Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 39

2025-11-28T15:52:17Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 291== '''''paradicsom''''' Hungarian: paradise or tomato. "Which one, you or it?", sez Hicks. Get it? '''''Mi a kibaszott''''' Hungarian: what the fuck. =..."

==Page 291==
'''''paradicsom''''' 
Hungarian: paradise or tomato. "Which one, you or it?", sez Hicks. Get it?

'''''Mi a kibaszott''''' 
Hungarian: what the fuck.

==Page 292==
'''Beerline''' 
A rail line in Milwaukee that served major breweries.

Chapter 38

2025-11-28T15:38:51Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 285== '''Caffé Impresa''' Probably fictional. The name could be a reference to Impresa di Fiume which was to occupation of Fiume by fascists led by Gabriele D'An..."

==Page 285==
'''Caffé Impresa''' 
Probably fictional. The name could be a reference to Impresa di Fiume which was to occupation of Fiume by fascists led by Gabriele D'Annunzio.

'''Borsalino''' 
A high-end Italian hat manufactured by Borsalino Giuseppe e Fratello S.p.A.

'''Lenthéric''' 
A French maker of perfumes and toiletries.

'''Toscano''' 
An Italian cigar made with fermented Kentucky tobacco.

'''Jake Guzik''' 
An advisor to and political "greaser" for Al Capone.

==Page 286==
'''San Marzano''' 
An Italian tomato variety, noted for quality.

'''''ribarnica''''' 
Croatian: fish market.

'''''giadrul''''' 
Italian-American slang: Idiot

==Page 287==
'''''picciotu''''' 
Italian: Kid

==Page 288==
'''Luigi Pirandello''' 
Italian playwright and novelist, known for farces.

==Page 289==
'''TRIangle exchange''' 
Telephone numbers were designated by a mnemonic for the central exchange office followed by a 4 or 5 digit number. TRIangle 1234 would be 87-1234.

Chapter 37

2025-11-27T16:26:44Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 278== '''Whitehead factory''' Most likely refers to Stabilimento Tecnico Fiumano, a factory in Fiumano that made steam engine parts. Robert Whitehead, a British e..."

==Page 278==
'''Whitehead factory''' 
Most likely refers to Stabilimento Tecnico Fiumano, a factory in Fiumano that made steam engine parts. Robert Whitehead, a British engineer was employed there. An Austro-Hungarian naval officer, Giovanni Luppis, had made a prototype torpedo, but was unsatisfied with the design. He engaged Whitehead, who created a compressed air propelled torpedo, essentially similar to modern designs.

'''Latakia blend''' 
Latakia tobacco is a sun dried and smoked product originating from Syria but mainly produced in Cyprus.

==Page 279==
'''Max Valentiner''' 
A highly successful German U-boat commander. In December 1915 he attacked and sank the British civilian passenger liner SS Persia, with great loss of life.

'''Otranto Barrage''' 
A naval blockade of the strait of Otranto, between Italy and Corfu, that attempted to contain the Austro-Hungarian navy. It was questionable successful against submarines.

'''Article 122 of the Trianon Dictate''' 
"All warships, including submarines, now under construction in Hungarian ports, or in ports which previously belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, shall be broken up."

==Page 280==
'''Chain Bridge''' 
Most likely the Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the Danube in Budapest.

==Page 281==
'''Valdivia Expedition''' 
A German scientific expedition 1898-1899 the explored the deep ocean and collected many biological specimens.

Chapter 36

2025-11-15T19:01:35Z

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==Page 272==
'''Karst''' 
Here refers to the Karst region of Slovenia. In geology, karst refers to limestone formations that have been eroded by water forming sinkholes and caves, characteristic of the Karst region. Geologically, karst is widely distributed, including beneath Milwaukee.

'''Yangtze Patrol''' 
A US naval operation in 1922 on the Yangtze river and costal areas, ostensibly to protect American citizens.

'''Wogdon dueling pistols''' 
High quality flintlock pistols manufactured by the London gunsmiths Wogdon and Barton.

==Page 273==
'''''Cómo no''''' 
Spanish: of course

'''''¿verdad?''''' 
Spanish: is that so?

==Page 275==
'''Josefstadt lockup''' 
A prison in Viena, known as the Grey House for the prison uniforms.

==Page 277==
'''triple tree rake angle''' 
A triple tree is a part connecting a motorcycle’s front fork to the frame. The rake angle is angle of the steering head from the vertical.

Chapter 34

2025-11-15T16:21:05Z

Rdavenport2025: /* Page 258 */

==Page 258==
'''Strumlokal''' 
A bar or pub frequented by Nazis.

'''Schlagstock''' 
German: club or nightstick.

'''Schätzchen''' 
German: Sweetheart.

'''Friedrichstraße''' 
A main shopping district in Berlin.

==Page 261==
'''Gardel and Le Pera''' 
Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera co-wrote a number of tangos.

==Page 263==
'''''Me ne frego''''' 
Italian: I don't give a damn. A Fascist slogan indicating bravery and disregard for danger.

Chapter 35

2025-11-15T16:17:22Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 264== '''''Daleko m’ê moj Split''''' Croatian: Split, my home, is far away. An aria from the operetta Mala Floramye by Ivo Tijardović. '''a black Moor’s he..."

==Page 264==
'''''Daleko m’ê moj Split''''' 
Croatian: Split, my home, is far away. An aria from the operetta Mala Floramye by Ivo Tijardović.

'''a black Moor’s head in a fancy white turban''' 
The Morčić, a talisman associated with the city of Rijeka, perhaps originating during the wars against the Ottomans. Earrings depicting the Morčić were worn, particularly fishermen, for good luck and protection.

Chapter 34

2025-11-15T01:28:24Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 258== '''Strumlokal''' A bar or pub frequented by Nazis. '''Schlagstock''' German: club or nightstick. '''Friedrichstraße''' A main shopping distri..."

==Page 258==
'''Strumlokal''' 
A bar or pub frequented by Nazis.

'''Schlagstock''' 
German: club or nightstick.

'''Friedrichstraße''' 
A main shopping district in Berlin.

==Page 261==
'''Gardel and Le Pera''' 
Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera co-wrote a number of tangos.

==Page 263==
'''''Me ne frego''''' 
Italian: I don't give a damn. A Fascist slogan indicating bravery and disregard for danger.

Chapter 33

2025-11-14T21:40:22Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 251== '''''Za dom!, Spremni!''''' Croatian: For homeland, Ready. A Fascist salute. ==Page 252== '''Velebit''' A Croatian mountain range. '''''Anasa supo''..."

==Page 251==
'''''Za dom!, Spremni!''''' 
Croatian: For homeland, Ready. A Fascist salute.

==Page 252==
'''Velebit''' 
A Croatian mountain range.

'''''Anasa supo''''' 
Esperanto: Duck soup.

==Page 253==
'''Weiss Manfréd''' 
Probably refers to Weiss Manfréd Acél és Fémművek (Manfréd Weiss Steel and Metal Works).

==Page 254==
'''''Die todten reiten schnell''''' 
Either a quote from the German poet Bürger: Sieh hin, sieh her! der Mond-scheint hell. Wir und die Todten reiten schnell. (Look forth, look forth! The moon shine bright tonight. We and the dead gallop fast thro' the night [translation by Rossetti]), or a quote from Bramm Stoker's Dracula: Denn die Todten reiten Schnell (For the dead travel fast). Both seem appropriate for a biker.

==Page 255==
'''ZB-26''' 
A Czech light machine gun manufactured by Zbrojovka Brno.

Chapter 32

2025-11-14T15:23:44Z

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==Page 244==
'''FAL A HALÁL''' 
Hungarian: Wall of Death. Hicks is apparently thinking "Fa La La La La ...". The Wall of Death is a motorcycle stunt in which riders on a steep circular track go horizontal on the vertical wall, held by centrifugal force.

==Page 245==
'''Smith Ballew''' 
American actor and western music singer.

==Page 248==
'''Frommer STÖP''' 
A Hungarian semiautomatic pistol.

Chapter 31

2025-11-14T15:02:33Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 239== '''ÁTFOGÓ ALKATRÉSZEK''' Hungarian: Comprehensive Parts. ==Page 241== '''Mangalica''' A breed of pig with unusually curly hair. '''Gorden Bennet'..."

==Page 239==
'''ÁTFOGÓ ALKATRÉSZEK''' 
Hungarian: Comprehensive Parts.

==Page 241==
'''Mangalica''' 
A breed of pig with unusually curly hair.

'''Gorden Bennet''' 
British idiom, an exclamation of surprise. Supposed referring to the American newspaper publisher James Gorden Bennet, who was a flamboyant character.

'''Dives and Lazarus''' 
Referring to the biblical parable of the rich man ignoring the poor leper.

==Page 242==
'''float needle''' 
Part of a carburetor controlling the fuel flow.

Chapter 30

2025-11-14T14:37:43Z

Rdavenport2025: /* =Page 236 */

==Page 233==
'''''Der Kongreß tanzt''''' 
A German musical comedy film set during the Congress of Viena. It had an all-star cast.

'''duplicator-machine fluid''' 
Spirit duplicators, sold in the US under the Ditto brand and in England under the Banda brand, were low-cost machines that could produce a limited number of copies. A two-ply master was made, typically by typing. The second part of the master was coated with pigmented wax and was placed on the machine's drum. The machine fed solvent impregnated paper into the rotating drum, which transferred the ink to the paper. For persons of a certain age (Ahem) this was the aroma of elementary school.

==Page 235==
'''GPU''' 
Refers to the Russian Gosudarstvennoye Politicheskoye Upravleniye, or State Political Directorate, which was the secret police successor to the Cheka. It was responsible for both internal security and foreign intelligence. However, by Hicks' time it had been replaced by the OGPU.

'''Blavatskian brotherhood''' 
Followers of Theosophy, a spiritual movement founded by Helena Blavatsky. By the 1930s it had split into several sects but retained many adherents.

'''Gleb Bokii''' 
Russian communist who had significant roles in the Cheka, GPU, OGPU. He also was interested in Theosophy, and some source says he had a secret laboratory associated with the OGPU. It is not clear whether he was a cryptologist.

==Page 236==
'''IZh-1''' 
A Russian motorcycle. It had an unusually large 1200cc twin V engine.

'''''Udachi''''' 
Russian: Good luck.

'''''Lubeniţă zburător''''' 
Romanian: Literally, flying watermelon.

==Page 237==
'''''Székely Himnusz''''' 
Hungarian: Székely Anthem. Székely refers to an ethnic group in Romania.

==Page 238==
'''''Paka paka, Prashi''''' 
Russian: Bye-bye, forgive me.

Chapter 30

2025-11-14T00:50:07Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 233== '''''Der Kongreß tanzt''''' A German musical comedy film set during the Congress of Viena. It had an all-star cast. '''duplicator-machine fluid''' S..."

==Page 233==
'''''Der Kongreß tanzt''''' 
A German musical comedy film set during the Congress of Viena. It had an all-star cast.

'''duplicator-machine fluid''' 
Spirit duplicators, sold in the US under the Ditto brand and in England under the Banda brand, were low-cost machines that could produce a limited number of copies. A two-ply master was made, typically by typing. The second part of the master was coated with pigmented wax and was placed on the machine's drum. The machine fed solvent impregnated paper into the rotating drum, which transferred the ink to the paper. For persons of a certain age (Ahem) this was the aroma of elementary school.

==Page 235==
'''GPU''' 
Refers to the Russian Gosudarstvennoye Politicheskoye Upravleniye, or State Political Directorate, which was the secret police successor to the Cheka. It was responsible for both internal security and foreign intelligence. However, by Hicks' time it had been replaced by the OGPU.

'''Blavatskian brotherhood''' 
Followers of Theosophy, a spiritual movement founded by Helena Blavatsky. By the 1930s it had split into several sects but retained many adherents.

'''Gleb Bokii''' 
Russian communist who had significant roles in the Cheka, GPU, OGPU. He also was interested in Theosophy, and some source says he had a secret laboratory associated with the OGPU. It is not clear whether he was a cryptologist.

===Page 236==
'''IZh-1''' 
A Russian motorcycle. It had an unusually large 1200cc twin V engine.

'''''Udachi''''' 
Russian: Good luck.

Chapter 29

2025-11-13T22:45:31Z

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==Page 228==
'''Dziga Vertov and Boris Kaufman''' 
Russian brothers (Dziga was born David Kaufman) who were influential early documentary filmmakers.

==Page 229==
'''acetylene''' 
Possibly refers to carbide lamps, which were used as headlights on some motorcycles. A carbide lamp works by controlled mixing of calcium carbide with water to produce flammable acetylene.

==Page 231==
'''Motalko''' 
A fuel mixture of gasoline and ethanol that was introduced by the Hungarian government as a way to reduce reliance on imported oil and promote agriculture. Sounds familiar ...

Chapter 28

2025-11-12T23:04:48Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 211== '''''Haver''''' Hungarian: Pal. ==Page 214== '''Gesichtsröhre''' German: literally 'face tube'. ==Page 215== '''John Lobbs''' High end bootma..."

==Page 211==
'''''Haver''''' 
Hungarian: Pal.

==Page 214==
'''Gesichtsröhre''' 
German: literally 'face tube'.

==Page 215==
'''John Lobbs''' 
High end bootmaker in London.

==Page 216==
'''Russ Columbo''' 
American singer and actor who recorded highly popular records in the crooning style.

==Page 217==
'''Karlovy Vary''' 
A spa town in the Czechoslovakia, also known as Karlsbad.

'''Steinach''' 
Refers to a surgical procedure developed by Eugen Steinach involving tying off the vas deferens of one testicle supposedly to increase androgen production. It was surprising popular at the time.

==Page 220==
'''Ekrexophilia''' 
Erotic interest in explosions? From Greek ékrixi + philia. A neologism?

==Page 221==
'''Wallace Beery''' 
American film actor who was very popular at the time.

==Page 225==
'''Concorso d'Eleganza''' 
An annual car show held at Villa d'Este in Italy beginning in 1929. Prizes were awarded for beauty and elegance.

==Page 226==
'''shonrim''' 
Hebrew: guards. Refers to a Jewish neighborhood watch patrol.

'''Purple Gang''' 
A Detroit criminal mob involved in bootlegging, whose members were primarily Jewish.

Chapter 27

2025-11-12T22:05:51Z

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==Page 208==
'''czardas''' 
A Hungarian folk dance with changing tempo that starts slow and ends fast.

==Page 209==
''' mad bomber Matuska''' 
Szilveszter Matuska. In September 1931 he blew up the Vienna Express causing many causalities. He confessed to this crime and was implicated in one other successful and two unsuccessful bombings.

Chapter 26

2025-11-11T21:24:38Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 201== '''Norma Shearer''' Canadian-American actress known for playing sexually liberated women. '''Wauwatosa''' A suburb west of Milwaukee. ==Page 202== '..."

==Page 201==
'''Norma Shearer''' 
Canadian-American actress known for playing sexually liberated women.

'''Wauwatosa''' 
A suburb west of Milwaukee.

==Page 202==
'''Cigana de Catumbi''' 
A Brazilian maxixe dance number, "The Gypsy Woman of Catumbi". Sometimes referred to as Brazilian tango.

==Page 205==
'''Herbert Gustave Schmalz''' 
English painter who rejected impressionism and was known for religious subjects. Here a pun on schmaltz?

Chapter 25

2025-11-11T20:55:40Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 193== '''''freilach''''' Yiddish: cheerful ==Page 194== '''mittelschmerz''' German: Literally, middle pain. Perhaps referring to period cramp."

==Page 193==
'''''freilach''''' 
Yiddish: cheerful

==Page 194==
'''mittelschmerz''' 
German: Literally, middle pain. Perhaps referring to period cramp.

Chapter 5

2025-11-11T20:41:41Z

Rdavenport2025: /* Page 40 */

==Page 40==
'''asport / apport - ass 'n' app''' 
As Thessalie correctly tells Hicks, "asport" is the term used in parapsychology for the spontaneous movement or disappearance of an object from one place to another, which is the opposite of an "apport," where an object appears from an unknown source. Essentially, asport is the paranormal act of making something vanish, while an apport is the paranormal act of making something appear.

'''Presbyterian''' 
Hicks' religious affiliation seems to be fluid. Later he says Missouri Synod Lutheran (pg 107) and Congregational Methodist (pg 242).

==Page 41==
'''S&W .32''' 
The 32 Smith and Wesson is grouped with other turn-of-the-century revolver designed for use in "belly guns", which are guns meant for use in point-blank defensive situations, such as in a carriage or an alleyway. They're also called "Saturday night specials." Its 3"-4" barrel length classifies it as a "prohibited" weapon, as it's less than 105 mm (4.1 in) length.

'''Federal B of I loves 'em''' 
The FBI was known as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) until July 1st, 1932, then the United States BOI for a year, then the Division of Investigation until July 1, 1935, when it became the FBI.

'''objects are pure, innocent''' 
In Zen, the concept of "purity of objects" is not about a physical, moral, or ritualistic cleanliness inherent to the object itself. Instead, it refers to a state of mind that perceives the object as it is, without the contaminating overlay of subjective projections, desires, or judgments. This understanding of purity is grounded in the core Zen concepts of non-dualism and emptiness, which suggest that a division between pure and impure is a human fabrication. A pure mind sees the inherent "suchness" of things.

'''a human soul can be defined as a structure of memories''' 
The concept of the human soul as a structure of memories is found in some spiritual and religious traditions, particularly those that believe in reincarnation, where the soul carries learning and memories from one lifetime to the next. However, many other views, both secular and religious, do not define the soul in this way, with some considering it the whole of consciousness, a collection of quantum fields, or a separate concept from memory. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul Wikipedia]

==Page 42==
'''sawbuck''' 
"Sawbuck" is a slang term historically used for a U.S. $10 bill because two ornate Roman numeral Xs were on the backside of the 10-dollar bill issued during the Civil War, said Xs resembling the crossbars of a carpentry sawhorse (also called a sawbuck).

Chapter 24

2025-11-11T15:04:08Z

Rdavenport2025:

==Page 180==
'''''kleine Kartoffel''''' 
German: small potato, figurately small fry.

==Page 182==
'''Guzzista''' 
Italian: A biker

'''Into a tunnel''' 
There are extensive tunnels and caves beneath Budapest, including the Buda Castle Labyrinth, the Kobanya Cellar, and the Gellert Baths Tunnels.

==Page 183==
'''Újpest''' 
Hungarian: New Pest. Now the fourth district of Budapest. At the time it was a separate town.

'''Tungsram''' 
A manufacturer of lightbulbs and vacuum tubes, located in Újpest. It was the first to use tungsten filaments, which was a major advance.

'''theremin''' 
An electronic musical instrument using two antennas. The capacitance formed between the performer's hands and the antennas controls the pitch and volume.

==Page 184==
'''Clara Rockmore''' 
A theremin performer who achieved considerable fame.

'''Sealex machines''' 
Devices for the automation of vacuum tube manufacturing. Sealex appears to be a generic term rather than a specific brand.

'''Béla Kun''' 
A Hungarian communist who in 1919 lead a coup to form the Hungarian Soviet Republic. The government was viciously repressive.

'''Miklos Horthy''' 
Hungarian admiral and politician. After the collapse of the Kun government he was made Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, in effect a dictator. His government was nationalist, conservative, and antisemitic.

==Page 186==
'''''Menj a halál faszára''''' 
Hungarian: Literally, go to the dick of death. Figuratively, fuck off.

Chapter 24

2025-11-11T13:52:48Z

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Chapter 23

2025-11-11T13:35:03Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 177== '''''Pizdets''''' Russian: An all-purpose profanity along the lines of "Oh fuck". '''Böhmerland Long Touring motorcycle''' A Czech motorcycle with a..."

==Page 177==
'''''Pizdets''''' 
Russian: An all-purpose profanity along the lines of "Oh fuck".

'''Böhmerland Long Touring motorcycle''' 
A Czech motorcycle with an unusually long wheelbase. It actually had two transmissions, the second being operated by the fourth passenger.

Chapter 22

2025-11-11T00:55:07Z

Rdavenport2025:

==Page 162==
'''''Szia''''' 
Hungarian: meaning both Hi and Bye. Pronounced SEE-ah.

==Page 166==
'''''Saluto ... agrabla revidi vin''''' 
Esperanto: Hello, nice to see you again.

==Page 169==
'''''Az Isten faszára''''' 
Hungarian: Literally, on God's cock. Figuratively, for fuck's sake.

Chapter 22

2025-11-11T00:42:42Z

Rdavenport2025: Created page with "==Page 162== '''''Szia''''' Hungarian: meaning both Hi and Bye. Pronounced SEE-ah. ==Page 166== '''''Saluto ... agrabla revidi vin''''' Esperanto: Hello, nice to..."

==Page 162==
'''''Szia''''' 
Hungarian: meaning both Hi and Bye. Pronounced SEE-ah.

==Page 166==
'''''Saluto ... agrabla revidi vin''''' 
Esperanto: Hello, nice to see you again.

Chapter 21

2025-11-11T00:04:22Z

Rdavenport2025:

==Page 154==
'''Acme Thunderer''' 
An actual whistle made by J. Hudson & Company, first produced in 1884 as a sports whistle.

==Page 155==
'''''schunpf''''' 
German: snuff. e.g. snort.

==Page 156==
'''''squadri''''' 
Italian: squad.

Chapter 20

2025-11-10T14:52:33Z

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==Page 149==
'''Soupe de canard''' 
French: Duck soup, easily done

'''Como no, mi amigo''' 
Spanish: Of course, my friend.

==Page 151==
'''Felliz como lombriz''' 
Spanish: Happy as a clam.

'''tipo facil''' 
Spanish: easy type

==Page 152==
'''pero que carajo''' 
Spanish: What the hell.

'''X'''

Chapter 16

2025-11-10T14:13:19Z

Rdavenport2025: /* Page 118 */

==Page 115==
'''Little Cosenza''' 
a locale, possibly a Pynchon invention, Calabrian-flavored micro-enclave name riffing on real Chicago neighborhoods.

==Page 116==
'''mitzvah''' 
Hebrew: a good deed for which one receives spiritual credit.

'''"Liberty, out for a stroll [...] around dawn"''' 
[[image:1932-half-dollar.jpg|thumb|150px|'''1932 U.S. Half-Dollar'''|left]]<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Page 117==
'''"Packard Custom Eight limousine [...] no chrome, no wax job, no shine, flat black all over"'''
[[image:1930-Packard-Custom-Eight-Limo.jpg|thumb|150px|'''1930 Packard Custom Eight Limousine'''|left]]


'''"I call it spinach"''' 
1930s slang meaning a sarcastic dismissal, i.e., "I call it nonsense," "I don’t buy it";

==Page 118==
'''omertà''' 
Italian: a code of silence and loyalty, especially associated with the Mafia and other criminal organizations in southern Italy and their offshoots in America.

'''a roscoe he may not be carrying''' 
"roscoe" is American gangster/slang for a gun, most often a handgun (a revolver)

'''Mezzogiorno''' 
A region of southern Italy that was historically impoverished and associated with organized crime.

'''''che figata''''' 
An informal Italian exclamation meaning roughly "How cool!", "That’s awesome!", or "What a great thing!"

'''Chazzy's ''umbatz''''' 
In vaudeville, burlesque, and comic radio talk, ''umbatz'' was a sound word that turned into an adjective, describing someone wild, excitable, or mentally offbeat — the kind of character who’d make noisy gestures, talk fast, or act manic, like a musical oom-pah caricature come to life.

'''"miles o' smiles, as it sez in the ads"''' 
"Miles o’ Smiles" was a popular advertising and publicity slogan in the early 1930s — especially tied to the 1933–1934 Chicago World’s Fair, officially known as "A Century of Progress," capturing the cheerful, modern, and escapist tone the fair tried to project during the Great Depression: optimism through technology, entertainment, and American ingenuity.

==Page 119==
'''D and D''' 
That'd be Deaf and Dumb

'''booby-hatch leave''' 
This old phrase means someone is temporarily out of an asylum, either on furlough, escaped, or jokingly described as such. In 1930s slang, it could be used literally (for a patient released for a short time) or sarcastically, to imply someone crazy is on the loose.

'''dance like those Castles do''' 
The Castles dancers refers to the legendary husband-and-wife dance team Vernon and Irene Castle, who were among the most influential figures in American popular dance in the 1910s.

==Page 120==
'''''gabadost''''' 
A sort of mock-Italian slang meaning “a fancy guy,” “a hotshot,” or “somebody full of himself.”

'''''nun sò che''''' 
The Italian phrase meaning "I don’t know what," but it’s used idiomatically to express a vague, indefinable quality, like saying in English, "a certain something" or, in this context, "vibe."

==Page 121==
'''The main concourse at Union Station''' 
[[image:Chicago-Union-Station.jpg|thumb|150px|'''Chicago's Union Station, Grand Hall (Main Concourse), circa 1925-1930'''|left]]

'''"Taxi-war veterans"''' 
Chicago taxi wars of the 1930s were a violent chapter of urban and underworld history, when cab companies, gangsters, and corrupt officials fought for control of the city’s lucrative taxi market. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, taxi service in Chicago was chaotic and unregulated.
Multiple companies competed, notably the Yellow Cab Company, founded by John D. Hertz (later the car-rental magnate), Checker Taxi Company, controlled by Morris Markin, and smaller independents - like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmelee_System Parmelee] - many tied to criminal syndicates after Prohibition. The Great Depression intensified competition. When fares and profits dropped, rival cab companies began sabotaging, bombing, and shooting each other’s drivers to gain control of territory.

==Page 122==
'''Broadway Limited cranked up to go''' 
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s most famous passenger train, connecting New York and Chicago — the pride of American rail travel for decades.

Chapter 16

2025-11-10T14:06:04Z

Rdavenport2025: /* Page 116 */

==Page 115==
'''Little Cosenza''' 
a locale, possibly a Pynchon invention, Calabrian-flavored micro-enclave name riffing on real Chicago neighborhoods.

==Page 116==
'''mitzvah''' 
Hebrew: a good deed for which one receives spiritual credit.

'''"Liberty, out for a stroll [...] around dawn"''' 
[[image:1932-half-dollar.jpg|thumb|150px|'''1932 U.S. Half-Dollar'''|left]]<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Page 117==
'''"Packard Custom Eight limousine [...] no chrome, no wax job, no shine, flat black all over"'''
[[image:1930-Packard-Custom-Eight-Limo.jpg|thumb|150px|'''1930 Packard Custom Eight Limousine'''|left]]


'''"I call it spinach"''' 
1930s slang meaning a sarcastic dismissal, i.e., "I call it nonsense," "I don’t buy it";

==Page 118==
'''omertà''' 
Italian: a code of silence and loyalty, especially associated with the Mafia and other criminal organizations in southern Italy and their offshoots in America.

'''a roscoe he may not be carrying''' 
"roscoe" is American gangster/slang for a gun, most often a handgun (a revolver)

'''''che figata''''' 
An informal Italian exclamation meaning roughly "How cool!", "That’s awesome!", or "What a great thing!"

'''Chazzy's ''umbatz''''' 
In vaudeville, burlesque, and comic radio talk, ''umbatz'' was a sound word that turned into an adjective, describing someone wild, excitable, or mentally offbeat — the kind of character who’d make noisy gestures, talk fast, or act manic, like a musical oom-pah caricature come to life.

'''"miles o' smiles, as it sez in the ads"''' 
"Miles o’ Smiles" was a popular advertising and publicity slogan in the early 1930s — especially tied to the 1933–1934 Chicago World’s Fair, officially known as "A Century of Progress," capturing the cheerful, modern, and escapist tone the fair tried to project during the Great Depression: optimism through technology, entertainment, and American ingenuity.

==Page 119==
'''D and D''' 
That'd be Deaf and Dumb

'''booby-hatch leave''' 
This old phrase means someone is temporarily out of an asylum, either on furlough, escaped, or jokingly described as such. In 1930s slang, it could be used literally (for a patient released for a short time) or sarcastically, to imply someone crazy is on the loose.

'''dance like those Castles do''' 
The Castles dancers refers to the legendary husband-and-wife dance team Vernon and Irene Castle, who were among the most influential figures in American popular dance in the 1910s.

==Page 120==
'''''gabadost''''' 
A sort of mock-Italian slang meaning “a fancy guy,” “a hotshot,” or “somebody full of himself.”

'''''nun sò che''''' 
The Italian phrase meaning "I don’t know what," but it’s used idiomatically to express a vague, indefinable quality, like saying in English, "a certain something" or, in this context, "vibe."

==Page 121==
'''The main concourse at Union Station''' 
[[image:Chicago-Union-Station.jpg|thumb|150px|'''Chicago's Union Station, Grand Hall (Main Concourse), circa 1925-1930'''|left]]

'''"Taxi-war veterans"''' 
Chicago taxi wars of the 1930s were a violent chapter of urban and underworld history, when cab companies, gangsters, and corrupt officials fought for control of the city’s lucrative taxi market. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, taxi service in Chicago was chaotic and unregulated.
Multiple companies competed, notably the Yellow Cab Company, founded by John D. Hertz (later the car-rental magnate), Checker Taxi Company, controlled by Morris Markin, and smaller independents - like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmelee_System Parmelee] - many tied to criminal syndicates after Prohibition. The Great Depression intensified competition. When fares and profits dropped, rival cab companies began sabotaging, bombing, and shooting each other’s drivers to gain control of territory.

==Page 122==
'''Broadway Limited cranked up to go''' 
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad’s most famous passenger train, connecting New York and Chicago — the pride of American rail travel for decades.

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==Page 104==
'''penny scale''' 
These existed back then, exactly as described;

==Page 105==
'''Al, Benny, Chuck, deQuincy, and Edgeworth''' 
"fictional names" of guys working at Wisebroad's Shoes

'''bringing out a fin''' 
A five-dollar note is known colloquially as a fin, a fiver, half a sawbuck. A ten-dollar note is known colloquially as a ten-spot, a dixie, a sawbuck, or a tenner.

'''Brannock Device''' 
The classic metal foot-measuring instrument you’ve seen in shoe stores and, yep, it dates right back to the 1930s.

==Page 107==
'''Pinochle and Sheepshead games'''
Both Pinochle and Sheepshead are old, very social trick-taking card games with deep German and Central European roots, and both were hugely popular in the American Midwest (especially Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois) during the 1920s–1940s.

'''what curlers call a bonspiel''' 
A bonspiel (Scottish Gaelic bàn spèil, meaning “a fair play” or “a gathering for a game”) is a curling competition or meet, usually involving multiple teams and lasting several days.

'''guy with the auger''' 
An auger is used to drill a hole in the ice, to allow you to drop a baited line to catch fish.

'''Missouri Synod Lutheran''' 
The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, formally known as the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), is a conservative, confessional branch of Lutheranism based in the United States. They believe that the Bible is the inspired and salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

==Page 109==
'''swinging traffic at a bankruptcy sale''' 
Moving stolen merchandise: fencing hot goods, or passing them along the chain (“He’s swinging traffic out the back door”).

'''o mio babbino caro''' 
"O mio babbino caro" ("Oh my dear papa") is a beloved soprano aria from Giacomo Puccini’s 1918 opera ''Gianni Schicchi''. It’s one of the most beautiful and frequently performed pieces in all opera repertoire — tender, lyrical, and heartbreakingly simple. The plot centers on a group of greedy relatives trying to alter a rich man’s will. Lauretta pleads with her father to help because she wants to marry her beloved, Rinuccio. Her line “O mio babbino caro” is both affectionate and manipulative — she’s tugging at her father’s heartstrings so he’ll agree to her marriage.

'''Bacciagaluppi''' 
Perhaps this refers to Giuseppe Bacciagaluppi who, during World War II, Gwas a leader in the Italian Resistance who worked to rescue Allied prisoners of war. He served with the Committee of National Liberation (CLN) and was a friend of Ferruccio Parri, another significant figure in the Resistance. The records for Bacciagaluppi's efforts in saving over 1,500 POWs are preserved at the Istituto Parri in Milan. But this is a stretch, as I can't locate any crime figures with that name.

==Page 111==
'''Hope Twinkletoes ain't taking it too personally''' 
Someone who's "twinkle-toes" moves lightly on their feet—such as a dancer, athlete, or boxer. But it could be used sarcastically toward men to suggest someone is overly delicate, fussy, or not rugged.

'''consorzio''' 
Italian: consortium, outfit

'''scungilli''' 
Italian: conch, sea snail

'''treb-bi la zuppa''' 
Italian: thresh the soup but in this case it's separating the nitroglycerin from the soup, instead of the more common meaning of "thresh" which is to separate corn or wheat, eg, from the plant;

'''Vesti la giubba''' 
“Vesti la giubba” (“Put on the costume”) is one of the most famous arias in all of opera — the heart-rending moment from Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (1892). It’s where comedy and tragedy collapse into one another.

'''Ba-ccia, galuppa''' 
There is a real Italian surname Bacciagaluppi that dates back centuries, especially in Liguria and Lombardy, and it’s composed of two parts: Baccia (a variant of Bacchia or Bacio, “kiss”) and Galuppi (from galoppo, “gallop,” or from a personal name) So etymologically, “Bacciagaluppi” means something like: "He who kisses and runs" — or playfully, "kiss-and-gallop."

'''Dinah, is there anything finer''' 
From the 1925 hit song "Dinah" by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young (lyrics), Harry Akst (music). It became an instant hit in both the jazz and dance-band worlds, recorded by everyone from Ethel Waters and Fats Waller to Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and The Mills Brothers.

==Page 112==
'''box-blower''' 
In this context, this might mean a thief or safe-cracker using explosives to “blow” a strongbox or safe. But a "box-blower" was also how folks referred to both radio announcers and crooners, meaning guys who blew hot air into that talking box (early slang for radios), i.e., radio personalities or studio singers. And "Dinah" was one of the first major hits of the radio era.

'''Edgewater Beach''' 
In the early 20th century it was literally a beach — wide, sandy, and extending east toward Lake Michigan before landfill and the extension of Lake Shore Drive reshaped the shoreline. It symbolized elegant social life (tea dances, supper clubs, fashion shows), early radio culture (“from the beautiful Edgewater Beach Hotel...”), Chicago’s version of seaside luxury, and the optimism of pre-war urban resort living

'''it's a paradise over there''' 
"there" being Italy, natch

==Page 113==
'''''gabadost''''' 
A sort of mock-Italian slang meaning “a fancy guy,” “a hotshot,” or “somebody full of himself.”

'''Vuscenza''' 
If someone is called “Vuscenza,” it usually means they’re a talker — loud, opinionated, always running their mouth.

'''lit up like Dearborn and Randolph''' 
Dearborn and Randolph Streets intersect in Chicago’s Loop, a few blocks from the lake and right in the old theater and nightlife district. In the 1930s, it was lined with theaters, cabarets, and movie palaces, including the Garrick, the Oriental (now Nederlander), the Woods, and others, and surrounded by restaurants, cigar stores, dance halls, and hotels. It was brightly illuminated with electric signs, marquees, and "white way" lighting, much like Times Square in New York.

'''keepin shtum''' 
Yiddish-meets-German expression meaning "keeping quiet," "sayin nuthin"

==Page 114==
'''Lindbergh's baby''' 
On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of Col. Charles Lindbergh and his wife, aviator and author Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was murdered after being abducted from his crib in the upper floor of the Lindberghs' home in New Jersey, United States. On May 12, the child's corpse was discovered by a truck driver by the side of a nearby road in adjacent Hopewell Township. This was ''very'' big news everywhere, Lindbergh having made, in 1927, the first nonstop flight from New York to Paris.

'''Overlooked Negative''' 
Originally meant a photographic negative that had been missed, ignored, or misfiled during an investigation, often one that later turned out to contain crucial evidence. However, by the 1930s-40s, “overlooked negative” began appearing in detective fiction and police-procedural language more broadly, with a figurative meaning: a piece of evidence that was physically present but mentally disregarded, something “in plain sight” that the investigator didn’t think to examine closely.

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==Page 46==
Villa Venice was located on Milwaukee Avenue along the Des Plaines River in what is now Wheeling, Illinois (then in an unincorporated area of Cook County). It was designed as a lavish supper-club / entertainment resort, combining dining, theatrical revues, dancing, and novelty attractions (such as gondola rides) to evoke the canals of Venice. It was built on a parcel of about 18 acres purchased by Albert “Papa” Bouche.

==Page 47==
'''Gaglioppo''' 
Gaglioppo is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy, primarily grown in the region of Calabria—the “toe” of the Italian boot. It’s one of Italy’s oldest and most distinctive indigenous grapes.

==Page 48==
'''Being Wisconsin torpedoes''' 
In gangland parlance, a "torpedo" was essentially a hit man — a mobster assigned to carry out assassinations, bombings, or violent enforcement for organized crime groups. The word carried a sense of speed, precision, and destruction — like a literal torpedo — implying that once unleashed, the killer was aimed straight at the target and expected to be unstoppable.

'''''lascia perdere''''' 
Italian: Forget about it... Or, fuhgeddaboudit!

'''a certain Bronzeville canary''' 
This would be a female jazz or blues singer performing in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Chicago’s (and Milwaukee's) cultural heart of the African-American community during the Harlem Renaissance’s Midwest counterpart, aka April Randazzo.

'''''minghiun''''' 
“Minghiun” (pronounced roughly MEEN-yoon) appears to come from Southern Italian dialects, particularly Sicilian or Neapolitan, and is related to “minchione” or “minchia” — vulgar slang words in Italian meaning “fool,” “idiot,” or literally “penis.”

'''beaverboard''' 
Beaverboard is a type of fiberboard building material that was popular in the early 20th century.
It's made from wood fiber (or pulp) compressed into rigid sheets, often bonded with wax or adhesives.

==Page 49==
'''roll a couple frames''' 
Go bowling

'''Delafield American Legion''' 
The Delafield American Legion, aka American Legion Post No. 196 – Delafield, is a veteran service / fraternal organization and community gathering place located at 333 N. Lapham Peak Road, Delafield, Wisconsin.

==Page 50==
'''''lupara''''' 
Italian: sawn-off shotgun

'''He’s got the biggest ''minghiuzza'' in the criminal trades, major league fungo stick''' 
a slangy Italianate invention, probably from ‘’minchia’’ (Southern Italian/Sicilian vulgar slang for penis, literally “dick”). Adding the playful suffix ''-uzza'' makes it sound exaggerated, comic, or boastful — something like “the biggest you-know-what”. And “major league fungo stick” (a long lightweight baseball bat for hitting practice balls to fielders) reinforces the metaphor.

'''''goomara''''' 
An American-Italian/Mafia slang word referring to a mistress — the “other woman” of a mobster or crime figure.

'''''ungazz''''' 
American-Italian slang for dick. A variation of un cazzo.

'''X'''

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==Page 76==
'''inner torpedo''' 
I.e., inner hitman

==Page 77==
'''some frail little tubercular seamstress''' 
Reference to La Boheme. Mimi is a seamstress. She is ill and dies of a cause never stated in the opera, but is widely understood to be tuberculosis.

'''picking up an easy spare''' 
bowling terminology... knocking down a pin left standing

'''make with the clodhoppers''' 
Start dancing?

==Page 80==
'''the American Indian belief [...] that once you save somebody's life, you're responsible for them in perpetuity''' 
This ''feels'' like it ought to belong to some Native North American ethic of reciprocity or spiritual obligation, but it’s actually a pan-cultural motif, not a single, codified "American Indian belief" or "an old Indian saying."