Владимир Набоков: Ada, or Ador: A Family Chronicle

p.403. Luzon: Amer., mispronunciation of ‘Lausanne’.

p.403. lieu: place.

p.405. (a pause): This and the whole conversation parody Chekhov’s mannerisms.

p.406. muirninochka: Hiberno-Russian caressive term.

p.406. potins de famille: family gossip.

p.407. terriblement etc.: terribly grand and all that, she likes to tease him by saying that a simple farmer like him should not have married the daughter of an actress and an art dealer.

p.407. je dois etc.: I must watch my weight.

p.407. Olorinus: from Lat. olor, swan (Leda’s lover).

p.407. lenclose: distorted ‘clothes’ (influenced by ‘Ninon de Lenclos’), the courtesan in Vere de Vere’s novel mentioned above.

p.408. Aleksey etc.: Vronski and his mistress.

p.409. phrase etc.: stock phrase.

p.409. She Yawns: Chillon’s.

p.409. D’Onsky: see p.17.

p.409. comme etc.: shedding floods of tears.

p.410. N’a pas le verbe etc.: lacks the gift of the gab.

p.411. chiens etc.: dogs not allowed.

p.412. rieuses: black-headed gulls.

p.413. Golos etc.: Russ., The Phoenix Voice, Russian language newspaper in Arizona.

p.413. la voix etc.: the brassy voice telephoned… the trumpet did not sound pleased this morning.

p.413. contretemps: mishap.

p.416. phalène: moth (see also p.111).

p.416. tu sais etc.: you know it will kill me.

p.416. Bozhe moy: Russ., oh, my God.

p.419. et trève etc.: and enough of that painted-ceiling style of mine.

p.422. ardis: arrow.

p.422. ponder: pun on Fr. pondre, to lay an egg (allusion to the problem what came first, egg or hen).

p.424. anime etc.: Lat., soul.

p.424. assassin pun: a pun on pointe assassine (from a poem by Verlaine).

p.424. Lacrimaval: Italo-Swiss. Pseudo-place-name, ‘vale of tears’.

p.426. coup de volant: one twist of the steering wheel.

p.428. dream-delta: allusion to the disintegration of an imaginary element.

p.432. unfortunate thinker: Samuel Alexander, English philosopher.

p.434. Villa Jolana: named in honor of a butterfly, belonging to the subgenus Jolana, which breeds in the Pfynwald (see also p.103).

p.434. Vinn Landère: French distortion of ‘Vinelander’.

p.435 . a la sonde: in soundings (for the same ship see p.408).

p.436. Comment etc.: what’s that? no, no, not 88, but 86.

p.439. droits etc.: custom-house dues.

p.439. après tout: after all.

p.439. on peut etc.: see p.194.

p.439. lucubratiuncula: bit of writing in the lamplight.

p.439. duvet: fluff.

p.442. simpler: simpler to take off from the balcony.

p.442. mermaid: allusion to Lucette.

p.445. Stepan Nootkin: Van’s valet.

p.450. blyadushki: little whores (echo of p.323).

p.450. Blitzpartien: Germ., quickies (quick chess games).

p.452. Compitalia: Lat., crossroads.

p.453. E, p, i: referring to ‘epistemic’ (see above).

p.457. j’ai tâté etc.: I have known two Lesbians in my life, that’s enough.

p.457. terme etc.: term one avoids using.

p.459. le bouquin… gueri, etc.: the book… cured of all its snags.

p.460. quell livre etc.: what a book, good God.

p.460. gamine: lassie.