GR translation: sucking on an egg

[Mike Jing]

I think I figured it out.  Here Slothrop is sucking in his cheeks as if
sucking on an egg, and generally trying to act nonchalant, while waiting
for a more serious response from the Springer.  Looking back, it should
have been fairly obvious.

On Sun, Dec 20, 2015 at 4:41 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> Reflecting, leads me to see the words that follow perhaps " better".
> Pynchon seems to imply that, with that military parody in mind, and with
> the comradely awareness that military personnel can have, usually to be "
> sucking an egg" means a sly awareness that you are consciously doing that.
> But Slothrop does it without feeling sly. Not even that pleasure.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Dec 20, 2015, at 2:57 PM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> OK, this makes a little more sense.  Believe it or not, I did search
> around before I asked the question, but I wasn't quite sure how it applies
> to the current context.  Thanks, Mark.
>
> Also, please remove my hotmail address from your contact list and always
> reply to this email address (gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com) instead.
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 20, 2015 at 7:01 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> To attempt more specificity than was in my last email, I think " sucking
>> an egg" here means doing something utterly useless as institutionalized by
>> the military which is really doing nothing. along with waiting that other
>> aspect of military life so dissed by soldiers.
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> > On Dec 20, 2015, at 3:47 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > V526.22-40   “What’s the deal?”
>> >        “A minor piracy. Pick up one package for me while I cover you.”
>> He looks at his watch, hamming it up.
>> > “O.K., get me a discharge, I’ll come with you.”
>> >        “A what? A discharge? For you? Ha! Ha! Ha!”
>> >        “You ought to laugh more, Springer. It makes you look really
>> cute.”
>> >        “What kind of a discharge, Slothrop? Honorable, perhaps? Ah,
>> ah-ha! Ha! Ha!” Like Adolf Hitler, Springer is easily tickled by what the
>> Germans call Schadenfreude, the feeling of joy at another’s misfortune.
>> >        “Quit fooling, I’m serious.”
>> >        “Of course you are, Slothrop!” More giggling.
>> >        Slothrop waits, watches, sucking on an egg though he feels
>> anything but sly this morning.
>> >        “Närrisch, you see, was supposed to go with me today. Now I’m
>> stuck with you. Ha! Ha! Where do you want it delivered, this—ha—this
>> discharge?”
>> >        “Cuxhaven.” Slothrop has been having lately this dim fantasy
>> about trying to contact the Operation Backfire people in Cuxhaven, to see
>> if they’ll help get him out.
>> >
>> > What does "sucking on an egg" mean here?
>>
>
>
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