GR translation: more idioms

[Mark Kohut]

And, along with Michael's clarification, one can learn that 'purer' is
an older usage fading over the centuries as it has been replaced a lot
by "more pure"...

Middle English pur, from Anglo-French, from Latin purus; akin to Old High German 
fowen to sift, Sanskrit punāti he cleanses, Middle Irish úr fresh, new 

First Known Use: 14th century

Seems the English Bible King James translation uses 'purer' exclusively, see
Lamentations somewhere for example.....

For many, many usages of standard words, Pynchon very often 
has older meanings and usages in mind.......................

AND, he uses many new words for the first time (the OED cites him seven times
for first usage in print).....

 


----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
To: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Tue, May 31, 2011 6:12:57 AM
Subject: Re: GR translation: more idioms

the confusion is probably that the word "who's" is here used as a
contraction for "who DOES" rather than a contraction of "who IS" as it
usually is

so the meaning is, "well who does that make purer than whom"

this is a slangy usage.  Variations on customary contractions crop up
in Pynchon quite a bit, you might call them "varietals"...

they do echo spoken usage (I can vouch for that)

Mike Jing  wrote:
> P38.33-34  ..., well who's that make purer than whom these days, ...
>
> Is "make purer than" an idiom as well?  What exactly does it mean here?
>



-- 
"...seems the simplest things are hardest to explain" - Dave Mason