IJ15
From Literature Concordances
15 · Hal in the Ambulance
Page 15
cirri
plural of cirrus, a type of cloud
martinet
a strict disciplinarian
Page 16
ultra-mach
Named for Ernst Mach (1838-1916), a Bohemian-Austrian physicist, the mach unit is a unit for the speed of sound. "Ultra-mach" would apply to a plane flying at several times the speed of sound.
barnwood
This word refers to "aged and weathered boards, esp. those salvaged from dismantled barns" (Random House Unabridged Dictionary).
starboard list
Employing the nautical term for "right" (starboard), the woman referred to tends to move right as she tries to move forward.
incisionish
a neologism meaning "of or like an incision"
infantophile
This would seem to imply a person who has an affinity for infants.
hypophalangial
missing fingers
Himself's
I.e., James Incandenza, this is the first reference to Hal's father.
Page 17
"...Donald Gately and I dig up my father's head..."
See Hamlet, Act Five, Scene One.
Venus Williams
At the time this novel was published, Venus Williams would have been sixteen years old.
Dymphna
Dymphna was a 7th century Irish saint. Her feast day is May 15. She is the patron saint of mental illness professionals, epilectics, and the mentally ill, among others.
Petropolis Kahn
Petropolis is Greek for "city of stone" or "city of Peter." Petrópolis is a city in Brazil near Rio de Janeiro. A treaty was signed there on November 11, 1903, ending hostilities between Bolivia and Brazil.
"Kahn" is a variant on the Jewish name for a priest, i.e., kohen.
etiology
the cause of a disease
O.E.D. VI's count
This is a reference to the Oxford English Dictionary, sixth edition.
Latinate
deriving from Latin
Saxonic
deriving from Old English
3* | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17* | 27* | 32* | 33* | 37 | 38 | 39* | 42 (1) | 42 (2) | 49* | 54 (1) | 54 (2) | 55 | 60 (1) | 60 (2) | 61 | 63* | Endnote 24 | 65 | 66* | 67 | 68* | 78 | 79 | 85 | 87 | 87* | 93 (1) | 93 (2) | 95 | 97 (1) | 97 (2) | 105 | 109 | 121 | 126 | 127 | 127* | 128 | 135* | 137 | 138 | 140 | 142 | 144 (1) | 144 (2) | 151* | 157* | 169 | 172 | 176 | 181* | 193 | 198 | 200 | 211 | 219* | 223 (1) | 223 (2) | 227 (1) | 227 (2) | 240* | 242 | 258* | 270 | 281 | 283* | 299 | 306* | Endnote 110 | 312 | 317 | 321* | 343 | 367 (1) | 367 (2) | 375 (1) | 375 (2) | Endnote 145 | 376 | 379 | 380* | 386 | 394 | 395 | 398 | 410 | 418 | 430 | 434 | 436 | 442* | 449 | 450 | 461 | 470 | 475 | 489 | 491 | 503 | 507 | 508 | 528 | 531 | 538* | 548 | 550 | 553 | 560 (1) | 560 (2) | 563 | 565 | Endnote 234 | 567 | 574 | 575 | 589 | 593 | 596 | 601 | 620* | 627 | 638 | 648 | 651 | 663 | Endnote 269 | 666 | 673 | 682 | 686 | 689 | 692 (1) | 692 (2) | 698 | 700 (1) | 700 (2) | 700 (3) | 701 (1) | 701 (2) | 701 (3) | 711 | 714 | 716 | 719 (1) | 719 (2) | 721 | 723 (1) | 723 (2) | 724 | 728 | 729 | Endnote 304 | 736 | 747 | 751 | 752 | 755 | 769 | 774 | 782 | 785 | 787 (1) | 787 (2) | 795 (1) | 795 (2) | 809* | 827 | 845 | 846 | 851 | 854 | 864 | 876 | 883 | 896 | 902 | 906 | 911 | 916 (1) | 916 (2) | 934 (1) | 934 (2) | 938 | 941 | 958 (1) | 958 (2) | 960 | 964 | 971 | 972
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