Logophiles, help!

[David Casseres]

Perusing my OED, I found that suttle is indeed an old spelling for
subtle.  But the verb to suttle means to carry out the trade of a
sutler.  A sutler is a small vendor, such as someone who sells from a
stall or cart in the street.

So the "suttled night-time of the town" would seem to have many, many
possible layered connotations, as the very night-time is being
retailed piecemeal.  A striking sentence!

I had less luck with ceporous.  The closest word I found was cepous,
meaning onion-like or bulbous.

On 1/2/06, Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> On Jan 2, 2006, at 2:31 AM, Ya Sam wrote:
>
> > While reading Andrew Miller's historical novel 'Casanova' I
> > stumbled upon two words whose meaning I could not find in any
> > dictionary available to me. Googling proved to be useless too. I am
> > sure they are not typos, although it's quite possible Andrew Miller
> > simply made them up. If anyone on the list has any clues, please
> > help to decipher the following words:
> >
> > 1. to suttle
> >
> > From the other side of the street he heard the sound of a window
> > being slid open on its sashes and then a man's voice calling
> > clearly - though for Casanova, incomprehensibly - a single short
> > refrain that rang out in the SUTTLED night-time of the town like
> > coins falling on to paving stones (42).
>
>
>  From context it sounds like the town is very subtly lighted, quiet,
> shutdown for the night. Sidewalks taken in as it were.
>
> I think (pretty sure) I've  seen suttle used in place of subtle.
> Can't  find  it in  the  dictionary however..
>
>
> >
> > 2. ceporous
> >
> > The sheets had not been aired. They were somewhat damp and CEPOROUS
> > (102).
> >
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>
>