Difference between revisions of "Pages 380-398"

Revision as of 06:22, 20 February 2009

Editors: Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel. And please pay attention to formatting and grammar. Preview your changes before saving them. Thanks!

380* · The ONANtiad

Page 380

Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment

Endnote 147

pluck
courage or resolution in the face of difficulty

qua
in the capacity or character of

maraschino
a marasca cherry

Redi-Whip
a brand name of whipped cream

tendentiously
in a manner showing a definite bias or prejudice

Page 381

Fedora

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[1]. 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 one's birth name

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 "of the lower spectrum [of light]"

epidermal
of or pertaining to the outermost layer of skin

schmaltz
rendered chicken fat, used as shortener by kosher Jews, who cannot use lard (which is made from pork fat)

Endnote 149

Frankies and Tonies
Frankie Avalon and Tony Bennett, e.g.

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

Hillary R.C.
Hillary Rodham Clinton

LaRoucheishly
a reference to Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. (born 1922), a political extremist and cult leader

Endnote 150

dioxins
highly toxic by-products of pesticide manufacturing

high-R-waste
probably refers to high radioactivity

Page 382 (cont'd)

Perot
Henry Ross Perot (born 1930) ran for president in 1992 and 1996 as an independent, in the first case getting the largest third-party vote in several decades.

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
smelling very badly

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 from "America, the Beautiful"

effluvia
invisible exhalations of noxious vapors

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 an ancient term for German-speaking people.

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

absolution
forgiveness of sins

jejune
childish or juvenile

J.J.J.C.
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien

sympatico
in agreement

inexorable
unyielding

NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

EEC
European Economic Community

oown
either a typo or a jab at 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.

infraternal
not a real word

Page 386

frappeurs
apparently a French expression for something that strikes something else

ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

maple leaf
the national emblem of Canada

toot sweet
i.e., tout de suite, French for "right away"

enjambment
the breaking of a line at the end of a verse (in a poem, song, etc.)

386 · 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

wunderkind
German: child prodigy

I/SPN
probably meant to be a follow-up television channel to ESPN

M. Chang
Michael Chang (born 1972) is an American former professional tennis player. That he is described as "lately expired" is puzzling; Chang was alive in 1996 and is still alive today.

Mephistophelan
referring to Mephistopheles, the devil character in Goethe's Faust and Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, to whom Faust sells his soul

Page 389

hagiography
the biography of a saint

'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

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

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
He actually spells his name "Scorsese."

Page 394

394 · Meanwhile in the Weight Room

Page 394

Patridge 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

DMV
Department of Motor Vehicles

oncologist
a physician who treats cancer

395 · Some of Himself's Movies

Page 395

masochistic
enjoying (usually sexually) of pain

Page 396

sucrose
table sugar

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 sideburns

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"