http://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=VivoMedicatrix&feedformat=atomDavid Foster Wallace Wiki : Infinite Jest - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T14:27:25ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.25.1http://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_343-379&diff=3540Pages 343-3792021-04-30T01:25:04Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 354 */</p>
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<br />
=November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Boston AA=<br />
(The longest chapter in the book)<br />
==Page 343==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
"Let us rejoice" <br />
<br />
'''singular'''<br /><br />
unique<br />
<br />
'''polysterene'''<br /><br />
a plastic made of polymerized styrene, if gas is entrained, it is called styrofoam<br />
<br />
'''ziggurats'''<br /><br />
an ancient type of Mesopotamian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat temple tower]<br />
<br />
'''fiberboard'''<br /><br />
board made of small fibers of wood, plastic, or some combination of these and other materials<br />
<br />
'''wall-eyed'''<br /><br />
having exotropia, divergent strabismus, in which the eyes turn outward away from the nose<br />
<br />
'''Concord'''<br /><br />
Concord is about 20 miles northwest of Boston and is the site one of the first battles of the American Revolution.<br />
<br />
==Page 344==<br />
<br />
'''rotary'''<br /><br />
a traffic circle or, in the U.K., a roundabout<br />
<br />
'''plywood'''<br /><br />
material made of thin layers of wood glued together<br />
<br />
''''12th-Step Work''''<br /><br />
The twelfth and final step of AA is this: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."<br />
<br />
'''epigrammatic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the use of short and pithy statements<br />
<br />
'''pay it ''forward'''''<br /><br />
(jeu de mots or wordplay on 'pay it back'), thus the title of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/ this movie]<br />
<br />
'''nip'''<br /><br />
drink of alcohol<br />
<br />
'''Dick Cavett and Truman Capote'''<br /><br />
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born 1936) is an Emmy-award-winning television talk-show host. Truman Capote (1924-1984) was an American writer and novelist, best known for writing ''In Cold Blood'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Both men were remarkably short.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 133==<br />
<br />
'''variegated'''<br /><br />
of diverse hue<br />
<br />
'''esoteric'''<br /><br />
understood or recognized by few people<br />
<br />
==Page 344 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''piping'''<br /><br />
This is a tubular band of ornamental material; Nodie is probably a brand name.<br />
<br />
'''imbricate'''<br /><br />
(of scales, sepals, plates, etc.) having adjacent edges overlapping.<br />
<br />
'''tailor's notch'''<br /><br />
Notch in a tooth one gets from repeatedly biting thread to cut it (or from holding a sewing needle between one's teeth)<br />
<br />
'''incisors'''<br /><br />
front top and bottom teeth, in humans eight in all (right and left, upper and lower, central and lateral)<br />
<br />
==Page 345==<br />
<br />
'''insipid'''<br /><br />
without interesting qualities<br />
<br />
'''AA Preamble'''<br /><br />
You can read it [http://www.serenityfound.org/preamble.html here].<br />
<br />
'''empathy'''<br /><br />
one's ability to feel the emotions of another person<br />
<br />
'''what he is'''<br /><br />
i.e., an alcoholic<br />
<br />
==Endnote 134==<br />
<br />
'''nonpunitive'''<br /><br />
not intended as a punishment<br />
<br />
'''nitro'''<br /><br />
nitroglycerin, used for cardiac attacks<br />
<br />
==Page 345 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''145 kph'''<br /><br />
a hair over 90 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''litany'''<br /><br />
a prolonged or tedious account<br />
<br />
==Page 346==<br />
'''self-regulations'''<br /><br />
an allusion to a similar deliberately ludicrous list in Chapter 3 of the book ''Alcoholics Anonymous,'' read aloud at the start of many AA meetings<br />
<br />
'''waxing'''<br /><br />
growing in size, as for the first half of a lunar cycle<br />
<br />
'''peritonitis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the serous membrane lining the abdomenal cavity<br />
<br />
'''cirrhotic'''<br /><br />
pertaining to hardening of liver tissue<br />
<br />
'''nephritis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the kidneys<br />
<br />
==Page 347==<br />
<br />
'''compadre'''<br /><br />
a close friend or companion, from the Spanish for "godfather"<br />
<br />
'''ravening'''<br /><br />
voracious<br />
<br />
'''maw'''<br /><br />
mouth<br />
<br />
'''the Face in the Floor'''<br /><br />
verbatim a phrase used by Hal to describe his nightmares on p. 254. In this context also possibly an allusion to “The Face upon the Barroom Floor", aka "The Face on the Floor" and "The Face on the Barroom Floor", a poem originally written by the poet John Henry Titus in 1872 later adapted by Hugh Antoine d'Arcy in 1887 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Face_upon_the_Barroom_Floor Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''Black Mass'''<br /><br />
a Satanic ritual based on the Roman Catholic mass<br />
<br />
==Page 348==<br />
<br />
'''"...something whimpery instead of banging."'''<br /><br />
a reference to the last line of T.S. Eliot's poem [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollow_Men The Hollow Men]<br />
<br />
'''garish'''<br /><br />
loud and flashy<br />
<br />
'''Balaclavan'''<br /><br />
a reference to Balaklava, Ukraine, and the suicidal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade Charge of the Light Brigade]<br />
<br />
'''prognathous'''<br /><br />
having one's lower jaw project beyond the upper part of one's face<br />
<br />
'''thermal'''<br /><br />
a warm, rising air current<br />
<br />
'''arbitrage'''<br /><br />
simultaneous purchase and sale of the same assets in different markets<br />
<br />
'''compound'''<br /><br />
i.e., a compound fracture, where the bone protrudes through the skin<br />
<br />
'''Svce'''<br /><br />
Service<br />
<br />
'''Unitarian'''<br /><br />
Though the term refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian Unitarianism], here it suggests a kind of hippyesque, wishy-washyness.<br />
<br />
==Page 349==<br />
<br />
'''Hindenburg'''<br /><br />
Named for Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (1847-1934), the German field marshal, hero of World War I, and last President of the Weimar Republic, the ''Hindenburg'' was a hydrogen-filled zeppelin that exploded over Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937.<br />
<br />
'''nonuremic'''<br /><br />
so as not to appear in one's urine<br />
<br />
'''foamer'''<br /><br />
beer<br />
<br />
==Page 350==<br />
<br />
'''beatific'''<br /><br />
blissful or angelic<br />
<br />
'''Zippo'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippo brand] of lighter made in Bradford PA<br />
<br />
'''saccharin'''<br /><br />
A play on words. "Saccharin" is the artificial sweetener in Sweet & Low (coffee is being discussed); "saccharine" means "overly sweet."<br />
<br />
'''flummoxed'''<br /><br />
confused or perplexed<br />
<br />
'''burnished'''<br /><br />
rubbed smooth<br />
<br />
'''squalid'''<br /><br />
foul and repulsive<br />
<br />
==Page 351==<br />
<br />
'''terse'''<br /><br />
using few words<br />
<br />
'''imperative'''<br /><br />
a tense of verb implicating a command or directive<br />
<br />
'''zealotry'''<br /><br />
fanaticism<br />
<br />
'''green-card Irishman'''<br /><br />
an Irishman who is a permanent resident non-citizen of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''meal'''<br /><br />
ground grain<br />
<br />
'''metal-pedalled'''<br /><br />
i.e., "with the pedal to the metal," i.e., at top speed<br />
<br />
'''chemical psychosis'''<br /><br />
Psychosis (called "speed psychosisis") a not uncommon side effect of amphetamine abuse.<br />
<br />
'''wax lyrical'''<br /><br />
to speak poetically<br />
<br />
'''"'d been a confarmed..."'''<br /><br />
I'd been a confirmed bowl-splatterer for years beyond counting. I'd been barred from the facilities at all the truck stops betwixt here and New York for years. The wallpaper in the loo at home hung in these curled sheets from the wall, I tell you. But now one day . . . I'll remember it always. It were a week to the day after I stood up for my ninety-day chip. I were three months sober. I were there on the throne at home, you know. Not to put too fine a point on it, I produced as usual and . . . and I were so amazed as to not believing my ears. It was a sound so unfamiliar at the first I thought I'd dropped my wallet in the loo, do you know? I thought I'd dropped me wallet in the loo as god is my witness. So down I bend betwixt my knees and had a look in the dim of the loo and couldn't believe my eyes. So good people I do then I drop to my knees by the loo and had a ''real'' look. A lover's look, do you know? And friends it were a lovely past my poor powers to say. It were a ''turd'' in the loo. A ''real turd''. It were firm and tapered and ever so gently arched. It looked . . . ''constructed'' instead of sprayed. It look as I felt in my heart God himself made a turd to look. My friends, this turd of mine practically had a pulse. I stayed down on my knees and thanked my Higher Power, which I choose to call my Higher Power God, and I been thanking my Higher Power on my knees ever since, morning and nighttime and in the loo as well, ever since.<br />
<br />
'''ninety-day chip'''<br/><br />
In AA, medals, or chips, are awarded to commemorate certain lengths of sobriety<br />
<br />
==Page 352==<br />
<br />
'''Enuresis'''<br /><br />
involuntary loss of bladder control, if while awake, pants-wetting; if while sleeping, bed-wetting<br />
<br />
'''Priapism'''<br /><br />
a penile erection that won't go away<br />
<br />
'''Projectile-incontinence'''<br /><br />
inability to hold one's bowels to the extent that feces shoot out of the anus<br />
<br />
'''Autocastration'''<br /><br />
castration of one's self<br />
<br />
'''fringe-Birchism'''<br /><br />
Birchism is adherence to the principles of the [http://www.jbs.org/ John Birch Society], an ultra-right-wing political organization<br />
<br />
'''National-Socialist-Bundtism'''<br /><br />
The National Socialists were the Nazis, and ''bund'' is German for ''bunch'', but it's unclear why Wallace uses ''Bundtism'' with the ''t'' rather than simply ''Bundism''. This could refer to something like the German-American Bund of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Kuhn_(Nazi) Fritz Julius Kuhn].<br />
<br />
'''Coprophilia and -phagia'''<br /><br />
sexual excitement brought on by feces and eating of feces, respectively<br />
<br />
'''candelabrum'''<br /><br />
a holder for more than one candle<br />
<br />
==Page 353==<br />
<br />
'''vitriolic'''<br /><br />
something highly caustic or severe, as criticism; the phrase ''prodigy of vitriolic spine'' must refer to someone with an impressive and courageous capacity (talent?) for scathing criticism<br />
<br />
'''orevwar'''<br /><br />
i.e., ''au revoir'', the French for "goodbye"<br />
<br />
'''fremitic'''<br /><br />
characterized by tremor vibrations in any part of the body<br />
<br />
==Page 354==<br />
<br />
'''verdant'''<br /><br />
green with vegetation<br />
<br />
'''varicose'''<br /><br />
having veins that are visible through the skin<br />
<br />
'''shamanistic fiat'''<br /><br />
A shaman is a priest or religious official, usually of an indigenous religion. A fiat is an order, based on the Latin for the imperative form of the verb "to be."<br />
<br />
'''30 kph'''<br /><br />
18.6 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''talismanically'''<br /><br />
in a way suggesting something having to do with a magic charm or amulet<br />
<br />
'''Lord's Prayer'''<br /><br />
from [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:9-13;&version=9; Matthew 20:9-13]<br />
<br />
'''gasper'''<br /><br />
British slang for a type of high tar cigarette, such as Woodbine, or Gauloise<br />
<br />
'''ballast'''<br /><br />
meaning an electric ballast, which is used to regulate and stabilize the current in fluorescent lights<br />
<br />
==Page 355==<br />
<br />
'''gnarled'''<br /><br />
knotty and misshappen<br />
<br />
'''Sixers'''<br /><br />
the short name for the [http://www.nba.com/sixers/index_main.html Philadelphia 76ers]<br />
<br />
'''MCI-Walpole'''<br /><br />
This is the Massachusetts Correction Institute at Walpole, about 25 miles southwest of Boston.<br />
<br />
'''raisin jack'''<br /><br />
an alcoholic drink fermented from raisins, commonly made in prisons<br />
<br />
'''spectral'''<br /><br />
looking like a ghost<br />
<br />
==Page 356==<br />
<br />
'''LeSabre'''<br /><br />
the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_LeSabre Buick LeSabre]<br />
<br />
'''jack-legged'''<br /><br />
a slang term meaning "always screwing up"<br />
<br />
'''dash'''<br /><br />
short for "dashboard"<br />
<br />
'''abject'''<br /><br />
sunken to a low position, as in "abject poverty"<br />
<br />
'''regs'''<br /><br />
regulations<br />
<br />
'''sub-rosa'''<br /><br />
The Latin phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_rosa sub rosa] means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality<br />
<br />
'''autonomy'''<br /><br />
control or rule over one's self<br />
<br />
==Page 357==<br />
<br />
'''fibrosis'''<br /><br />
scarring<br />
<br />
==Endnote 139==<br />
<br />
'''entomologic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the study of insects.<br />
<br />
==Page 357 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Mr. Rogers'''<br /><br />
The Reverend Frederick McFeely "Fred" Rogers (1928-2003) was an American minister and children's television show host.<br />
<br />
'''rhapsodize'''<br /><br />
speak in an extravagantly elegant manner<br />
<br />
'''fisticuffery'''<br /><br />
fist-fighting<br />
<br />
'''invectives'''<br /><br />
abusive expressions of opinion<br />
<br />
'''Sergeant at Arms'''<br /><br />
an officer appointed to keep order<br />
<br />
==Page 358==<br />
<br />
'''apothegm'''<br /><br />
a short, pithy statement<br />
<br />
'''head'''<br /><br />
bathroom<br />
<br />
'''spuds'''<br /><br />
potatoes<br />
<br />
'''nocturnal'''<br /><br />
happening at night<br />
<br />
'''crook'''<br /><br />
a shepherd's staff<br />
<br />
'''French-curled'''<br /><br />
You can see French-curled jewelry [http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=3093801 here].<br />
<br />
'''demurely'''<br /><br />
in an affectedly modest way<br />
<br />
==Page 359==<br />
<br />
'''circumferences'''<br /><br />
distances around the edge of a circle<br />
<br />
'''cuticles'''<br /><br />
dead skin at the bottom of the fingernails<br />
<br />
'''astringent'''<br /><br />
a chemical that tends to dry something else out; here it probably means "severe, austere, stern" (OED)<br />
<br />
'''onionlight'''<br /><br />
You can see onionlights [http://www.hammerworks.com/onionlights1.html here].<br />
<br />
'''isopropyl'''<br /><br />
2-propanol, a type of alcohol, comprising rubbing alcohol ('surgical spirit' in the U.K.)<br />
<br />
'''reek'''<br /><br />
to smell very badly<br />
<br />
'''A.D.A.'''<br /><br />
Assistant District Attorney<br />
<br />
==Page 360==<br />
<br />
'''fumigated'''<br /><br />
permeated with gas to kill insects or other vermin<br />
<br />
'''idiosyncrasy'''<br /><br />
a peculiarity of personality<br />
<br />
'''rattan'''<br /><br />
material taken from the rattan plant, a climbing palm with very long stems<br />
<br />
'''Big Book'''<br /><br />
This is the AA "bible," so to speak, and can be found online [http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/ here].<br />
<br />
'''''As Bill Sees It'''''<br /><br />
a book by Bill W., one of AA's founders, first published in 1967<br />
<br />
'''''Came To Believe'''''<br /><br />
another AA publication, this one published in 1973<br />
<br />
==Page 361==<br />
<br />
'''joggling'''<br /><br />
shaking slightly<br />
<br />
'''Demerol'''<br /><br />
a brand name of meperidine (USA) or pethidine (UK), a synthetic narcotic 'painkiller'<br />
<br />
'''photic'''<br /><br />
having to do with light<br />
<br />
==Page 362==<br />
<br />
'''copperheads'''<br /><br />
one of five species of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_contortrix poisonous snake]<br />
<br />
'''tongues'''<br /><br />
The reference is to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia glossolalia].<br />
<br />
'''larynx'''<br /><br />
voice box<br />
<br />
'''requisite'''<br /><br />
essential or necessary<br />
<br />
'''venulated'''<br /><br />
The word means "able to see the veins"; this condition of the nose is very common among advanced alcoholics.<br />
<br />
''''Volare''''<br /><br />
This is a song whose title is from the Italian for "to fly." The song was written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci. Modugno went on to be a member of Italy's parliament<br />
<br />
==Page 363==<br />
<br />
'''pupil and iris'''<br /><br />
The pupil is the black circle at the center of the eye, while the iris is the colored part (blue, green, brown, gray, hazel).<br />
<br />
'''cognito'''<br /><br />
which is to say, in Lenz's case, unsuccessfully incognito<br />
<br />
'''Ferragamos'''<br /><br />
an Italian brand of shoes<br />
<br />
'''periphery'''<br /><br />
an external boundary<br />
<br />
'''selvage'''<br /><br />
the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.<br />
<br />
'''11-Step'''<br /><br />
recalling the 12th step on page 344, UHID must lack this step, or perhaps one of the others<br />
<br />
==Page 364==<br />
<br />
'''Rémy'''<br /><br />
Rémy-Martin, a brand of cognac<br />
<br />
'''Tiparillo'''<br /><br />
a brand name of [http://duckduckgo.com/?q=tiparillo&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images cigar with built in holder, more or less]<br />
<br />
'''[[Subsidized Time|Year of Dairy Products From the American Heartland]]'''<br />
<br />
'''defib paddles'''<br /><br />
the paddles used in defibrillation, the application of electric shocks to the heart to re-start it<br />
<br />
'''divot'''<br /><br />
Normally a golf term, a divot is the chunk of turf whose ejection leaves a hole in the fairway when one strikes a golf ball.<br />
<br />
'''rankness'''<br /><br />
the quality of being offensive<br />
<br />
'''proprietary'''<br /><br />
Usually referring to an owner, here it refers to feeling as if one has a sense of ownership.<br />
<br />
==Page 365==<br />
<br />
'''rectum'''<br /><br />
the very end of the large intestine<br />
<br />
'''hubristic'''<br /><br />
having exaggerated pride or self-confidence<br />
<br />
'''7-iron'''<br /><br />
a type of golf club<br />
<br />
'''tenth rough'''<br /><br />
off the fairway on the tenth hole of a golf course<br />
<br />
==Page 366==<br />
<br />
'''flats'''<br /><br />
women's shoes without heels<br />
<br />
'''subjunctive'''<br /><br />
relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible. Compare with indicative.<br />
<br />
'''counterfactual'''<br /><br />
at variance with what really happened<br />
<br />
'''indicative'''<br /><br />
According to ''Merriam-Webster,'' "indicative" means "of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents the denoted act or state as an objective fact."<br />
<br />
'''transposition'''<br /><br />
exchanging the positions of two things<br />
<br />
'''Radarange'''<br /><br />
The name of the original microwave oven by Amana<br />
<br />
'''pass'''<br /><br />
NOAD: 13. a state or situation of a specified, usually bad or difficult, nature • this is a sad pass for a fixture that used to crackle with excitement.<br />
<br />
'''allude'''<br /><br />
NOAD: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''velour'''<br /><br />
a piled and nappy material resembling velvet<br />
<br />
'''caparison'''<br /><br />
an ornamental covering for a horse, or just rich clothing<br />
<br />
'''gavel'''<br /><br />
a small mallet or hammer with which an auctioneer, a judge, or the chair of a meeting hits a surface to call for attention or order.<br />
<br />
=NNYC's Statue of Liberty=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''huge photo album'''<br /><br />
The book held by the statue reads, "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI [1776]."<br />
<br />
'''product'''<br /><br />
as opposed to the torch it currently holds<br />
<br />
'''pitons'''<br /><br />
spikes used by mountain climbers for support<br />
<br />
=Boston AA, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''deprecate'''<br /><br />
to express disapproval<br />
<br />
==Page 368==<br />
<br />
'''conundrum'''<br /><br />
something puzzling<br />
<br />
'''cunctations'''<br /><br />
delays<br />
<br />
'''chagrin'''<br /><br />
embarrassment at having failed<br />
<br />
'''aphasiac'''<br /><br />
neologism, or misspelling of aphasic, unable to speak<br />
<br />
'''Filene's'''<br /><br />
former department store in the Boston area, now owned by [http://www.macys.com/ Macy's], famous or perhaps notorious at one time for the sales held in its basement<br />
<br />
==Page 369==<br />
<br />
'''unironic'''<br /><br />
not ironic, i.e., totally expected and not at all a surprise<br />
<br />
'''disingenuous'''<br /><br />
lacking in sincerity, pretending to be naïve<br />
<br />
'''schlepping'''<br /><br />
carrying something awkwardly or slowly<br />
<br />
'''deprogramming'''<br /><br />
from the deprogrammer's point of view, reversing the brainwashing that induced someone to adhere to a religious cult<br />
<br />
==Page 370==<br />
<br />
'''Naked I Club'''<br /><br />
a real strip club mentioned [http://www.totse.com/en/erotica/erotic_fiction_so_to_sz/striprv.html here]<br />
<br />
'''Route 1'''<br /><br />
U.S. 1 runs from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, down to Key West, Florida, largely hugging the Atlantic coast<br />
<br />
'''Saugus MA'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Boston about ten miles north of the city<br />
<br />
'''etiology'''<br /><br />
the cause or source of a medical problem<br />
<br />
'''prolix'''<br /><br />
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy. <br />
<br />
'''Mud-Bug'''<br /><br />
a Southern term for a crawfish<br />
<br />
'''invertebrate'''<br /><br />
an animal without a spine<br />
<br />
'''chordate phylum'''<br /><br />
the phylum of the animal kingdom containing all animals with spines<br />
<br />
==Page 371==<br />
<br />
'''Campfire Girls'''<br /><br />
former name of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fireyouth organization] when it was just for girls<br />
<br />
'''Lancôme'''<br /><br />
one of France's largest cosmetics manufacturers<br />
<br />
'''lurid'''<br /><br />
gruesome or shocking<br />
<br />
'''ubiquitousness'''<br /><br />
the quality of always being present everywhere<br />
<br />
'''Aetna'''<br /><br />
a real [http://www.aetna.com/ insurance company]<br />
<br />
'''Doric column'''<br /><br />
columns of buildings built according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doric_order Doric order]<br />
<br />
'''pliability'''<br /><br />
the ability to be easily bent<br />
<br />
==Page 372==<br />
<br />
'''''Ramparts'' and ''Commonweal'''''<br /><br />
''Ramparts'' was a magazine founded for a Catholic leadership but eventually found its niche with the New Left. ''Commonweal'' was and still is a publication by and for lay Catholics.<br />
<br />
'''Sally Jessy Raphael M.S.W.'''<br /><br />
Sally Jessy Raphael (born Sally Lowenthal, 1938) is an American talk-show host. She does not hold an M.S.W., i.e., a Master's of Social Work<br />
<br />
'''complicity'''<br /><br />
the status of being an accomplice in a wrongdoing<br />
<br />
'''Wounded, Hurting, Inadequately Nurtured but Ever-Recovering Survivors'''<br /><br />
Look at the initials of the capitalized words.<br />
<br />
'''auburn'''<br /><br />
reddish-brown<br />
<br />
'''perimeter'''<br /><br />
the oustide edge of something<br />
<br />
==Page 373==<br />
<br />
'''vanity'''<br /><br />
a dressing table<br />
<br />
'''limbic system'''<br /><br />
a complex system within the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system brain]; the most primitive portion of the mammalian brain, associated with emotions<br />
<br />
'''gauntlet'''<br /><br />
an attack from all sides<br />
<br />
'''rasa the tabula'''<br /><br />
This is a playful inversion of ''tabula rasa,'' Latin for "blank state" and used in the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704). The sense here is to clean the slate.<br />
<br />
'''bandanna'''<br /><br />
a large printed handkerchief, typically red or blue with a white design<br />
<br />
'''circumoral'''<br /><br />
surrounding the mouth<br />
<br />
'''vacuole and optica'''<br /><br />
These are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuole parts] of a cell, the optica likely being some kind of "seeing" organ.<br />
<br />
'''protozoan'''<br /><br />
a single-celled organism<br />
<br />
'''some Catholic statue'''<br /><br />
The statue described strongly appears to be Bernini's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_St_Theresa The Ecstasy of St Theresa]. This statue is also referred to by name at endnote 24, page 988 in the synopsis of James Incandenza's film ''Pre-Nuptial Agreement of Heaven and Hell.''<br />
<br />
'''Hours'''<br /><br />
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours Liturgy of the Hours] is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity<br />
<br />
'''prurient'''<br /><br />
causing lust<br />
<br />
'''cherub'''<br /><br />
Often this word is used to denote a baby angel, but the actual connotation of the original Hebrew is of a fearsome warrior angel. A cherub guards the Garden of Eden in Genesis so that Adam and Eve cannot go back in.<br />
<br />
'''lolled'''<br /><br />
dropped<br />
<br />
==Page 374==<br />
<br />
'''IV'''<br /><br />
intravenous, i.e., directly into a vein<br />
<br />
'''lucidity'''<br /><br />
mental clarity<br />
<br />
'''implicit'''<br /><br />
unspoken but implied<br />
<br />
'''Six Flags Over the Poconos'''<br /><br />
Six Flags is a [http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx chain] of amusement parks. There is not currently one in the Pocono Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''labrynth'''<br /><br />
This is the mythological spelling of "labyrinth," meaning generically a maze, but more specifically denoting the maze built by Daedalus of ancient Greek myth.<br />
<br />
'''minotaurs'''<br /><br />
Daedalus built his famous maze to house the Minotaur, a monster that was half man and half bull and the product of sexual congress between Europa, queen of Crete, and Zeus in the form of a bull.<br />
<br />
'''aides de camp'''<br /><br />
confidential assistants to a military officer<br />
<br />
'''absconded'''<br /><br />
departed suddenly and in secret<br />
<br />
'''proto-Fascist'''<br /><br />
Wallace really means "quasi-Fascist" rather than "proto-Fascist"; it's not as if the rules of AA are the harbinger of Fascism to come.<br />
<br />
'''decamped'''<br /><br />
a synonym of "absconded"<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad]]<br />
<br />
'''commode'''<br /><br />
toilet<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
==Endnote 143==<br />
<br />
'''''Sic'''''<br /><br />
This word means: "Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally" (''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'').<br />
<br />
=April 30th/May 1st, YDAU - More Marathe & Steeply=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''shelf'''<br /><br />
a projecting ridge on a mountain<br />
<br />
'''anticonfluential'''<br /><br />
see note, p. 65<br />
<br />
'''spangle'''<br /><br />
a small bright spot<br />
<br />
'''"...launching even one ship or vessel."'''<br /><br />
unlike [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy Helen of Troy], whose face "launched a thousand ships" according to Homer<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''blotto'''<br /><br />
drunk<br />
<br />
==Endnote 144==<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Purdue Wonderchicken]]<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
[[Notes and Errata - Pages 983-1079#Endnote 145 · Found Drama|Endnote 145]]<br />
<br />
=More Boston AA=<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
'''brogue'''<br /><br />
American slang term for an accent – usually Irish or Scottish – from the Irish word 'bróg', meaning 'shoe'.<br />
<br />
'''Eightball'''<br /><br />
an eighth of an ounce of cocaine<br />
<br />
'''translucent'''<br /><br />
capable of having light pass through; but not transparent<br />
<br />
'''mucronate'''<br /><br />
having an abruptly projecting point, as a feather or leaf.<br />
<br />
==Page 377==<br />
<br />
'''swaddled'''<br /><br />
wrapped tightly in cloth strips<br />
<br />
'''fuchsia'''<br /><br />
brilliant ("hot") pink, the color of the flower of the same name<br />
<br />
'''dysplasia'''<br /><br />
abnormal growth of cells or tissue<br />
<br />
'''remonstrances'''<br /><br />
acts of protest<br />
<br />
'''beat-cop'''<br /><br />
a policeman who patrols the streets<br />
<br />
'''abstruse'''<br /><br />
difficult to understand; recondite<br />
<br />
'''tungsten'''<br /><br />
a metallic element most commonly used for the filaments of incandescent light bulbs described [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten here], also known as wolfram<br />
<br />
==Page 378==<br />
<br />
'''Chanel'''<br /><br />
the fashion house known in long form as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel House of Chanel]<br />
<br />
'''reticence'''<br /><br />
reserve, restraint, inhibition, diffidence, shyness; unresponsiveness, quietness, taciturnity, secretiveness<br />
<br />
'''D&C'''<br /><br />
dilation (of the cervix) and curetage (scraping) of the uterus<br />
<br />
'''placenta'''<br /><br />
the tissue that nourishes a fetus and makes up the afterbirth<br />
<br />
'''S.S.I.'''<br /><br />
Social Security Insurance<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
'''libations'''<br /><br />
alcoholic drinks<br />
<br />
'''injudicious'''<br /><br />
showing lack of judgment<br />
<br />
'''chyme'''<br /><br />
This is "the semifluid mass into which food is converted by gastric secretion and which passes from the stomach into the small intestine" (''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'').<br />
<br />
==Endnote 146==<br />
<br />
'''L.M.P.'''<br /><br />
Latrodectus Mactans Productions<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_343-379&diff=3539Pages 343-3792021-04-27T01:43:40Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 347 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Boston AA=<br />
(The longest chapter in the book)<br />
==Page 343==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
"Let us rejoice" <br />
<br />
'''singular'''<br /><br />
unique<br />
<br />
'''polysterene'''<br /><br />
a plastic made of polymerized styrene, if gas is entrained, it is called styrofoam<br />
<br />
'''ziggurats'''<br /><br />
an ancient type of Mesopotamian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat temple tower]<br />
<br />
'''fiberboard'''<br /><br />
board made of small fibers of wood, plastic, or some combination of these and other materials<br />
<br />
'''wall-eyed'''<br /><br />
having exotropia, divergent strabismus, in which the eyes turn outward away from the nose<br />
<br />
'''Concord'''<br /><br />
Concord is about 20 miles northwest of Boston and is the site one of the first battles of the American Revolution.<br />
<br />
==Page 344==<br />
<br />
'''rotary'''<br /><br />
a traffic circle or, in the U.K., a roundabout<br />
<br />
'''plywood'''<br /><br />
material made of thin layers of wood glued together<br />
<br />
''''12th-Step Work''''<br /><br />
The twelfth and final step of AA is this: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."<br />
<br />
'''epigrammatic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the use of short and pithy statements<br />
<br />
'''pay it ''forward'''''<br /><br />
(jeu de mots or wordplay on 'pay it back'), thus the title of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/ this movie]<br />
<br />
'''nip'''<br /><br />
drink of alcohol<br />
<br />
'''Dick Cavett and Truman Capote'''<br /><br />
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born 1936) is an Emmy-award-winning television talk-show host. Truman Capote (1924-1984) was an American writer and novelist, best known for writing ''In Cold Blood'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Both men were remarkably short.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 133==<br />
<br />
'''variegated'''<br /><br />
of diverse hue<br />
<br />
'''esoteric'''<br /><br />
understood or recognized by few people<br />
<br />
==Page 344 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''piping'''<br /><br />
This is a tubular band of ornamental material; Nodie is probably a brand name.<br />
<br />
'''imbricate'''<br /><br />
(of scales, sepals, plates, etc.) having adjacent edges overlapping.<br />
<br />
'''tailor's notch'''<br /><br />
Notch in a tooth one gets from repeatedly biting thread to cut it (or from holding a sewing needle between one's teeth)<br />
<br />
'''incisors'''<br /><br />
front top and bottom teeth, in humans eight in all (right and left, upper and lower, central and lateral)<br />
<br />
==Page 345==<br />
<br />
'''insipid'''<br /><br />
without interesting qualities<br />
<br />
'''AA Preamble'''<br /><br />
You can read it [http://www.serenityfound.org/preamble.html here].<br />
<br />
'''empathy'''<br /><br />
one's ability to feel the emotions of another person<br />
<br />
'''what he is'''<br /><br />
i.e., an alcoholic<br />
<br />
==Endnote 134==<br />
<br />
'''nonpunitive'''<br /><br />
not intended as a punishment<br />
<br />
'''nitro'''<br /><br />
nitroglycerin, used for cardiac attacks<br />
<br />
==Page 345 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''145 kph'''<br /><br />
a hair over 90 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''litany'''<br /><br />
a prolonged or tedious account<br />
<br />
==Page 346==<br />
'''self-regulations'''<br /><br />
an allusion to a similar deliberately ludicrous list in Chapter 3 of the book ''Alcoholics Anonymous,'' read aloud at the start of many AA meetings<br />
<br />
'''waxing'''<br /><br />
growing in size, as for the first half of a lunar cycle<br />
<br />
'''peritonitis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the serous membrane lining the abdomenal cavity<br />
<br />
'''cirrhotic'''<br /><br />
pertaining to hardening of liver tissue<br />
<br />
'''nephritis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the kidneys<br />
<br />
==Page 347==<br />
<br />
'''compadre'''<br /><br />
a close friend or companion, from the Spanish for "godfather"<br />
<br />
'''ravening'''<br /><br />
voracious<br />
<br />
'''maw'''<br /><br />
mouth<br />
<br />
'''the Face in the Floor'''<br /><br />
verbatim a phrase used by Hal to describe his nightmares on p. 254. In this context also possibly an allusion to “The Face upon the Barroom Floor", aka "The Face on the Floor" and "The Face on the Barroom Floor", a poem originally written by the poet John Henry Titus in 1872 later adapted by Hugh Antoine d'Arcy in 1887 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Face_upon_the_Barroom_Floor Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''Black Mass'''<br /><br />
a Satanic ritual based on the Roman Catholic mass<br />
<br />
==Page 348==<br />
<br />
'''"...something whimpery instead of banging."'''<br /><br />
a reference to the last line of T.S. Eliot's poem [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollow_Men The Hollow Men]<br />
<br />
'''garish'''<br /><br />
loud and flashy<br />
<br />
'''Balaclavan'''<br /><br />
a reference to Balaklava, Ukraine, and the suicidal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade Charge of the Light Brigade]<br />
<br />
'''prognathous'''<br /><br />
having one's lower jaw project beyond the upper part of one's face<br />
<br />
'''thermal'''<br /><br />
a warm, rising air current<br />
<br />
'''arbitrage'''<br /><br />
simultaneous purchase and sale of the same assets in different markets<br />
<br />
'''compound'''<br /><br />
i.e., a compound fracture, where the bone protrudes through the skin<br />
<br />
'''Svce'''<br /><br />
Service<br />
<br />
'''Unitarian'''<br /><br />
Though the term refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian Unitarianism], here it suggests a kind of hippyesque, wishy-washyness.<br />
<br />
==Page 349==<br />
<br />
'''Hindenburg'''<br /><br />
Named for Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (1847-1934), the German field marshal, hero of World War I, and last President of the Weimar Republic, the ''Hindenburg'' was a hydrogen-filled zeppelin that exploded over Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937.<br />
<br />
'''nonuremic'''<br /><br />
so as not to appear in one's urine<br />
<br />
'''foamer'''<br /><br />
beer<br />
<br />
==Page 350==<br />
<br />
'''beatific'''<br /><br />
blissful or angelic<br />
<br />
'''Zippo'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippo brand] of lighter made in Bradford PA<br />
<br />
'''saccharin'''<br /><br />
A play on words. "Saccharin" is the artificial sweetener in Sweet & Low (coffee is being discussed); "saccharine" means "overly sweet."<br />
<br />
'''flummoxed'''<br /><br />
confused or perplexed<br />
<br />
'''burnished'''<br /><br />
rubbed smooth<br />
<br />
'''squalid'''<br /><br />
foul and repulsive<br />
<br />
==Page 351==<br />
<br />
'''terse'''<br /><br />
using few words<br />
<br />
'''imperative'''<br /><br />
a tense of verb implicating a command or directive<br />
<br />
'''zealotry'''<br /><br />
fanaticism<br />
<br />
'''green-card Irishman'''<br /><br />
an Irishman who is a permanent resident non-citizen of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''meal'''<br /><br />
ground grain<br />
<br />
'''metal-pedalled'''<br /><br />
i.e., "with the pedal to the metal," i.e., at top speed<br />
<br />
'''chemical psychosis'''<br /><br />
Psychosis (called "speed psychosisis") a not uncommon side effect of amphetamine abuse.<br />
<br />
'''wax lyrical'''<br /><br />
to speak poetically<br />
<br />
'''"'d been a confarmed..."'''<br /><br />
I'd been a confirmed bowl-splatterer for years beyond counting. I'd been barred from the facilities at all the truck stops betwixt here and New York for years. The wallpaper in the loo at home hung in these curled sheets from the wall, I tell you. But now one day . . . I'll remember it always. It were a week to the day after I stood up for my ninety-day chip. I were three months sober. I were there on the throne at home, you know. Not to put too fine a point on it, I produced as usual and . . . and I were so amazed as to not believing my ears. It was a sound so unfamiliar at the first I thought I'd dropped my wallet in the loo, do you know? I thought I'd dropped me wallet in the loo as god is my witness. So down I bend betwixt my knees and had a look in the dim of the loo and couldn't believe my eyes. So good people I do then I drop to my knees by the loo and had a ''real'' look. A lover's look, do you know? And friends it were a lovely past my poor powers to say. It were a ''turd'' in the loo. A ''real turd''. It were firm and tapered and ever so gently arched. It looked . . . ''constructed'' instead of sprayed. It look as I felt in my heart God himself made a turd to look. My friends, this turd of mine practically had a pulse. I stayed down on my knees and thanked my Higher Power, which I choose to call my Higher Power God, and I been thanking my Higher Power on my knees ever since, morning and nighttime and in the loo as well, ever since.<br />
<br />
'''ninety-day chip'''<br/><br />
In AA, medals, or chips, are awarded to commemorate certain lengths of sobriety<br />
<br />
==Page 352==<br />
<br />
'''Enuresis'''<br /><br />
involuntary loss of bladder control, if while awake, pants-wetting; if while sleeping, bed-wetting<br />
<br />
'''Priapism'''<br /><br />
a penile erection that won't go away<br />
<br />
'''Projectile-incontinence'''<br /><br />
inability to hold one's bowels to the extent that feces shoot out of the anus<br />
<br />
'''Autocastration'''<br /><br />
castration of one's self<br />
<br />
'''fringe-Birchism'''<br /><br />
Birchism is adherence to the principles of the [http://www.jbs.org/ John Birch Society], an ultra-right-wing political organization<br />
<br />
'''National-Socialist-Bundtism'''<br /><br />
The National Socialists were the Nazis, and ''bund'' is German for ''bunch'', but it's unclear why Wallace uses ''Bundtism'' with the ''t'' rather than simply ''Bundism''. This could refer to something like the German-American Bund of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Kuhn_(Nazi) Fritz Julius Kuhn].<br />
<br />
'''Coprophilia and -phagia'''<br /><br />
sexual excitement brought on by feces and eating of feces, respectively<br />
<br />
'''candelabrum'''<br /><br />
a holder for more than one candle<br />
<br />
==Page 353==<br />
<br />
'''vitriolic'''<br /><br />
something highly caustic or severe, as criticism; the phrase ''prodigy of vitriolic spine'' must refer to someone with an impressive and courageous capacity (talent?) for scathing criticism<br />
<br />
'''orevwar'''<br /><br />
i.e., ''au revoir'', the French for "goodbye"<br />
<br />
'''fremitic'''<br /><br />
characterized by tremor vibrations in any part of the body<br />
<br />
==Page 354==<br />
<br />
'''verdant'''<br /><br />
green with vegetation<br />
<br />
'''varicose'''<br /><br />
having veins that are visible through the skin<br />
<br />
'''shamanistic fiat'''<br /><br />
A shaman is a priest or religious official, usually of an indigenous religion. A fiat is an order, based on the Latin for the imperative form of the verb "to be."<br />
<br />
'''30 kph'''<br /><br />
18.6 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''talismanically'''<br /><br />
in a way suggesting something having to do with a magic charm or amulet<br />
<br />
'''Lord's Prayer'''<br /><br />
from [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:9-13;&version=9; Matthew 20:9-13]<br />
<br />
'''ballast'''<br /><br />
meaning an electric ballast, which is used to regulate and stabilize the current in fluorescent lights<br />
<br />
==Page 355==<br />
<br />
'''gnarled'''<br /><br />
knotty and misshappen<br />
<br />
'''Sixers'''<br /><br />
the short name for the [http://www.nba.com/sixers/index_main.html Philadelphia 76ers]<br />
<br />
'''MCI-Walpole'''<br /><br />
This is the Massachusetts Correction Institute at Walpole, about 25 miles southwest of Boston.<br />
<br />
'''raisin jack'''<br /><br />
an alcoholic drink fermented from raisins, commonly made in prisons<br />
<br />
'''spectral'''<br /><br />
looking like a ghost<br />
<br />
==Page 356==<br />
<br />
'''LeSabre'''<br /><br />
the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_LeSabre Buick LeSabre]<br />
<br />
'''jack-legged'''<br /><br />
a slang term meaning "always screwing up"<br />
<br />
'''dash'''<br /><br />
short for "dashboard"<br />
<br />
'''abject'''<br /><br />
sunken to a low position, as in "abject poverty"<br />
<br />
'''regs'''<br /><br />
regulations<br />
<br />
'''sub-rosa'''<br /><br />
The Latin phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_rosa sub rosa] means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality<br />
<br />
'''autonomy'''<br /><br />
control or rule over one's self<br />
<br />
==Page 357==<br />
<br />
'''fibrosis'''<br /><br />
scarring<br />
<br />
==Endnote 139==<br />
<br />
'''entomologic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the study of insects.<br />
<br />
==Page 357 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Mr. Rogers'''<br /><br />
The Reverend Frederick McFeely "Fred" Rogers (1928-2003) was an American minister and children's television show host.<br />
<br />
'''rhapsodize'''<br /><br />
speak in an extravagantly elegant manner<br />
<br />
'''fisticuffery'''<br /><br />
fist-fighting<br />
<br />
'''invectives'''<br /><br />
abusive expressions of opinion<br />
<br />
'''Sergeant at Arms'''<br /><br />
an officer appointed to keep order<br />
<br />
==Page 358==<br />
<br />
'''apothegm'''<br /><br />
a short, pithy statement<br />
<br />
'''head'''<br /><br />
bathroom<br />
<br />
'''spuds'''<br /><br />
potatoes<br />
<br />
'''nocturnal'''<br /><br />
happening at night<br />
<br />
'''crook'''<br /><br />
a shepherd's staff<br />
<br />
'''French-curled'''<br /><br />
You can see French-curled jewelry [http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=3093801 here].<br />
<br />
'''demurely'''<br /><br />
in an affectedly modest way<br />
<br />
==Page 359==<br />
<br />
'''circumferences'''<br /><br />
distances around the edge of a circle<br />
<br />
'''cuticles'''<br /><br />
dead skin at the bottom of the fingernails<br />
<br />
'''astringent'''<br /><br />
a chemical that tends to dry something else out; here it probably means "severe, austere, stern" (OED)<br />
<br />
'''onionlight'''<br /><br />
You can see onionlights [http://www.hammerworks.com/onionlights1.html here].<br />
<br />
'''isopropyl'''<br /><br />
2-propanol, a type of alcohol, comprising rubbing alcohol ('surgical spirit' in the U.K.)<br />
<br />
'''reek'''<br /><br />
to smell very badly<br />
<br />
'''A.D.A.'''<br /><br />
Assistant District Attorney<br />
<br />
==Page 360==<br />
<br />
'''fumigated'''<br /><br />
permeated with gas to kill insects or other vermin<br />
<br />
'''idiosyncrasy'''<br /><br />
a peculiarity of personality<br />
<br />
'''rattan'''<br /><br />
material taken from the rattan plant, a climbing palm with very long stems<br />
<br />
'''Big Book'''<br /><br />
This is the AA "bible," so to speak, and can be found online [http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/ here].<br />
<br />
'''''As Bill Sees It'''''<br /><br />
a book by Bill W., one of AA's founders, first published in 1967<br />
<br />
'''''Came To Believe'''''<br /><br />
another AA publication, this one published in 1973<br />
<br />
==Page 361==<br />
<br />
'''joggling'''<br /><br />
shaking slightly<br />
<br />
'''Demerol'''<br /><br />
a brand name of meperidine (USA) or pethidine (UK), a synthetic narcotic 'painkiller'<br />
<br />
'''photic'''<br /><br />
having to do with light<br />
<br />
==Page 362==<br />
<br />
'''copperheads'''<br /><br />
one of five species of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_contortrix poisonous snake]<br />
<br />
'''tongues'''<br /><br />
The reference is to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia glossolalia].<br />
<br />
'''larynx'''<br /><br />
voice box<br />
<br />
'''requisite'''<br /><br />
essential or necessary<br />
<br />
'''venulated'''<br /><br />
The word means "able to see the veins"; this condition of the nose is very common among advanced alcoholics.<br />
<br />
''''Volare''''<br /><br />
This is a song whose title is from the Italian for "to fly." The song was written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci. Modugno went on to be a member of Italy's parliament<br />
<br />
==Page 363==<br />
<br />
'''pupil and iris'''<br /><br />
The pupil is the black circle at the center of the eye, while the iris is the colored part (blue, green, brown, gray, hazel).<br />
<br />
'''cognito'''<br /><br />
which is to say, in Lenz's case, unsuccessfully incognito<br />
<br />
'''Ferragamos'''<br /><br />
an Italian brand of shoes<br />
<br />
'''periphery'''<br /><br />
an external boundary<br />
<br />
'''selvage'''<br /><br />
the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.<br />
<br />
'''11-Step'''<br /><br />
recalling the 12th step on page 344, UHID must lack this step, or perhaps one of the others<br />
<br />
==Page 364==<br />
<br />
'''Rémy'''<br /><br />
Rémy-Martin, a brand of cognac<br />
<br />
'''Tiparillo'''<br /><br />
a brand name of [http://duckduckgo.com/?q=tiparillo&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images cigar with built in holder, more or less]<br />
<br />
'''[[Subsidized Time|Year of Dairy Products From the American Heartland]]'''<br />
<br />
'''defib paddles'''<br /><br />
the paddles used in defibrillation, the application of electric shocks to the heart to re-start it<br />
<br />
'''divot'''<br /><br />
Normally a golf term, a divot is the chunk of turf whose ejection leaves a hole in the fairway when one strikes a golf ball.<br />
<br />
'''rankness'''<br /><br />
the quality of being offensive<br />
<br />
'''proprietary'''<br /><br />
Usually referring to an owner, here it refers to feeling as if one has a sense of ownership.<br />
<br />
==Page 365==<br />
<br />
'''rectum'''<br /><br />
the very end of the large intestine<br />
<br />
'''hubristic'''<br /><br />
having exaggerated pride or self-confidence<br />
<br />
'''7-iron'''<br /><br />
a type of golf club<br />
<br />
'''tenth rough'''<br /><br />
off the fairway on the tenth hole of a golf course<br />
<br />
==Page 366==<br />
<br />
'''flats'''<br /><br />
women's shoes without heels<br />
<br />
'''subjunctive'''<br /><br />
relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible. Compare with indicative.<br />
<br />
'''counterfactual'''<br /><br />
at variance with what really happened<br />
<br />
'''indicative'''<br /><br />
According to ''Merriam-Webster,'' "indicative" means "of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents the denoted act or state as an objective fact."<br />
<br />
'''transposition'''<br /><br />
exchanging the positions of two things<br />
<br />
'''Radarange'''<br /><br />
The name of the original microwave oven by Amana<br />
<br />
'''pass'''<br /><br />
NOAD: 13. a state or situation of a specified, usually bad or difficult, nature • this is a sad pass for a fixture that used to crackle with excitement.<br />
<br />
'''allude'''<br /><br />
NOAD: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''velour'''<br /><br />
a piled and nappy material resembling velvet<br />
<br />
'''caparison'''<br /><br />
an ornamental covering for a horse, or just rich clothing<br />
<br />
'''gavel'''<br /><br />
a small mallet or hammer with which an auctioneer, a judge, or the chair of a meeting hits a surface to call for attention or order.<br />
<br />
=NNYC's Statue of Liberty=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''huge photo album'''<br /><br />
The book held by the statue reads, "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI [1776]."<br />
<br />
'''product'''<br /><br />
as opposed to the torch it currently holds<br />
<br />
'''pitons'''<br /><br />
spikes used by mountain climbers for support<br />
<br />
=Boston AA, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''deprecate'''<br /><br />
to express disapproval<br />
<br />
==Page 368==<br />
<br />
'''conundrum'''<br /><br />
something puzzling<br />
<br />
'''cunctations'''<br /><br />
delays<br />
<br />
'''chagrin'''<br /><br />
embarrassment at having failed<br />
<br />
'''aphasiac'''<br /><br />
neologism, or misspelling of aphasic, unable to speak<br />
<br />
'''Filene's'''<br /><br />
former department store in the Boston area, now owned by [http://www.macys.com/ Macy's], famous or perhaps notorious at one time for the sales held in its basement<br />
<br />
==Page 369==<br />
<br />
'''unironic'''<br /><br />
not ironic, i.e., totally expected and not at all a surprise<br />
<br />
'''disingenuous'''<br /><br />
lacking in sincerity, pretending to be naïve<br />
<br />
'''schlepping'''<br /><br />
carrying something awkwardly or slowly<br />
<br />
'''deprogramming'''<br /><br />
from the deprogrammer's point of view, reversing the brainwashing that induced someone to adhere to a religious cult<br />
<br />
==Page 370==<br />
<br />
'''Naked I Club'''<br /><br />
a real strip club mentioned [http://www.totse.com/en/erotica/erotic_fiction_so_to_sz/striprv.html here]<br />
<br />
'''Route 1'''<br /><br />
U.S. 1 runs from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, down to Key West, Florida, largely hugging the Atlantic coast<br />
<br />
'''Saugus MA'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Boston about ten miles north of the city<br />
<br />
'''etiology'''<br /><br />
the cause or source of a medical problem<br />
<br />
'''prolix'''<br /><br />
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy. <br />
<br />
'''Mud-Bug'''<br /><br />
a Southern term for a crawfish<br />
<br />
'''invertebrate'''<br /><br />
an animal without a spine<br />
<br />
'''chordate phylum'''<br /><br />
the phylum of the animal kingdom containing all animals with spines<br />
<br />
==Page 371==<br />
<br />
'''Campfire Girls'''<br /><br />
former name of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fireyouth organization] when it was just for girls<br />
<br />
'''Lancôme'''<br /><br />
one of France's largest cosmetics manufacturers<br />
<br />
'''lurid'''<br /><br />
gruesome or shocking<br />
<br />
'''ubiquitousness'''<br /><br />
the quality of always being present everywhere<br />
<br />
'''Aetna'''<br /><br />
a real [http://www.aetna.com/ insurance company]<br />
<br />
'''Doric column'''<br /><br />
columns of buildings built according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doric_order Doric order]<br />
<br />
'''pliability'''<br /><br />
the ability to be easily bent<br />
<br />
==Page 372==<br />
<br />
'''''Ramparts'' and ''Commonweal'''''<br /><br />
''Ramparts'' was a magazine founded for a Catholic leadership but eventually found its niche with the New Left. ''Commonweal'' was and still is a publication by and for lay Catholics.<br />
<br />
'''Sally Jessy Raphael M.S.W.'''<br /><br />
Sally Jessy Raphael (born Sally Lowenthal, 1938) is an American talk-show host. She does not hold an M.S.W., i.e., a Master's of Social Work<br />
<br />
'''complicity'''<br /><br />
the status of being an accomplice in a wrongdoing<br />
<br />
'''Wounded, Hurting, Inadequately Nurtured but Ever-Recovering Survivors'''<br /><br />
Look at the initials of the capitalized words.<br />
<br />
'''auburn'''<br /><br />
reddish-brown<br />
<br />
'''perimeter'''<br /><br />
the oustide edge of something<br />
<br />
==Page 373==<br />
<br />
'''vanity'''<br /><br />
a dressing table<br />
<br />
'''limbic system'''<br /><br />
a complex system within the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system brain]; the most primitive portion of the mammalian brain, associated with emotions<br />
<br />
'''gauntlet'''<br /><br />
an attack from all sides<br />
<br />
'''rasa the tabula'''<br /><br />
This is a playful inversion of ''tabula rasa,'' Latin for "blank state" and used in the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704). The sense here is to clean the slate.<br />
<br />
'''bandanna'''<br /><br />
a large printed handkerchief, typically red or blue with a white design<br />
<br />
'''circumoral'''<br /><br />
surrounding the mouth<br />
<br />
'''vacuole and optica'''<br /><br />
These are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuole parts] of a cell, the optica likely being some kind of "seeing" organ.<br />
<br />
'''protozoan'''<br /><br />
a single-celled organism<br />
<br />
'''some Catholic statue'''<br /><br />
The statue described strongly appears to be Bernini's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_St_Theresa The Ecstasy of St Theresa]. This statue is also referred to by name at endnote 24, page 988 in the synopsis of James Incandenza's film ''Pre-Nuptial Agreement of Heaven and Hell.''<br />
<br />
'''Hours'''<br /><br />
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours Liturgy of the Hours] is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity<br />
<br />
'''prurient'''<br /><br />
causing lust<br />
<br />
'''cherub'''<br /><br />
Often this word is used to denote a baby angel, but the actual connotation of the original Hebrew is of a fearsome warrior angel. A cherub guards the Garden of Eden in Genesis so that Adam and Eve cannot go back in.<br />
<br />
'''lolled'''<br /><br />
dropped<br />
<br />
==Page 374==<br />
<br />
'''IV'''<br /><br />
intravenous, i.e., directly into a vein<br />
<br />
'''lucidity'''<br /><br />
mental clarity<br />
<br />
'''implicit'''<br /><br />
unspoken but implied<br />
<br />
'''Six Flags Over the Poconos'''<br /><br />
Six Flags is a [http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx chain] of amusement parks. There is not currently one in the Pocono Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''labrynth'''<br /><br />
This is the mythological spelling of "labyrinth," meaning generically a maze, but more specifically denoting the maze built by Daedalus of ancient Greek myth.<br />
<br />
'''minotaurs'''<br /><br />
Daedalus built his famous maze to house the Minotaur, a monster that was half man and half bull and the product of sexual congress between Europa, queen of Crete, and Zeus in the form of a bull.<br />
<br />
'''aides de camp'''<br /><br />
confidential assistants to a military officer<br />
<br />
'''absconded'''<br /><br />
departed suddenly and in secret<br />
<br />
'''proto-Fascist'''<br /><br />
Wallace really means "quasi-Fascist" rather than "proto-Fascist"; it's not as if the rules of AA are the harbinger of Fascism to come.<br />
<br />
'''decamped'''<br /><br />
a synonym of "absconded"<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad]]<br />
<br />
'''commode'''<br /><br />
toilet<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
==Endnote 143==<br />
<br />
'''''Sic'''''<br /><br />
This word means: "Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally" (''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'').<br />
<br />
=April 30th/May 1st, YDAU - More Marathe & Steeply=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''shelf'''<br /><br />
a projecting ridge on a mountain<br />
<br />
'''anticonfluential'''<br /><br />
see note, p. 65<br />
<br />
'''spangle'''<br /><br />
a small bright spot<br />
<br />
'''"...launching even one ship or vessel."'''<br /><br />
unlike [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy Helen of Troy], whose face "launched a thousand ships" according to Homer<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''blotto'''<br /><br />
drunk<br />
<br />
==Endnote 144==<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Purdue Wonderchicken]]<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
[[Notes and Errata - Pages 983-1079#Endnote 145 · Found Drama|Endnote 145]]<br />
<br />
=More Boston AA=<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
'''brogue'''<br /><br />
American slang term for an accent – usually Irish or Scottish – from the Irish word 'bróg', meaning 'shoe'.<br />
<br />
'''Eightball'''<br /><br />
an eighth of an ounce of cocaine<br />
<br />
'''translucent'''<br /><br />
capable of having light pass through; but not transparent<br />
<br />
'''mucronate'''<br /><br />
having an abruptly projecting point, as a feather or leaf.<br />
<br />
==Page 377==<br />
<br />
'''swaddled'''<br /><br />
wrapped tightly in cloth strips<br />
<br />
'''fuchsia'''<br /><br />
brilliant ("hot") pink, the color of the flower of the same name<br />
<br />
'''dysplasia'''<br /><br />
abnormal growth of cells or tissue<br />
<br />
'''remonstrances'''<br /><br />
acts of protest<br />
<br />
'''beat-cop'''<br /><br />
a policeman who patrols the streets<br />
<br />
'''abstruse'''<br /><br />
difficult to understand; recondite<br />
<br />
'''tungsten'''<br /><br />
a metallic element most commonly used for the filaments of incandescent light bulbs described [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten here], also known as wolfram<br />
<br />
==Page 378==<br />
<br />
'''Chanel'''<br /><br />
the fashion house known in long form as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel House of Chanel]<br />
<br />
'''reticence'''<br /><br />
reserve, restraint, inhibition, diffidence, shyness; unresponsiveness, quietness, taciturnity, secretiveness<br />
<br />
'''D&C'''<br /><br />
dilation (of the cervix) and curetage (scraping) of the uterus<br />
<br />
'''placenta'''<br /><br />
the tissue that nourishes a fetus and makes up the afterbirth<br />
<br />
'''S.S.I.'''<br /><br />
Social Security Insurance<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
'''libations'''<br /><br />
alcoholic drinks<br />
<br />
'''injudicious'''<br /><br />
showing lack of judgment<br />
<br />
'''chyme'''<br /><br />
This is "the semifluid mass into which food is converted by gastric secretion and which passes from the stomach into the small intestine" (''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'').<br />
<br />
==Endnote 146==<br />
<br />
'''L.M.P.'''<br /><br />
Latrodectus Mactans Productions<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_343-379&diff=3538Pages 343-3792021-04-27T01:00:38Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 343 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Boston AA=<br />
(The longest chapter in the book)<br />
==Page 343==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
"Let us rejoice" <br />
<br />
'''singular'''<br /><br />
unique<br />
<br />
'''polysterene'''<br /><br />
a plastic made of polymerized styrene, if gas is entrained, it is called styrofoam<br />
<br />
'''ziggurats'''<br /><br />
an ancient type of Mesopotamian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat temple tower]<br />
<br />
'''fiberboard'''<br /><br />
board made of small fibers of wood, plastic, or some combination of these and other materials<br />
<br />
'''wall-eyed'''<br /><br />
having exotropia, divergent strabismus, in which the eyes turn outward away from the nose<br />
<br />
'''Concord'''<br /><br />
Concord is about 20 miles northwest of Boston and is the site one of the first battles of the American Revolution.<br />
<br />
==Page 344==<br />
<br />
'''rotary'''<br /><br />
a traffic circle or, in the U.K., a roundabout<br />
<br />
'''plywood'''<br /><br />
material made of thin layers of wood glued together<br />
<br />
''''12th-Step Work''''<br /><br />
The twelfth and final step of AA is this: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."<br />
<br />
'''epigrammatic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the use of short and pithy statements<br />
<br />
'''pay it ''forward'''''<br /><br />
(jeu de mots or wordplay on 'pay it back'), thus the title of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/ this movie]<br />
<br />
'''nip'''<br /><br />
drink of alcohol<br />
<br />
'''Dick Cavett and Truman Capote'''<br /><br />
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born 1936) is an Emmy-award-winning television talk-show host. Truman Capote (1924-1984) was an American writer and novelist, best known for writing ''In Cold Blood'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Both men were remarkably short.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 133==<br />
<br />
'''variegated'''<br /><br />
of diverse hue<br />
<br />
'''esoteric'''<br /><br />
understood or recognized by few people<br />
<br />
==Page 344 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''piping'''<br /><br />
This is a tubular band of ornamental material; Nodie is probably a brand name.<br />
<br />
'''imbricate'''<br /><br />
(of scales, sepals, plates, etc.) having adjacent edges overlapping.<br />
<br />
'''tailor's notch'''<br /><br />
Notch in a tooth one gets from repeatedly biting thread to cut it (or from holding a sewing needle between one's teeth)<br />
<br />
'''incisors'''<br /><br />
front top and bottom teeth, in humans eight in all (right and left, upper and lower, central and lateral)<br />
<br />
==Page 345==<br />
<br />
'''insipid'''<br /><br />
without interesting qualities<br />
<br />
'''AA Preamble'''<br /><br />
You can read it [http://www.serenityfound.org/preamble.html here].<br />
<br />
'''empathy'''<br /><br />
one's ability to feel the emotions of another person<br />
<br />
'''what he is'''<br /><br />
i.e., an alcoholic<br />
<br />
==Endnote 134==<br />
<br />
'''nonpunitive'''<br /><br />
not intended as a punishment<br />
<br />
'''nitro'''<br /><br />
nitroglycerin, used for cardiac attacks<br />
<br />
==Page 345 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''145 kph'''<br /><br />
a hair over 90 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''litany'''<br /><br />
a prolonged or tedious account<br />
<br />
==Page 346==<br />
'''self-regulations'''<br /><br />
an allusion to a similar deliberately ludicrous list in Chapter 3 of the book ''Alcoholics Anonymous,'' read aloud at the start of many AA meetings<br />
<br />
'''waxing'''<br /><br />
growing in size, as for the first half of a lunar cycle<br />
<br />
'''peritonitis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the serous membrane lining the abdomenal cavity<br />
<br />
'''cirrhotic'''<br /><br />
pertaining to hardening of liver tissue<br />
<br />
'''nephritis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the kidneys<br />
<br />
==Page 347==<br />
<br />
'''compadre'''<br /><br />
a close friend or companion, from the Spanish for "godfather"<br />
<br />
'''ravening'''<br /><br />
voracious<br />
<br />
'''maw'''<br /><br />
mouth<br />
<br />
'''Black Mass'''<br /><br />
a Satanic ritual based on the Roman Catholic mass<br />
<br />
==Page 348==<br />
<br />
'''"...something whimpery instead of banging."'''<br /><br />
a reference to the last line of T.S. Eliot's poem [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollow_Men The Hollow Men]<br />
<br />
'''garish'''<br /><br />
loud and flashy<br />
<br />
'''Balaclavan'''<br /><br />
a reference to Balaklava, Ukraine, and the suicidal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade Charge of the Light Brigade]<br />
<br />
'''prognathous'''<br /><br />
having one's lower jaw project beyond the upper part of one's face<br />
<br />
'''thermal'''<br /><br />
a warm, rising air current<br />
<br />
'''arbitrage'''<br /><br />
simultaneous purchase and sale of the same assets in different markets<br />
<br />
'''compound'''<br /><br />
i.e., a compound fracture, where the bone protrudes through the skin<br />
<br />
'''Svce'''<br /><br />
Service<br />
<br />
'''Unitarian'''<br /><br />
Though the term refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian Unitarianism], here it suggests a kind of hippyesque, wishy-washyness.<br />
<br />
==Page 349==<br />
<br />
'''Hindenburg'''<br /><br />
Named for Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (1847-1934), the German field marshal, hero of World War I, and last President of the Weimar Republic, the ''Hindenburg'' was a hydrogen-filled zeppelin that exploded over Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937.<br />
<br />
'''nonuremic'''<br /><br />
so as not to appear in one's urine<br />
<br />
'''foamer'''<br /><br />
beer<br />
<br />
==Page 350==<br />
<br />
'''beatific'''<br /><br />
blissful or angelic<br />
<br />
'''Zippo'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippo brand] of lighter made in Bradford PA<br />
<br />
'''saccharin'''<br /><br />
A play on words. "Saccharin" is the artificial sweetener in Sweet & Low (coffee is being discussed); "saccharine" means "overly sweet."<br />
<br />
'''flummoxed'''<br /><br />
confused or perplexed<br />
<br />
'''burnished'''<br /><br />
rubbed smooth<br />
<br />
'''squalid'''<br /><br />
foul and repulsive<br />
<br />
==Page 351==<br />
<br />
'''terse'''<br /><br />
using few words<br />
<br />
'''imperative'''<br /><br />
a tense of verb implicating a command or directive<br />
<br />
'''zealotry'''<br /><br />
fanaticism<br />
<br />
'''green-card Irishman'''<br /><br />
an Irishman who is a permanent resident non-citizen of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''meal'''<br /><br />
ground grain<br />
<br />
'''metal-pedalled'''<br /><br />
i.e., "with the pedal to the metal," i.e., at top speed<br />
<br />
'''chemical psychosis'''<br /><br />
Psychosis (called "speed psychosisis") a not uncommon side effect of amphetamine abuse.<br />
<br />
'''wax lyrical'''<br /><br />
to speak poetically<br />
<br />
'''"'d been a confarmed..."'''<br /><br />
I'd been a confirmed bowl-splatterer for years beyond counting. I'd been barred from the facilities at all the truck stops betwixt here and New York for years. The wallpaper in the loo at home hung in these curled sheets from the wall, I tell you. But now one day . . . I'll remember it always. It were a week to the day after I stood up for my ninety-day chip. I were three months sober. I were there on the throne at home, you know. Not to put too fine a point on it, I produced as usual and . . . and I were so amazed as to not believing my ears. It was a sound so unfamiliar at the first I thought I'd dropped my wallet in the loo, do you know? I thought I'd dropped me wallet in the loo as god is my witness. So down I bend betwixt my knees and had a look in the dim of the loo and couldn't believe my eyes. So good people I do then I drop to my knees by the loo and had a ''real'' look. A lover's look, do you know? And friends it were a lovely past my poor powers to say. It were a ''turd'' in the loo. A ''real turd''. It were firm and tapered and ever so gently arched. It looked . . . ''constructed'' instead of sprayed. It look as I felt in my heart God himself made a turd to look. My friends, this turd of mine practically had a pulse. I stayed down on my knees and thanked my Higher Power, which I choose to call my Higher Power God, and I been thanking my Higher Power on my knees ever since, morning and nighttime and in the loo as well, ever since.<br />
<br />
'''ninety-day chip'''<br/><br />
In AA, medals, or chips, are awarded to commemorate certain lengths of sobriety<br />
<br />
==Page 352==<br />
<br />
'''Enuresis'''<br /><br />
involuntary loss of bladder control, if while awake, pants-wetting; if while sleeping, bed-wetting<br />
<br />
'''Priapism'''<br /><br />
a penile erection that won't go away<br />
<br />
'''Projectile-incontinence'''<br /><br />
inability to hold one's bowels to the extent that feces shoot out of the anus<br />
<br />
'''Autocastration'''<br /><br />
castration of one's self<br />
<br />
'''fringe-Birchism'''<br /><br />
Birchism is adherence to the principles of the [http://www.jbs.org/ John Birch Society], an ultra-right-wing political organization<br />
<br />
'''National-Socialist-Bundtism'''<br /><br />
The National Socialists were the Nazis, and ''bund'' is German for ''bunch'', but it's unclear why Wallace uses ''Bundtism'' with the ''t'' rather than simply ''Bundism''. This could refer to something like the German-American Bund of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Kuhn_(Nazi) Fritz Julius Kuhn].<br />
<br />
'''Coprophilia and -phagia'''<br /><br />
sexual excitement brought on by feces and eating of feces, respectively<br />
<br />
'''candelabrum'''<br /><br />
a holder for more than one candle<br />
<br />
==Page 353==<br />
<br />
'''vitriolic'''<br /><br />
something highly caustic or severe, as criticism; the phrase ''prodigy of vitriolic spine'' must refer to someone with an impressive and courageous capacity (talent?) for scathing criticism<br />
<br />
'''orevwar'''<br /><br />
i.e., ''au revoir'', the French for "goodbye"<br />
<br />
'''fremitic'''<br /><br />
characterized by tremor vibrations in any part of the body<br />
<br />
==Page 354==<br />
<br />
'''verdant'''<br /><br />
green with vegetation<br />
<br />
'''varicose'''<br /><br />
having veins that are visible through the skin<br />
<br />
'''shamanistic fiat'''<br /><br />
A shaman is a priest or religious official, usually of an indigenous religion. A fiat is an order, based on the Latin for the imperative form of the verb "to be."<br />
<br />
'''30 kph'''<br /><br />
18.6 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''talismanically'''<br /><br />
in a way suggesting something having to do with a magic charm or amulet<br />
<br />
'''Lord's Prayer'''<br /><br />
from [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:9-13;&version=9; Matthew 20:9-13]<br />
<br />
'''ballast'''<br /><br />
meaning an electric ballast, which is used to regulate and stabilize the current in fluorescent lights<br />
<br />
==Page 355==<br />
<br />
'''gnarled'''<br /><br />
knotty and misshappen<br />
<br />
'''Sixers'''<br /><br />
the short name for the [http://www.nba.com/sixers/index_main.html Philadelphia 76ers]<br />
<br />
'''MCI-Walpole'''<br /><br />
This is the Massachusetts Correction Institute at Walpole, about 25 miles southwest of Boston.<br />
<br />
'''raisin jack'''<br /><br />
an alcoholic drink fermented from raisins, commonly made in prisons<br />
<br />
'''spectral'''<br /><br />
looking like a ghost<br />
<br />
==Page 356==<br />
<br />
'''LeSabre'''<br /><br />
the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_LeSabre Buick LeSabre]<br />
<br />
'''jack-legged'''<br /><br />
a slang term meaning "always screwing up"<br />
<br />
'''dash'''<br /><br />
short for "dashboard"<br />
<br />
'''abject'''<br /><br />
sunken to a low position, as in "abject poverty"<br />
<br />
'''regs'''<br /><br />
regulations<br />
<br />
'''sub-rosa'''<br /><br />
The Latin phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_rosa sub rosa] means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality<br />
<br />
'''autonomy'''<br /><br />
control or rule over one's self<br />
<br />
==Page 357==<br />
<br />
'''fibrosis'''<br /><br />
scarring<br />
<br />
==Endnote 139==<br />
<br />
'''entomologic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the study of insects.<br />
<br />
==Page 357 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Mr. Rogers'''<br /><br />
The Reverend Frederick McFeely "Fred" Rogers (1928-2003) was an American minister and children's television show host.<br />
<br />
'''rhapsodize'''<br /><br />
speak in an extravagantly elegant manner<br />
<br />
'''fisticuffery'''<br /><br />
fist-fighting<br />
<br />
'''invectives'''<br /><br />
abusive expressions of opinion<br />
<br />
'''Sergeant at Arms'''<br /><br />
an officer appointed to keep order<br />
<br />
==Page 358==<br />
<br />
'''apothegm'''<br /><br />
a short, pithy statement<br />
<br />
'''head'''<br /><br />
bathroom<br />
<br />
'''spuds'''<br /><br />
potatoes<br />
<br />
'''nocturnal'''<br /><br />
happening at night<br />
<br />
'''crook'''<br /><br />
a shepherd's staff<br />
<br />
'''French-curled'''<br /><br />
You can see French-curled jewelry [http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=3093801 here].<br />
<br />
'''demurely'''<br /><br />
in an affectedly modest way<br />
<br />
==Page 359==<br />
<br />
'''circumferences'''<br /><br />
distances around the edge of a circle<br />
<br />
'''cuticles'''<br /><br />
dead skin at the bottom of the fingernails<br />
<br />
'''astringent'''<br /><br />
a chemical that tends to dry something else out; here it probably means "severe, austere, stern" (OED)<br />
<br />
'''onionlight'''<br /><br />
You can see onionlights [http://www.hammerworks.com/onionlights1.html here].<br />
<br />
'''isopropyl'''<br /><br />
2-propanol, a type of alcohol, comprising rubbing alcohol ('surgical spirit' in the U.K.)<br />
<br />
'''reek'''<br /><br />
to smell very badly<br />
<br />
'''A.D.A.'''<br /><br />
Assistant District Attorney<br />
<br />
==Page 360==<br />
<br />
'''fumigated'''<br /><br />
permeated with gas to kill insects or other vermin<br />
<br />
'''idiosyncrasy'''<br /><br />
a peculiarity of personality<br />
<br />
'''rattan'''<br /><br />
material taken from the rattan plant, a climbing palm with very long stems<br />
<br />
'''Big Book'''<br /><br />
This is the AA "bible," so to speak, and can be found online [http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/ here].<br />
<br />
'''''As Bill Sees It'''''<br /><br />
a book by Bill W., one of AA's founders, first published in 1967<br />
<br />
'''''Came To Believe'''''<br /><br />
another AA publication, this one published in 1973<br />
<br />
==Page 361==<br />
<br />
'''joggling'''<br /><br />
shaking slightly<br />
<br />
'''Demerol'''<br /><br />
a brand name of meperidine (USA) or pethidine (UK), a synthetic narcotic 'painkiller'<br />
<br />
'''photic'''<br /><br />
having to do with light<br />
<br />
==Page 362==<br />
<br />
'''copperheads'''<br /><br />
one of five species of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_contortrix poisonous snake]<br />
<br />
'''tongues'''<br /><br />
The reference is to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia glossolalia].<br />
<br />
'''larynx'''<br /><br />
voice box<br />
<br />
'''requisite'''<br /><br />
essential or necessary<br />
<br />
'''venulated'''<br /><br />
The word means "able to see the veins"; this condition of the nose is very common among advanced alcoholics.<br />
<br />
''''Volare''''<br /><br />
This is a song whose title is from the Italian for "to fly." The song was written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci. Modugno went on to be a member of Italy's parliament<br />
<br />
==Page 363==<br />
<br />
'''pupil and iris'''<br /><br />
The pupil is the black circle at the center of the eye, while the iris is the colored part (blue, green, brown, gray, hazel).<br />
<br />
'''cognito'''<br /><br />
which is to say, in Lenz's case, unsuccessfully incognito<br />
<br />
'''Ferragamos'''<br /><br />
an Italian brand of shoes<br />
<br />
'''periphery'''<br /><br />
an external boundary<br />
<br />
'''selvage'''<br /><br />
the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.<br />
<br />
'''11-Step'''<br /><br />
recalling the 12th step on page 344, UHID must lack this step, or perhaps one of the others<br />
<br />
==Page 364==<br />
<br />
'''Rémy'''<br /><br />
Rémy-Martin, a brand of cognac<br />
<br />
'''Tiparillo'''<br /><br />
a brand name of [http://duckduckgo.com/?q=tiparillo&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images cigar with built in holder, more or less]<br />
<br />
'''[[Subsidized Time|Year of Dairy Products From the American Heartland]]'''<br />
<br />
'''defib paddles'''<br /><br />
the paddles used in defibrillation, the application of electric shocks to the heart to re-start it<br />
<br />
'''divot'''<br /><br />
Normally a golf term, a divot is the chunk of turf whose ejection leaves a hole in the fairway when one strikes a golf ball.<br />
<br />
'''rankness'''<br /><br />
the quality of being offensive<br />
<br />
'''proprietary'''<br /><br />
Usually referring to an owner, here it refers to feeling as if one has a sense of ownership.<br />
<br />
==Page 365==<br />
<br />
'''rectum'''<br /><br />
the very end of the large intestine<br />
<br />
'''hubristic'''<br /><br />
having exaggerated pride or self-confidence<br />
<br />
'''7-iron'''<br /><br />
a type of golf club<br />
<br />
'''tenth rough'''<br /><br />
off the fairway on the tenth hole of a golf course<br />
<br />
==Page 366==<br />
<br />
'''flats'''<br /><br />
women's shoes without heels<br />
<br />
'''subjunctive'''<br /><br />
relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible. Compare with indicative.<br />
<br />
'''counterfactual'''<br /><br />
at variance with what really happened<br />
<br />
'''indicative'''<br /><br />
According to ''Merriam-Webster,'' "indicative" means "of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents the denoted act or state as an objective fact."<br />
<br />
'''transposition'''<br /><br />
exchanging the positions of two things<br />
<br />
'''Radarange'''<br /><br />
The name of the original microwave oven by Amana<br />
<br />
'''pass'''<br /><br />
NOAD: 13. a state or situation of a specified, usually bad or difficult, nature • this is a sad pass for a fixture that used to crackle with excitement.<br />
<br />
'''allude'''<br /><br />
NOAD: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''velour'''<br /><br />
a piled and nappy material resembling velvet<br />
<br />
'''caparison'''<br /><br />
an ornamental covering for a horse, or just rich clothing<br />
<br />
'''gavel'''<br /><br />
a small mallet or hammer with which an auctioneer, a judge, or the chair of a meeting hits a surface to call for attention or order.<br />
<br />
=NNYC's Statue of Liberty=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''huge photo album'''<br /><br />
The book held by the statue reads, "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI [1776]."<br />
<br />
'''product'''<br /><br />
as opposed to the torch it currently holds<br />
<br />
'''pitons'''<br /><br />
spikes used by mountain climbers for support<br />
<br />
=Boston AA, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''deprecate'''<br /><br />
to express disapproval<br />
<br />
==Page 368==<br />
<br />
'''conundrum'''<br /><br />
something puzzling<br />
<br />
'''cunctations'''<br /><br />
delays<br />
<br />
'''chagrin'''<br /><br />
embarrassment at having failed<br />
<br />
'''aphasiac'''<br /><br />
neologism, or misspelling of aphasic, unable to speak<br />
<br />
'''Filene's'''<br /><br />
former department store in the Boston area, now owned by [http://www.macys.com/ Macy's], famous or perhaps notorious at one time for the sales held in its basement<br />
<br />
==Page 369==<br />
<br />
'''unironic'''<br /><br />
not ironic, i.e., totally expected and not at all a surprise<br />
<br />
'''disingenuous'''<br /><br />
lacking in sincerity, pretending to be naïve<br />
<br />
'''schlepping'''<br /><br />
carrying something awkwardly or slowly<br />
<br />
'''deprogramming'''<br /><br />
from the deprogrammer's point of view, reversing the brainwashing that induced someone to adhere to a religious cult<br />
<br />
==Page 370==<br />
<br />
'''Naked I Club'''<br /><br />
a real strip club mentioned [http://www.totse.com/en/erotica/erotic_fiction_so_to_sz/striprv.html here]<br />
<br />
'''Route 1'''<br /><br />
U.S. 1 runs from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, down to Key West, Florida, largely hugging the Atlantic coast<br />
<br />
'''Saugus MA'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Boston about ten miles north of the city<br />
<br />
'''etiology'''<br /><br />
the cause or source of a medical problem<br />
<br />
'''prolix'''<br /><br />
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy. <br />
<br />
'''Mud-Bug'''<br /><br />
a Southern term for a crawfish<br />
<br />
'''invertebrate'''<br /><br />
an animal without a spine<br />
<br />
'''chordate phylum'''<br /><br />
the phylum of the animal kingdom containing all animals with spines<br />
<br />
==Page 371==<br />
<br />
'''Campfire Girls'''<br /><br />
former name of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fireyouth organization] when it was just for girls<br />
<br />
'''Lancôme'''<br /><br />
one of France's largest cosmetics manufacturers<br />
<br />
'''lurid'''<br /><br />
gruesome or shocking<br />
<br />
'''ubiquitousness'''<br /><br />
the quality of always being present everywhere<br />
<br />
'''Aetna'''<br /><br />
a real [http://www.aetna.com/ insurance company]<br />
<br />
'''Doric column'''<br /><br />
columns of buildings built according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doric_order Doric order]<br />
<br />
'''pliability'''<br /><br />
the ability to be easily bent<br />
<br />
==Page 372==<br />
<br />
'''''Ramparts'' and ''Commonweal'''''<br /><br />
''Ramparts'' was a magazine founded for a Catholic leadership but eventually found its niche with the New Left. ''Commonweal'' was and still is a publication by and for lay Catholics.<br />
<br />
'''Sally Jessy Raphael M.S.W.'''<br /><br />
Sally Jessy Raphael (born Sally Lowenthal, 1938) is an American talk-show host. She does not hold an M.S.W., i.e., a Master's of Social Work<br />
<br />
'''complicity'''<br /><br />
the status of being an accomplice in a wrongdoing<br />
<br />
'''Wounded, Hurting, Inadequately Nurtured but Ever-Recovering Survivors'''<br /><br />
Look at the initials of the capitalized words.<br />
<br />
'''auburn'''<br /><br />
reddish-brown<br />
<br />
'''perimeter'''<br /><br />
the oustide edge of something<br />
<br />
==Page 373==<br />
<br />
'''vanity'''<br /><br />
a dressing table<br />
<br />
'''limbic system'''<br /><br />
a complex system within the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system brain]; the most primitive portion of the mammalian brain, associated with emotions<br />
<br />
'''gauntlet'''<br /><br />
an attack from all sides<br />
<br />
'''rasa the tabula'''<br /><br />
This is a playful inversion of ''tabula rasa,'' Latin for "blank state" and used in the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704). The sense here is to clean the slate.<br />
<br />
'''bandanna'''<br /><br />
a large printed handkerchief, typically red or blue with a white design<br />
<br />
'''circumoral'''<br /><br />
surrounding the mouth<br />
<br />
'''vacuole and optica'''<br /><br />
These are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuole parts] of a cell, the optica likely being some kind of "seeing" organ.<br />
<br />
'''protozoan'''<br /><br />
a single-celled organism<br />
<br />
'''some Catholic statue'''<br /><br />
The statue described strongly appears to be Bernini's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_St_Theresa The Ecstasy of St Theresa]. This statue is also referred to by name at endnote 24, page 988 in the synopsis of James Incandenza's film ''Pre-Nuptial Agreement of Heaven and Hell.''<br />
<br />
'''Hours'''<br /><br />
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours Liturgy of the Hours] is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity<br />
<br />
'''prurient'''<br /><br />
causing lust<br />
<br />
'''cherub'''<br /><br />
Often this word is used to denote a baby angel, but the actual connotation of the original Hebrew is of a fearsome warrior angel. A cherub guards the Garden of Eden in Genesis so that Adam and Eve cannot go back in.<br />
<br />
'''lolled'''<br /><br />
dropped<br />
<br />
==Page 374==<br />
<br />
'''IV'''<br /><br />
intravenous, i.e., directly into a vein<br />
<br />
'''lucidity'''<br /><br />
mental clarity<br />
<br />
'''implicit'''<br /><br />
unspoken but implied<br />
<br />
'''Six Flags Over the Poconos'''<br /><br />
Six Flags is a [http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx chain] of amusement parks. There is not currently one in the Pocono Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''labrynth'''<br /><br />
This is the mythological spelling of "labyrinth," meaning generically a maze, but more specifically denoting the maze built by Daedalus of ancient Greek myth.<br />
<br />
'''minotaurs'''<br /><br />
Daedalus built his famous maze to house the Minotaur, a monster that was half man and half bull and the product of sexual congress between Europa, queen of Crete, and Zeus in the form of a bull.<br />
<br />
'''aides de camp'''<br /><br />
confidential assistants to a military officer<br />
<br />
'''absconded'''<br /><br />
departed suddenly and in secret<br />
<br />
'''proto-Fascist'''<br /><br />
Wallace really means "quasi-Fascist" rather than "proto-Fascist"; it's not as if the rules of AA are the harbinger of Fascism to come.<br />
<br />
'''decamped'''<br /><br />
a synonym of "absconded"<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad]]<br />
<br />
'''commode'''<br /><br />
toilet<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
==Endnote 143==<br />
<br />
'''''Sic'''''<br /><br />
This word means: "Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally" (''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'').<br />
<br />
=April 30th/May 1st, YDAU - More Marathe & Steeply=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''shelf'''<br /><br />
a projecting ridge on a mountain<br />
<br />
'''anticonfluential'''<br /><br />
see note, p. 65<br />
<br />
'''spangle'''<br /><br />
a small bright spot<br />
<br />
'''"...launching even one ship or vessel."'''<br /><br />
unlike [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy Helen of Troy], whose face "launched a thousand ships" according to Homer<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''blotto'''<br /><br />
drunk<br />
<br />
==Endnote 144==<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Purdue Wonderchicken]]<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
[[Notes and Errata - Pages 983-1079#Endnote 145 · Found Drama|Endnote 145]]<br />
<br />
=More Boston AA=<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
'''brogue'''<br /><br />
American slang term for an accent – usually Irish or Scottish – from the Irish word 'bróg', meaning 'shoe'.<br />
<br />
'''Eightball'''<br /><br />
an eighth of an ounce of cocaine<br />
<br />
'''translucent'''<br /><br />
capable of having light pass through; but not transparent<br />
<br />
'''mucronate'''<br /><br />
having an abruptly projecting point, as a feather or leaf.<br />
<br />
==Page 377==<br />
<br />
'''swaddled'''<br /><br />
wrapped tightly in cloth strips<br />
<br />
'''fuchsia'''<br /><br />
brilliant ("hot") pink, the color of the flower of the same name<br />
<br />
'''dysplasia'''<br /><br />
abnormal growth of cells or tissue<br />
<br />
'''remonstrances'''<br /><br />
acts of protest<br />
<br />
'''beat-cop'''<br /><br />
a policeman who patrols the streets<br />
<br />
'''abstruse'''<br /><br />
difficult to understand; recondite<br />
<br />
'''tungsten'''<br /><br />
a metallic element most commonly used for the filaments of incandescent light bulbs described [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten here], also known as wolfram<br />
<br />
==Page 378==<br />
<br />
'''Chanel'''<br /><br />
the fashion house known in long form as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel House of Chanel]<br />
<br />
'''reticence'''<br /><br />
reserve, restraint, inhibition, diffidence, shyness; unresponsiveness, quietness, taciturnity, secretiveness<br />
<br />
'''D&C'''<br /><br />
dilation (of the cervix) and curetage (scraping) of the uterus<br />
<br />
'''placenta'''<br /><br />
the tissue that nourishes a fetus and makes up the afterbirth<br />
<br />
'''S.S.I.'''<br /><br />
Social Security Insurance<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
'''libations'''<br /><br />
alcoholic drinks<br />
<br />
'''injudicious'''<br /><br />
showing lack of judgment<br />
<br />
'''chyme'''<br /><br />
This is "the semifluid mass into which food is converted by gastric secretion and which passes from the stomach into the small intestine" (''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'').<br />
<br />
==Endnote 146==<br />
<br />
'''L.M.P.'''<br /><br />
Latrodectus Mactans Productions<br />
<br />
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<br />
=November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Boston AA=<br />
(The longest chapter in the book)<br />
==Page 343==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
"Let us rejoice" <br />
<br />
'''singular'''<br /><br />
unique<br />
<br />
'''polysterene'''<br /><br />
a plastic made of polymerized styrene, if gas is entrained, it is called styrofoam<br />
<br />
'''ziggurats'''<br /><br />
an ancient type of Mesopotamian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggurat temple tower]<br />
<br />
'''fiberboard'''<br /><br />
board made of small fibers of wood, plastic, or some combination of these and other materials<br />
<br />
'''walleyed'''<br /><br />
having exotropia, divergent strabismus, in which the eyes turn outward away from the nose<br />
<br />
'''Concord'''<br /><br />
Concord is about 20 miles northwest of Boston and is the site one of the first battles of the American Revolution.<br />
<br />
==Page 344==<br />
<br />
'''rotary'''<br /><br />
a traffic circle or, in the U.K., a roundabout<br />
<br />
'''plywood'''<br /><br />
material made of thin layers of wood glued together<br />
<br />
''''12th-Step Work''''<br /><br />
The twelfth and final step of AA is this: "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."<br />
<br />
'''epigrammatic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the use of short and pithy statements<br />
<br />
'''pay it ''forward'''''<br /><br />
(jeu de mots or wordplay on 'pay it back'), thus the title of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/ this movie]<br />
<br />
'''nip'''<br /><br />
drink of alcohol<br />
<br />
'''Dick Cavett and Truman Capote'''<br /><br />
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born 1936) is an Emmy-award-winning television talk-show host. Truman Capote (1924-1984) was an American writer and novelist, best known for writing ''In Cold Blood'' and ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. Both men were remarkably short.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 133==<br />
<br />
'''variegated'''<br /><br />
of diverse hue<br />
<br />
'''esoteric'''<br /><br />
understood or recognized by few people<br />
<br />
==Page 344 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''piping'''<br /><br />
This is a tubular band of ornamental material; Nodie is probably a brand name.<br />
<br />
'''imbricate'''<br /><br />
(of scales, sepals, plates, etc.) having adjacent edges overlapping.<br />
<br />
'''tailor's notch'''<br /><br />
Notch in a tooth one gets from repeatedly biting thread to cut it (or from holding a sewing needle between one's teeth)<br />
<br />
'''incisors'''<br /><br />
front top and bottom teeth, in humans eight in all (right and left, upper and lower, central and lateral)<br />
<br />
==Page 345==<br />
<br />
'''insipid'''<br /><br />
without interesting qualities<br />
<br />
'''AA Preamble'''<br /><br />
You can read it [http://www.serenityfound.org/preamble.html here].<br />
<br />
'''empathy'''<br /><br />
one's ability to feel the emotions of another person<br />
<br />
'''what he is'''<br /><br />
i.e., an alcoholic<br />
<br />
==Endnote 134==<br />
<br />
'''nonpunitive'''<br /><br />
not intended as a punishment<br />
<br />
'''nitro'''<br /><br />
nitroglycerin, used for cardiac attacks<br />
<br />
==Page 345 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''145 kph'''<br /><br />
a hair over 90 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''litany'''<br /><br />
a prolonged or tedious account<br />
<br />
==Page 346==<br />
'''self-regulations'''<br /><br />
an allusion to a similar deliberately ludicrous list in Chapter 3 of the book ''Alcoholics Anonymous,'' read aloud at the start of many AA meetings<br />
<br />
'''waxing'''<br /><br />
growing in size, as for the first half of a lunar cycle<br />
<br />
'''peritonitis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the serous membrane lining the abdomenal cavity<br />
<br />
'''cirrhotic'''<br /><br />
pertaining to hardening of liver tissue<br />
<br />
'''nephritis'''<br /><br />
inflammation of the kidneys<br />
<br />
==Page 347==<br />
<br />
'''compadre'''<br /><br />
a close friend or companion, from the Spanish for "godfather"<br />
<br />
'''ravening'''<br /><br />
voracious<br />
<br />
'''maw'''<br /><br />
mouth<br />
<br />
'''Black Mass'''<br /><br />
a Satanic ritual based on the Roman Catholic mass<br />
<br />
==Page 348==<br />
<br />
'''"...something whimpery instead of banging."'''<br /><br />
a reference to the last line of T.S. Eliot's poem [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollow_Men The Hollow Men]<br />
<br />
'''garish'''<br /><br />
loud and flashy<br />
<br />
'''Balaclavan'''<br /><br />
a reference to Balaklava, Ukraine, and the suicidal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Light_Brigade Charge of the Light Brigade]<br />
<br />
'''prognathous'''<br /><br />
having one's lower jaw project beyond the upper part of one's face<br />
<br />
'''thermal'''<br /><br />
a warm, rising air current<br />
<br />
'''arbitrage'''<br /><br />
simultaneous purchase and sale of the same assets in different markets<br />
<br />
'''compound'''<br /><br />
i.e., a compound fracture, where the bone protrudes through the skin<br />
<br />
'''Svce'''<br /><br />
Service<br />
<br />
'''Unitarian'''<br /><br />
Though the term refers to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian Unitarianism], here it suggests a kind of hippyesque, wishy-washyness.<br />
<br />
==Page 349==<br />
<br />
'''Hindenburg'''<br /><br />
Named for Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (1847-1934), the German field marshal, hero of World War I, and last President of the Weimar Republic, the ''Hindenburg'' was a hydrogen-filled zeppelin that exploded over Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937.<br />
<br />
'''nonuremic'''<br /><br />
so as not to appear in one's urine<br />
<br />
'''foamer'''<br /><br />
beer<br />
<br />
==Page 350==<br />
<br />
'''beatific'''<br /><br />
blissful or angelic<br />
<br />
'''Zippo'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippo brand] of lighter made in Bradford PA<br />
<br />
'''saccharin'''<br /><br />
A play on words. "Saccharin" is the artificial sweetener in Sweet & Low (coffee is being discussed); "saccharine" means "overly sweet."<br />
<br />
'''flummoxed'''<br /><br />
confused or perplexed<br />
<br />
'''burnished'''<br /><br />
rubbed smooth<br />
<br />
'''squalid'''<br /><br />
foul and repulsive<br />
<br />
==Page 351==<br />
<br />
'''terse'''<br /><br />
using few words<br />
<br />
'''imperative'''<br /><br />
a tense of verb implicating a command or directive<br />
<br />
'''zealotry'''<br /><br />
fanaticism<br />
<br />
'''green-card Irishman'''<br /><br />
an Irishman who is a permanent resident non-citizen of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''meal'''<br /><br />
ground grain<br />
<br />
'''metal-pedalled'''<br /><br />
i.e., "with the pedal to the metal," i.e., at top speed<br />
<br />
'''chemical psychosis'''<br /><br />
Psychosis (called "speed psychosisis") a not uncommon side effect of amphetamine abuse.<br />
<br />
'''wax lyrical'''<br /><br />
to speak poetically<br />
<br />
'''"'d been a confarmed..."'''<br /><br />
I'd been a confirmed bowl-splatterer for years beyond counting. I'd been barred from the facilities at all the truck stops betwixt here and New York for years. The wallpaper in the loo at home hung in these curled sheets from the wall, I tell you. But now one day . . . I'll remember it always. It were a week to the day after I stood up for my ninety-day chip. I were three months sober. I were there on the throne at home, you know. Not to put too fine a point on it, I produced as usual and . . . and I were so amazed as to not believing my ears. It was a sound so unfamiliar at the first I thought I'd dropped my wallet in the loo, do you know? I thought I'd dropped me wallet in the loo as god is my witness. So down I bend betwixt my knees and had a look in the dim of the loo and couldn't believe my eyes. So good people I do then I drop to my knees by the loo and had a ''real'' look. A lover's look, do you know? And friends it were a lovely past my poor powers to say. It were a ''turd'' in the loo. A ''real turd''. It were firm and tapered and ever so gently arched. It looked . . . ''constructed'' instead of sprayed. It look as I felt in my heart God himself made a turd to look. My friends, this turd of mine practically had a pulse. I stayed down on my knees and thanked my Higher Power, which I choose to call my Higher Power God, and I been thanking my Higher Power on my knees ever since, morning and nighttime and in the loo as well, ever since.<br />
<br />
'''ninety-day chip'''<br/><br />
In AA, medals, or chips, are awarded to commemorate certain lengths of sobriety<br />
<br />
==Page 352==<br />
<br />
'''Enuresis'''<br /><br />
involuntary loss of bladder control, if while awake, pants-wetting; if while sleeping, bed-wetting<br />
<br />
'''Priapism'''<br /><br />
a penile erection that won't go away<br />
<br />
'''Projectile-incontinence'''<br /><br />
inability to hold one's bowels to the extent that feces shoot out of the anus<br />
<br />
'''Autocastration'''<br /><br />
castration of one's self<br />
<br />
'''fringe-Birchism'''<br /><br />
Birchism is adherence to the principles of the [http://www.jbs.org/ John Birch Society], an ultra-right-wing political organization<br />
<br />
'''National-Socialist-Bundtism'''<br /><br />
The National Socialists were the Nazis, and ''bund'' is German for ''bunch'', but it's unclear why Wallace uses ''Bundtism'' with the ''t'' rather than simply ''Bundism''. This could refer to something like the German-American Bund of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Kuhn_(Nazi) Fritz Julius Kuhn].<br />
<br />
'''Coprophilia and -phagia'''<br /><br />
sexual excitement brought on by feces and eating of feces, respectively<br />
<br />
'''candelabrum'''<br /><br />
a holder for more than one candle<br />
<br />
==Page 353==<br />
<br />
'''vitriolic'''<br /><br />
something highly caustic or severe, as criticism; the phrase ''prodigy of vitriolic spine'' must refer to someone with an impressive and courageous capacity (talent?) for scathing criticism<br />
<br />
'''orevwar'''<br /><br />
i.e., ''au revoir'', the French for "goodbye"<br />
<br />
'''fremitic'''<br /><br />
characterized by tremor vibrations in any part of the body<br />
<br />
==Page 354==<br />
<br />
'''verdant'''<br /><br />
green with vegetation<br />
<br />
'''varicose'''<br /><br />
having veins that are visible through the skin<br />
<br />
'''shamanistic fiat'''<br /><br />
A shaman is a priest or religious official, usually of an indigenous religion. A fiat is an order, based on the Latin for the imperative form of the verb "to be."<br />
<br />
'''30 kph'''<br /><br />
18.6 miles per hour<br />
<br />
'''talismanically'''<br /><br />
in a way suggesting something having to do with a magic charm or amulet<br />
<br />
'''Lord's Prayer'''<br /><br />
from [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:9-13;&version=9; Matthew 20:9-13]<br />
<br />
'''ballast'''<br /><br />
meaning an electric ballast, which is used to regulate and stabilize the current in fluorescent lights<br />
<br />
==Page 355==<br />
<br />
'''gnarled'''<br /><br />
knotty and misshappen<br />
<br />
'''Sixers'''<br /><br />
the short name for the [http://www.nba.com/sixers/index_main.html Philadelphia 76ers]<br />
<br />
'''MCI-Walpole'''<br /><br />
This is the Massachusetts Correction Institute at Walpole, about 25 miles southwest of Boston.<br />
<br />
'''raisin jack'''<br /><br />
an alcoholic drink fermented from raisins, commonly made in prisons<br />
<br />
'''spectral'''<br /><br />
looking like a ghost<br />
<br />
==Page 356==<br />
<br />
'''LeSabre'''<br /><br />
the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_LeSabre Buick LeSabre]<br />
<br />
'''jack-legged'''<br /><br />
a slang term meaning "always screwing up"<br />
<br />
'''dash'''<br /><br />
short for "dashboard"<br />
<br />
'''abject'''<br /><br />
sunken to a low position, as in "abject poverty"<br />
<br />
'''regs'''<br /><br />
regulations<br />
<br />
'''sub-rosa'''<br /><br />
The Latin phrase [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_rosa sub rosa] means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality<br />
<br />
'''autonomy'''<br /><br />
control or rule over one's self<br />
<br />
==Page 357==<br />
<br />
'''fibrosis'''<br /><br />
scarring<br />
<br />
==Endnote 139==<br />
<br />
'''entomologic'''<br /><br />
of or pertaining to the study of insects.<br />
<br />
==Page 357 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Mr. Rogers'''<br /><br />
The Reverend Frederick McFeely "Fred" Rogers (1928-2003) was an American minister and children's television show host.<br />
<br />
'''rhapsodize'''<br /><br />
speak in an extravagantly elegant manner<br />
<br />
'''fisticuffery'''<br /><br />
fist-fighting<br />
<br />
'''invectives'''<br /><br />
abusive expressions of opinion<br />
<br />
'''Sergeant at Arms'''<br /><br />
an officer appointed to keep order<br />
<br />
==Page 358==<br />
<br />
'''apothegm'''<br /><br />
a short, pithy statement<br />
<br />
'''head'''<br /><br />
bathroom<br />
<br />
'''spuds'''<br /><br />
potatoes<br />
<br />
'''nocturnal'''<br /><br />
happening at night<br />
<br />
'''crook'''<br /><br />
a shepherd's staff<br />
<br />
'''French-curled'''<br /><br />
You can see French-curled jewelry [http://www.cqout.com/item.asp?id=3093801 here].<br />
<br />
'''demurely'''<br /><br />
in an affectedly modest way<br />
<br />
==Page 359==<br />
<br />
'''circumferences'''<br /><br />
distances around the edge of a circle<br />
<br />
'''cuticles'''<br /><br />
dead skin at the bottom of the fingernails<br />
<br />
'''astringent'''<br /><br />
a chemical that tends to dry something else out; here it probably means "severe, austere, stern" (OED)<br />
<br />
'''onionlight'''<br /><br />
You can see onionlights [http://www.hammerworks.com/onionlights1.html here].<br />
<br />
'''isopropyl'''<br /><br />
2-propanol, a type of alcohol, comprising rubbing alcohol ('surgical spirit' in the U.K.)<br />
<br />
'''reek'''<br /><br />
to smell very badly<br />
<br />
'''A.D.A.'''<br /><br />
Assistant District Attorney<br />
<br />
==Page 360==<br />
<br />
'''fumigated'''<br /><br />
permeated with gas to kill insects or other vermin<br />
<br />
'''idiosyncrasy'''<br /><br />
a peculiarity of personality<br />
<br />
'''rattan'''<br /><br />
material taken from the rattan plant, a climbing palm with very long stems<br />
<br />
'''Big Book'''<br /><br />
This is the AA "bible," so to speak, and can be found online [http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/ here].<br />
<br />
'''''As Bill Sees It'''''<br /><br />
a book by Bill W., one of AA's founders, first published in 1967<br />
<br />
'''''Came To Believe'''''<br /><br />
another AA publication, this one published in 1973<br />
<br />
==Page 361==<br />
<br />
'''joggling'''<br /><br />
shaking slightly<br />
<br />
'''Demerol'''<br /><br />
a brand name of meperidine (USA) or pethidine (UK), a synthetic narcotic 'painkiller'<br />
<br />
'''photic'''<br /><br />
having to do with light<br />
<br />
==Page 362==<br />
<br />
'''copperheads'''<br /><br />
one of five species of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_contortrix poisonous snake]<br />
<br />
'''tongues'''<br /><br />
The reference is to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossolalia glossolalia].<br />
<br />
'''larynx'''<br /><br />
voice box<br />
<br />
'''requisite'''<br /><br />
essential or necessary<br />
<br />
'''venulated'''<br /><br />
The word means "able to see the veins"; this condition of the nose is very common among advanced alcoholics.<br />
<br />
''''Volare''''<br /><br />
This is a song whose title is from the Italian for "to fly." The song was written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci. Modugno went on to be a member of Italy's parliament<br />
<br />
==Page 363==<br />
<br />
'''pupil and iris'''<br /><br />
The pupil is the black circle at the center of the eye, while the iris is the colored part (blue, green, brown, gray, hazel).<br />
<br />
'''cognito'''<br /><br />
which is to say, in Lenz's case, unsuccessfully incognito<br />
<br />
'''Ferragamos'''<br /><br />
an Italian brand of shoes<br />
<br />
'''periphery'''<br /><br />
an external boundary<br />
<br />
'''selvage'''<br /><br />
the edge of woven fabric finished so as to prevent raveling, often in a narrow tape effect, different from the body of the fabric.<br />
<br />
'''11-Step'''<br /><br />
recalling the 12th step on page 344, UHID must lack this step, or perhaps one of the others<br />
<br />
==Page 364==<br />
<br />
'''Rémy'''<br /><br />
Rémy-Martin, a brand of cognac<br />
<br />
'''Tiparillo'''<br /><br />
a brand name of [http://duckduckgo.com/?q=tiparillo&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images cigar with built in holder, more or less]<br />
<br />
'''[[Subsidized Time|Year of Dairy Products From the American Heartland]]'''<br />
<br />
'''defib paddles'''<br /><br />
the paddles used in defibrillation, the application of electric shocks to the heart to re-start it<br />
<br />
'''divot'''<br /><br />
Normally a golf term, a divot is the chunk of turf whose ejection leaves a hole in the fairway when one strikes a golf ball.<br />
<br />
'''rankness'''<br /><br />
the quality of being offensive<br />
<br />
'''proprietary'''<br /><br />
Usually referring to an owner, here it refers to feeling as if one has a sense of ownership.<br />
<br />
==Page 365==<br />
<br />
'''rectum'''<br /><br />
the very end of the large intestine<br />
<br />
'''hubristic'''<br /><br />
having exaggerated pride or self-confidence<br />
<br />
'''7-iron'''<br /><br />
a type of golf club<br />
<br />
'''tenth rough'''<br /><br />
off the fairway on the tenth hole of a golf course<br />
<br />
==Page 366==<br />
<br />
'''flats'''<br /><br />
women's shoes without heels<br />
<br />
'''subjunctive'''<br /><br />
relating to or denoting a mood of verbs expressing what is imagined or wished or possible. Compare with indicative.<br />
<br />
'''counterfactual'''<br /><br />
at variance with what really happened<br />
<br />
'''indicative'''<br /><br />
According to ''Merriam-Webster,'' "indicative" means "of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or set of verb forms that represents the denoted act or state as an objective fact."<br />
<br />
'''transposition'''<br /><br />
exchanging the positions of two things<br />
<br />
'''Radarange'''<br /><br />
The name of the original microwave oven by Amana<br />
<br />
'''pass'''<br /><br />
NOAD: 13. a state or situation of a specified, usually bad or difficult, nature • this is a sad pass for a fixture that used to crackle with excitement.<br />
<br />
'''allude'''<br /><br />
NOAD: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''velour'''<br /><br />
a piled and nappy material resembling velvet<br />
<br />
'''caparison'''<br /><br />
an ornamental covering for a horse, or just rich clothing<br />
<br />
'''gavel'''<br /><br />
a small mallet or hammer with which an auctioneer, a judge, or the chair of a meeting hits a surface to call for attention or order.<br />
<br />
=NNYC's Statue of Liberty=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''huge photo album'''<br /><br />
The book held by the statue reads, "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI [1776]."<br />
<br />
'''product'''<br /><br />
as opposed to the torch it currently holds<br />
<br />
'''pitons'''<br /><br />
spikes used by mountain climbers for support<br />
<br />
=Boston AA, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 367==<br />
<br />
'''deprecate'''<br /><br />
to express disapproval<br />
<br />
==Page 368==<br />
<br />
'''conundrum'''<br /><br />
something puzzling<br />
<br />
'''cunctations'''<br /><br />
delays<br />
<br />
'''chagrin'''<br /><br />
embarrassment at having failed<br />
<br />
'''aphasiac'''<br /><br />
neologism, or misspelling of aphasic, unable to speak<br />
<br />
'''Filene's'''<br /><br />
former department store in the Boston area, now owned by [http://www.macys.com/ Macy's], famous or perhaps notorious at one time for the sales held in its basement<br />
<br />
==Page 369==<br />
<br />
'''unironic'''<br /><br />
not ironic, i.e., totally expected and not at all a surprise<br />
<br />
'''disingenuous'''<br /><br />
lacking in sincerity, pretending to be naïve<br />
<br />
'''schlepping'''<br /><br />
carrying something awkwardly or slowly<br />
<br />
'''deprogramming'''<br /><br />
from the deprogrammer's point of view, reversing the brainwashing that induced someone to adhere to a religious cult<br />
<br />
==Page 370==<br />
<br />
'''Naked I Club'''<br /><br />
a real strip club mentioned [http://www.totse.com/en/erotica/erotic_fiction_so_to_sz/striprv.html here]<br />
<br />
'''Route 1'''<br /><br />
U.S. 1 runs from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, down to Key West, Florida, largely hugging the Atlantic coast<br />
<br />
'''Saugus MA'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Boston about ten miles north of the city<br />
<br />
'''etiology'''<br /><br />
the cause or source of a medical problem<br />
<br />
'''prolix'''<br /><br />
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy. <br />
<br />
'''Mud-Bug'''<br /><br />
a Southern term for a crawfish<br />
<br />
'''invertebrate'''<br /><br />
an animal without a spine<br />
<br />
'''chordate phylum'''<br /><br />
the phylum of the animal kingdom containing all animals with spines<br />
<br />
==Page 371==<br />
<br />
'''Campfire Girls'''<br /><br />
former name of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Fireyouth organization] when it was just for girls<br />
<br />
'''Lancôme'''<br /><br />
one of France's largest cosmetics manufacturers<br />
<br />
'''lurid'''<br /><br />
gruesome or shocking<br />
<br />
'''ubiquitousness'''<br /><br />
the quality of always being present everywhere<br />
<br />
'''Aetna'''<br /><br />
a real [http://www.aetna.com/ insurance company]<br />
<br />
'''Doric column'''<br /><br />
columns of buildings built according to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doric_order Doric order]<br />
<br />
'''pliability'''<br /><br />
the ability to be easily bent<br />
<br />
==Page 372==<br />
<br />
'''''Ramparts'' and ''Commonweal'''''<br /><br />
''Ramparts'' was a magazine founded for a Catholic leadership but eventually found its niche with the New Left. ''Commonweal'' was and still is a publication by and for lay Catholics.<br />
<br />
'''Sally Jessy Raphael M.S.W.'''<br /><br />
Sally Jessy Raphael (born Sally Lowenthal, 1938) is an American talk-show host. She does not hold an M.S.W., i.e., a Master's of Social Work<br />
<br />
'''complicity'''<br /><br />
the status of being an accomplice in a wrongdoing<br />
<br />
'''Wounded, Hurting, Inadequately Nurtured but Ever-Recovering Survivors'''<br /><br />
Look at the initials of the capitalized words.<br />
<br />
'''auburn'''<br /><br />
reddish-brown<br />
<br />
'''perimeter'''<br /><br />
the oustide edge of something<br />
<br />
==Page 373==<br />
<br />
'''vanity'''<br /><br />
a dressing table<br />
<br />
'''limbic system'''<br /><br />
a complex system within the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_system brain]; the most primitive portion of the mammalian brain, associated with emotions<br />
<br />
'''gauntlet'''<br /><br />
an attack from all sides<br />
<br />
'''rasa the tabula'''<br /><br />
This is a playful inversion of ''tabula rasa,'' Latin for "blank state" and used in the philosophy of John Locke (1632-1704). The sense here is to clean the slate.<br />
<br />
'''bandanna'''<br /><br />
a large printed handkerchief, typically red or blue with a white design<br />
<br />
'''circumoral'''<br /><br />
surrounding the mouth<br />
<br />
'''vacuole and optica'''<br /><br />
These are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuole parts] of a cell, the optica likely being some kind of "seeing" organ.<br />
<br />
'''protozoan'''<br /><br />
a single-celled organism<br />
<br />
'''some Catholic statue'''<br /><br />
The statue described strongly appears to be Bernini's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_St_Theresa The Ecstasy of St Theresa]. This statue is also referred to by name at endnote 24, page 988 in the synopsis of James Incandenza's film ''Pre-Nuptial Agreement of Heaven and Hell.''<br />
<br />
'''Hours'''<br /><br />
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours Liturgy of the Hours] is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity<br />
<br />
'''prurient'''<br /><br />
causing lust<br />
<br />
'''cherub'''<br /><br />
Often this word is used to denote a baby angel, but the actual connotation of the original Hebrew is of a fearsome warrior angel. A cherub guards the Garden of Eden in Genesis so that Adam and Eve cannot go back in.<br />
<br />
'''lolled'''<br /><br />
dropped<br />
<br />
==Page 374==<br />
<br />
'''IV'''<br /><br />
intravenous, i.e., directly into a vein<br />
<br />
'''lucidity'''<br /><br />
mental clarity<br />
<br />
'''implicit'''<br /><br />
unspoken but implied<br />
<br />
'''Six Flags Over the Poconos'''<br /><br />
Six Flags is a [http://www.sixflags.com/national/index.aspx chain] of amusement parks. There is not currently one in the Pocono Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''labrynth'''<br /><br />
This is the mythological spelling of "labyrinth," meaning generically a maze, but more specifically denoting the maze built by Daedalus of ancient Greek myth.<br />
<br />
'''minotaurs'''<br /><br />
Daedalus built his famous maze to house the Minotaur, a monster that was half man and half bull and the product of sexual congress between Europa, queen of Crete, and Zeus in the form of a bull.<br />
<br />
'''aides de camp'''<br /><br />
confidential assistants to a military officer<br />
<br />
'''absconded'''<br /><br />
departed suddenly and in secret<br />
<br />
'''proto-Fascist'''<br /><br />
Wallace really means "quasi-Fascist" rather than "proto-Fascist"; it's not as if the rules of AA are the harbinger of Fascism to come.<br />
<br />
'''decamped'''<br /><br />
a synonym of "absconded"<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad]]<br />
<br />
'''commode'''<br /><br />
toilet<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
==Endnote 143==<br />
<br />
'''''Sic'''''<br /><br />
This word means: "Thus; so. Used to indicate that a quoted passage, especially one containing an error or unconventional spelling, has been retained in its original form or written intentionally" (''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'').<br />
<br />
=April 30th/May 1st, YDAU - More Marathe & Steeply=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''shelf'''<br /><br />
a projecting ridge on a mountain<br />
<br />
'''anticonfluential'''<br /><br />
see note, p. 65<br />
<br />
'''spangle'''<br /><br />
a small bright spot<br />
<br />
'''"...launching even one ship or vessel."'''<br /><br />
unlike [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy Helen of Troy], whose face "launched a thousand ships" according to Homer<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle=<br />
<br />
==Page 375==<br />
<br />
'''blotto'''<br /><br />
drunk<br />
<br />
==Endnote 144==<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Year of the Purdue Wonderchicken]]<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
[[Notes and Errata - Pages 983-1079#Endnote 145 · Found Drama|Endnote 145]]<br />
<br />
=More Boston AA=<br />
<br />
==Page 376==<br />
<br />
'''brogue'''<br /><br />
American slang term for an accent – usually Irish or Scottish – from the Irish word 'bróg', meaning 'shoe'.<br />
<br />
'''Eightball'''<br /><br />
an eighth of an ounce of cocaine<br />
<br />
'''translucent'''<br /><br />
capable of having light pass through; but not transparent<br />
<br />
'''mucronate'''<br /><br />
having an abruptly projecting point, as a feather or leaf.<br />
<br />
==Page 377==<br />
<br />
'''swaddled'''<br /><br />
wrapped tightly in cloth strips<br />
<br />
'''fuchsia'''<br /><br />
brilliant ("hot") pink, the color of the flower of the same name<br />
<br />
'''dysplasia'''<br /><br />
abnormal growth of cells or tissue<br />
<br />
'''remonstrances'''<br /><br />
acts of protest<br />
<br />
'''beat-cop'''<br /><br />
a policeman who patrols the streets<br />
<br />
'''abstruse'''<br /><br />
difficult to understand; recondite<br />
<br />
'''tungsten'''<br /><br />
a metallic element most commonly used for the filaments of incandescent light bulbs described [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten here], also known as wolfram<br />
<br />
==Page 378==<br />
<br />
'''Chanel'''<br /><br />
the fashion house known in long form as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel House of Chanel]<br />
<br />
'''reticence'''<br /><br />
reserve, restraint, inhibition, diffidence, shyness; unresponsiveness, quietness, taciturnity, secretiveness<br />
<br />
'''D&C'''<br /><br />
dilation (of the cervix) and curetage (scraping) of the uterus<br />
<br />
'''placenta'''<br /><br />
the tissue that nourishes a fetus and makes up the afterbirth<br />
<br />
'''S.S.I.'''<br /><br />
Social Security Insurance<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
=Himself and Lyle, cont.=<br />
<br />
==Page 379==<br />
<br />
'''libations'''<br /><br />
alcoholic drinks<br />
<br />
'''injudicious'''<br /><br />
showing lack of judgment<br />
<br />
'''chyme'''<br /><br />
This is "the semifluid mass into which food is converted by gastric secretion and which passes from the stomach into the small intestine" (''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'').<br />
<br />
==Endnote 146==<br />
<br />
'''L.M.P.'''<br /><br />
Latrodectus Mactans Productions<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3536Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:42:35Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 342 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''solander box'''<br /><br />
a.k.a., clamshell case, a book-form case used for storing manuscripts, maps, prints, documents, old and precious books, etc.<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3535Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:25:32Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 338 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3534Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:24:56Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 338 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3533Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:11:03Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 334 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3532Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:10:05Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 334 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
'''spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3531Pages 321-3422021-04-25T14:09:31Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 334 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
'''Spansule'''<br /><br />
A medicinal capsule containing many tiny beads of medicine that dissolve at spaced intervals for long-acting medication.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3530Pages 321-3422021-04-25T13:24:26Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Page 325 (cont'd) */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
'''Wattle'''<br /><br />
A colored fleshy lobe hanging from the head or neck of domestic chickens, turkeys, and some other birds. In this context referring to the loose neck skin of an aging man; likely George H.W. Bush given the context.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3529Pages 321-3422021-04-24T00:56:59Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Endnote 123 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
'''largesse'''<br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
{{Top}}<br />
{{InfiniteJest PbP}}</div>VivoMedicatrixhttp://www.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/index.php?title=Pages_321-342&diff=3528Pages 321-3422021-04-24T00:55:10Z<p>VivoMedicatrix: /* Endnote 123 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{PbP Header}}<br />
<br />
=☽ November 8th, YDAU - Interdependence Day - Eschaton=<br />
<br />
==Page 321==<br />
<br />
'''''GAUDEAMUS IGITUR'''''<br /><br />
Latin: Let Us Rejoice. The first line of (and alternative title for) the student song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudeamus_igitur 'De Brevitate Vitae'], often sung at graduation ceremonies.<br />
<br />
==Page 322==<br />
<br />
'''Eschaton'''<br /><br />
The name of the game is based on "eschatology" (from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of") which is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''frisson'''<br /><br />
a sudden sense of excitement<br />
<br />
'''puerile'''<br /><br />
childish<br />
<br />
'''Wilmington DE'''<br /><br />
a city 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia<br />
<br />
'''''vademecum''ish'''<br/><br />
vade mecum - Latin for "go with me"; like a reference handbook intended to be carried everywhere.<br />
<br />
[[Subsidized Time|Y.P.W]]<br />
<br />
'''Bunyan'''<br /><br />
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English-Calvinist preacher and writer. You can read ''Pilgrim's Progress'' [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress here].<br />
<br />
'''Luger'''<br /><br />
a German brand of handgun<br />
<br />
'''''Anschluss'''''<br/><br />
German for "union"; possibly forced annexation, involving occupation. ''Anschluss'' often refers to German annexation of Austria before WWII. [http://www.ushmm.org/research/library/bibliography/?lang=en&content=anschluss] <br />
<br />
'''AMNAT'''<br /><br />
The United States of America and other NATO nations<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR'''<br /><br />
The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations<br />
<br />
'''REDCHI'''<br /><br />
The People's Republic of China<br />
<br />
'''LIBSYR'''<br /><br />
Libya and Syria<br />
<br />
'''IRLIBSYR'''<br /><br />
LIBSYR plus Iran and Iraq<br />
<br />
'''INDPAK'''<br /><br />
India and Pakistan<br />
<br />
==Page 323==<br />
<br />
'''Mean-Value Theorem for Integrals'''<br /><br />
Learn it [https://www.khanacademy.org/math/integral-calculus/solid_revolution_topic/function-average-value/v/mean-value-theorem-integrals here]. It should be noted that Wallace does not actually explain the theorem.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 123==<br />
“largesse” <br/><br />
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.<br />
<br />
'''Extreme Value Theorem'''<br /><br />
This is explained [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExtremeValueTheorem.html here].<br />
<br />
'''datums'''<br /><br />
The proper plural is "data."<br />
<br />
'''ordnance'''<br /><br />
guns, cannon, artillery, weapons, arms, munitions, military supplies, materiel.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''synoptic'''<br /><br />
by way of summary<br />
<br />
'''Yahtzee'''<br /><br />
a popular [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahtzee parlor game] played with dice<br />
<br />
==Endnote 124==<br />
<br />
'''Aapps Inc.'''<br /><br />
There is an actual company by this name, though whether this is the same company to which Wallace refers, I don't know.<br />
<br />
==Page 323 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''three-prong'''<br /><br />
a three-pronged outlet<br />
<br />
'''Dürer's 'The Magnificent Beast''''<br /><br />
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German engraver, painter, and mathematician. You can see the work cited [http://www.art.com/asp/sp-asp/_/pd--12367630/sp--A/Apocalypse_the_Great_Beast.htm here].<br />
<br />
'''bellicosity'''<br /><br />
a warlike disposition<br />
<br />
'''Presque Isle ME'''<br /><br />
a city of Maine about 20 miles west of the border with New Brunswick, Canada<br />
<br />
'''Chyonskrg Kurgistan'''<br /><br />
Assuming that (a) the name of the town is spelled correctly, and (b) the country is [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kg.html Kyrgyzstan], I can't find this town on a [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/KG/ directory of towns] in Kyrgyzstan.<br />
<br />
'''Pliscu Romania'''<br /><br />
There doesn't seem to be a real city by this name either, though ''pliscu'' seems to be a word pertaining to the nose.<br />
<br />
'''MILABBREV'''<br /><br />
Military abbreviations<br />
<br />
==Page 324==<br />
<br />
'''PCs'''<br /><br />
Personal Computers<br />
<br />
'''topspin'''<br /><br />
spin given to a ball in tennis causing it to rotate forward<br />
<br />
'''profligate'''<br /><br />
recklessly extravagant<br />
<br />
'''metastasizes'''<br /><br />
spreads like cancer<br />
<br />
'''SUFDDIR - self evident'''<br /><br />
Suffered from Death, Destruction, and Incapacitation of Response<br />
<br />
'''Motrin'''<br /><br />
Ibuprofen/Advil/.. painkiller, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class that is used for treating pain, fever, and inflammation<br />
<br />
'''EM'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic<br />
<br />
'''baroque'''<br /><br />
extravagantly ornate<br />
<br />
'''quorum'''<br /><br />
the required minimum number of people required to carry forth a particular task<br />
<br />
==Page 325==<br />
<br />
'''DEFCON'''<br /><br />
Defense Readiness Condition, i.e., the measure of the activation of the U.S. Armed Forces in reaction to a real or perceived threat. The higher the number, the lower the threat; the numbers as used in ''Infinite Jest'' are used incorrectly, i.e., the higher the DEFCON number, the higher the risk.<br />
<br />
'''theater'''<br /><br />
here used as a military term for an area in which warfare is carried out<br />
<br />
==Endnote 125==<br />
<br />
'''dilettantes'''<br /><br />
people who (in this case) play tennis merely for amusement<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Achilles' heel'''<br /><br />
This denotes a single weakness, taken from Greek mythology and the warrior Achilles, hero of the ''Iliad,'' who was made invincible to weapons by his mother dipping him in the river Styx. However, because he was held by his heel, he was vulnerable in this single place; Paris was able to kill Achilles by wounding him in the heel with an arrow.<br />
<br />
'''goes tactical'''<br /><br />
enters the phase of using tactical nuclear weapons<br />
<br />
'''Sinkiang'''<br /><br />
an alternate spelling for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkiang Xinjiang province] of China<br />
<br />
'''Aleutians'''<br /><br />
an archipelago of Islands stretching west from the coast of Alaska toward (and over) the International Date Line<br />
<br />
'''SS10s'''<br /><br />
a type of Soviet surface-to-surface (SS) missile<br />
<br />
'''El Al'''<br /><br />
Israel's national airline<br />
<br />
'''airbus'''<br /><br />
properly, Airbus, a European manufacturer of passenger aircraft of all ranges<br />
<br />
'''both H'sseins'''<br /><br />
Hussein I (1935-1999), king of Jordan, and Saddam Hussein (1937-2006), president of Iraq<br />
<br />
'''Ft. Chimo'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Chimo Kuujjuaq, Québec], in the Arctic Circle<br />
<br />
'''Labrador'''<br /><br />
the mainland part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland<br />
<br />
'''Volgograd'''<br /><br />
Formerly known as Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, this is a city of Russia on the Volga River, downriver from Moscow.<br />
<br />
'''Stolichnaya'''<br /><br />
a Russian brand of vodka<br />
<br />
==Endnote 126==<br />
<br />
'''picayune'''<br /><br />
small or trifling<br />
<br />
'''TRISITs'''<br /><br />
triggering situations<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
[[Image:Gorbachev.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev|right]]<br />
<br />
'''F16s'''<br /><br />
American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16 fighter jets]<br />
<br />
'''Cape Flattery Naval Base'''<br /><br />
It's not clear whether there is a naval base at Cape Flattery currently, but the town itself is in the state of Washington, about 140 miles west-northwest of Seattle.<br />
<br />
'''Irkutsk'''<br /><br />
a large city in Russian Siberia<br />
<br />
'''Dzhugdzhur Range'''<br /><br />
a mountain range in far east Siberia<br />
<br />
'''SOVWAR's bald and port-wine-stained premier'''<br /><br />
This is no doubt a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev] (see right), the last head of state of the USSR, although he was never premier.<br />
<br />
==Endnote 127==<br />
<br />
'''Wolf-spiders'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider arachnid]<br />
<br />
==Page 325 (cont'd)==<br />
<br />
'''Prince Albert in a can'''<br /><br />
An old phone gag explained in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert_tobacco Wikipedia entry] for the popular pipe tobacco sold in the distinctive red tin can with its portrait of Prince Albert (later King Edward VII) on its obverse side.<br />
<br />
'''Sakhalin'''<br /><br />
a Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin island] in the Pacific Ocean<br />
<br />
==Page 326==<br />
<br />
'''Portsmouth OH'''<br /><br />
a town about 90 miles due south of Columbus, Ohio<br />
<br />
'''four kilgrams'''<br /><br />
about 8.8 pounds<br />
<br />
'''Sixth Fleet'''<br /><br />
the fleet of the U.S. Navy that patrols the Mediterranean<br />
<br />
'''MiG25s'''<br /><br />
Russian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25 aircraft]<br />
<br />
'''apoplectic'''<br /><br />
Overcome with anger; extremely indignant, so much so that it could induce a stroke<br />
<br />
'''"...only to be asked if his refrigerator's running..."'''<br /><br />
Another ancient [http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070328212331AA34OVT&show=7 phone gag]: Prankster: "Can you check to see if your refrigerator is running?" Dupe (after a pause to check): "Yes, it is." Prankster: "Well, you'd better go catch it!"<br />
<br />
'''Air Force One'''<br /><br />
technically, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_force_one any United States Air Force aircraft] carrying the President of the U.S.<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kenal'''<br /><br />
probably meant to be the same as Abu Kemal referred to at 337<br />
<br />
'''En Nebk'''<br /><br />
a city in Syria, not far from Damascus<br />
<br />
'''dip-mil'''<br /><br />
diplomatic-military<br />
<br />
'''sues for terms'''<br /><br />
i.e., sues for peace<br />
<br />
'''Tripoli'''<br /><br />
a city in Lebanon; or the capital of Libya<br />
<br />
'''Médenine Tunisia'''<br /><br />
a city in the far south of Tunisia<br />
<br />
'''Ostrava'''<br /><br />
a city in the Czech Republic about 200 miles east of Prague<br />
<br />
'''Howitzer'''<br /><br />
a large piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer artillery]<br />
<br />
'''NSA'''<br /><br />
National Security Agency<br />
<br />
'''Tientsin'''<br /><br />
alternate spelling of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tientsin Tianjin]<br />
<br />
'''Air Force Two'''<br /><br />
the designation of any aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States<br />
<br />
'''Provo UT'''<br /><br />
a city about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City<br />
<br />
==Page 327==<br />
<br />
'''advertorial'''<br /><br />
Normally this word denotes an advertisement written to appear as if it's journalism, but here Wallace seems to mean bearing an ad.<br />
<br />
'''thanatoptic'''<br /><br />
contemplating death<br />
<br />
'''adepts'''<br /><br />
expert players<br />
<br />
'''Talmudic'''<br /><br />
Normally referring to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud Talmud], here it means making fine distinctions.<br />
<br />
'''pique'''<br /><br />
resentment<br />
<br />
'''''Commentary'''''<br /><br />
A public affairs magazine that describes itself as [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/abouthistory.cfm the flagship of neoconservatism]. It was founded by the American Jewish Committee and is still known for its coverage of Jewish issues.<br />
<br />
'''Beersheba'''<br /><br />
a major city of Israel at the northern end of the Negev desert<br />
<br />
==Page 328==<br />
<br />
'''probity'''<br /><br />
integrity or honesty<br />
<br />
'''1300-m.<sup>2</sup>'''<br /><br />
a bit over 1554 square yards<br />
<br />
'''purloined'''<br /><br />
stolen<br />
<br />
'''subterranean'''<br /><br />
literally underground<br />
<br />
'''Peoria IL'''<br /><br />
a city around 160 miles southwest of Chicago<br />
<br />
'''topographic'''<br /><br />
descriptive of the altitudes of the land on a map<br />
<br />
'''Interstate 74'''<br /><br />
This road runs from Davenport, Iowa, to Cincinnati<br />
<br />
'''Minuteman'''<br /><br />
a type of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_%28missile%29 missile]<br />
<br />
'''''irregardless'''''<br /><br />
not a real word, though a frequent usage mistake<br />
<br />
'''2π'''<br /><br />
used because we're dealing with circular and spherical areas of damage<br />
: what looks weird to me is dividing by 1/surface: it is the same as simply multiplying by the surface.<br />
<br />
==Page 329==<br />
<br />
'''1,400,000 curies'''<br /><br />
A curie (Ci) is a measure of radioactivity, defined as 3.7×10<sup>10</sup> decays per second. The more commonly used measurement in science is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel becquerel]. 1.4 million curies is equal to 59.2 million gigabecquerels.<br />
<br />
'''microcephalic'''<br /><br />
having a tiny head<br />
<br />
'''Tenuate'''<br /><br />
brand name of diethylpropion, a drug marketed as an appetite suppressant<br />
<br />
'''left-eye-nystagmic'''<br /><br />
Troeltsch's left eye is nystagmic. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye-movement characterised by the combination of a smooth pursuit, which usually acts to take the eye off the point of regard, interspersed with the saccadic movement that serves to bring the eye back on target.<br />
<br />
'''cerebral'''<br /><br />
oriented toward thinking<br />
<br />
==Page 330==<br />
<br />
'''Roentgens'''<br /><br />
The roentgen (R) is a unit of measurement for ionizing radiation and uses the units charge divided by unit weight (C/kg). The preferred scientific unit is the gray (Gy), a unit of absorbed dose (of radiation).<br />
<br />
'''Minsk'''<br /><br />
the capital of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus Belarus]<br />
<br />
'''extant'''<br /><br />
still existing<br />
<br />
'''Edina MN'''<br /><br />
a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul about 3 miles southwest<br />
<br />
'''arational'''<br /><br />
not irrational, but also not rational -- rather lacking the ability to tell one from the other<br />
<br />
'''cod'''<br /><br />
a type of fish<br />
<br />
'''EMP'''<br /><br />
electromagnetic pulse<br />
<br />
==Page 331==<br />
<br />
'''gander'''<br /><br />
A gander, as used here, is a look or peek.<br />
<br />
'''finski'''<br />
undoubtedly a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill five-dollar bill], from its old nickname ''fin'' <br />
<br />
'''SJOG'''<br /><br />
St. John of God<br />
<br />
'''obtuse'''<br /><br />
Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand<br />
<br />
'''Decision Tree'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree tool] used in decision analysis<br />
<br />
'''Imam'd'''<br /><br />
Here used as a verb for "to lead," an Imam is a Muslim cleric.<br />
<br />
==Page 332==<br />
<br />
'''strip-mining'''<br /><br />
According to Wikipedia, "Strip mining is the practice of mining a seam of mineral by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock." The implication here seems to be simply that Ingersoll is picking rather deeply.<br />
<br />
'''ad service box'''<br /><br />
the box to serve into when an odd number of points have been played (so when one player or the other has the advantage, i.e. is ahead in points); as opposed to the "deuce service box" where one serves when an even number of points have been played (in particular when the game is tied at deuce).<br />
<br />
'''n.b.'''<br /><br />
Nota bene [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nota_bene Wikipedia]<br />
<br />
'''parley'''<br /><br />
to hold a discussion<br />
<br />
'''Sierra Leone'''<br /><br />
a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone country] of West Africa<br />
<br />
'''Nunhagen'''<br /><br />
a real brand of aspirin<br />
<br />
==Page 333==<br />
<br />
'''Karachi'''<br /><br />
the largest city in Pakistan and capital of its Sindh province<br />
<br />
'''verisimilitude'''<br /><br />
proximity to reality, "Truth likeness"<br />
<br />
'''eminence grise'''<br /><br />
French for "gray eminence," this is a powerful adviser or decision-maker.<br />
<br />
'''Miles Penn'''<br /><br />
a combination of the names of two early British settlers of America: William Penn and Miles Standish (1584-1656), the military commander of Plymouth colony who traveled to Massachusetts on the ''Mayflower''.<br />
<br />
''''It's snowing on the goddamn ''map,'' not the ''territory''...''''<br /><br />
This is a reference to the statement "the map is not the territory," i.e., the thing representing some other thing is not that other thing in reality -- just a representation of it. Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski (1879-1950), the founder of [http://www.time-binding.org/ general semantics], coined the phrase. It's interesting that the term [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/map ''map''] appears so often in ''Infinite Jest'', as in reference to suicide (eliminating one's own map) or when one of anhedonia's symptoms is described thus: "The world becomes a map of the world." (p.693) Clearly Wallace is doing something with this general idea.<br />
<br />
==Page 334==<br />
<br />
'''contrite'''<br /><br />
apologetic<br />
<br />
'''rugby-scrum'''<br /><br />
a way of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby) restarting a game] of rugby after a point has been scored<br />
<br />
'''Arabian Sea'''<br /><br />
the part of the Indian into which the Persian Gulf (or Arabian Gulf) leads<br />
<br />
'''metatheoretical'''<br /><br />
regarding a theory devised to analyze a previous theory<br />
<br />
'''El Greco'''<br /><br />
El Greco (Spanish for "the Greek") was the byname of Doménicos Theotokópoulos (1541-1614), a Greek/Cretan-Spanish painter. Presumably a "bad" El Greco, i.e., a bad piece of art by El Greco, would have the characteristics Hal considers in Pemulis's face.<br />
<br />
==Page 335==<br />
<br />
'''paralytic thought-helix'''<br /><br />
Paralytic would imply that this "thought-helix" stops everything else both physical and mental in Hal's actions/thoughts. A helix is a spiral, so a thought-helix is a thought-spiral, which goes on and on but never really gets anywhere.<br />
<br />
'''1.3 m.'''<br /><br />
about 4.25 feet<br />
<br />
'''utility'''<br /><br />
In economics or statistics, this is a quantity/quality to be maximized in decision making.<br />
<br />
'''haunches'''<br /><br />
the hips, buttocks, and upper thighs<br />
<br />
'''cerebrate'''<br /><br />
to think about something<br />
<br />
==Page 336==<br />
<br />
'''Toltec'''<br /><br />
a catch-all term for the pre-Columbian cultures of what is now Mexico<br />
<br />
'''Ivory Coast'''<br /><br />
the English name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_Coast Côte d'Ivoire]<br />
<br />
'''Senegal'''<br /><br />
another [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal nation] in west Africa<br />
<br />
'''metadecision'''<br /><br />
a decision about a previous decision<br />
<br />
'''solander'''<br /><br />
a case for maps or plates made to look like a book<br />
<br />
==Page 337==<br />
<br />
'''aggregate'''<br /><br />
total, e.g., the aggregate IQ of the people in a room would be all their individual IQs added together<br />
<br />
'''equivocationary'''<br /><br />
not a real word; but of course equivocate means to deceive, so, perhaps "deceptive"?<br />
<br />
'''Abu Kemal and Es Suweida'''<br /><br />
Abu Kamal is in eastern Syria, near the Iraqi border. As-Suwayda is also in Syria, near its border with Jordan. This is to say that Ingersoll is patrolling Syria's eastern frontier.<br />
<br />
'''Charleston'''<br /><br />
This is the third mention of characters dancing or pretending to dance the Charleston, the others being Steeply at page 94 and the Vaught twins at page 218.<br />
<br />
'''hoofer's cane'''<br /><br />
the cane of a tap dancer (which is what a hoofer is)<br />
<br />
'''de facto'''<br /><br />
As opposed to ''de jure,'' which would mean legally, ''de facto'' implies a situation is true even if not legally true.<br />
<br />
'''One True Faith'''<br /><br />
Islam<br />
<br />
'''vacillation'''<br /><br />
inability to stick with a choice<br />
<br />
==Page 338==<br />
<br />
'''boat-wake'''<br /><br />
water made to rise by the motion of a boat<br />
<br />
'''compromise Eschaton's map'''<br /><br />
which here would seem to mean that Lord may just kill Eschaton as a game<br />
<br />
==Page 339==<br />
<br />
'''something anatomically impossible'''<br /><br />
i.e., to go fuck himself, or perform anal-cranial inversion<br />
<br />
'''tripartite'''<br /><br />
having three parts<br />
<br />
'''thiamine'''<br /><br />
another name for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiamine vitamin B<sub>1</sub>]<br />
<br />
'''Nigeria and Chad'''<br /><br />
bordering nations in North Africa, just south of the Sahara, Nigeria being the most populous African nation<br />
<br />
==Page 340==<br />
<br />
'''triangulating'''<br /><br />
dividing into triangles<br />
[More likely, homing in by successive approximation]<br />
<br />
'''on point'''<br /><br />
furthest up front, as in military formation<br />
<br />
'''pincer movement'''<br /><br />
a military maneuver whereby an enemy is attacked not from the front, but at both sides or flanks<br />
<br />
==Page 341==<br />
<br />
'''contact-bursts'''<br /><br />
a type of nuclear strike (the nuclear device explodes when it contacts the target), discriminated from air-burst (the nuclear device explodes when it reaches a pre-programmed altitude above the target)<br />
<br />
'''left cross'''<br /><br />
According to a [http://ezinearticles.com/?Boxing-Techniques---The-Right-Cross&id=290419 boxing Web site], "the right cross is thrown in a straight line to the target and comes back in a straight line to the chin." The left cross is delivered with left hand.<br />
<br />
'''accreting'''<br /><br />
gathering increasing amounts<br />
<br />
'''''doze'''''<br /><br />
Todd is trying to say "nose." <br />
<br />
'''equivocation'''<br /><br />
ambiguity<br />
<br />
'''Asian subcontinent'''<br /><br />
Better known as the Indian subcontinent, it includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, & Sri Lanka.<br />
<br />
==Page 342==<br />
<br />
'''Indochina'''<br /><br />
The colonial name for the continental portion of southeast Asia, camprising what is now Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, & (variably) peninsular Malaysia, & Singapore.<br />
<br />
'''baseline'''<br /><br />
the line at the end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the boundary of play<br />
<br />
'''hasp'''<br /><br />
a clasp for a door or lid<br />
<br />
'''modem'''<br /><br />
An acronym for modulation-demodulation, it is a data-transfer device.<br />
<br />
'''chassis'''<br /><br />
the construction forming the sides, top, and back of a piece of equipment<br />
<br />
'''y-axis'''<br /><br />
the vertical axis<br />
<br />
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