Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 3

2013-09-21T16:11:29Z

Drpknight: Pun spot!

==Page 20==
'''Pinot E-Grigio''' 
Pinot grigio is a kind of white wine. A very popular easy-drinking wine, often light, dry, and crisp. An egregious pun here?

'''Night Train''' 
Common abbreviation for Night Train Express, a cheap, sweet, high alcohol content, fortified wine made by E & J Gallo.

'''plotzing''' 
In Yiddish, to plotz literally means to crack, split, or burst. In slang it means "to
collapse or be beside oneself with frustration, annoyance, or other strong emotion."

==Page 21==
'''paraphrasing Jimi Hendrix''' 
"mayonnaise! All in your brain" cf. "Purple haze! all in my brain"

'''Maid-Rite''' 
Casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1926. Centered in the Midwest with headquarters in Iowa. Home of the "loose meat sandwich," which looks like a sloppy joe minus the tomato sauce.

==Page 22==
''''59 Impala''' 
A 1965 Impala appears in ''Inherent Vice''.

'''three-month LIBOR''' 
a banking term. The average interest rate estimated by banks in London for borrowing from other banks.

==Page 23==
'''Ceres''' 
Roman goddess of agriculture, fitting name for the Board of Trade (i.e. commodities) bar.

==Page 24==
'''Kashruth''' 
set of Jewish dietary laws.

'''Meyer Lansky''' 
Known as the "Mob's Accountant," was a major organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. For decades he was thought to be one of the most powerful individuals in the country. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer_Lansky WIKI].

'''"it's a truth universally acknowledged"''' 
First sentence of ''Pride and Prejudice'': "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

==Page 25==
'''alexithymic lug''' 
describing Horst; alexithymia is a personality construct characterized by the sub-clinical inability to identify and describe emotions in the self. The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating.

==Page 26==
'''least enjoyable maybe the one between Hochdeutsch and Ashkenazi''' 
Hochdeutsch generally means the standard German language (as opposed to regional dialects). Ashkenazi Jews historically spoke Yiddish.

'''Galician, actually''' 
The Galicia referred to here is the eastern European area that today forms most of western Ukraine and was part of the Austrian Empire from the late eighteenth to early twentieth century. During that time, the Jewish population of Galicia swelled significantly. After the Great War, Galicia passed to Poland. The Polish government prohibited both Galician Jews and Ukrainians from working in the state enterprises, institutions, railway, post, telegraph etc. These measures were applied in their strictest form. Galician Jews and Ukrainians experienced ethnic oppression by undergoing a forceful Polonization. In September 1939, most of Galicia passed to Soviet Ukraine. The majority of Galician Jews perished during the Holocaust. Most survivors immigrated to Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Galicia_%28Eastern_Europe%29 Wikipedia]

'''Helvetia''' 
Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as a symbol of confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetia WIKI].

'''Certain lobes of Heidi's spirit may have been compromised''' 
You mean servers?

'''Mexican divorce''' 
In the 1960s, some New Yorkers traveled south to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A Mexican divorce was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most U.S. states. Celebrities who obtained a Mexican divorce include Johnny Carson, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, and Don Hewitt. It is also mentioned in the Jack Kerouac book ''On The Road''. It was often referred to as a quickie (or quicky) divorce. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_divorce WIKI].

==Page 27==
'''echt Latina... boricua''' 
Echt = German (and Yiddish?) for "genuine, real". Boricua = Puerto Rican.

'''The Deseret''' 
Boris Kachka, [http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/thomas-pynchon-bleeding-edge.html writing for New York Magazine], writes that this building is "obviously the Apthorp". Although the Apthorp building does not have turrents and gargoyles from pictures available, its courtyard ([http://nymag.com/realestate/vu/2007/10/38348/ photos here]) closely matches Pynchon's description of the Deseret. Kachka writes that Pynchon himself lived in an apartment facing this building for years.

==Page 28==
'''When Irish eyes are ''not'' smiling . . .''' 
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is a song first published in 1912.

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Chapter 3

2013-09-21T13:06:14Z

Drpknight: Clarified Galician entry

==Page 20==
'''Pinot E-Grigio''' 
Pinot grigio is a kind of white wine. A very popular easy-drinking wine, often light, dry, and crisp.

'''Night Train''' 
Common abbreviation for Night Train Express, a cheap, sweet, high alcohol content, fortified wine made by E & J Gallo.

'''plotzing''' 
In Yiddish, to plotz literally means to crack, split, or burst. In slang it means "to
collapse or be beside oneself with frustration, annoyance, or other strong emotion."

==Page 21==
'''paraphrasing Jimi Hendrix''' 
"mayonnaise! All in your brain" cf. "Purple haze! all in my brain"

'''Maid-Rite''' 
Casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1926. Centered in the Midwest with headquarters in Iowa. Home of the "loose meat sandwich," which looks like a sloppy joe minus the tomato sauce.

==Page 22==
''''59 Impala''' 
A 1965 Impala appears in ''Inherent Vice''.

'''three-month LIBOR''' 
a banking term. The average interest rate estimated by banks in London for borrowing from other banks.

==Page 23==
'''Ceres''' 
Roman goddess of agriculture, fitting name for the Board of Trade (i.e. commodities) bar.

==Page 24==
'''Kashruth''' 
set of Jewish dietary laws.

'''Meyer Lansky''' 
Known as the "Mob's Accountant," was a major organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States. For decades he was thought to be one of the most powerful individuals in the country. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer_Lansky WIKI].

'''"it's a truth universally acknowledged"''' 
First sentence of ''Pride and Prejudice'': "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

==Page 25==
'''alexithymic lug''' 
describing Horst; alexithymia is a personality construct characterized by the sub-clinical inability to identify and describe emotions in the self. The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating.

==Page 26==
'''least enjoyable maybe the one between Hochdeutsch and Ashkenazi''' 
Hochdeutsch generally means the standard German language (as opposed to regional dialects). Ashkenazi Jews historically spoke Yiddish.

'''Galician, actually''' 
The Galicia referred to here is the eastern European area that today forms most of western Ukraine and was part of the Austrian Empire from the late eighteenth to early twentieth century. During that time, the Jewish population of Galicia swelled significantly. After the Great War, Galicia passed to Poland. The Polish government prohibited both Galician Jews and Ukrainians from working in the state enterprises, institutions, railway, post, telegraph etc. These measures were applied in their strictest form. Galician Jews and Ukrainians experienced ethnic oppression by undergoing a forceful Polonization. In September 1939, most of Galicia passed to Soviet Ukraine. The majority of Galician Jews perished during the Holocaust. Most survivors immigrated to Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Galicia_%28Eastern_Europe%29 Wikipedia]

'''Helvetia''' 
Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as a symbol of confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetia WIKI].

'''Certain lobes of Heidi's spirit may have been compromised''' 
You mean servers?

'''Mexican divorce''' 
In the 1960s, some New Yorkers traveled south to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A Mexican divorce was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most U.S. states. Celebrities who obtained a Mexican divorce include Johnny Carson, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, and Don Hewitt. It is also mentioned in the Jack Kerouac book ''On The Road''. It was often referred to as a quickie (or quicky) divorce. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_divorce WIKI].

==Page 27==
'''echt Latina... boricua''' 
Echt = German (and Yiddish?) for "genuine, real". Boricua = Puerto Rican.

'''The Deseret''' 
Boris Kachka, [http://www.vulture.com/2013/08/thomas-pynchon-bleeding-edge.html writing for New York Magazine], writes that this building is "obviously the Apthorp". Although the Apthorp building does not have turrents and gargoyles from pictures available, its courtyard ([http://nymag.com/realestate/vu/2007/10/38348/ photos here]) closely matches Pynchon's description of the Deseret. Kachka writes that Pynchon himself lived in an apartment facing this building for years.

==Page 28==
'''When Irish eyes are ''not'' smiling . . .''' 
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is a song first published in 1912.

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}

Talk:C

2013-09-21T12:50:45Z

Drpknight: Created page with "The wrong Perl book is illustrated. That's a llama."

The wrong Perl book is illustrated. That's a llama.

Chapter 5

2013-09-21T12:43:27Z

Drpknight: Comment on Benford

==Page 41==
'''Benford's Law''' 
Heavy handed editing? Not like Pynchon to explicitly define jargon (hash total and Luhn checks slip past without comment on the very next page).

==Page 42==
'''False Lunchmeat''' 
Phony baloney

==Page 43==
'''Korobushka''' 
Traditional Russian song used as a musical track on Tetris. Pynchon also referenced Tetris in ''Against the Day'' [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_119-148#Page_123]

==Page 45==
'''the li'l goombas of Web design''' 
a reference to ''Super Mario Bros.''

'''Fabian's Bit Bucket''' 
In computing, the '''bit bucket''' is jargon for where lost computerized data has gone, by any means; any data which does not end up where it is supposed to, being lost in transmission, a computer crash, or the like, is said to have gone to the bit bucket — that mysterious place on a computer where lost documents go, as in: "What happened to that important spreadsheet that I was just editing?" OR "Oh, it went into the bit bucket." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_bucket Wikipedia entry]

==Page 46==
'''Dr. Zizmor''' 
A physician whose subway ads were all over the NYC subway for 30 years.

==Page 47==
'''a single over on Rikers''' 
a year in prison

'''Time is what the Stones call on their side, yes it is.''' 
"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (under the pseudonym of Norman Meade)and made famous by the Rolling Stones in 1964. The chorus: "Time is on my side, yes it is."

{{Bleeding Edge PbP}}