smoke-puffs - definition and meaning

[David Morris]

Ordinance "smoke-puffs" may not be found in any historical military sleeve
insignia, but why limit possibilities to the literal?  A "smoke-puff"
(especially
from a bomb) evokes a cartoon image, and all insignia are essentially
cartoons.  Pynchon LOVES cartoons.  Here's a cartoon smoke-puff that might
be the ultimate one.  We know Pynchon uses his own interpretation of this
particular smoke-puff later in GR...

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7iwikr0N51r92wflo1_1280.jpg

David Morris

On Sunday, May 19, 2013, Markekohut wrote:

> Actually, bored from my work editing, I am taking a break to pile on
> despite the estimable opinions of others, including yourself.
>
> I think that thinking of so,etching involving insignias is what occurs to
> many--most--readers in this scene. It is the word " sleeve" perhaps...
>
> But then read it again and, maybe, yet again. Think of Pynchon's verbal
> precision, in all his work
> (Except, even I, great fanboy, will admit it flags  a bit in Against the
> Day) but especially think of the precision of every word in Gravity's
>  Rainbow.
>
> Ask yourself, Why, why would Pynchon, with military and weapons use
> meanings to the wonderfully compressed phrase Ordnance smoke-puffs be
> vaguely---that is key here; you said yourself you could find nothing as
> symbol, especially over a couple armies that " smoke puffs
> Might refer to symbolically. Pynchon, like Shakespeare---learned to be
> precise with every perspective and metaphor.
>
> And I ask further, from someone who knows almost nothing about military
> insignia---purposely
> Rejected that romanticising of war---( and I'm not even going to Wikipedia
> for this) ---but aren't they, one cannot help learning, full of bars,
> lines, angles, Predator birds like Eagles, stars, etc...
> All of that angled linearity which Pynchon knows shows the narrowing of
> the curved, wavy, modulating, human folkways. such as natural boundaries,
> human-made paths and, in some natural way the curls of smoke?
>
> anyway, I will bet there are almost no symbols on soldiers' uniforms much
> like " smoke-puffs""
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 19, 2013, at 3:50 AM, Markekohut <markekohut at yahoo.com<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'markekohut at yahoo.com');>>
> wrote:
>
> Well, seems clear to me that many/ most are all also the same kind of
> flickering smoke from military discharges....see esp My Early
> Life...shrapnel, etc...
>
> I think your logical concern that there are all kind of different insignia
> coupled with the impossibility of them all flickering, to me rules  out
> that meaning.
>
> So, I'll stop.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 19, 2013, at 1:40 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com');>>
> wrote:
>
> Well, I did see those.  But it seems clear to me that Pychon is not
> talking about the same thing as the others.
>
>
> On Sat, May 18, 2013 at 9:27 PM, Markekohut <markekohut at yahoo.com<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml', 'markekohut at yahoo.com');>
> > wrote:
>
>> See some examples here...
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> *From:* Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>> 'mark.kohut at gmail.com');>>
>> *Date:* May 18, 2013, 9:24:03 PM EDT
>> *To:* Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>> 'markekohut at yahoo.com');>>
>> *Subject:* *smoke-puffs - definition and meaning*
>>
>>
>> http://www.wordnik.com/words/smoke-puffs
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>>
>
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