Glossary
An approach must be computed
Here, Bloom is using projectile motion equations along with some quick estimations (ie. cruising specifications of a pigeon and exit velocity of a slingshot) in order to calculate a perfect shot. The equations Bloom would use and the computed values are summarized below.
Are you not my dear son Leopold who left the god of his fathers Abraham and Jacob?
"Are you not my dear son Leopold who left the house of his father and left the god of his fathers Abraham and Jacob?" (U 357.261-262)
Bekynton
The main dining hall of Eton College, England's premier boarding school
The potato famine of 1845-49, which caused the deaths of about one million people and the emigration of two million more, dropping Ireland’s population by roughly one third.
"Could Bloom of 7 Eccles street foresee Bloom of Flowerville?" (U 587.1581)
An ornamental flowering plant native to Western Europe
From Bloom's landowner fantasy in Ithaca:
"oval flowerbeds in rectangular grassplots set with eccentric ellipses of scarlet and chrome tulips, blue scillas, crocuses, polyanthus" (U 586.1556)
But soft what sleep
“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?” This line is spoken in a monologue by Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.
caustic steep and peristaltic push push push
Bloom contemplates the chemical and physical modes of digestion. “Caustic steep” refers to the hydrochloric acid in the stomach while the “peristaltic push” is the mechanism by which food travels through the gut.
Developed during the Edwardian Era, cuisine classique was a modernized approach to the classical haute cuisine of the French upper class, exported across the continent by famous Parisian chefs like Georges Escoffier and Urbain Dubois. Famed for its indulgent extravagance, the cuisine quickly became a symbol of the excesses and conspicuous consumption of Britain’s gilded age. This sort of “restaurant-cuisine” relied heavily on tableside theatrics and was soon adopted for the private homes of Dublin’s elite. Such gastronomic affairs of immense expense reflected the Anglo-Irish ascendency’s assimilation of Gaelic hospitality, but these events reflected much more consumptive ends.
Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2012) 'Public Dining in Dublin: The History and Evolution of Gastronomy and Commercial Dining 1700-1900'. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 25, Issue 2, pp. 227-246.
David could not have done better himself
Bloom recalls the legend of David and Goliath, in which the comparatively tiny David defeats Goliath with his slingshot.
Decrease the parts per water to increase parts per goodness
As water boils, the water is evaporated while everything dissolved in the water remains. In cooking, this is called "reduction," and is a very common way to concentrate flavors.
Bloom has a strong sense of dietary and civic selfhelp, and this often comes while worrying about the Dedalus family, evident in his lecture to Stephen. (U 544.29)
Irish diets before the potato famine were described as “retarded… almost medieval,” reflective of “backwardness more immediately than of poverty in the modern sense.” And although diets became more varied after the famine, this didn’t necessarily mean healthier. In pre-famine rural Ireland, poor families relied on milk and potato; in post-famine industrial and urban Ireland poor families relied on white bread and tea.
FitzPatrick, Elizabeth, and James Kelly, editors. Food and Drink in Ireland. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2016. Print. Pg. 257.
"Couldn’t sink if you tried: so thick with salt. Because the weight of the water, no, the weight of the body in the water is equal to the weight of the what? Or is it the volume is equal to the weight? It’s a law something like that." (U 59.39-42)
Here, Bloom is attempting to recall Aristotle's law of displacement.
Don Giovanni, A Cenar Teco
One of Molly's opera songs, a cenar teco means to eat tonight. (U 147.1050)
The first president of the Irish Republic, founder of the Gaelic League, scholar and writer of Gaelic. In 1892, he gave an important speech before Irish National Literary Society called The Necessity for De-Anglicising Ireland. The nationalist ideas in this speech, and in the Gaelic League more broadly, became the foundation for a renewed nationalist focus on “rediscovering” Irish culture.
Duck press
Similar to a cider press, a duck press is a screw press used to extract the blood and bone marrow from a freshly roasted duck.
Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh
A prominent member of the Guinness Family, Edward Guinness served as the Chairman of the Guinness organization, which made him the richest man in Ireland.
May I tempt you to a little more filleted lemon sole, miss Dubedat? (U 144.889)
Traditionally, Catholics do not eat the flesh of warmblooded animals on Fridays, especially during Advent and Lent. Friday is the day that Jesus is said to have died on and it is therefore a day of sacrifice. [Lust, Lies And Empire: The Fishy Tale Behind Eating Fish On Friday]
"Gwendolen Dubedat bursts through the throng, leaps on his horse and kisses him on both cheeks amid great acclamation" (U 396.1586)
"He is not entitled to butter."
This quote comes from a medieval Irish law tract called Cri Gablach, which states the minimum amounts of food and drink that guests were entitled to at any host's house. Valid for both nobles and commoners (but not peasants) this was written in c. 700 CE and demonstrates what may be a serious root for the famed Irish Hospitality. Such law texts are some of the earliest and most reliable sources for understanding Irish diet and cooking.
FitzPatrick, Elizabeth, and James Kelly, editors. Food and Drink in Ireland. Royal Irish Academy, 2016.
He implored me to chastise him
"He implored me to soil his letter in an unspeakable manner, to chastise him as he richly deserves, to bestride and ride him, to give him a most vicious horsewhipping." (U 381.1070-1073)
"[...] we were lying among the rhododendrons on Howth head in the grey tweed suit and his straw hat the day I got him to propose to me yes first I gave him the bit of seedcake out of my mouth [...]" (U 643.1572-1574)
ice cream float
Invented in 1874 for the Franklin Institute, the ice cream float is a Philadelphia creation.
If it's healthy it's from the mother. If not from the man
(U 79.329)
improper advances
"He surprised me in the rare of the premises, Your honor, when missus was out shopping one morning with a request for a safety pin. He held me and I was discoloured in four places as a result. And he interfered twict with my clothing." (U 376.885-888)
Inauguration of the Mirus Bazaar
"The viceroy, on his way to inaugurate the Mirus bazaar in aid of funds for Mercer’s hospital." (U 209.1268)
Into its mouth, she thrust
This phrase is inspired by the moment in Circe when Bella/Bello "bares his arm and plunges it elbow deep in Bloom's vulva" (U 440.3089-3090). The structure is similar to the phrase "Into its cavity, Bloom had thrust," which demonstrates Bloom's agency. The usurpation of agency by Molly mirrors the fluid power dynamics between Bella/Bello and Bloom during the Circe episode as the characters change genders.
Spanish chestnut is a type of wood that is not native to Ireland, although it was brought and grown there. This is also thought to be true of peas, which became an increasingly important crop in Ireland only after the first Norman invasion of 1169 CE - at least according to an English legal manuscript from 1374.
FitzPatrick, Elizabeth, and James Kelly, editors. Food and Drink in Ireland. Royal Irish Academy, 2016.
James Cullen, 4 Main street, Ennis
"the general drapery store of James Cullen, 4 Main street, Ennis" (U 561.362)
Known in Japanese as Byōbu, these foldable screens were used to partition private spaces in traditional Japanese homes. Orientalist fashions were quite popular in the European upper classes in the early 20th Century. Reflecting centuries of global exchange with the East as well as European stereotypes of the exoticism of the Orient, this collection of styles incorporated Eastern motifs somewhat haphazardly into Western art and commerce. In particular, the British Japonism artistic movement of the late 19th century favored the highly aestheticized depictions of nature common in the Japanese canon. The scene of migrating cranes, a common motif on such screens, symbolizes the transitory legacy of Bloom’s forebears and his aspirations for upward mobility.
"Japanese screen and cuspidor" (U 586.1531)
( Ono, Ayako (2003). Japonisme in Britain: Whistler, Menpes, Henry, Hornel and nineteenth-century Japan. New York: Routledge Curzon. p. 1.)
Beurre Noissette: Also known as brown butter, this product is made by heating fresh butter of a light flame until the milk solids, mainly composed of lactose and casein proteins, dissociate and begin to caramelize. This ingredient is commonly used in French sauces and baked goods.
Last of my name
"Last of his name and race. I too. Last of my race. [...] Well, my fault perhaps. No son. Rudy. Too late now." (U 234.1064-1067)
In two places in Ulysses, Bloom reflects on the nickname Mackerel – a name he was called in his halcyon days, around the age of 16. (U 133.405)
Cricket club founded in 1861 on the grounds of Malahide Castle, north of Dublin
"Spread I saw down in the Master of the Rolls’ kitchen area" (U 144.891)
Dougherty, James I. (22 April 2009). From the Ashes Arose Justice: The Creation of an Irish Judiciary, 1922–1924
moved about the kitchen softly
"Kidneys were in his mind as he moved about the kitchen softly, righting her breakfast things on the humpy tray." (U 45.6-7)
Making fun of Denis Breen, the Citizen calls him neither flesh nor fish, referencing the Catholic dietary rules for Fridays. The Citizen then calls Breen a pishogue, which is an Irish word for a spell or incantation. It seems the Citizen wants to call Breen a fairy, but his Irish is not as good as he thinks. (U 263.1054)
No, I have never seen a meal like that before
"Yes because he never did a thing like that before [...]" (U 608.1)
Popular Irish legend holds that St. Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland after he converted the people of the island to Christianity in the 5th century CE.
The Gaelic League, an organization committed to promoting Irish language and literature. The organization was supposedly academic and non-political in its origins, but was later weaponized by Irish nationalists.
"Why Molly likes opoponax." (U 306.1010)
This resin is the primary component of Molly's perfume.
Decorative trimming such as tassels, braids, and fringing, used on furniture and clothing
Pâté
A traditional French forcemeat produced by mashing cooked duck livers and various seasonings into a thick, spreadable paste. Traditionally, ducks are force fed before slaughter to create a fattier end product.
Peas and Lettuce
In Episode 4, Calypso Bloom walks out the back of his house and ponders fixing up his garden, and growing peas and lettuce. (U 56.182)
Pigdog! I'll flog the cuckold
"Pigdog and always was ever since he was pupped! To dare address me! I'll flog him black and blue in the public streets. I’ll dig my spurs in him up to the rowel. He is a wellknown cuckold." (U 382.1114-1117)
First appearing in Calypso, the potato in Bloom’s pocket (like the bar of lemon soap and other talisman) is mentioned throughout Ulysses and gradually gathers more meaning as it appears in different moments throughout the day.
Merritt, Robert. “Faith and Betrayal: The Potato in ‘Ulysses.’” James Joyce Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 1990, pp. 269–276. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25485131.
Historically, the western part of Ireland has been a major agricultural producer. During colonialism, this is the area that produced the most food. But because these farms were taken from Catholic landowners in Oliver Cromwell’s land settlement of 1652, giving 8.5 million acres (40 percent of Ireland) to absentee, Protestant landlords, the food produced in Ireland flowed straight out to England and across the British Empire.
Syme, S.A. Collingham, Lizzie. The taste of empire: how Britain's quest for food shaped the modern world. Basic Books: New York, 2017. pg. 24.
Punish me
"How will you pun? You punish me? [...] Tell me I want to. Know. O." (U 230.890-891)
Remove from his lips traces of food
"Occasionally he removed from his lips the traces of food by means of a lacerated envelope or other accessible fragment of paper. "(U U 596.1925)
"at the zenith of his career, resident magistrate or justice of the peace..." (U 588.1610)
rose petals or a pineapple
The number of rose petals and the number of berries on a pineapple are often Fibonacci numbers. The spiral to someone’s hair, however, is random.
spirals like Fibonacci
The Fibonacci sequence of numbers (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21…) is created by adding the two previous numbers of the sequence to generate the next number. Properly arranging these numbers graphically yields a perfect spiral, which coincidentally occurs frequently in nature.
struggled to locate his emotions for the catastrophe
"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?"
This quotation from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley captures how science may sometimes dive too deep.
sucked with relish the thick milk from her breasts and nipples
"Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls." (U 45.1-2)
sucking pig
"Very possibly I shall have you slaughtered and skewered in my stables and enjoy a slice of you with crisp crackling from the baking tin basted and baked like sucking pig with rice and lemon or currant sauce. It will hurt you." (U 434.2898-2901)
Beef fat; In Ireland at the time, for most Irish families the beef of Irish cattle was an inaccessible commodity, reserved for the upper classes both in Ireland and England. The use of tallow in this description points to that discrepancy in Irish production versus Irish consumption.
thirtytwo feet per second per second
"Thirtytwo feet per second per second. Law of falling bodies: per second per second. They all fall to the ground. The earth. It’s the force of gravity of the earth is the weight." (U 59.44-46)
tiny piece of cloth cut from her drawers
"[...] begging me to give him a tiny bit cut off my drawers [...] he's mad on the subject of drawers [...]" (U 614.284-289)
Transvaal
Before becoming Viceroy of Ireland, from 1900-1901 William Ward served with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War in Transvaal, a Boer stronghold.
turbaned faces going by
"Somewhere in the east: early morning: set off at dawn [...] Wander through awned streets. Turbaned faces going by [...] A girl playing one of those instruments." (U 47.84-98)
under the ferns, Molly’s yielding, take-me eyes. Ravished. Yum
"Hidden under wild ferns on Howth below us bay sleeping [...] Yum. Softly she gave me in my mouth the seedcase warm and chewed. [...] Soft warm sticky gum jelly lips. Flowers her eyes were, take me, willing eyes. [...] All yielding she tossed my hair. Kissed, she kissed me." (U 144.899-916)
Unsmiling. With mixed feelings
"With mixed feelings. Unsmiling [...]" (U 567.830)
U. P.: up
"U.p.: up, she said. Someone is taking a rise out of him." (U 130.258)
This cryptic phrase recurs many times throughout the novel, but is first seen here, spoken by Mrs Breen.
urged me to defile the marriage bed
Mrs Bellingham's accusation: "He urged me (stating that he felt it his mission in life to urge me) to defile the marriage bed, to commit adultery at the earliest possible opportunity." (U 380.1054-1056.)
In theory, by boiling soap at ever-increasing temperatures, one can collect the vapors at each temperature and deconstruct the soap into its elements. In practice, it would be extremely difficult to reach a high level of purity in this manner, hence Bloom's disgust with the soup.
Resembling elephant ivory, vegetable ivory, made from the endosperm of African palm tree seeds, was used to produce high quality buttons in the early 20th century.
Very respectable dimensions
"two protuberances of very respectable dimensions" (U 416.2051)
Now known as, Áras an Uachtaráin, the residence of the President of Ireland, this building once served as the main summer residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, or Viceroy, the leading executive authority on the island and the key representative of the Crown.
Waist-length single-breasted jacket
"Walking beside Molly in an Eton suit. My son." (U 73.76)
Warm smile
"A smile goes a long way." (U 77.243)
What considerations rendered Bloom’s departure from this vision not entirely undesirable?
(U 597.1958)
White man’s burden
Reference to Rudyard Kipling's Poem, The White Man's Burden, which lauds the benefits to "savages" of Imperialism
William Humble, earl of Dudley, served as the Viceroy of Ireland from 1902-1905. A member of a powerful aristocratic English family, Ward utilized his close relationships with the Royal Family to launch his political career. Known for his exorbitant spending and political cunning, the Earl was quite a divisive figure in Dublin at the time.
"No. 27464". The London Gazette. 12 August 1902. p. 5175.
Winkle time
“[…] Mulvey plump bubs me breadvan Winkle […]” (U 312.1282)
Bloom recalls the Washington Irving story of Rip Van Winkle, in which the titular character sleeps for twenty years.
Without having previously removed his hat
"Occasionally he ate without having previously removed his hat." (U 596.1923)
