Pages 563-588

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563 · Gately in Conversation

Page 563

Y.D.A.U.

Page 564

cheese-nibbler
i.e., a rat

skittery
shy or coy

Page 565

nomonous
i.e., anonymous

565 · Orin and the Swiss Hand Model

Page 565

Sky Harbor
the airport serving Phoenix

I-17/-10
Interstate 17 runs from Phoenix to Interstate 10, which to Flagstaff, Ariz.

Endnote 234

schizogenic
schizogenesis is reproduction by fission, or by a singular cell splitting into two daughter cells - a type of asexual reproduction

St.-Quelquechose
"quelque chose" means "something" in French

espadrilles
an espadrille is a rubber-soled shoe with a thin fabric top - a "slip-on" shoe - although Wallace seems to mean something else, as he refers to her toes being visible in "the dirty plastic bags" in one of the following sentences

fulminating
to cause to explode

foibles
a minor character flaw

Page 566

languor
lack of energy

Page 567

567 · In the Tunnel

Page 567

Dural edema
swelling of the dura mater due to excess liquid

Page 568

perforce
by force of circumstance

Page 569

nubbin
a small lump

insurmagulate
Pemulis probably means to say "insurmountable."

micturate
urinate

Page 570

avail
advantage, use, efficacy

"...part the veil of Maya.."
This means to glimpse transcendental truth by parting the veil of Maya. Why Idris, a Muslim from Pakistan, would be aware of this Hindu reference is not explained

Page 571

hot
hearing denoting radioactivity

UF₄
chemical notation for uranium tetrafluoride, used in some nuclear reactors

zirconium
a transition metal element

Da
a common Irish nickname for one's father

cuc—
Pemulis is probably about to say "cuckold."

Page 572

coprolite
fossilized dung

A.E.C.
Atomic Energy Commission

anathematic
likely to be greatly hated

Endnote 238

meta-disease
a disease syndrome, or a disease that itself causes other diseases

Page 572

Jawohl
German for "yes" in a particularly enthusiastic way

Page 573

sterabolic anoids
i.e., anabolic steroids

rapacial
i.e., rapacious

"...each month's prime numbers..."
Which would be the second, third, fifth, seventh, eleventh, thirteenth, seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty-third, twenty-ninth, and thirty-first (when the month has thirty-one days)

decelerated
slowed down

jacklights
backlights with a special light used as a lure during hunting

Page 574

Eliotical
referring to T.S. Eliot, author of The Waste Land

repose
rest

574 · Orin Realizes Something

Junoesque
Juno is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera. Orin means to say that "Helen" is like a goddess.

Page 575

Rt. 85
Arizona State Route 85 connects Interstate 10 to the Mexican border near Lukesville, Ariz.

575 · More With Lenz and Green

Page 575

rhynophemic
a misspelled reference to rhinophyma, the reddening of the nose common to alcoholics

"...like a seahorse..."
Seahorses actually have two eyes.

G.E.D.
General Equivalency Degree

Endnote 239

N₂O
nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas

thiopental sodium
another name for sodium pentothal, a powerful general anesthetic

Page 575 (cont'd)

mumus
a long, formless, loose-hanging dress

brocade
fabric woven with an elaborate design

hove
past tense of "heave"

Page 576

ordinational
i.e., ordinal, or increasing by number

jounce
to move joltingly up and down

recesstacle
apparently a combination of "recess" and "receptacle"

sojourn
not a synonym for "journey," as Lenz is using it, but rather a term meaning a stay in a place for a prolonged period

derisive
intended to offend or insult

excretate
i.e., extricate

plaintiffly
Lenz means "plaintively."

Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis (born 1933) was governor of Massachusetts (1983-1991) and the 1988 Democratic nominee for President.

18th-Circus
That should be "18th Circuit."

1.5-meter
about 4.9 feet

Page 577

Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue 1921

Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis (Piet) Mondrian (1872-1944) was a Dutch painter. The reference to his work makes more sense when seen right.

defiles
narrow passageways

blaze-trailing
trailblazing

5/4
a meter is music with five quarter-notes per measure

'shine
a derogatory term for a black person

zithery
provoking the sound of the zither, a string instrument

rimed
covered with frost

kalpacs
a high-crowned felt or fur hat worn by Turks and Central Asians

iridescent
displaying all the colors of the rainbow

Y.C.A.
Youth Corrections Act

patissiers
French: pastry chefs

Page 578

garish
crudely colorful

Page 579

Buns of Steel
still available for sale

sedentary
involving much sitting

bosun
slang sailor term for a boatswain

Falstaff
a brand of beer that stopped being brewed in 2005

Gummi Bears
a small candy originating in Germany

Page 580

ejaculatory
sudden

cardiac
i.e., a heart attack

opaque
cloudy; not allowing light through

brambled
beaten with thorns

Page 581

tetryl
an explosive used to make detonators

V.F.W.
Veterans of Foreign Wars

Rotarians
members of Rotary International

Shriners
members of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine

W. Miller
William Miller (1782-1849) was an American religious leader and one of the founders of the Seventh-Day Adventist movement.

Defarge
Madame Thérèse Defarge is a character in Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities.

O.D.C.
Ohio Department of Corrections

igneous
produced by volcanic action

fezzes
Turkish or Middle-Eastern style hats (see right)

sump
cesspool

Page 582

warbly
tending to warble, i.e., to sing with a trill

acclivity
an upward slope

dogleg
a route that turns at a sharp angle

Choosy Mothers
probably taken from the Jif peanut butter commerical slogan: "Choosy Mothers Choose Jif"

Page 583

midbrain
another name for the mesencephalon

intaglioed
engraved

disincentive
a deterrent

War of the Welles
a reference to the film War of the Worlds, itself adapted from the 1938 radio play by George Orson Welles (1915-1985), American actor and filmmaker

Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy Ho (1930-2007) was a Hawaiian musician.

Sol Hoopi Players
Solomon Ho'opi'i Ka'ai'ai (1902-1953) was another famous Hawaiian musician.

blue and white Quenucker flag
see right

JBL
an audio wares company

Page 584

skulk
to move about secretively

Shetland
a Shetland pony, giving some idea how big the dog is

noblest oblige
a superlative pun on noblesse oblige, the requirement of the wealthy to be kind to those less fortunate

undulate
to move like waves

Hawaii Five-O
a television series than ran in the late 1960s and 1970s

Page 585

Southern Comfort
an orange-flavored whiskey

anomic
class-alienating

andante
In music, this word indicates a moderately slow tempo.

Page 586

Don Ho: From Hawaii With All My Love
This doesn't appear to be a real record.

lalations
misspelling of "lallations," i.e., baby-talk

Day-Glo
a brand name of glow-in-the-dark fabrics

Geiger counter
a machine used to measure radioactivity

'My Lovely Launa-Una Luau Lady'
Nor does this appear to be a real song.

p.m.
per minute

Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad

Canadian
i.e., in French

Montego
either the Austin Montego or the Mercury Montego

Page 587

Molson
a Canadian brand of beer

scruff
nape of the neck

32-kilo
a little over 70 lbs

Page 588

jabber
to talk rapidly

'Dyu!'
most likely Dieu!, French for "God!"

Page 589

180s
turns half-way around, i.e., 180º

lee
away from the wind