gripe

[Wolfe, Skip]

On Thu, 21 Mar 1996, Dennis Jones wrote:

> "Is the baby smiling, or is it just gas?
> Which do you want it to be?" (p.131,Picador edition). Gas? I recognised a
> loaded line when I saw one, but 'gas'? It took two cups of tea and a visit 

> to the ty bach, but the penny finally dropped (so to speak). Wind! "... or 

> is it just wind?". Ah yes! All became clear. Odd though that TP had chosen 

> to revert (if that's the right word) to American English in a piece
embedded
> in a British section`. Maybe that's why it threw me.

In British English, could it be gas while it's still in the GI tract, 
causing pain that would make the baby grimace, and wind when it's emitted? 
 It seems like the separate concepts could merit separate terms, so maybe 
Pynchon was correct after all.  Just guessing. . .