pete@stc.co.uk (03/04/86)
>> I have tried (on a subsequent reading) checking the 'funny >> words' in a dictionary. This is a bad idea, because most of the time >> the words are used as much for their sound and feeling as for their >> literal meaning. Nevertheless, those words that I found (in Chambers' >> 20th Century) _were_ correctly used _and_ not flogged to death by >> repetition like Donaldson. > >I think I know the words you are talking about. Since you have researched >them and paid special attention to them, I would *love* it if you posted a >brief list, along with what you have found out about them. > >Thanks, >-- >Darin Adler {gatech,harvard,seismo}!ut-sally!ut-dillo!darin > Ok, here are a few. I include words that were strange to me and that I could find in Chambers 20th Century dictionary. The page nos. are those in the British Arrow paperback edition. As this does not appear to have been reset from the American edition I expect that the page nos. will either be identical to or have a constant offset from US copies. They are all from `The Shadow of the Torturer'. Page no Word Meaning ======= ==== ======= 12 stele upright stone slab or tablet 13 dhole Indian wild dog 21 saros Babylonian cycle of 3600 years 23 cacogen member of a [bad,deteriorated] race 27 khan inn, caravanserai 33 ophicleide keyed wind-instrument 36 eidolon image 39 fuligin(ous) sooty, dusky 43 glyptodon S. American post-Tertiary fossil (or not) 49 pinakothek picture-gallery 50 armiger one entitled to bear a coat-of-arms 60 echidna genus of Australian monotreme 64 megatherian extinct (or not) S. American ground sloth 67 pantocreator ruler of the universe 67 hypostases substances of the 3 divisions of the Trinity 84 palfrenier (a) groom 91 paphian (a) whore 100 kafila camel train, caravan 125 uhlan light cavalryman 130 sabretache cavalry officer's flat bag or satchel 132 peltast lightly-armed soldier bearing a pelta (light buckler) Here I pause, having accompanied Severian from the waters of Gyoll to the office of the lochage. If you wish to go no further, I will not blame you. It is a long (but worthwhile ) road. > > > > -- Peter Kendell <pete@stc.UUCP> ...!mcvax!ukc!stc!pete "I'll have a shower and then call my brother up, Within the hour I'll smash another cup"
djo@ptsfd.UUCP (Dan'l Oakes) (03/06/86)
in article <868@bute.tcom.stc.co.uk>, pete@stc.co.uk writes: > ...[these "funny words"] are all from `The Shadow of the Torturer'. > I'm rather surprised noone's mentioned this, but in THE CASTLE OF THE OTTER, an excellent book he wrote about TBotNS and its writing, Wolfe includes a five-or-six page list of words from SotT. I won't post it as it's copyright, but the book is available in an SFBC edition. Recommended. Dan'l Oakes