talk with her. Fair later wonders if this was all an act. (R) 

red wine date: What Monty proposes that he and Clementine should go on, starting on Gomery's 21st birthday.

The Redwoodian: A Finley family hotel. An old lodge plunk in the middle of the Sierra Nevada mountains, The Redwoodian has living trees indoors, a nine-sided fireplace, and a wide, frequently icy terrace.

reel-to-reel recorder: How Clementine records her sound effects. She thinks it delivers a warmer sound than digital.

remember that time: How Fair and Gomery describe situations they are currently going through; the patina of the past somehow make them easier for Fair to bear. (SA)

revolving door, old-school: The entrance to The Wilfair.

rock hotel: Where the road-trippers stop for beverages on the way to The Redwoodian. (R)

Room 107, Motel Fairwil: The motel's honeymoon suite (it has pink towels and sheets).

Room 115, Motel Fairwil: Strange things are happening there.

Room 126, Motel Fairwil: Monty's bedroom.

Room 127, Motel Fairwil: Gomery's bedroom. 

Room 244, The Redwoodian: Fair and Gomery visit this Redwoodian room, thinking that's what the "244" written on the mysterious business card is referring to it. Inside, though, they find two eager ghost hunters who miss their dog. (R, SA)

Room 316, The Wilfair: Fair's Wilfair Hotel bedroom. (W)

room service cart: The method of in-room food delivery around The Wilfair and The Redwoodian. When Gomery crawls under one, Fair notices he missed a loop with his belt. She then proceeds to bang the cart against the door jamb, taking out paint that's later noticed by Mr. Finley. (R, SA)

Rosa: A Wilfair accountant who used to visit the Motel Fairwil diner for club salads (a breadless version of the club sandwich). Gomery was interested in her, but when she started taking a shine to Hannah, a Wilfair waitress, he figured he was out of the picture.

rrowr: The sound an extinct mastodon makes, per Fair. The clawing of hands is essential, too. This is Fair's go-to response when she's uncomfortable or at a loss as to what to say next. (W, R, SA)

ruffles: Fair's gown has a surfeit of 'em, according to Monty. (R, SA)

safety goggles: So fantasy, per Gomery. (F)

salad, warm: Prior Yates rejects his order due to its temperature, but his timing is bad. (R)

sarsaparilla: Gomery orders one at dinner in The Wilfair. Mr. Finley mulls the idea of a sarsaparilla fountain in front of the hotel. (W)

schuuuuu, schuuuuu: How wind sounds blowing around a neon sign, per Clementine.

script: Monty has one. Fair encourages him to share it with Prior Yates. She also it involves some street-fighting and the making of love. Monty concurs. He also asks Prior to read it. (R, SA)

sconce: The lobby lighting at The Redwoodian. (SA)

scone: What Monty calls the lobby lighting at The Redwoodian. (SA)

scrunchies: Hair accessory worn by Valencia and Vinessa Rainey-Palomo. (SA) 

sequins, orange: The Lady in Sequins, The Wilfair's possibly fake ghost, drops them. So do Fair's brothers. Guests find them around the hotel and pocket the small, shiny souvenirs.

sequins, wrong color: Showing up around the hotel, and specifically under Bo's bed. They are not orange, the signature hue of the Lady in Sequins.

shag carpet, green: The old floor covering in the Stay Awhile Cabins.

shapely: Sutton's summary of Fair's figure, an opinion later voiced by Gomery more than once. (SA)

She Wouldn't: Fair finds a small package with a ripped tag in the building stack beneath the tar pits. The only words on the tag? "She wouldn't."

Shirley Temple (drink): Fair's favorite drink, as long as it is comprised of more cherries than liquid.

Sierra Nevada: The California mountain range where both The Redwoodian and the Stay Awhile cabins are located. (R, SA) 

ski models: The Redwoodian's main guests the night Fair, Sutton, Monty, and Gomery show up.

sleeping bags: What's covering much of The Redwoodian, due to a plenty of sacked-out ski models who've taken shelter from the snow.

sleeves, rolled-up: Gomery's preferred mode of shirt wear.

sleigh bells, motel door: They jingle to let the Overboves know someone has entered the Motel Fairwil lobby. (W, SA)

snood: Fair's vintage hair accessory.   

snore machine: What Prior Yates is not using, but needs. Fair suspects he skips it because it doesn't fit into the sexy image he's told to have.

snowballs: They make a ploomf sound when thrown in anger.

snowtmeal: Mr. Finley thinks oatmeal made with melted snow could be The Redwoodian's next guest-pleasing concept. (R)

sorry: Fair's go-to word to smooth over practically every situation, even those moments when a "sorry" is not warranted.

sound effects: What Clementine creates for movies via her reel-to-reel, the Franktone A-2900S. Movies and possibly The Wilfair Hotel, if Monty gets his way.

Sour Suites: A property Mr. Finley would like to buy, possibly with the sale of The Wilfair. A failing Gold Country hotel located on a chasm, Sour Suites is not far from San Diego. (R, SA)

spirit of the yell, the: Something Fair vows to keep inside herself, even when she has to be professional and proper.

spooning: What sleeping ski models do.

spooning, platonic: What Monty and Fair do. Sutton and Fair, too.

sproing: What Gomery's hair curls do in the areas they're not sixing and eighting. (W, R, SA)

stained-glass bear: The Redwoodian's stained-glass windows show animal fables from the area. Fair presses her cheek against the bear to cool her hot face down. (R)

stationery: Monty jokes about Fair's scented stationery in "Redwoodian." Fair writes the motel cousins two letters regarding the motel sale on official Wilfair stationery in "Stay Awhile"; Monty doctors the Wilfair crest with his own message and returns the letters to Fair. (R, SA)

Stay Awhile Cabins: The rustic, in-need-of-attention mountain property owned by the Overbove family.

stomach medicine: A guest needs help for his ill girlfriend, interrupting Fair and Gomery in The Redwoodian's foyer. She goes to find him goopy medicine, and gets a hairy-chested hug as a thank you. (R) 

street: Seen coming out of a hole in the California desert. (R) 

sugar packet: Fair answers Gomery's question -- "what's bothering you?" -- via one at the Mmm Mmm Café. (SA)

Suts: What Monty calls Sutton, to her displeasure. (R, SA) 

Sutton Von Hunt: High school senior, lifelong fruit artist, and math whizwoman. Also a best pal to Fair. She's currently trying to curb her swearing, which is kittens ice cream sparkles hard. Sutton also has a few conflicts, including not wanting to leave her grandmother to live in the college dorms next year, and her relationship with her dad. Doesn't back down, even when backing-down might be warranted. 

Sutton's movie: What all the characters of the Wilfair world are living in, per Sutton.

swimming pool: A hole in the ground filled with water and intended for recreational purposes. The Motel Fairwil had one; The Wilfair Hotel does not.

swimsuit, orange: What Gomery imagines Fair is wearing in her swimming pool analogy. (SA)

symphony: Thurs Mathers suggests convening the symphony at his house for Fair's enjoyment. (SA) 

T: Sutton's middle initial. Normal, not messing with middle initial rules and laws.

tar bubble: The fragrant curiosity that next to the Motel Fairwil swimming pool. It's related to the larger La Brea Tar Pits system, which is two blocks away from the motel.

tar pits: The La Brea Tar Pits. Located two blocks east of Motel Fairwil and The Wilfair.

tastes, inky and dirt: What Fair and Gomery experience, first in a Redwoodian hallway and later in the lodge's kitchen, before they look through the cup.

Ted Rainey: Father to Valencia and Vinessa Rainey-Palomo (they call him Dadted). A World's Basement volunteer.

telephone, rotary: The Motel Fairwil's aged front desk phone. Six sticks, per a small sign. Prone to dropping calls.

tenth window: Inside the Redwoodian. Nine of the lobby windows match up with the nine sides of the fireplace, but Gomery and Fair speculate what the darkened tenth window shows. Gomery says it is probably their story. Fair doesn't want to see it, lest it ruin the surprise. (R, SA)

this person, this person, this person: Fair, to Gomery. (F)

Three Things: How one stays in a building when a copy is made. Three Things might include a safety pin, a shoelace, and a wine cork. Everyday objects. (SA)

Thurs Mathers: The "kid with 100 hotels" per Monty and the scion of the Mathers Family Corporation. Nephew to the World's Sexiest Aunts and uncle to Colty Mathers. He wants The Wilfair, though Fair knows not why. Then she does. Constantly flying up Fair's ointment with frequent texting and dark hair swoops.

tilt: The Wilfair Hotel famously has one, the higher up it goes. No engineer has ever solved this.

toast: Gomery and Fair eat toast together in the motel diner. Fair chooses cherry jam; Gomery, too. (W)

toffee: Fair purchases some famous Farmers Market toffee for the road trip to The Redwoodian. They come across the toffee in the motel van later. (W, SA)

Tom Palomo: Daughters Valencia and Vinessa Rainey-Palomo know him as Dadtom. A World's Basement volunteer.

toy monkey with cymbals: What the Finleys' secret basement sadly lacks, per Monty. (F)

traffic light: Seen coming out of a hole in the California desert. (R) 

tree branch, Fair's hair: After Monty, Gomery, and Fair push through trees separating the motel diner from the 500 Dip Bar, Gomery pulls a small leafy stick out of Fair's hair and hands it to her near The Wilfair's elevators. 

trees, indoor: There's a "tree wall" between The Wilfair's 500 Dip Bar and the Motel Fairwil's diner; The Redwoodian is full of young redwoods. (W, R, SA)

tusks and trunks: What Gomery recommends Fair choose in lieu of the less-accurate claws whenever she becomes a mastodon. After trying both, Fair confirms she prefers claws. (SA)

two-toned: The preferred design-, business- and lifestyle of the Mathers Family Corporation. Their shoes, cars, personalities, and schemes are all of a dual nature. (W, R, SA)

undead couple: The fictional protagonists Monty discusses with Nick, the Mmm Mmm Café employee. Monty not-so-slyly casts his two table companions in those roles during the discussion. (SA)

urges: What occasionally group together and hang a mirrorball inside Fair's head. Mad partying ensues. (R, SA) 

Valencia Rainey-Palomo: One of the two World's Basement volunteers who picks up Fair and her friends from The Redwoodian. Almost aggressively upbeat and prone to high-ten-ing her sister, Valencia has shiny black curls and a knack for speaking in italics. She loves the friends when she meets them and, with the help of her sister Vinessa, helps them home. Daughter of Dadted and Dadtom.

VCR: The aging machine is left for the Overbove cousins outside the motel so they can watch the introductory videotape about the World's Basement. The tape inside is stuck. Monty's bummed, because he's a little obsessed with his first VCR. (SA)

Vinessa Rainey-Palomo: One of the two World's Basement volunteers who collects Fair and her friends from The Redwoodian. Vinessa is strawberry-complected, sunny, and a good mom to her little girl (she's constantly on the phone with her). She's also able to fix boilers, drive buildings, and rappel down canyons. Sister to Valencia and daughter of Dadted and Dadtom.

vinyl couch, motel lobby: A place where guests may wait to check-in. Fair slides around on the Fairwil's couch while waiting to speak to Gomery. (W)

wallpaper Fair: Gomery takes a Fair-shaped souvenir from the second Redwoodian. (SA)

weddings: A main source of revenue for The Wilfair, and all the Finley hotels. Sutton is sick of them, and so's Fair, says Sutton. (W, R, SA) 

Wil Finley: Fair's little brother, twin to Bo. He's sunnier and sweeter than his brother, and likes costumes and looking tidy. He'd never squeal on Bo, but he hates to break rules or get in trouble with Fair, so he little eyes often brim with wetness, wanting to please everyone.

Wilfair Hotel: A historic hotel on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue: The intersection where The Wilfair Hotel and the Motel Fairwil are located. It's a real location in Los Angeles, California.

window, Fair's: Where she keeps an eye on Motel Fairwil. Gomery calls her "the motel's best surveillance system." (W, R, SA)

wingtips: Fair "borrows" her father's shoes after she returns Beefy/Derrick/J23's Mega Rocker Runners. Gomery later removes them in the second Redwoodian.

winks: Monty uses them a lot to punctuate his randier sentiment; Gomery finds his inner winks near the end of Redwoodian. (W, R, SA)

World's Basement: Where everything ever is kept, in all of  its phases and permutations. Unkempt and a mess, per some volunteers Fair and her friends meet.

wrinkle cream: Prior Yates, 24-year-old movie star, uses it. (SA)

wrist knobs: Fair likes how the hair on Gomery's arm ends at the knobs at his wrist.

wristwatch: Gomery wears one, leather band. Fair wears it for much of "Stay Awhile." (W, R, SA)

X, Y, Z: How Sutton refers to Gomery, Monty, and Fair when she discovers Gomery's middle initial is X and Monty's is Y. Fair's a Z. All middle initials worthy of middle initial jail, per Sutton.

Xander, Xion, Xerxes, X-Ray: Fair's four incorrect guesses regarding Gomery's middle name. It sounds like Xander, though, Fair suspects.

yell: The word Fair yells, when she feels compelled to yell, in the mountains. (R, SA)

you're him: The text Fair sends to Thurs when she realizes he's the handsome, secretive philanthropist for the World's Basement. For the first-time ever, he does not text her back. (SA)

The Yuletidery: A Finley family hotel. Theme: Christmas. Location: California wine country.

Yves: Monty's middle name.

Z: He found my ear and dropped his voice low. “What’s the Z stand for?” “Zero chance you’ll find that out, is what the Z stands for. Zero chance.”