zolfo (it) - sulphur + At one stage of the war Hitler was on 28 different medications a day, among a plethora of drugs that reached a total of 82. Although Morell had medical training and was licensed as a general practitioner in Germany long before he met Hitler, following World War II there were investigations into his practice along with interrogation by the Allies and he came to be widely regarded as a quack. Historians have speculated his treatment contributed to Hitler's ill health.
scoppia la mina (it) - the mine blows up + scoppia l'anima (it) - the soul bursts + Joyce was treated with scopolamine, which he disliked, for his eyes.
full forty-four
QUI SI SANA - In dreaming of owning his own home, Bloom aspires to more than "a terracehouse or semidetached villa, described as Rus in Urbe or Qui si Sana + qui si sana (it) - here one is healthy (name of many nursing-homes) + quasi sano (it) - nearly healthy + SDV: injected into day & night by 40 quacks grown day by day increasing exceeding in violent abuse of self & others,
Coue, psychologist, had his devotees repeat: 'Every day in every way I am getting better and better'
playboy - a selfish pleasure-seeker + Playboy - Christie Mahon of Synge's Playboy of the Western World.
the worst, it is believed, in the western world, for filth (Joyce's note) + SDV: was the worst, it is practically believed even in our playboyish western world for pure filth.
brag - to vaunt, talk boastfully, boast oneself
brass - a yellow-coloured alloy of copper and zinc + In Le Fanu's The House by the Churchyard, which is laid in Chapelizod, central characters (mysterious Dangerfield and Mervyn, respectively) live in the Brass Castle, on the north bank of the Liffey, and in the Tiled House in Ballyfermot, across the river from Chapelizod.
tyle = tile + tiled - covered, roofed, lined, or laid with tiles.
Ballyfermot - village south of Chapelizod
nix - nothing; not possibly
en stank som ingen stank (Danish) - a stink like no other stink + ting som ingen ting (Danish) - thing like no thing + Nixnixundnix/Tingsomingenting (Ondt and the Grasshopper).
puzzone (it) - stinker, stinky
rotte (Danish) - rat + to the letter - implicitly, to the fullest extent + personal to the writer.
as matter of fact
Edam - a dutch pressed cheese + Killarney (song): 'Angels often pausing there Doubt if Eden were more fair' + Adam.
reek - to smell strongly and unpleasantly, to stink
wud - insane, mad + my word! - an ejaculation of surprise.
warped - bent, contorted, or twisted out of shape + REFERENCE
flooring - the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room or hallway); material for the construction of a floor or floors
lair - the habitation of wild animals
thereof - of that, of it
upright - a vertical piece of timber in a building
impost - the top member of a pillar, pier, wall, etc., upon which the weight of an arch rests
persiana (it) - shutter + Montesquieu: Persian Letters (1721) + SDV: The warped floor flooring of his lair was persianly carpeted literatured with burst letters loveletters citizens' throwaways, [telltale stories,] stickyback snapshots, cockroaches bullcockroaches, dated postdated doubtful eggshells, you owe mes, fluefallen fluefoul smut, fallen lucifers, vestas which had served, borrowed brogues, cutthroat ties, reversible jackets, blackeyed glasses, neverworn breeches, Godforsaken scapulars, falsehair shirts, twisted goose quills, ejaculated seedy ejaculations, crocodiles' tears, spilt ink, blasphematory spits, stale chestnuts, girls schoolgirls young ladies' peasant maidens' city married wives' merry widows' 3 nuns' womens' workwomens' fat abbess's prudent virgins' wedable impudent whores' silent sisters' Charleys aunts' grandmothers' mothers-in-laws' fostermothers' godmothers' garters, snotworms worms of snot, counterfeit francs good best intentions, new quotatoes, limerick damns, stale once current puns, [unquestionable issue papers, messes of mottage,] princess promises, lees of wine, broken wafers, showered ornaments, unloosed shoe latchets, deoxidised carbons, crushed straight waistcoats, globules of mercury, undeleted glete, toothsome pickings, dam fireproof fireworks, ohs ouis sees gras jas neys thaws ahs yeses and yeses and yeses, tress clippings. To which [if one has the stomach] add [the] breakages, upheavals, inversions, distortions, of [all] this chambermade music & one [stands a fair chance of] actually sees seeing the whirling dervish, exiled in upon his ego, [noonday terrorized by an ineluctable shadow,] writing the history of himself in furniture.
literature - literary work or production; the activity or profession of a man of letters + littered.
burst - exploded, torn open + burst (french) letters + SDV: carpeted literatured with burst letters loveletters citizens' throwaways,
telltale - informing, revealing, betraying + every picture tells a story (phrase) + REFERENCE
stickyback - a small photograph or poster with a gummed back; also attrib. or as adj. + Ulysses.4.67: 'Stamps: stickyback pictures'.
snap - a snapshot, record on photographic film
eggshell - a relatively rough paper (rougher than vellum); the shell covering of an egg + SDV: cockroaches bullcockroaches, dated postdated doubtful eggshells,
boucher - prehistoric hand axe + butcher's - short for butcher's hook, rhyming slang for 'look' + (Ancient Egyptian ceremony of the opening of the mouth of the deceased with an iron hook).
flint - a massive, somewhat impure variety of quartz, in color usually of a gray to brown or nearly black, breaking with a conchoidal fracture and sharp edge. It is very hard, and strikes fire with steel.
borer - a pointed prehistoric flint tool used for boring holes in wood or hides
puffer - any of numerous marine fishes whose elongated spiny body can inflate itself with water or air to form a globe
amygdaloid - almond shaped
rindless - without rind or bark
verbage - A deliberate misspelling and mispronunciation of 'verbiage' (overabundance of words) that assimilates it to the word 'garbage'.
vivifical - life-giving, enlivening, vivifying + Biblical - of, relating to, or contained in, the Bible.
via - a road or way + bias - a leaning of the mind, propensity toward an object or view, inclination.
obiter dictum - an expression of opinion on a matter of law, given by a judge in court in the course of either argument or judgement, but not forming an essential part of the reasons determining the decision, and therefore not of binding authority; hence gen. Anything said by the way, an incidental statement or remark.
visus (l) - sight + visus undique (l) - seen from all sides, seen completely + visus ambigue (l) - seen doubtfully.
ahem - an exclamation to attract attention to the speaker
ineffable - that cannot be expressed or described in language
unsyllabled - not formed into, not expressed in, syllables
mes = mass; mess + me
Henrik Ibsen: "Little Eyolf"
fluefull - full to the flue, brimful + flue - chimney; a smoke-duct in a chimney + James Joyce: A Portrait III: 'The sootcoated packet of pictures which he had hidden in the flue of the fireplace' + SDV: fluefallen fluefoul smut,
smut - soot or sooty matter
Lucifer - the rebel archangel whose fall from heaven was supposed to be referred to in Isa. xiv. 12; Satan, the Devil + lucifers - matches.
vesta - a kind of wax match + Ulysses.10.403: 'The vesta in the clergyman's uplifted hand consumed itself in a long soft flame and was let fall'.
shower - to wet with rain showers; to bestow lavishly; to weep, to shead tears
ornament - a decoration, embellishment
brogue - a rude kind of shoe, generally made of untanned hide, worn by the inhabitants of the wilder parts of Ireland and the Scotch Highlands + Ulysses.2.253: 'I never borrowed a shilling in my life. Can you feel that? I owe nothing. Can you? Mulligan, nine pounds, three pairs of socks, one pair brogues'.
reversible - a cloth which is faced on both sides, so as to allow of its being turned + SDV: reversible jackets, blackeyed glasses, neverworn breeches,
horsehair - fabric made from horsehair fibers
godforsaken - neglected in appearence, miserable, wretched
scapular - Eccl. A short cloak covering the shoulders.
cutthroat - murderous, merciless
counterfeit - spurious, sham, forged
frank - a mark or stamp on a piece of mail indicating postage paid + SDV: counterfeit francs good best intentions,
curry - to employ flattery or blandishment, so as to cajole or win favour
note - a short letter or written communication of an informal kind
latten - iron tinned over, tin-plate + Latin
tintack - tack or small nail of tinned iron + syntax + Joyce's note: 'upset tintacks,'
millstone - one of a pair of circular stones used for grinding corn in a mill + Joyce's note: 'millstones' → Dublin Review Sep 1922, 113: 'Some Recent Books. Ulysses' (review of Ulysses by Domini Canis (Shane Leslie)): (of the Holy Church) 'Her inquisitions, her safeguards and indexes all aim at the avoidance of the scriptural millstone, which is so richly deserved by those who offend one of her little ones'.
stumbling + stepping stone - a stone for stepping upon; a stone placed in the bed of a stream or on muddy or swampy ground, to facilitate crossing on foot.
quill - the feather of a large bird (usually a goose) formed into a pen by pointing and slitting the lower end of the barrel + SDV: twisted goose quills,
wineglass - a small drinking-glass for wine + magnifying glass - a glass lens, or combination of lenses, used to increase the apparent size of any object seen through it + Joyce's note: 'magnifying wineglasses'.
goblin - a mischievous and ugly demon
current - genuine, prevalent, in general circulation, in general use, in vougue
pun - a humorous play on words + currant bun - bun that contains currants or raisins + current bun (Cockney Rhyming Slang) - Sun (newspaper).
mashed potatoes - potatoes beaten or crushed to a mash + quash - to break or dash in pieces + quotations + SDV: new quotatoes,
pottage - a thick soup, oatmeal porridge + mots (fr) - words + a mess of pottage - proverbially current in allusions to the story of Esau's sale of his birthright 'for a mess of pottage' + Desmond MacCarthy: Criticism (1932): (of Ulysses) 'passages... may seem messes'.
unquestionable - indisputable, certain; not liable to question
issue - the act of issuing printed materials + tissue paper - thin, translucent paper used for packing, wrapping, or protecting delicate articles.
seedy - abounding in seeds; lacking in vitality or strength + SDV: ejaculated seedy ejaculations,
Limerick - town and county in Ireland
damn - the utterance of the word 'damn' as a profane imprecation
crocodile tears - false or affected tears
cry over the spilt milk - to cry because of a loss that cannot be put right
blasphematory - blasphemous
spit - the act of spitting; saliva, spittle
chestnut - a story that has been told before, an old joke or story + shest (Serbian) - six.
young lady - a female shop assistant or clerk of good appearance and manners
milkmaid - a woman employed on a dairy farm or in a diary + SDV: girls schoolgirls young ladies' peasant maidens' city married wives'
shopkeeper - one who carries on business in a shop
merry widow - an amorous or designing widow
a couple of ex-nuns (notebook 1924)
vice- - With personal designations, especially titles of office, indicating that the person so called acts temporarily or regularly in place of, in the absence of, or as assistant to, another who properly holds the office or bears the title or name, as vice-abbot.
abbess - the female superior of a nunnery or convent of women, having the same authority over nuns that an abbot has over monks; bawd, procuress (Slang).
pro- - prior to, taking the place of + SDV: merry widows' 3 nuns' womens' workwomens' fat abbess's prudent virgins' wedable impudent whores' silent sisters'
Charley - night watchman + Charley's Aunt - play by Brandon Thomas, a transvestite comedy. To the Elizabethans, "aunt" meant "whore."
fostermother - a woman who nurses and brings up another's child
godmother - a female sponsor considered in relation to her god-child + SDV: Charleys aunts' grandmothers' mothers-in-laws' fostermothers' godmothers' garters,
garter - a band worn round the leg, either above or below the knee, to keep the stocking from falling down + (4 x 4 types of "garters", obviously predominant type of record (hyieroglyph) on the walls of this inner chamber → REFERENCE)
tress - a plait or braid of the hair of the head, usually of a woman + press
clipping - an excerpt cut from a newspaper or magazine + (notebook 1922-23): 'clip - haircut' → Leader 28 Oct 1922, 277/2: 'Our Ladies' Letter': 'he went into a new barber's (Mickey I'm saying), and he had to pay 1/6 for the clip'.
snot - the mucus of the nose + word of god - the divine wisdom; gospel + SDV: snotworms worms of snot,
toothsome - pleasant to the taste, savoury, palatable + toothpick
picking - something that is picked up, eatable fragments esp. form refuse
Swiss - rel. to Switzerland
bilk - a hoax, cheat, deception (obs.) + milk
highbrow - highly cultured or educated, intellectual + eyebrow lotion.
lotion - any of various cosmetic preparations that are applied to the skin; alcoholic drink (slang.) + notions.
antipode - the exact opposite of a person or thing + kiss my arse.
borrowed plumes - fine clothes, social advantages, a reputation etc. that person has no right to possess + plume (fr) - pen.
relaxable - capable of being relaxed
handgirps - close and usu. critical or desperate struggle + handgrip - a handshake.
lees - sediment deposited from wine
whine - a low somewhat shrill protracted cry, usually expressive of pain or distress + SDV: lees of wine,
deoxidize - to remove the oxygen from (an oxide or other compound) + CO2.
convertible - designed to be changed from one use or form to another
divil (Anglo-Irish Pronunciation) - devil + devil you care.
doffer - in a carding machine, a comb or revolving cylinder which 'doffs' or strips off cotton or wool from the 'cards'
wafer - a very light thin crisp cake
unloose - to moderate or relax the strain of, to loosen the ties of
latchet - a thong used to fasten a shoe; a (shoe-)lace + John 1:27: 'whose shoes' lachet I am not worthy to unloose'.
crooked - irregular in shape or outline + Isaiah 40:4: 'the crooked shall be made straight' + SDV: crushed straight waistcoats,
strait waistcoat - a garment for the upper part of the body, made of strong material and admitting of being tightly laced, used for the restraint of violent lunatics or prisoners, and sometimes as a means of punishment.
Hades - the lower world, the abode of departed spirits or shades
globule - a spherical body of small size; a round drop (of water, etc.)
mercury is an old remedy for syphilis [184.09]
glete = gleit (v.) - to glitter, shine + gleet - slimy matter, sticky or greasy filth; a morbid discharge of thin liquid from a wound, ulcer, etc. (now rare.)
*C* glass eyes (notebook 1924) + Joyce had eye surgery and dental extractions done on him in 1923.
gloss - superficial lustre; an explanation or definition of an obscure word in a text (i.e. 'tooth' is glossed as 'teeth') + Joyce's note: 'false teeth for a tooth' + CASTANEDA: I have come to understand sorcery in terms of Talcott Parsons' idea of glosses. A gloss is a total system of perception and language. For instance, this room is a gloss. We have lumped together a series of isolated perceptions--floor, ceiling, window, lights, rugs, etc.--to make a totality. But we had to be taught to put the world together in this way. A child reconnoiters the world with few preconceptions until he is taught to see things in a way that corresponds to the descriptions everybody agrees on. The world is an agreement. The system of glossing seems to be somewhat like walking. We have to learn to walk, but once we learn we are subject to the syntax of language and the mode of perception it contains.