posted
Just checking whether there are people who read (and like) William Gibson's work. I am translating his latest novel All Tomorrow's Parties and want to check some things...
Not being an English native speaker, I have some problems with apparently trivial things.
e.g.: I didn‘t quite get names of the following chapters: Why is the 9th chapter called „Sweep Second“? 13 - Secondhand daylight – secondhand? 45 – Jack Move 68. The Absolute At Large
Can anyone help me out? Or send me to a Gibson fan forum? Thanks
posted
Good luck. The only thing I can think of is that the "sweep second" is the second hand on a stopwatch that counts off each second (as opposed to the one that marks off fractions of a second).
posted
If you are asking for what "second hand" means, the American English eqiuvalent would be "pre-owned". Something that someone owned before you did.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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I'm not familiar with the books, so there may be something in the chapter in that hints at the name. A sweep second hand is what Vogon Poet was talking about; it's a system in some watches and clocks that moves the second hand with causing a "stuttering" effect. The other thing I can think of is when a team at a competition places second in all of the contests. That team is said to sweep second place.
quote:secondhand?
PsyLiam's got this one.
quote:Jack Move
According to the Ebonics Werdz Dictionary, "Jack Move" is basically the act of carjacking someone. He could be referring to that, or he might be talking about a telephone repairman who wants to move a jack.
quote:The Absolute At Large
The only reference I can find to this is that this is a science fiction story titled The Absolute At Large. It's written by Karel Capek. The story itself deals with religious intolerance. One review I found for it called the story, "Very, very Czech."
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
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posted
Liam: You only find the word "pre-owned" when talking about car dealers, or something like that. Marketing people think it sounds better than "used". But the American-English equivalent of "secondhand" is "secondhand".
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posted
Electronics Boutique and similar shops now sell "pre-owned" computer games too.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I said "car dealers, or something like that". It was only the first example that came to mind. Basically, you'll find it anywhere that marketers are trying to make things sound "better". It's like the way prices always end in ".99", because it makes the price look smaller.
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-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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TORI
Ex-Member
posted
thanks for the hints - I know of course what "secondhand" USUALLY means. When asking, I want to know the meaning in the whole kontext. Therefore, my questions are for those who know the text. But thanks a million to all who contributed to this discussion.
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posted
Ahh. In that case, "secondhand daylight" sounds like a metaphor. Or is it being reflected off of something?
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: Ahh. In that case, "secondhand daylight" sounds like a metaphor. Or is it being reflected off of something?
Yes it does smack of some of Gibson's other favorite metaphor's like "television sky." Then again, he is known for his interesting names for new technology (some of which filter out into pop culture eventually becoming well-used words), so it could be referring to something else.
-------------------- "Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It?s us. Only us." Rorschach
Registered: Mar 1999
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TORI
Ex-Member
posted
Here is some more, in case you got bored on the last one… (I just need to put the expression after ??? in other words… to get the right idea)
Rydell briefly entertained the idea of pulling over on the margin, beating Creedmore senseless, then leaving him there at the side of the Five, to get up to San Francisco as best he could. ???the Five?
Rydell had never actually caught anyone shooting anything up, in the store, although he wouldn't have put it past them. ???put it past them
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