Pages 651-662
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Contents
November 11th, YDAU - Hal plays Stice
Page 651
Vespa
a brand of motor scooter
half km.
1,640 feet
galumphers
Galumph is a portmanteau of gallop and triumph. From Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky
Page 652
pericardium
the membrane surrounding the heart
loogy
term for a glob of phlegm
southpaw
left-handed person
McEnroe-Esconja
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born 1959), was a professional tennis player from 1974 to 1992, with seven Grand Slam wins. Esconja appears to be a made-up name.
frieze
a decorative band on a wall or other piece of architecture
Page 653
ad court
service box, left box on the player's own side where odd points are played
half-volley
to hit the ball after it hits the ground but before it reaches the apex of its flight
passed
in tennis, a passing shot is a shot which travels out of the opponents reach, typically occurring when the opponent is running to or has reached the net
mentation
mental activity
book
probably stemming from the gambling phrase "make book on," meaning to make or accept bets on
deuce
This is the score call when both sides in tennis are tied with a score of 40 or thereafter. The progression is 0 or "love," 15, 30, 40, and "game," but the winner must win the final two volleys. When each side has won three volleys, the call is "deuce" rather than 40-all; the next volley won creates "ad [advantage] in" if won by the server(s) or "ad out" if won by the opponent(s). If the side with the advantage wins the next volley, it wins the game; otherwise the score returns to "deuce." Sets are won by the first side to take six games; but sets must be won by at least two games. (In much match play, best-of-twelve-point tiebreakers are played when the sides are tied at 6-6 games. Thus a set score can be 6-4, 7-5, or 7-6, but never 6-5.) A tennis match is won by the side that takes three out of five sets (more commonly for professional male tennis players) or two of three sets (for women and amateurs).
Page 654
lozenges
diamond-shaped objects
cathected
emotionally or mentally invested
reticence
reluctance
pejorative
meant to offend or belittle
1200 meters
3,937 feet
Page 655
Four-odd clicks
Four clicks is four kilometers, or about 2.5 miles.
blarneyed
to flatter or wheedle
2.8 clicks
1.7 miles
Endnote 266
Azores
a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic
Houdini
Harry Houdini (born Ehrich Weisz; 1874-1926) was a Jewish-American magician.
manacles
handcuffs
neo-Georgian
a revival of Georgian architecture or style
Page 655 (cont'd)
M.S.T.
Mountain Standard Time
deltoid
triangular
languor
the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia
jape
to joke with or make fun of
hollandaise
a sauce that is an emulsion of butter and lemon juice using egg yolks; the sauce is usually a light buttery yellow in color
Page 656
Gregg shorthand
a form of stenography developed in the U.S. in 1888; deLint is passing stenographic notes to Steeply when he's not speaking to her
double-fault
two successive faults in serving, resulting in the loss of the point
Endnote 267
ace
a service winner in tennis, i.e., a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, most commonly seen on the first service
Page 656 (cont'd)
ad-in
indicates that the server has the advantage (see the note for deuce on page 653)
ads
i.e., advantages
whale
to hit hard
Page 657
Heimliched
employed the Heimlich maneuver to forcibly dislodge an obstacle, such as a food particle, that is causing choking
let
a play in tennis that calls for a replaying
inculcate
to teach by repetition
Page 658
twenty-six meters
85.3 feet
ungainly
ungracefully or awkwardly
simian
ape-like
chip
a short, high hit
Page 659
half a meter
1.64 feet
chinks
narrow openings
Page 660
drop-volley
a ball hit just over the net, causing the opponent to rush forward
Page 661
Self
a real magazine, seen here
bovine
like a cow
Page 662
sardonic
mockingly derisive; not quite the same as sarcastic, which more often involves irony: a sarcastic remark may say one thing but mean the opposite, whereas a sardonic comment may simply be scornful without indirection