Chapter 10
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gemütlich state of mind
German: cheerful, upbeat, at-ease. (die Gemütlichkeit is the German term for an atmosphere for coziness.)
Wells Street Viaduct
A 2,085-foot-long bridge that was the most impressive feature of the Milwaukee streetcar system. Built in 1892, it was soundly engineered, and streetcars traveled over it safely until the whole system was shut down in the late 1950s. But some locals distrusted the flimsy-looking, skeletal structure. [1]
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straw boxes few and far between
“straw boxes” referred to police call boxes or small sentry / kiosk stations that officers used while patrolling their beats.
wrong end of a roscoe
to be on the receiving end of a gun, i.e., having a pistol pointed at you. In American underworld slang from the 1910s–1940s, a “roscoe” meant a handgun, typically a revolver. It’s part of the same family of old gun slang: gat, rod, heater, equalizer, piece, cannon, gun.
Sombrero of Uneasiness
Comes from a 1930s American expression that was used humorously or metaphorically to describe a feeling of anxious self-consciousness — like having a visible sign of worry “on your head.” A tongue-in-cheek way to dramatize social embarrassment or creeping anxiety. It’s a comic metaphor... imagine someone sitting in a room wearing a big sombrero — conspicuous, out of place, calling attention to himself. The “uneasiness” is similarly visible and impossible to hide.
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keglers
Bowlers.
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swift-finger once-over
a quick, practiced frisk or search, usually by a crook, cop, or pickpocket.
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flappers of both sexes
Male flappers were often called "sheiks" and represented a rebellious, modern man who embraced jazz, dancing, and a more leisurely lifestyle, challenging the older generation's traditional values. While flappers were defined by their short hair and fashion, the male equivalent was characterized by fashionable, somewhat less formal attire, including shorter pants like knickers, slicked-back hair, and the inclusion of accessories like fedoras, pocket squares, and bow ties. They were fading by the early 1930s.
dimwits in plus fours
These would be foolish or pretentious men (often golfers, would-be aristocrats, or self-important playboys) dressed in plus-fours — the baggy, knee-length golfing breeches fashionable in the 1920s–1930s. Vain, empty-headed upper-class men who took fashion or sport too seriously.
Heiliger Bimbam
A colorful old German exclamation, roughly equivalent to “Holy cow!”, “Good heavens!”, or “For crying out loud!” in English.
make anxiously for the ausgang
German: exit
hired urchins
street kids paid to do someone’s dirty or menial work.
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bung starter
A bung starter is a small mallet for opening or sealing casks for brewing, cooperage (barrel-making);
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auf deine Gesundheit
German: to your health! (a toast)
SMEGMA
Semi-Military Entity Greater Milwaukee; "smegma" makes an appearance in Gravity's Rainbow and Against the Day.
Smegma is in common parlance a harmless combination of oils, skin cells, sweat and other fluids that build up around your genitals, specifically inside of penis foreskin. It looks like crumbly cheese and usually has a foul odor. Obviously one of Pynchon's little jokes or possibly a commentary on the military.
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Jack Zuta
An accountant, sometime brothel owner, and political fixer for Al Capone's Chicago Outfit, and later its rival, the North Side Gang. After allegedly taking part in a plot to kill a mob-linked Chicago Tribune reporter, Zuta himself was assassinated in 1930.
mein kleiner Neffe
German: my little nephew
