Pages 380-398
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Contents
☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Mario's adaptation of The ONANtiad
Page 380
fiat
a formal authorization or proposition; an arbitrary order.
sucrotically
referring to sucrose, i.e. ordinary table sugar, α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fructofuranoside, a disaccharide (one of many such) in which glucose and fructose are linked in a specific way
Endnote 147
pluck
courage or resolution in the face of difficulty
qua
in the capacity or character of
Page 380 (cont'd)
toque
a kind of brimless hat
flitty
OED: [obsolete] flitting, unstable, flighty
aigrette
a headdress or head ornament consisting of white egret's feathers, or incorporating something resembling this, such as a spray of gems. Also: an egret's feather, or tuft of feathers, esp. one forming part of such a headdress.
Endnote 148
sallet
a type of helmet, the forerunner of the modern combat helmets
calpac
a high-crowned felt or sheepskin hat worn in Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia
calotte
A skullcap, especially one worn by Roman Catholic priests
topography
a detailed description of something, usually a place or region.
escudo
Spanish for shield
shako
tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor and sometimes tapered at the top
Sallet
Calpac
Calotte
Shako
Page 380 (cont'd)
maraschino
a marasca cherry
Redi-Whip
actually Reddi-wip, a brand name of pressurized whipped cream in a can
tendentiously
NOAD: expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a controversial one
Page 381
amanuentic
secretarial
fedoras
A fedora is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. Similar hats with a C-crown (with an indentation for the head in the top of the crown) are occasionally called fedoras. (see right) Wikipedia
baklava
a Near Eastern dessert made from filo dough, honey, nuts, and spices
Echt
German for "bona fide"
linotype
short form name for a linotype machine
'Let the call go forth . . . generation of Americans...'
Compare John F. Kennedy's inaugural address
né
French for "born," the feminine née being more common to denote a woman's birth name, but here the masculine né is appropriate as Gentle is a man
Joyner
not the real Johnny Gentle, who was born with the surname Askew and in the U.K.
retentive
here short for "anal-retentive"
Dermalatix
not a real product
Hypospectral
a neologism that would mean "below the [visible] spectrum [of light]," i.e., invisible
epidermal
of or pertaining to the outermost layer of skin
schmaltz
rendered chicken fat, used in cooking by Jews who keep kosher (among others), who cannot use lard or other rendered pork fat; in this context, it means sentimental or corny music
Endnote 149
Frankies and Tonies
likely a reference to crooners of the Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett ilk
Page 382 (cont'd)
scab
a derogatory word for a worker who replaces a union worker on strike
GE/RCA
General Electric/Radio Company of America
fulcrum
a support or point of rest
lap-dissolves
According to Wikipedia, a lap dissolve "is a technical term in film editing, most often used in the United States, applying to the process whereby the fading last shot of a preceding scene is superimposed over the emerging first shot (fade in) of the next scene..."
prescient
having previous knowledge
jingoist
patriotic to an extreme
macrobiotic
regarding a diet designed largely of whole grains and beans, designed to prolong life
Rush L.
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative host of a popular political radio talk-show
Hillary R.C.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady, and Secretary of State under President Obama
LaRoucheishly
a reference to Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. (born 1922), a political extremist and cult leader
Endnote 150
dioxins
dioxin: a highly toxic compound produced as a byproduct in some manufacturing processes, notably herbicide production and paper bleaching. It is a serious and persistent environmental pollutant. [A heterocyclic organochlorine compound; alternative name: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin]
high-R-waste
probably refers to high radioactivity; Roentgen (R) is a standard for measuring radiation.
Page 382 (cont'd)
post-Perot
i.e., after the immediate era of Texan H. Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems and twice an indepedent U.S. presidential candidate (in 1992 and in 1996, as the leader of his Reform Party)
white-gloved finger
implying that the finger is on the hand in a white glove, used to draw one's hand over a recently cleaned surface to see if any residual dirt remains
U.W.S.A.
United We Stand America, Perot's political movement
G.O.P.s
Republicans, G.O.P. standing for "Grand Old Party"
Jihad
an Arabic word meaning "struggle" but often translated as "holy war"
redolent
extremely fragrant
retinue
a body of attendants to a powerful person
psychosphere
sort of a synonym for collective consciousness
Page 383
"majestic ambers and purple fruits"
words, slightly jumbled, from "America, the Beautiful"
effluvia
invisible exhalations of noxious vapors
petroleated
neologism, making a past participle of the noun
CO
carbon monoxide
Uno
as in numero uno, number one
dandling
bouncing a baby up and down, as on one's knee
mufti
civilian clothes
adipose
adipose tissue, i.e., fat
fractious
unruly or angry
Page 384
Seal
the Great Seal of the U.S.
Teutons
The President seems to be using this as a place name (perhaps a malapropism of the Tetons), but Teutons is a term for German-speaking people.
imbricate-sequin dresses
dresses decorated with overlapping sequins
wavered
quavering in sound
Wurlitzer
the Rudolf Wurlitzer Company, a producer of organs
dusky
dark-skinned
entr' acte
French: between acts
Page 385
glycemically
in a manner that is motivated or caused by the level of sugar in the blood
cannolis
a type of Italian dessert pastry, stuffed with sweetened ricotta cheese
carbuncular
characterized by boils or abscesses in and below the skin, at times interconnected, often caused by strains of Staph. aureus bacteria
absolution
forgiveness of sins
jejune
naive, simplistic, superficial
Experialism
apparently another Wallace neologism, presumably the antonym of imperialism, and thus perhaps "empire-dismantling" as opposed to "empire-building"
J.J.J.C.
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien
sympatico
in agreement
inexorable
impossible to stop or prevent
prandial
[humorous] during or relating to dinner or lunch
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
EEC
European Economic Community
oown
mock-Canadian pronunciation
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement
butter and guns
These are the typical goods used in certain economic models because they are non-competing goods. A reference to the choice between military spending and spending on the general welfare.
infraternal
not a real word, but perhaps a Wallace (or Gentle) portmanteau of internal and fraternal (as "within the brotherhood"?)
Page 386
frappeurs
apparently a French expression for something that strikes something else; literally it means 'strikers', but it seems it's usually used to refer to batters in baseball and cricket
ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
maple leaf
the national emblem of Canada
toot sweet
i.e., tout de suite, French for "right away" (which is pronounced very close to 'toot sweet')
'It's a Small World After All'
the song heard ad nauseam at a Disneyland boat-ride attraction
enjambment
the breaking of a line at the end of a verse (in a poem, song, etc.)
Meanwhile, in the Weight Room
Page 386
purling
flowing or rippling
Page 387
gurutical
not a real word, but apparently having to do with gurus
fulgurant
flashing like lightning
Page 388
glabrous
smooth, hairless
wunderkind
German: child prodigy
I/SPN
probably meant to be a follow-up television channel to ESPN, perhaps DFW intends Interdependent / Sports Programming Network
M. Chang
Michael Chang (born 1972) is an American former, but still-living, professional tennis player. Wallace misguessed Chang's early demise.
Mephistophelan
per the OED, probably Mephistophelean or Mephistophelian is intended, referring to Mephistopheles, the devil character in Goethe's Faust and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, to whom Faust sells his soul
assuasive
soothing, calming
Page 389
hagiography
the writing of the lives of the saints
'The truth will set you free...'
Lyle is paraphrasing John 8:32.
alfresco
Al fresco in Italian means "outside."
Page 390
Seventh-Day Adventists
a Protestant sect of Christianity marked by its observance of the weekly sabbath on Saturdays
turpitude
depravity
dire
indicating trouble
C.F.D.C.
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke
The ONANtiad, cont.
Page 391
Benson & Hedges
a brand of cigarettes
high-lipid
high-fat
auteur
creator, author
UKRAINE, TWO MORE BALTIC STATES APPLY FOR NATO INCLUSION
Ukraine did not begin application for NATO membership until 2006, while the Baltic States were all admitted in 2004.
THERMS
thermonuclear warheads
twelve out of fifteen NATO nations
The last time NATO had fifteen members was in 1982, when Spain was admitted.
Finlandization
This is defined as "the influence that one powerful country may have on the policies of a smaller neighboring country" and refers to Finland's relations with the USSR following WWII.
Page 392
'BIG STICKS'
Jean Chrétien admits that the issues were used here as the "big stick" in the T. Roosevelt-era "speak softly and carry a big stick" foreign policy of President Gentle.
TURTLE MTN. INDIAN RESERVATION
a reservation for Chippewa Indians
Page 393
GI-X-Ray-Grade Colonic Purgative
the kind of laxatives given to people about to undergo colonoscopies (GI meaning Gastro-intestinal)
Pruritis
very bad itching
U.N.L.V.
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
D.O.E.
Department of Energy
METHUEN
a city of Massachusetts about 30 miles north of Boston
Scorcese
Martin Scorsese (b. 1942), American film director.
Page 394
Meanwhile, in the Weight Room, cont.
Page 394
Partridge KS
a city in Kansas about 60 miles northwest of Wichita
telekinetic
able to moves things with one's mind
somnambulist
sleepwalker
Page 395
calotte
a skullcap, typically worn by Roman Catholic acolytes
M.O.
Modus operandi, a Latin phrase meaning the way in which a criminal operates out of habit
DISCUSSION Or more generally, way of operating
DMV
Department of Motor Vehicles
oncologist
a physician who treats cancer
Some of Himself's Movies
Page 395
masochistic
tending to enjoy pain to the point of sexual response; cf. sadistic, tending to derive sexual pleasure from the infliction of pain on another
Page 396
sucrose
table sugar, a disaccharide in which a 5 membered ring and a 6 membered ring are joined as β-D-fructofuranosyl-(2→1)-α-D-glucopyranoside; β--fructofuranosyl-α-glucopyranoside
siren
a reference to the Sirens of Greek mythology
56-gram
about two ounces
Ford's Theater
This is the theater where President Lincoln was assassinated.
muttonchops
very thick long wide sideburns
involuted
complicated; abstruse.
petrification
the process of turning into stone
Ste. Thérèse
Her full name Thérèse de Lisieux
Page 397
cottoned
took a liking to
marquees
the lighted signs on which theaters announce what is playing
dirndls
women's dresses with close fitting bodices and full skirts
Page 398
loo
the British word for "bathroom"
