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Page 883

Page 884

Ethan From
Gately means American author Edith Wharton's 1911 novel Ethan Frome.

OMMATOPHORIC
having eyes at the ends of stalks

ghostwords
a word that has come into existence by error rather than by normal linguistic transmission, as through the mistaken reading of a manuscript, a scribal error, or a misprint. (Dictionary.com)

Page 885

cuneiform
the writing of ancient Sumer, made by digging a wedge into clay

Marshall Plan
the plan to rebuild Germany after WWII

Shane
a reference to a popular western film

Page 886

Synovial
of or pertaining to the fluid that lubricates the joints

renal calculus
kidney stones

ectopic labor
pregnancy in the fallopian tube

ibuprofen
the generic name for Advil

antipyretic
designed to combat fever

SR
Usually in drug names, this stands for "sustained release."

Dilaudid
brand name for hydromorphone hydrochloride

bayou
a marshy arm of a lake

C-II
These drugs are highly addictive. Cocaine is in this class, as it is still used legally in dentistry.

Page 887

Hydrocodone
also the active ingredient in Vicodin

Oxycodone-nalaxone
Oxycodone also the active ingredient in Oxycontin. Naloxone blocks (partially, one must guess) the effects of opioids, probably to reduce abuse potential.

Endnote 358

NX
Attached to a drug name, this means it contains Naloxone.

Page 888

Rx
a common abbreviation for medical prescriptions

Page 889

Page 890

somnolent
drowsy

Page 891

concentric circles
circles within circles (and more annularity); more specifically circles of different radii but a common center

chintz
printed, glazed fabric, usually of bright colors

the lobsters' eyes' stalks
see OMMATOPHORIC earlier on pg. 884

The fish asking about what's water.
A reference to DFW's Kenyon College commencement speech This Is Water

Ipswich
a town in northern Massachusetts about 40 miles east of Nashua, N.H.

intra-ocular
within the eye

Page 892

Bufferin
a brand of aspirin with a protectant for the stomach

JFK Library
the Kennedy Presidential library, located in Boston

Banfis
expensive Italian shoes

Page 893

libido
sex drive

taciturn
reserved or reticent in speech; saying little.

ebubblient
i.e., "ebullient" (with bubbles)

hatbeat
i.e., "heartbeat" with a Boston accent ("Ya can't pak ya ca in Havid Yad.")

tittymount
i.e., "tantamount"

Page 894

sombrero w/ balls

maroon
a cartoonish pronunciation (à la Bugs Bunny) of "moron;" (see note for page 302 supra)

scuttlebutt
gossip, rumor

Page 895

FLEET
a brand of enema

alacrity
eagerness

mortification
extreme embarrassment

Page 896

Hal Continues Narrating

Page 896

Tosca
Opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) that premiered in 1900. Hal's "protracted death aria" is probably Cavaradossi's final aria 'E lucevan le stelle' ('And the stars shone'). Full lyrics and a recording can be found here.

overcognitive
thinking too much

Page 897

megagram
a million grams, or slightly over 2,200 pounds

A megagram is more commonly called a tonne.

vivisected
slaughtered, yes, but not cut apart while still living

filigreed
filigree: ornamental work of fine (typically gold or silver) wire formed into delicate tracery

Page 898

Yale Journal of Alcohol Studies
There is no such journal.

183.6 cm.
a little over six feet tall

recumbency
DFW is making up a noun here. Recumbent means “sprawled out” or otherwise sitting comfortably. So you add the suffix -cy to that to get an “action” noun from an adjective, in this case a couch where one can be recumbent. From Dictionary.com -cy: a suffix used to form abstract nouns from adjectives with stems in -t, -te, -tic, and especially-nt (democracy; accuracy; expediency; stagnancy; lunacy), and sometimes used to form action nouns (vacancy; occupancy).

"Husband" pillow

spectation-pillows
"husband" pillows like the one shown at right

mylar
a brand name of PET film

197 cm.
over 6'5"

Vaipassana
a type of Buddhist meditation (Wikipedia); usually spelled "Vipassana"

"...etymology of the word blizzard..."
While Hal believes the etymology is unknown, there is one offered here.

lumiphobia
probably fear of light, although the proper term is "photophobia"

brooha
Does not seem to be an English word, so it is probably a corruption of brouhaha, a French loanword meaning general noise and stir.

sausage-analog
something similar in appearance to a breakfast sausage link, but perhaps made of textured vegetable protein rather than pork or other meat

Page 899

averred
asserted with confidence

neologism
a newly coined word

"...corruption of the French blesser,..."
Blesser is French for "to injure or wound."

Northern Vindicator
the name of several real publications

Y.T.M.P.

Page 900

Sitney and Schneewind's Dictionary of Environmental Sciences
There is no such book, but the name Schneewind is German for "snow wind." There are two contemporary academics with those surnames, though they are not scientists: P. Adams Sitney (b. 1944) is a scholar of avant-garde film; J.B. Schneewind (b. 1930) is a philosopher and an authority on Kant and the history of ethics

12 cm.
about 4.73 inches

60 kph.
about 38.3 miles per hour

500 meters
a little over 1,650 feet

perspicacity
keenness of perception

topology
the mathematical study of sets

philately
stamp collecting

gerundives
the verbal adjective or present participle―in English, these end in "ing";

Hamlet
Hal confronts his sausage-analog in Shakespeare.

Page 901

phocomelic
having extremely short limbs

Brattleboro
a town in Vermont about 75 miles west of Manchester, N.H.

achondroplastic
having dwarfism as a result of a disorder of bone and cartilage

homodontic
having teeth that are all of similar form (see page 316 and endnote 119)

bicuspid
another name for the premolar teeth (see note for page 316)

Kevlon
Possibly a portmanteau-word combining Kevlar and Teflon, meaning a substance that is tough and slippery (Urbandictionary.com).

Page 902

sarcophagus
coffin