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November 14th, YDAU - Randy Lenz, back on the streets

Page 716

Bishop Allen
Bishop Richard Allen was a former slave and American abolitionist.

Page 717

promoted
i.e., stolen

Lechmere's in Cambridgeside
Lechmere's was an electronics and appliance chain that folded in 1997. Its flagship store was located in the CambridgeSide Galleria mall in East Cambridge.

otiose
of no use

chop
helicopter

Page 718

nonchalant
coolly unconcerned

Page 719

The Frightful Hog
once again, Lenz's Unit (penis)

Yellow-Brick-Road stutter-skip
a reference to the iconic 1939 film of "The Wizard of Oz", and specifically to the skip-dance performed by Judy Garland (Dorothy), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Woodman), and Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion) while singing "We're Off To See the Wizard" (although the Tin Woodman's voice is actually that of Buddy Ebsen, who was replaced by Haley after filming and recording was partially completed)

Two Ways of Going

Page 719

technical interview
i.e., torture

abeyant
Not a real French word, it's used here to mean "in abeyance," i.e., dormant, temporarily inactive, at bay

comme on dit
French: as they say

be turning all the stones
or, leaving no stone unturned

November 14th, YDAU - Poor Tony runs from Ruth van Cleeve, cont'd.

Page 719

careered
ran at full speed

veronica
refers to the bullfighting move in which the matador holds the cape out and pivots slowly as the bull charges past or through it

Page 720

FRESH-KILLED CHICKEN
see note for page 479

jay-ran
ran, rather than walked, across the street somewhere other than at a designated pedestrian crossing

feinted
acted in a way to cause a diversion

Page 721

zuckung
German: convulsion

Aigners
a Parisian brand of fine shoes (as here) as well as handbags and other leather accessories

stitch
the very least bit

ON PARLE LE PORTUGAIS ICI
French: Portuguese spoken here

chignon
a roll of hair at the back of the head or nape of the neck

cesareans
surgical operations to remove infants from their mothers' wombs, performed when (or before) difficulties obtain during "natural" (vaginal) birth; misspelling of caesareans

AFR at Antitoi's

Page 721

sartorially
with regard to dress

regrettably fatal technical interview
an interrogation accompanied by torture resulting in the interviewee's death

Endnote 300

café au lait
hot coffee served with an equal amount of hot milk

Page 722

Glen Almond
a section of Québec City

coffre d'amas
French: waste basket; here probably a dumpster

CLOSED, ROPAS, and RELACHE
three ways (in the limited linguistic abilities of the sign-printers) of saying the same thing; ropas is Spanish for "clothes" (a pun that does not translate! also note that the Portuguese would be 'roupa') and relâche is French for "closure" (used on theatrical bills to indicate the cancellation of a performance)

F.L.Q.
Fronte de la Libération du Québec

IL NE FAUT PLUS QU'ON PURSUIVE LE BONHEUR
French: It is no longer necessary to pursue happiness

Tassigny
This character's name is perhaps taken from Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (1889-1952), a French military hero of WWII.

EEG
electroencephalogram — an array of sensors fitted on the scalp that record electrical activity in the brain

Donc. D'accord.
French: So. Okay.

Endnote 301

M.B.A.
Master's of Business Administration

litigatory
having to do with legal proceedings

OS
operating system

Page 722 (cont'd)

frappe
French: punch or kick

Page 723

U.S.B.S.S.
An abbreviation for the name given to the U.S. Office of Unspecified Services by the Québecois Sepératiste Left, the U.S. "Bureau des Services sans Spécificité" (see page 89).

A Moment With Fortier

Page 723

perambulation
walking

November 14th, YDAU - Joelle's Teeth

Page 723

Page 724

selvage
the edge of a fabric

lampblack
A pigment taken from oil resin, football players apply it below their eyes to reduce glare off their cheekbones from the sun or stadium lighting.

canines
the cuspids, also called eye teeth in humans and fangs in many carnivorous mammals; positioned between the incisors and the bicuspids (premolars)

A.F.R. at Antitoi's, after locating the copy

Page 724

embossed
decorated with a raised design

burglared
the wanted past participle is either burgled or burglarized

Page 725

Desjardins
A fairly common French surname, it may have been inspired here by Gabriel-Alphonse Desjardins (1854-1920), Québecois founder of the Desjardins Group.

colostomy
a surgical procedure in which the healthy part of the colon is sutured to an opening in the abdominal wall (for elimination of feces, bypassing the rectum); a bag is attached to the opening to collect the waste products

Bôf
an interjection in French expressing lack of interest

Page 726

"...an employee at the Academy of Tennis..."
This would very likely be Poutrincourt (that's does not sound right: it says this person "joined the Canadian instructor")

Mlle. Luria P----
This would very likely be the "Swiss" Girl Orin is sleeping with.

alacrity
willingness; quickness

Weee
i.e., WYYY

"Massachussets Institute of Technology was defensive in bed"
What does that mean?

demi-maisons
French nonce word for half-way houses

25-km.
about 15.5 miles

Page 727

orthopedic saw
a saw used to cut bones

econometrics
the application of quantitative and statistical methods to the study of economics

de coeur
French: of the heart

c'est ça
French: that's that

Page 728

sybaritically
in the manner of one who engages in sensual pleasure

Lenz Still on the Prowl

Page 728

Chinkette
another Lenz-P.O.V. ethnic epithet: Chinese

Sterno
a brand of denatured and jellied alcohol used for cooking, as well as drinking by many street alcoholics

Kryptonite
a Kryptonite lock, named for the Kryptonite of Superman fame (and implying that not even Superman could steal whatever was secured with it)

Page 729

spic
Lenz's derogatory term for Hispanic or Latino

extruding
i.e., exuding

agnate
Maybe he means "argot" (rather than "related paternally")?

fence
to sell stolen goods

devroid
devoid

Marathe at Ennet House

Page 729

thrift
frugality: Why burn, say, twenties when the same amount of flame can be produced from a like quantity of singles?

Page 730

de l'infere
probably a Québecois expression, it sounds like the French for "from Hell"

inutile
useless

Page 731

cheesecloth
a fabric of lightweight cotton threads of open texture

velour
a knitted (and therefore flexible) fabric with looped threads knitted into the ground; it can have the plush texture of velvet, which is woven rather than knitted and cut during manufacture to create two pieces, each with a fine pile (similar, but on a smaller scale, to a plush carpet)

Page 732

I-93
Interstate 93 runs from St. Johnsbury, Vt., to Canton, Mass., just outside Boston.

Lac de Deux Montaignes
French: Lake of Two Mountains — near Montreal

Le Culte du Prochain Train
French: Cult of the Next Train

Endnote 304

Notes and Errata - Endnote 304

Page 733

Levi #501
once-popular button-fly jeans manufactured by Levi Strauss

your six
your back, the area behind you (as if, like points on a clock, 12 represents straight ahead, and 3 and 9, right and left, respectively)

Trans-3-methyl-2 hexenoic acid
Apparently this acid is indeed higher in the sweat of schizophrenics.

Page 734

Potable
It does mean "drinkable" in English.

the T
the Boston subway system (from the 'T' in what was originally the MTA, Metropolitan Transit Authority, and is now the MBTA, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)

Page 735

hunnerts
i.e., "hundreds of"