design - a preliminary sketch for a picture or other work of art, a delineation, pattern; the artistic idea as executed.
put one's foot in it - to do or say something esp. unintentionally that distress or offends another person; to get into difficulties or trouble; to blunder + never put a tooth in it (Anglo-Irish phrase) - speak out clearly.
snoopery - the activity of snooping or prying; surreptitious investigation, spec. into another's private affairs.
day in day out - as each day comes in or begins, and goes out or closes; continually.
Nacht (ger) - night + Tag (ger) - day.
promiscuous - indiscriminate in sexual relations
in rebus publicis (l) - in states, in republics; in public affairs
secular - having a period of enormous length, continuing through long ages + saeculorum sequentia (l) - the sequence or continuity of the centuries + per omnia saecula saeculorum (l) - for ever and ever.
sequence - a continuous or connected series
stupendous - amazing, astounding; amazingly large or great
futuete! (l) - fuck! (acrostic)
exultations - shouts of joy, joyful utterances
triumphant - that has achieved victory or success, conquering, victorious
resume - to go on again with (a discourse, discussion, remark, etc.)
inquiry - the action of seeking, esp. for truth, knowledge, or information concerning something; investigation, examination.
postal union - an international agreement to observe uniform regulations governing international mail [(notebook 1924): 'postal union'] + FDV: Next morning postman handed him a letter superscribed to Humphy Pot and Gallows King.
carrier - a bearer of a message, letter, etc.
(notebook 1924): 'Letters Scotch Ltd'
Vercingetorix (d. 46) - Gallic chieftain who revolted against Julius Caesar
hight (Archaic) - called
det er (Danish) - that is
losel - a worthless person, scoundrel, good-for-nothing
huck - intr. To higgle in trading, to haggle over a bargain; to chaffer, bargain. Also fig. To haggle over terms, to stickle + huck- (ger) - squat.
missive - a written message, a letter
gummy - gum-like, sticky, viscid + Gummi (ger) - rubber.
chain envelope - a business envelope that may be reused many times
divers - various, different
blanch - white, argent
lavender - the colour of lavender-flowers, a very pale blue with a trace of red
pothook - an S shaped stroke in writing
crook - a hook or bent iron on which anything is hung; a bending or curve, a convolution.
bespeak - to speak of, to indicate, give evidence of + spaking (Anglo-Irish Pronunciation) - speaking.
washerwife - washerwoman, laundress
superscribe - to write (a name or address) upon a letter; to write one's name at the head of a document: opposed to subscribe.
subscribe - to put oneself down as so-and-so, at the foot of a letter or other document + pencil - to write with pencil.
laughable - that may be laughed at
afterward + After (ger) - anus + after-wit (Archaic) - wisdom after the event, hindsight.
S.A.G. (St Anthony Guide), written on an envelope carries a letter safely through the mails.
hyde = hide; name of the evil personality assumed by Dr. Jekyll in R. L. Stevenson's story, 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (1886): used allusively in reference to the evil side of a person's character.
hide and seek - applied to action in which one person or thing evades or appears to evade another.
WC - water closet; the west central postal district of London
Lappish - of or pertaining to the Lapps or their language + lapsus linguae (l) - a slip of the tongue.
inburst - a bursting in, irruption
Magyar - of or pertaining to the Magyars, or to the language of the Magyars
Siamese twins - two male natives of Siam, Chang and Eng (1811-1874), who were united by a tubular band in the region of the waist. Hence gen., any pair of twins physically united by their tissues.
twixt - between
stern - the hind part of a ship or boat
swift - one of a pair of shrouds, fixed above the other shrouds, for swifting or stiffening a mast.
Jolly Roger - the pirate's flag
bright - to make bright, illumine
plunge - immerse, submerge, enter into some state or course suddenly or unexpectely.
plight - undertaking (of a risk or obligation), pledge (under risk of forfeiture), engagement.
Percy French: song 'Are ye right there, Michael, are ye right?... and it might now, Michael, so it might!'
cox - coxswain (the person on board ship having permanent charge of a boat and its crew, of which he has command unless a superior officer is present) + cock
Hahn-Hahn, Ida, Countess von (1805-80) - sentimental German novelist who joined the Catholic church because her style had been parodied and because of the revolution of 1848 + Hahn (ger) - cock, rooster.
to poke one's nose - to poke or pry into something, esp. the matter which does not properly concern one.
Kurbis (ger) - pumpkin
pouch - a mail-bag
litter - odds and ends, fragments and leavings lying about, rubbish
lurk - to remain furtively or unobserved about one spot, to live in concealment or retirement.
dormant - sleeping, lying asleep or as asleep, inactive as in sleep
paunch - the stomach
herm - a statue in the form of a square stone pillar surmounted by a bust or head usually of the god Hermes (very common in ancient Greece, where they were used as pillars, sign-posts, mile-stones, etc.)
pillarbox - a hollow pillar about five feet high, erected in a public place, containing a letter-box or receptacle for posting letters.
illusionist - one who produces illusions; spec. a conjuror or sleight-of-hand performer + (notebook 1923): 'triumph of printer's art' + FDV: This fender coffin, mistaken for a fender, had been removed from hardware premises a noted house of the east which as an ordinary everyday transaction supply funeral requisites of all descriptions. (Here Caracciolo & Nelson)
blench - a turning of the eyes aside, a side glance (rare.) + at first hand - at the beginning, at the first stage.
Jubal and Tubal Cain -
Jubal was "father of all such as handle the harp and organ"; Tubal was "instructor
of every artificer in brass
and iron" (Genesis, 4.) Their brother Jabal was father of those who live in tents and have
cattle.
handwarp - a kind of cloth + hard work
distinguish + tris- (l) - thrice.
juba (l) - mane + Genesis 4:20: (Lamech (Cain's descendant) had three sons) 'Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle... Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ... Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron'.
hardware - small ware or goods of metal, ironmongery
premise - the place of business of an enterprise or institution
OETZMANN AND CO - Cabinet makers and house furnishers, 60-61 Grafton Street.
noted - distinguished, famous
gone west - dead
oscar - money, cash
flash - dashing, staggering, swell
lily - white or fair as a lily, lily-white