MDMD (6)--Ch. 17 Notes & Queries

[RICHARD ROMEO]

MDMD (6)-- Ch 17 Notes & Queries

174.7 `Discombobulancy' OED has discombobulate, Amer slang, M19,
(proba alt of discompose or discomfit) disturb; upset; disconcert (AD)

175--War of Jenkin's Ear--1739-41, struggle b/w England & Spain.  
Conflict grew out of commercial rivalry of the two powers and led into 
larger war of Austrian Secession.  English smuggling & resentment at 
exclusion from Spanish colonial trade caused the war.  Jenkin's story to 
Parliament forced Walpole's reluctant hand in declaring war.

175--Nick Mournival--mourn+carnival? patriot, gambler, madman

175.22  Cross-Ruff--series of plays in some card games in which partners 
alternately trump different suits and lead to each other for that purpose

176.19 `Pistole' cf MDMD(5) 146.8 (AD)

177.11 `Nautch-Dancer' cf MDMD(5) 148.31 (AD)

177.16 `Carnatic' cf MDMD(4) 131.21 (AD)

177.16 `the Event not yet "reduced to certainty"' cf 45.28 (AD)

177.22 Chronoscope--instrument for measuring the duration of extremely 
short-lived phenomena;  name given to instruments for measuring velocity 
of projectiles.

177.24--Guarda Costa--Spanish Coast Guard which intercepted Jenkin's 
ship, thus bringing on the War of Jenkin's Ear.

177.35--Tortoise Pick--some sort of tin whistle?

177.6--Mr Squivelli and L'Orrechio Fatale?

178.12--"some of them never do smoak it, you know"--Mournival's phrase as 
Mason is about to have a panic attack--yuk yuk

178.32 `Rix Dollar' cf MDMD(5) 174.5 (AD)

179.22 -"his fondest wish?" that Rebekah live, and that--but he will not 
betray her, not for this."
	and that what?
	betray her for this--this what?

180.16--"I was in a state...unless the real Mason is yet there captive in 
that exitless path, and I but his representative"
	very apt since Mason haunts himself throughout the book.

180.13--Mason mentions "red trumpeted flowers", 180.22 Dixon: "I heard 
(sitting in The End of the World) as out of a speaking trumpet"--a little 
Pynchonian in-joke for us readers Dixon is joking about hearing Mason's 
wish from a special horn.

180.21 `uncoah' ??? unco is Scots for unknown, strange or unusual (AD)

181.1--Ledger?

181.2--Frome?

Richard Romeo
Coordinator of Cooperating Collections
The Foundation Center-NYC
212-807-2417
rromeo at fdncenter.org