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November 11th, YDAU - Mario walking around E.T.A., filming

Page 755

Wagnerian bass
grandiose and stentorian (in the lower register) in the manner of German opera composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

arteries
this is anatomically bizarre. Veins do not show pulses, with the exception of the external jugular, in the neck, not the arms. Arteries are not visibly “treed,” except in the anatomy lab or surgical suite, but in muscular individuals “treed” veins are readily visible.

Page 756

varicoceles
plural of varicocele (also "varicoscele"), an abnormal enlargement of veins in the scrotum, resembling a tangled skein of worms

a duet
possibly "O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe" ("O sink down, night of love") sung by the title lovers in Act Two of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

high D
the D (designated D6) that is two octaves above the D above middle C (C4); considered the upper limit of the dramatic soprano range

Felicity Zweig
"Felicity" means happiness, while Zweig is German for "stick" or "branch."

Page 757

Gilbert Treffert
still not a real player

whistling 'Dixie.'
See the discussion of this phrase in section 6 of the Wikipedia entry on the 19th-century American popular song, once considered the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America.

Page 758

Lord’s head and Penn’s leg, the Postman’s broken nose.
The rhythm of this otherwise dry recitation of nicknames and injuries suggests a London nursery rhyme.

The second part is a reference to a French nursery rhyme, Pirouette cacahuète, in which a postman breaks the tip of his nose. In this context, the Postman is Possalthwaite "Postal Weight".

shower-thongs
footgear worn in the shower, not undergarments worn on the crotch

Endnote 316

Opheliac
neologism, resembling Hamlet's girlfriend — see Hamlet IV.v

Page 760

Montague Semantics
This is a form of natural language semantics.

Endnote 317

wildly expensive hdcover
It's a real book and the hardcover goes for $105.85. It has been issued in softcover for $29. The publication information is either wrong or varies.

Plc
public limited company

Page 760 (cont'd)

ten meters
about 32.8 feet

plastron
Definitions include: 1. the starched front of a shirt; 2. a large pad worn by a fencer to protect the chest; and 3. The part of a tortoise's shell that covers the underside. Mario wears an apparatus something like a tortoise's shell that fits around his deformed torso and allows him to carry his camera equipment in the pack on his back.

intercept
malaprop, interrupt

Page 761

cowlick
a patch of hair standing on end, or an unruly whorl of hair, especially when disagreeably situated, as in at the hairline in front.

pennon
a pennant or flag or banner

peripatetic
walking around, But this speaker is the Moms and the writer is DFW, so this is probably a good time to remember that in Aristotelian drama, periptaeia refers to the reversal of fortune.

Page 762

swotting
hard studying, cramming

Page 763

Page 764

lordotic
characterized by excessive inward curvature of the spine

intuiting
knowing without having been told

Page 765

Bic
A manufacturer of inexpensive ball-point pens. Probably blue, here.

St. Pamphile
This is a town close to Québec City; Pamphile is St. Pamphilus.

Page 766

striped like a flea
meaning transversely (w/r/t/ the longitudinal axis of a flea) apparenty striped, he effect produced by the variegation of the overlapping scales on the body of a flea

Page 767

maundering
talking in a rambling, foolish way

Page 768

incontinent
Having no or insufficient voluntary control over urination or defecation

Page 769

tumid
swollen

Hal fills Mario in on the aftermath of the Eschaton incident

Page 769

"Thank you Sir may I have another"
a line from the film "Animal House" (1978)

Page 770

segue
from Italian, pronounced SEG-way, a smooth transition from one thing to another

Page 771

unbent
not having yielded or submitted

urologist
see note, page 527

Page 772

Panglossian
Pangloss is a comically optimistic character in Voltaire's Candide, who believes himself and his fellows to be living in "the best of all possible worlds."

Page 773

true
on target

mendaciously
in a manner of one who is lying

rococo
ornate or florid in speech

tersely
in a manner using few words

Page 774

Eve Arden
Eve Arden (1908-1990) was an American actress. But Mario seems to be thinking of Elizabeth Arden (1884-1966), who founded a cosmetics company.

Marathe and Kate G. go drinking

Page 774

urologist
see note, page 527

Page 775

Big Book
the AA handbook

Page 776

Page 777

moribund
In terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigor

Provincial
Switzerland does not have provinces; it has cantons.

Page 778

Swiss metal helmets
Kate is probably thinking "Swedish" as in a Viking's helmet.

schüssch
He probably means schuss, i.e., skiing.

Page 779

Kahlua
the Mexican coffee-flavored, rum-based liqueur, actually spelled with an accent: Kahlúa

restenosis
recurrence of stenosis, i.e., narrowing of blood vessels

Garçon!
French: Boy! (used in reference to the waiter)

n'est ce―
Marathe trails off in the middle of n'est ce pas? (French: isn't it?)

Page 780

m'épouse au future
French: future spouse

hôpital of grave nature
possibly "hospital of (for the) seriously injured (or, in the case of Gertraude, the comatose)

Jaarvik
misspelling of "Jarvik"

Page 781

Swisshead
She may be using this particular epithet to mean "one who has holes in his head," à la Swiss cheese.

Page 782

I voot make ze hreply zat
i.e., I would make the reply that — Kate making fun of Marathe's accent

Hal and Mario, cont.

Page 782

Irish Spring
i.e., a strong-smelling brand of soap

Page 783

poppy-seed bagel
conventional wisdom has it that eating such bagels could cause one to test positive for opiates

snuffle
to sniff as in trying to detect something

Indy-type
they clear the system very quickly

urologist
see note, page 527

Ginsu
a brand of steak knives, once marketed with late-night television commercials

Calli tea
Read about this here.

Page 784

tit
The OED was no help

Page 785

pores
i.e., pores over books, reads them carefully

aprick
neologism, upright, turned toward the source of sound (here used to modify ears)

Endnote 321