AtDDtA1: Bindlestiffs of the Blue

[Dave Monroe]

   "'Hey, anybody home?'  Into the firelight emerged two boys and a
girl, carrying picnic baskets and wearing flight uniforms of indigo
mohair brilliantine with scarlet pinstripes ....
   "Darby, recognizing them as members of Bindlestiffs of the Blue
A.C., a club of ascensionaries from Oregon ... broke into a welcoming
smile, especially for Miss Penelope ('Penny') Black ....  "Hello,
Riley, Zip ... Penny,' he added shyly." (AtD, Pt. I, Ch. 2, p. 18)


"two boys and a girl"

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/


"mohair brilliantine"

Main Entry: bril·lian·tine
Pronunciation: 'bril-y&n-"tEn
Function: noun
1 : a light lustrous fabric that is similar to alpaca and is woven
usually with a cotton warp and mohair or worsted filling ...

http://m-w.com/dictionary/brilliantine


Shriner fez

E.g., ...

http://www.lafsco.com/shrine.html

FEZZES, TASSELS, AND THEIR EXPLANATION

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/oohp.htm

"It was one of those composite hat-styles ..."

http://robotwisdom.com/flaubert/bovary/bovary1.html

Description vaguely reminiscent of "Madame Bovary".

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_18


"pale eclipse green"

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/DIO_DRO/DIRECT.html

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_18


"Bindlestiffs of the Blue A.C."

Main Entry: bindle stiff
Function: noun
: HOBO; especially : one who carries his clothes or bedding in a bundle

http://m-w.com/dictionary/bindlestiff

Cf. Chums of Chance, Aces of the Altitudes (p. 15), Vagabonds of the
Void (ibid.) ...

A.C. = Ascensionary Club?  Aerial Club?  Or ...

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_18


Penelope ("Penny") Black

Penélopê (Πηνελόπη) is a character in the Odyssey, one of the two
great epic poems (the other being the Iliad; both are attributed to
Homer) of ancient Greek literature. Her name is close to the Greek
word for duck but is usually understood to be a combination of the
Greek word for web or woof (πηνη) and the word for eye or face (ωψ),
very appropriate for a weaver of cunning whose motivation is hard to
decipher. In modern times, her name has become associated with
faithfulness....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope

Penelope was the daughter of Icarius and a first cousin of Helen of
Troy. She was the wife of Odysseus and was famous for her cleverness
and for her faithfulness to her husband....

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/penelope.html

Penny Black

The introduction of the Penny Black stamp played an important role in
the reform of the British Postal System during the 1830's. Before this
time, postage fees were based on weight and on distance involved.
Postage had to be calculated for each letter, and was typically paid
by the addressee. The introduction of the Penny Black shifted the cost
of postage to the sender and eliminated the complexity of postage
computation by requiring a uniform, low rate...

http://research.microsoft.com/research/sv/PennyBlack/

The Penny Black, the world's first official adhesive postage stamp,
was issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on May
1, 1840 ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Black


"'they gave me the Tzigane'"

Tzigane

Meaning "gypsy". Also a piece by Ravel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzigane_(Ravel)

Tzigane

[Fr., gypsy]

Term used for a composition having gypsy influences or flavor.

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textt/Tzigane.html


"'Coming in over 'Egypt,' downstate Illinois to you ...'"

Little Egypt is the southern area of the state of Illinois in the
United States of America. The region is and was sometimes called
simply "Egypt," especially in the 19th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egypt_(region)

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_18