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November 11th, YDAU - Mario walking around E.T.A., filming

Page 755

Wagnerian bass
grandiose and stentorian (in the lower register) in the manner of German opera composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Page 756

varicoceles
plural of varicocele (also "varicoscele"), an abnormal enlargement of a vein in the scrotum

a duet
possibly "O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe" ("O sink down, night of love") sung by the title lovers in Act Two of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

high D
the D (designated D6) that is two octaves above the D above middle C (C4); considered the upper limit of the dramatic soprano range

Felicity Zweig
"Felicity" means happiness, while Zweig is German for "stick" or "branch."

Page 757

Gilbert Treffert
still not a real player

whistling 'Dixie.'
See the discussion of this phrase in section 6 of the Wikipedia entry on the 19th-century American popular song, once considered the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America.

Endnote 316

Opheliac
resembling Hamlet's girlfriend — see Hamlet IV.v

Page 760

Montague Semantics
This is a form of natural language semantics.

Endnote 317

wildly expensive hdcover
It's a real book and the hardcover goes for $105.85. It has been issued in softcover for $29. The publication information is either wrong or varies.

Plc
public limited company

Page 760 (cont'd)

ten meters
about 32.8 feet

plastron
Definitions include: 1. the starched front of a shirt; 2. a large pad worn by a fencer to protect the chest; and 3. The part of a tortoise's shell that covers the underside. Mario wears an apparatus something like a tortoise's shell that fits around his deformed torso and allows him to carry his camera equipment in the pack on his back.

Page 761

cowlick
a patch of hair standing on end

pennon
a pennant or flag or banner

Peripatetic
walking around

Page 762

swotting
hard studying, cramming

Page 763

Page 764

intuiting
knowing without having been told

Page 765

Bic
A manufacturer of inexpensive ball-point pens. Probably blue, here.

St. Pamphile
This is a town close to Québec City; Pamphile is St. Pamphilus.

Page 766

Page 767

maundering
talking in a rambling, foolish way

Page 768

Page 769

tumid
swollen

Hal fills Mario in on the aftermath of the Eschaton incident

Page 769

"Thank you Sir may I have another"
a line from the film "Animal House" (1978)

Page 770

segue
a smooth transition from one thing to another

Page 771

unbent
not having yielded or submitted

Page 772

Panglossian
Pangloss is a comically optimistic character in Voltaire's Candide, who believes himself and his fellows to be living in "the best of all possible worlds."

Page 773

true
on target

mendaciously
in a manner of one who is lying

rococo
ornate or florid in speech

tersely
in a manner using few words

Page 774

Eve Arden
Eve Arden (1908-1990) was an American actress. But Mario seems to be thinking of Elizabeth Arden (1884-1966), who founded a cosmetics company.

Marathe and Kate G. go drinking

Page 774

Page 775

Big Book
the AA handbook

Page 776

Page 777

Provincial
Switzerland does not have provinces; it has cantons.

Page 778

Swiss metal helmets
Kate is probably thinking "Swedish" as in a Viking's helmet.

schüssch
He probably means schuss, i.e., skiing.

Page 779

Kahlua
the Mexican coffee-flavored, rum-based liqueur, actually spelled with an accent: Kahlúa

restenosis
recurrence of stenosis, i.e., narrowing of blood vessels

Garçon!
French: Boy! (used in reference to the waiter)

n'est ce―
Marathe trails off in the middle of n'est ce pas? (French: isn't it?)

Page 780

m'épouse au future
French: future spouse

Jaarvik
misspelling of "Jarvik"

Page 781

Swisshead
She may be using this particular epithet to mean "one who has holes in his head," à la Swiss cheese.

Page 782

I voot make ze hreply zat
i.e., I would make the reply that — Kate making fun of Marathe's accent

Hal and Mario, cont.

Page 782

Irish Spring
i.e., a strong-smelling brand of soap

Page 783

poppy-seed bagel
conventional wisdom telling that eating such bagels would cause one to test positive for opiates

snuffle
to sniff as in trying to detect something

Indy-type
they clear the system very quickly

Ginsu
a brand of steak knives, once sold on late-night television commercials

Calli tea
Read about this here.

Page 784

Page 785

pores
i.e., pores over books, reads them carefully

Endnote 321