IJ299
From Literature Concordances
299 · Poor Tony Goes Cold Turkey
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Page 299
Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment
American Foundation Library in horrid central Watertown MA
This is probably the same as the Armenian Library and Museum of America. Watertown is a suburb of Boston nine miles west of the city, and it has a very large Armenian population.
Page 300
Equus Reese
Equus is Latin for "horse."
Donegal cap
You can see one here.
cadge
to obtain by begging
Antitoi
French for "against you"
de-mapping
murder
non grata
Latin: not welcome
cop
obtain drugs
rough-trade
homosexual sexual activity between a gay man and a straight man, sometimes for money or drugs
Brockton
a city in Massachusetts about 25 miles south of Boston
portents
omens
Fort Point
a section of Boston named for a colonial-era fort of the same name
hepatitis-G
This disease had been identified the same year that Wallace published Infinite Jest. It's unclear whether he was aware of this.
chip
to use enough heroin to stave off withdrawal
wigless head
which probably means he "flipped his wig" during withdrawal; doubtful—Tony is carrying his auburn wig and red leather coat in a shopping bag
The Old Cold Bird
a variation on cold turkey
fifty kilos
a little over 110 pounds
Page 301
color of summer squash
The colors of summer squashes vary, but Wallace probably is implying that Poor Tony looks yellow.
sty
alternate spelling of stye
chignon
a type of hair extension worn at the back of the head
troughs and nodes
deep furrows and swollen areas, respectively
habilements
misspelling of habiliments, i.e., clothing
wan
pale in color
gender-dysphoric
a person suffering from gender identity disorder
shiva
the Jewish ritual of mourning for seven days, tearing one's clothes, sitting on the floor, covering mirrors, etc.
412 Mount Auburn Street
This is a real address in Watertown. You can see the house here. It doesn't look like a residence. [Google street view suggests otherwise?]
Page 302
Codinex Plus
a brand name of cough syrup
C17-morphine
regular old morphine, which has the chemical composition C17H19NO3
Bonwit's
a department store in Boston
hubris
pride to a fault
cadences
flows of events
Page 303
Merry Widow
a woman's undergarment consisting of a strapless bra and short corset
Amalfo
apparently a misspelling of Amalfi, a brand of shoes
45 kg
a little over 99 pounds
Zuckung
German: convulsion
pebbled glass
a drinking glass having a rough surface
filial
pertaining to a son or daughter
Mount Auburn Cemetery
the first landscaped cemetery in the U.S.
A.F.L.
American Federation of Labor
loo
British colloquialism for toilet
flatulence
farting
demethylated
with the alcohol removed
Page 304
duplicitous
deceptive in speech
hapless
without luck
bilirubin
the compound that makes urine yellow
behemoth
a large beast
synaptic
pertaining to the spaces between brain cells
dessicated
dried out
Eighty-Proof
40 percent alcohol
augur
to serve as an omen
Page 305
incongruous
out of place
obstretric
Poor Tony thinks of his father as "obstetric," i.e., related to childbirth, but perhaps the usage is based on Tony's father having been an obstetrician, though I don't think this has been explicitly said.
dirigibles
blimps or zeppelins (airships)
tumid
swollen
Red Sox of Rice and Lynn
Jim Rice (1974-1989) and Fred Lynn (1974-1980) both played in the 1975 World Series.
taffeta
a crisp, smooth, woven fabric, often made from silk, used in gowns
gaffed fish
caught with a very large hook
flounces
strips of decorative material
Page 306
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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