GR translation: Arab With A Big Greasy Nose

[David Morris]

Wow!  Well done!

On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 1:52 PM, Simon Bryquer <sbryquer at nyc.rr.com> wrote:

> Being ill (dracunculiasis) and *to perform on* is vomiting on someone or
> something. Key :Army.
>
>
>
> As per the following:
>
>
>
> Perhaps this has been answered before – we’re talking about Kipling here.
> The *‘**Fuzzy**-**Wuzzy’ poem of 19th  century British soldier view of *Hadendoa
> warriors in Sudan.
>
>
>
> Gary Grant and all that refers to the movie ‘Gunga Din’ (also a Kipling
> poem made into a movie) played by Sam Jaffe, who I vaguely recall could be
> described in that movie as ‘Arab With A Big Greasy Nose’ though it’s all
> about India.
>
>
>
> BTW Sam Jaffe was great in the John Houston movie ‘Asphalt Jungle’ ----
> also I believe this was Marilyn Monroe first speaking role, though she did
> not get any screen credit. She plays a slightly mentally off babysitter ---
> and she was extremely good.
>
>
>
> Maybe the key words here : dracunculiasis and elephant medicine
>
>
>
> A parasitic infection caused by drinking flea invested water and causes
> one to vomit – to perform on here might be vomiting on one or many in the
> crowded army in battle.
>
>
>
> I would conclude to perform on is vomiting on someone or many.
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Monte Davis
> *Sent:* Monday, May 23, 2016 12:30 PM
> *To:* Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> *Subject:* Re: GR translation: Arab With A Big Greasy Nose
>
>
>
> I take the "wistful classic" to be a comic song. I don't know the song, or
> know that Pynchon had any existing song in mind rather than a tease. So
> "perform" is wide open to your suggested definition... or to a musical
> performance (like squeezing a clown's rubber nose)... or to a sexual
> performance (details depending on culture, other organs involved, and how
> one feels about noses).
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 11:54 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> Resurrecting this old post nobody replied to back in 2011. A search in
> the archives shows that this has been asked a few times, but no one
> had an answer. The problems is that I still have to figure out how to
> translate "perform on". From the OED:
>
> 6. intr.
> b. euphem. Esp. of a child or a pet: to urinate or defecate.
>
> Does this make sense to anyone else given the context?
>
> On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 4:19 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > P14.5-13   In 1935 he had his first episode outside any condition of
> > known sleep—it was during his Kipling Period, beastly Fuzzy-Wuzzies
> > far as eye could see, dracunculiasis and Oriental sore rampant among
> > the troops, no beer for a month, wireless being jammed by other Powers
> > who would be masters of these horrid blacks, God knows why, and all
> > folklore broken down, no Gary Grant larking in and out slipping
> > elephant medicine in the punchbowls out here . .. not even an Arab
> > With A Big Greasy Nose to perform on, as in that wistful classic every
> > tommy’s heard . . .
> >
> > What is this classic with "an Arab With A Big Greasy Nose"?  And what
> > do they want to perform on him?
> -
> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
>
>
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