Difference between revisions of "Pages 663-686"

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663 · Steeply-Bain Correspondence

Page 663

Y.D.A.U.

Page 664

V.D.
no idea

Page 665

Endnote 269

Endnote 269 · Actual Steeply-Bain Correspondence

Page 1047

Y.D.A.U.

J.O.I.
James O. Incandenza

guile
insidious cunning

larval
immature in its kind

codpieces
a pouch at the crotch of tight-fitting breeches, popular during the Renaissance

Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was a British poet whose work had themes of homosexuality and sadomasochism.

prenominate
aforementioned

Page 1048

fairly high-sodium way
i.e., with a grain (or more) of salt

purposive
serving some purpose

cross-sectioned cow
Cornell University apparently has a cow whose stomachs you can see in action.

anaclitic
denoting psychologic dependence

Page 1049

prevarication
lying

"...as if from the Rose Garden..."
like the President of the U.S. answering a question from a reporter

monilial
having to do with vaginal yeast infection

S. Johnson
probably a reference to Dr. Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer

Page 1050

Steeples
Bain has become to get Steeply's name wrong.

Steeley
ditto

ACOAs
Adult Children of Alcoholics

AlaTeens
a support group for teenage children of alcoholics

ACONAs
Adult Children of Narcotics Anonymous

ACOGs
American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology

aspic
meat jelly

Page 1051

Starkly
Bain gets Steeply's name wrong yet again.

univocal
unambiguous

furcated
branching or forking

albatross
a burden, from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Starksaddle
another mistake with Steeply's name

perspicuous
clearly expressed

Page 1052

multivalent
having various meanings

Bainbridge
This isn't even close to Steeply's name.

666 · More in the Tunnel

Page 666

ferrous
containing iron

morphic
probably short for "metamorphic," a type of rock

ovoid
egg-shaped

26 meters
about 85.3 feet

B.P.
battery powered

parget
plaster used for covering walls

Page 667

novitiate
in the beginning period of something

dross
refuse metal from the refining process

Trojan
a brand of condoms

vermiform
looking like a worm

Page 668

Robert's Rules
Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, the standard text on how to run a meeting

Page 669

P.B.
perhaps "pulsed beam"

radial nerve
a nerve running from above the shoulder (in the neck) down the length of the arm

parfait
a tall glass filled with ice cream

electrostatic
giving off erratic static electricity

Tallat-Kelpsa
also the name of a Latvian classical composer

Page 670

pules
whimpers

Page 671

malefic
producing evil

Orkin
a nationwide chain of exterminators

latency
i.e., sexual latency, the period Freud posited during which male sexuality is dormant

Page 672

Page 673

The Bible
The quote isn't from the Bible.

'What're maggots?'
They're fly larvae.

673 · Hal v. Stice (continued)

Page 673

Collyrium
Collyrium itself is not a brand name; it's the generic name.

Page 674

Donnay
a brand of tennis racquet

akimbo
with hands on hips

Page 675

'Veux que nous nous parlons français? Serait plus facile, ça?'
French: Do you want to speak in French? Would that be easier?

Lenglen, Rosewall
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (1899-1938) was a French tennis player who won thirty-one Grand Slams. Kenneth Robert ("Ken") Rosewall (born 1934) was an Australian tennis player with three Grand Slam wins.

'In A.D. 1887 a fifteen-year-old-girl won Wimbledon...'
This is Lottie Dod (1871-1960), who won another four Wimbledon championships.

Evert
Christine Marie Evert (born 1954) was a former American tennis player with eighteen grand slam wins.

Austin, Jaeger, Graff, Sawamatsu
Tracy Ann Austin Holt (born 1962) was an American tennis player who won Wimbledon in 1979 and 1981. Andrea Jaeger (born 1965) was an American tennis player who is now an Anglican nun. Stefanie Maria Graf (born 1969) is a German former tennis player with twenty-one Grand slam titles. Naoko Sawamatsu (born 1973) was a Japanese tennis player who retired in 1988

Wilander
Mats Wilander (born 1964) was a Swedish tennis player with seven Grand Slam titles.

Treffer, Medvedev, Esconja
Only Andriy Medvedev (born 1974), the Ukrainian player who won the French Open in 1991, is a real person, apparently.

Becker
Boris Franz Becker (born 1967) was a German tennis player with six Grand Slam titles.

Kleckner
not a real player

senza errori
Italian: without errors

Page 676

Endnote 274

Falls Church VA
a city about ten miles west of Washington, D.C.

Clipper
A clipper in electronics is a way of sort of metering how much electricity, power, data, etc., goes through a circuit. Here its usage would seem more to indicate a computer hacker.

Page 676 (cont'd)

Arias and Krickstein
James ("Jimmy") Arias (born 1964) was a former American pro tennis player. Aaron Krickstein (born 1967) is also a former American tennis player.

Treffert
apparently not a real player

Capriati
Jennifer Marie Capriati (born 1976) was an American pro tennis player, winning three Grand Slam titles.

well-known tragedy
By the time Infinite Jest had been published, Capriati had been arrested for marijuana possession. She returned to pro tennis that same year, perhaps after the book went to press.

Pat Cash
Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash (born 1965) was an Australian pro tennis player, winning Wimbledon in 1987.

aux disques
French: on disks, here probably referring to TP disks

Page 677

Page 678

Augustus
Caesar Augustus, first emperor of Rome

Bud
short for Budweiser, a brand name of beer

half-meter
1.64 feet

apparition
a ghost, but here referring to Mario

Page 679

salaam
Arabic for "peace," here meaning a deep bow

intersticial
misspelling of "interstitial"

Page 680

Japonois
French: a misspelling of japonais, meaning Japanese

Page 681

raglan
having sleeves that go in one piece to the neckline

Page 682

682 · Some Pemulis Family Background

Page 682

Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment

Page 683

calamari
Italian-style squid

Louth in Lenster
Louth is about 50 miles north-northwest of Dublin. Leinster (note spelling) is one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland, the others being Connaught, Ulster, and Munster. There are not officially used as Ulster is divided between the Republic of Ireland and the U.K. since 1922.

hauteur
arrogance

Page 684

mien
appearance

A fook in t'boom
"a fuck in the bum" with an Irish brogue

malt liquor
a high-alcohol-content variety of beer

sone
i.e., son

a.
A word ("queer" or "faggot" perhaps) is being deleted by Matty in his remembrance

"...rosebud, his dark star..."
his anus

russet
yellowish- or reddish-brown