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Gately and Fackelmann continued

Page 934

Page 935

recursive
repeating in a self similar manner. Recursion is a favorite technique of computer programmers and mathematicians; a recursive function is one that is called within its own definition. For a fun demonstration of recursion, try googling it

some creepy thing
the creepy thing Gately and Fackelmann watch may be J.O Incandenza's Various Small Flames, see Endnote 24

retsin
'Retsyn' is the supposed active ingredient in Certs breath mints

Ciao Bello
Italian: Goodbye (common). Literally: "Goodbye, Beautiful."

Page 936

corrode
to eat away at; to rust

nimbus
halo

ICBM
intercontinental ballistic missile

boot
junkie slang for injecting drugs

Page 937

imprimatur
sanction or approval - in the Catholic church an imprimatur is a formal declaration that a work is free of doctrinal or moral error and may be published.

'More tattoos than teeth'
perhaps a reference to the inverse relationship between the number of intact teeth and the number of tattoos worn by members of motorcycle gangs. Conversely it could mean a show of menace without any substance, as in "all bark and no bite".

bonded
Sorkin had put up Gately's bail.

ruddled
reddened

serration
notches in the edges

Page 938

belled
rang like a bell

Joelle Talks About the Entertainment

Page 938

Page 939

epicene
androgynous

I assume you can Identify.
Joelle is being interviewed by the cross-dressing Steeply.

bassinet
an oblong basket for a baby

catadioptric
an optical system that uses combined reflection and refraction; a catadioptric telescope has a large concave mirror to collect and focus light on an optical eyepiece having lenses to provide additional magnification

nystagmus
a condition of voluntary or involuntary rapid and rhythmic oscillation of the eyes

Page 940

astigmatic
failing to have light rays converge on a single point

Page 941

Hal Narrates (Still)

Page 941

slight tremble of something hanging from the tip of a pipette
A pipette is a type of thin glass tube used in chemistry, and the something trembling would be a drop of some liquid, I suspect...

Thtithe fickn meth
Coyle is probably trying to say, "Stice's fucking mess."

Page 942

panic-attack
another term for an anxiety attack

Page 943

Page 944

rank amateurs
complete/total amateurs

pernicious
harmful

Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (1898-1956) was a German playwright, poet, and director.

Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania
a suburb of Philadelphia, about twenty miles west

DeNiro
Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. (born 1943), is an Academy Award-winning American actor, cast by Martin Scorsese in Mean Streets and several times thereafter.

McLachlin
a misspelling of Kyle MacLachlan (born 1959), an American actor whose second film was Blue Velvet

Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born 1946) is an American filmmaker. David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan worked together on the movies "Dune" (1984), "Blue Velvet" (1986), and the TV series Twin Peaks (1990-1991).

Allen to Allen
a reference to American director Woody Allen (born 1935 as Allen Stewart Königsberg), who casts himself in many of his films

temporal-lobe
the part of the brain involved in hearing, speech, and vision

Page 945

familiar foil packet
i.e., a condom

ascot
a neck scarf

FDR and his filter

long white FDR-style filter
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. He often used a cigarette holder as seen in the photo on the right.

canopied
framed with curtains

boudoir
a bedroom or private sitting room

ponce
an effeminate man

Single-edged razor blade

an old-fashioned one-sharp-sided razor blade
still manufactured but perhaps more commonly used in certain kinds of box-cutters than in razors (see right)

Page 946

Pheromonic Musk
a scent designed to emit pheromones, or a chemical that attracts the opposite sex

Kaposi's Sarcoma
A tumor caused by Human herpesvirus-8. One of the most common symptoms of AIDS. More here

chartreuse
bright yellowish-green

500 seconds
8 minutes and 20 seconds

Page 947

conundra
insoluble questions; the plural of conundrum is disputed, with the OED apparently preferring conundrums, as with stadiums

VW-Bug
nickname for the Volkswagen Beetle automobile model

sinkhole
a hole formed when material falls into a void beneath it

pratfall
a fall on one's rear

Page 948

two-meter
about 6.56 feet

Nor'easter
a type of storm common to the Northeast U.S.

snorkels
tubes for breathing

plucky
having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances

pugnacious
having a tendency to fistfight

To fight in general, not necessarily with fists.

Page 949

VA
Veterans Affairs (formerly Veterans Administration)

snifter
a piece of glass stemware with a wide bottom that narrows at the top, for drinking brandy; the "one-handed" variety can be easily palmed with two fingers astride the stem

twidgeling
one of Hal's nonce words, meaning digital manipulation

Hancock tower
a skyscraper in Boston

mimesis
in art, the imitative representation of nature or human behavior; i.e., the radio was broadcasting nothing but audio static, or "snow"

Page 950

sinciput
the upper part of the skull

more like the forehead. Also, one more occurrence of a buried skull (as in Hamlet).

convolutions
folds on the surface of the brain

filigree
intricate ornamentation usually consisting of twisted metal wire/ribbons on, say, a fence

Lindisfarne Gospels
Richly decorated illuminated manuscipt ofthe Gospels, believed to have been produced around 700 AD in a monastery near Lindisfarne, Northumberland, UK. Some carpet pages from the Lindisfarne Gospels can be seen here.

hyperfertilized
given too much fertilizer

finial
an architectural device used to top a gable

defile
a narrow passage

neutered
castrated

Noxzema
A brand of skin cleanser

topiary
a sculptured shrub or bush

gambrel
here referring to a double-sloping roof, as often seen on barns and some churches

Block Mother
Older version of the volunteer Block Parent Program. "Participants in the program (Block Parents) place signs on their homes indicating that the house is a police-screened, safe home for community members in distress, particularly children."

Page 951

The photo of Fritz Lang directing Metropolis. Also appeared on the copy of The Cinema Book that Wallace owned[1][2], and was one of the photographs Wallace considered using on the cover of Infinite Jest (mentioned in Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself).

framed print of Lang directing Metropolis
see photo at left

étagère
a stand with a series of open shelves

delfts
type of earthenware

claret
red wine

Page 952

Hagia Sophia and S. Simeon
Hagia Sophia is a mosque in Istanbul that had been a Byzantine basilica. S. Simeon refers to the ruins of a monastery named for Simeon Stylites.

Qal'at Si'man
Arabic for "Saint Simeon"

guilloche
the most annular of the ornamental moldings used in interior decoration (see below)

prurient
inordinately interested in matters of sex; lascivious

Levirates
men required to marry their brothers' widows

maniera greca
a style of Italian painting ("Greek style") popular in the early Renaissance

half a meter
about 1.64 feet

hyperemic
an unusual amount of blood in part of the body

seraglio
the living quarters of a Turkish harem

fieldstone
a type of construction material

Page 953

varicotic
having varicose veins

onyx
a deep black form of quartz

specular

actually, 'specular' does not appear to be the correct term because it refers to reflection characteristic of a mirror

specular also means "assisting light", like optic equipments (lenses, etc.), so it looks correct to me in this context.

kyphotic
having abnormal curvature of the spine

Page 954

climacteric
A period of decrease in reproductive capacity; in women, menopause.

Infantilist
While the term can mean a type of paraphilia in which one dresses up like a baby, here Hal more likely means a pediatrician that treats patients like babies.

koans
in Zen Buddhism, statements that defy rational explanation upon which to meditate

sado-periodontal
Periodontology is the dental speciality concerned with the supporting structures of the teeth - gums, alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, etc. Sado-periodontal, then refers to sadistic treatment involving the gums, most likely.

Page 955

misnomer
a misapplied name or designation

The Green Door
The full title of the 1972 film is "Behind the Green Door".

Deep Throat
another pornographic film from 1972, starring Linda Lovelace

jism
slang for semen

interrogatives
questions

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Page 957

expatriates
people living outside their countries of origin

Faulknerian
recollecting the style or manner of William Cuthbert Faulkner (1897-1962), American novelist

aspirating
inhaling

After the Interview

Page 958

She
i.e., Joelle

Middlesex County
a county comprising most of the suburbs northwest and west of Boston

Hi, Mikey

Page 958

Page 959

the hook
presumably, the sister's hand; or the screen door is still secured by its hooking mechanism to keep him out

boatayouse
i.e., "both of you"

Page 960

a hundred m.'s
a little over 328 feet

The Assistant District Attorney

Page 960

easement
a right of way across a plot of property owned by another

Suffolk County
the county in Massachusetts where Boston is

McDonald's House
a reference to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides housing for the parents of children undergoing intensive medical care

Page 961

Tooty
apparently the ADA's wife

Fourth- and Eighth-Step
two of the original Twelve Steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous program: 4) "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves," and 8) "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all"

Page 962

weal
welfare

peroxide
hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), used as a bleach and whitener

Page 963

Page 964

NoCoat LinguaScraper
Fictional product mentioned on Page 151.