suchanever (Joyce's note)
contractor - one who contracts or undertakes to supply certain articles, or to perform any work or service (esp. for government or other public body), at a certain price or rate.
Saint Thomas à Becket and Saint Laurence O'Toole
invulnerably - so as to be invulnerable (incapable of being damaged or injuriously affected by attack; not effectively assailable) + (were killed).
Osiris was also known as 'First (or Foremost) of the Westerners'
master builder - a person notably proficient in the art of building + Henrik Ibsen: The Master Builder.
Cassivelaunus - British chieftain defeated by Julius Caesar, 54 B.C.
blast - to blow up (rocks, etc.) by explosion + FDV: This he blasted and then carefully lined the result with bricks & mortar, encouraging the public bodies to present him over & above that with a stone slab.
Samhain (souwen) (gael) - November; Feast of the dead; close of the harvest, beginning of winter half-year
Bealtaine (byoultini) (gael) - May; May Day; Spring Festival; close of winter, beginning of summer half-year
bombing - an attacking with bombs; bombarding + post - a place at which a body of soldiers is stationed, or the force occupying this + (notebook 1923): 'bombing post' → Campbell (Cornwallis-West): My Life and Some Letters 300: (from an official report about her son in Gallipoli, 1915) 'Ordered by Brigadier down from bombing post in German strong point, to conduct two tanks up'.
ahoy - to call ahoy (Cf. to hurrah, halloo) + (at height).
circiter - about
sternboard = starboard (the right-hand side of a ship)
aerial torpedo - torpedo dropped from an aircraft + (notebook 1923): 'convert torpedos into electrical contact land mines by tins of ammonia, lashed to sides of aerial torpedoes trip wiring to contact pieces into electric batteries' ('pieces' not clear) → Campbell (Cornwallis-West): My Life and Some Letters 300: (from an official report about her son in Gallipoli, 1915) 'he invented a means of converting the remainder of the large "Dumezil" torpedoes into electrical contact land mines, by means of tins of ammonal, lashed to the sides of the aerial torpedoes, and trip wires to contact pieces into electric batteries'.
auto dynamikon (gr) - self powerful
expectant - characterized by expectation or waiting for the course of events
minefield - a portion of the sea in which mines have been laid; also, an area of land in which mines have been laid + Joyce's note: 'minefield' → Campbell (Cornwallis-West): My Life and Some Letters 300: (from an official report about her son in Gallipoli, 1915) 'The mine fields started from between the firing line and support line'.
tin - a vessel made of tin, or more usually of tinned iron
improved - made better or more serviceable; brought to a higher or more desirable condition
ammonia - a colourless gas with pungent smell and strong alkaline reaction
lashed - fastened with a lash or cord
plate - to cover with plate or plates, to overlay with metal plates + Viking boats carried a row of shields along each side.
gunwale - the upper edge of a ship's side
fused - liquefied by heat, melted
trip-up cables
slip - to slide on or down a slippery surface
thole - a peg (often coming in pairs) inserted into a gunwale to support an oar + Tholsel - the medieval Dublin city-hall and guild-hall (from tholsel: tolsel, guildhall) + the holes.
play down - to minimize, to try to make (something) appear smaller or less important than it really is; to make little of
conning tower - the pilot-house of a war-ship, esp. the shot-proof pilot-house of an iron-clad
fusebox - box of fuses (a strip or wire of easily fusible metal (or a device containing this) inserted in an electric circuit, which melts (or 'blows') and thus interrupts the circuit when the current increases beyond a certain safe strength).
as different as chalk and cheese (phrase)
orologios (gr) = horologe (French) - clock + oorlog (Dutch) - war.
Sigtrygg - a Norwegian name usually rendered as Sitric (e.g. Sigtrygg Silkbeard, the 11th century king of Dublin) + sixteen + six strokes.
Ryan, John - last bailiff of Dublin; title afterward changed to sheriff + an rioghan bhocht (un rien vukht) (gael) - the poor queen: Ireland.
Vogt (ger) - bailiff, warden + Rhine Vogt (Danish) - the Watch on the Rhine.
Pfeife (ger) - pipe + five
whaanever (Ulster Pronunciation) - whenever + wanneer (Dutch) - when.
Blatter (ger) - leaves + blather - voluble foolish talk.
rough - having a surface diversified with small projections, points, bristles, etc., so as to be harsh or disagreeable to the touch; not even or smooth
bark (Slang) - the (human) skin
wholly - completely, entirely
husky - dry, as a husk; without natural moisture
step by step
Woodman, Spare That Tree (song)
line - to cover the outside of
ferroconcrete - armoured concrete or reinforced concrete
rotproof - proof against damage by rot
mortar - a mixture of lime with cement, sand, and water, used in building to bond bricks or stones
fosse - a ditch or dike formed to serve as a barrier against an advancing foe, a moat surrounding a fortified place + face to face
heptarchy - a government by seven persons
toweret - a little tower + TOWER OF LONDON - On Tower Hill, City of London. The White Tower is the Norman keep; among the towers on the walls are the Byward, the Beauchamp, the Bell, the Wardrobe, and the Bloody.
byward - a ward or guard which is not a main one (as byward tower)
bloodied - smeared with blood + Seven towers of the Tower of London: Beauchamp, Byward, Bell, Lion, White, Wardrobe, and Bloody.
instep - the arched midle portion of foot + instappen, als 't u belieft (Dutch) - get in, please!, take your seats, please! all aboard, please! + {This harks back to entering the Wellington museum in the first chapter}.
alls - pl. of all + als het U belieft (Dutch) - if you please, I beg you (usually contracted as alstublieft) + liefde (Dutch) - love.
als = also + als hatt's (ger) - as though it had.
council - a body of men associated with the president (or directors) of a society or institution, to consult upon its business and share in its administration; a deliberative and administrative committee.
Hoofdafdeling (Dutch) - principal section, division or department (such as a phylum in biology) + hoofd (Dutch) - head + afdeeling (Dutch) - department.
holde af (Danish) = houde van (Dutch) - to like + ik houd wel van (Dutch) - I am pleased with + houden (Dutch) - to hold, to keep.
ladykind - ladies + ledikant (Dutch) - bed, bedstead + Ledikants te huur (Dutch) - Beds for hire + konnt's d'Uhr (ger) - could you [tell me] the time.
hear out - to listen to to the end + Hure (ger) - whore + te huur (Dutch) - for hire, to let.
breeder - one who breeds cattle or other animals + Joyce's note: 'Breeders' Society' → Leader 12 Jan 1924, 549/1: 'Current Topics': 'The Third Annual Congress of the Irish Dairy Shorthorn Breeders' Society'.
guild of merchants - an incorporated society of the merchants of a town or city, having exclusive rights of trading within the town
staple - a town or place, appointed by royal authority, in which was a body of merchants having the exclusive right of purchase of certain classes of goods destined for export; also, the body of merchants so privileged.
et (l) - and
a.u.c. (l) - anno urbis conditae or ab urbe condita = in the year of the founded city or since the city was founded (designation of Roman-era years, reckoned from 753 B.C.) (O Hehir, Brendan; Dillon, John M. / A classical lexicon for Finnegans wake).
unto - to
funebrial - of or pertaining to funerals; sad, gloomy
pomp - splendid display or celebration, magnificent show
over and above - in addition
CAVE OF MACHPELAH - According to Genesis 25:9 and 50:13, the burial place of Abraham, and also of Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, and Leah.
valediction - the action of bidding or saying farewell; an utterance, discourse, etc., made at (or by way of) leave-taking or bidding farewell
fair words - pleasant or attractive speech
etymology + Adam elegy.
gehellt (ger) - illuminated + geheel (Dutch) - whole, entire; entirely; a whole + geheeld (Dutch) - healed, cured + go to hell.
Heer (ger) - army + Herr (ger) - Mr + Heer (Dutch) - sir, gentleman; Lord.
overgive - to give over; surrender, desist, cease; to give in addition + overgeven (Dutch) - give up, vomit, hand over, surrender.
skidoo - used as an exclamation of disrespect (for a person) + skidoo! (Slang) - depart!
thuis (Dutch) - at home (derived from te huis)
all aboard ship
winding sheet - a sheet in which a corpse is wrapped for burial; a shroud
goedkoop (Dutch) - cheap (literally 'good buy')
bier (Dutch) = Bier (German) - beer
cinerary urn - an urn for the ashes of cremated bodies
blass (ger) - pale + brass - memorial plaque.
snuff box - a box for holding snuff, usually small enough to be carried in the pocket
poteen - whisky distilled in Ireland, privately, i.e. the produce of an illicit still
lacrimal - Of a vase: Intended to contain tears.
Hoden (ger) - testicles + Dose (ger) - box, canister + hoedendoos (Dutch, pronounced 'hoodendose') - hatbox.
Reichwasser (ger) - perfume + Becher (ger) - a large drinking vessel with a wide mouth; an open cup or goblet + riekwater (Flamish slang) - perfume (lit. smelly water) + reukwater (Dutch) - scented water, perfume + waterbeker (Dutch) - water beaker or goblet + bekers (Dutch) - cups.
Literal translation of 'Braakmiddel' (Dutch) - emetic
zoutzak (Dutch) - salt-sack, salt bag; also: milksop, weak-kneed fellow + zoet (Dutch) - sweet + soutzoukia (Modern Greek) - smoked sausages.
eetlust (Dutch) - appetite + lit. Esslust (ger) - appetite.
Op je gezondheid! (Dutch) - 'To your health!' (literally, 'Up your health!'), a toast when drinking.
rookworst (Dutch) = Rauchwurst (ger) - smoked sausage.
vleeschhouwer (Dutch) - butcher (literally 'meat-hewer')
varkenpootjes (Dutch) - pig's feet + forken - forked.
javel - a vagabond or worthless fellow; jail; a quantity of stalks of flax, corn, etc. laid in the sun to dry + Javel - A quarter of Paris that "Eau-de-javel" (bleach) is named after → Javel water - a type of bleach and disinfectant.
inhumation - the action or practice of burying in the ground
bric a brac - old curiosities of artistic character, knick-knacks, antiquarian odds-and-ends, such as old furniture, plate, china, fans, statuettes, and the like
adornment - the action of adorning, or embellishing; embellishment, ornamentation
Honophreum - the tomb of Honophreus (modeled on Latin Mausoleum: the tomb of king Mausolus)
met deze trein (Dutch) - with this train + met de trein (Dutch) - by train.
halas - alas
wandeling (Dutch) - a walk, perambulation + Wandelung (ger) - transformation + wight - human being.
ze passen hem (Dutch) - they fit him (i.e. the shoes) + Schuh (ger) - shoe.