GR translation: Arab With A Big Greasy Nose

[David Morris]

The wistful classic would have to have been somehow related to "preforming
on" somebody.

On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 2:38 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> Can't remember anything else re Gunga Din....so, it just refers to the
> movie?
>
> On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 3:35 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I don't think that fits.
>>
>> On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 2:27 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> And so 'the wistful classic know to every tommy' would be "You're a
>>> better man than me, Gunga Din" ?
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 23, 2016 at 2:52 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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