GR translation: sucking on an egg

[Jochen Stremmel]

Has nobody thought of the possibility that S. is sucking on e real egg? I
was some days away from my books and had only now the possibility to look
it up, and voilà – some lines before on the same page:

The Springer is his old chipper self: "Fresh eggs and coffee [...]"

2015-12-21 5:42 GMT+01:00 Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>:

> 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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