GR translation: ducking everybody else

[Roy Cross]

From the Cambridge English dictionary:

to push<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/push> someone underwater<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/underwater> for a short<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/short>time<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/time>:

The boys<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/boy> were splashing<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/splash> around and ducking each other in the pool<https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pool>.


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________________________________
From: Pynchon-l <pynchon-l-bounces at waste.org> on behalf of Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2025 8:00:33 PM
To: Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
Cc: Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Subject: Re: GR translation: ducking everybody else

I think it is one of the few typos. Should be “dunking”

On Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> V569.11-15, P579.4-9   Wobbling, grinning hugely, Slothrop hollers his
> line: “I am the wrath of Donar—and this day you shall be my anvil!” Away
> they all go in a good roaring chase through the streets, in a shower of
> white blossoms, little kids squealing, down to the water, where everybody
> starts splashing and ducking everybody else.
>
> Does "duck" mean "evade" here? The published translation interpreted it as
> "to thrust (someone or something) underwater", which doesn't seem right to
> me.
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