Talking Big

Dictionary, keep close.

Like any Joycean writer, Joshua Cohen twists words to make them his own.

scrofulated

This is not a real word, so when you google it, one of the first 10 results is an article about The Netanyahus. Scrofulous is a word. Of, related to, or suffering from scrofula. Or unkempt. Or morally degenerate if you mean a politician.

From Chapter 2.

In my childhood, this scrofulated one-armed man used to stand outside the Tremont Avenue El stop jingling begged pennies in a paper cup in his single hand. Years and years later, I ran into him again on a Manhattan bus and he was carrying shopping bags from Macy’s, carrying them in two arms, with two hands…

(Page 27 onto 28)

nugatory

Trivial, trifling or of no importance. Ineffective, invalid or futile.

From Chapter 6.

With my parents asleep on the Hide-A-Bed and Edith tossing in our bedroom, I sat up in my study guilty and glutted, reviewing the evening. Asking myself what I should’ve done and why, what I believed and why. Asking myself about fairness. About the impartial, the unbiased, and the dispassionate, too, all of English’s nugatory terminology for the objective and neutral. The more I thought about the concept, the less convinced I was I understood it, but when I tried to imagine what fairness felt like, all that came to mind was the calm, sober, even-keeled guy on the box of Quaker Oats, the key ingredient in the turkey’s stuffing. (page 106)

glorioled

I actually knew this one. Felt silly after looking it up.

Haloed. From the Lation gloriola (glory or fame).

From Chapter 12, the last chapter of the book before the Extra Credit.

Netanyahu, glorioled in sweat, stood with Tzila behind a wall of compliments, Seminarians, and Dr. Huggles. Tzila had a wineglass in each hand. Netanyahu caught my eye and winked.