Zany vocabulary & eclectic quotes of wisdom from “Confederacy of DUNCES” by John Kennedy Toole

Zany vocabulary & eclectic quotes of wisdom from Ignatius J. Reilly - Appreciation for the enigmatic “Confederacy of DUNCES” by John Kennedy Toole -

https://medium.com/@NicholasRMcCay/zany-vocabulary-eclectic-quotes-of-wisdom-from-ignatius-j-reilly-8fd63022a3c2

“When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” — Jonathan Swift “Thoughts on various subjects, moral and diverting””
A Confederacy of Dunces

“In addition, I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip.”

A

abasement — the action or fact of abasing or being abased; humiliation or degradation
abstruse — difficult to understand; obscure
ague — malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering

“She offered Patrolman Mancuso a torn and oily cake box that looked as if it had been subjected to unusual abuse during someone’s attempt to take all of the doughnuts at once.”

B

beaux — plural of “beau” — a boyfriend or male admirer or “beautiful” in French
beery — relating to or characterized by the drinking of beer, typically in large amounts
brusque — abrupt or offhand in speech or manner

“In the five years that he had dedicated to this work, he had produced an average of only six paragraphs monthly.”

C

chartreuse — a French liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks since 1737 according to the instructions set out in a manuscript given to them by François Annibal d’Estrées in 1605; also a yellow-green color named after the liqueur
cretinous — “a dwarfed and deformed idiot” of a type formerly found in families in the Alpine lands, a condition caused by a congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones
coiffed — style or arrange (someone’s hair), typically in an elaborate way
coterie — a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people
coxcomb — a vain and conceited man; a dandy

“Here, I’ll take your things.” Mr. Gonzalez was slapped on the hand when he reached for the cap, but he was permitted to have the coat.”

“Ignatius taped a sheet of Big Chief paper on which he had printed in crayon: TWELVE INCHES (12) OF PARADISE.”

D

demure — (of a woman or her behavior) reserved, modest, and shy; (of clothing) lending a modest appearance
dirges — a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite; a mournful song, piece of music, or poem
dormer — a window that projects vertically from a sloping roof
dotage — the period of life in which a person is old and weak

“Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person’s lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one’s soul.”

“My being has many facets.”

E

effrontery — insolent or impertinent behavior
enervated — cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken
ennui — a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement

“Then he tiptoed carefully around the little inert figure of Miss Trixie, returned to the filing department, picked up the stack of still unfiled material, and threw it into the wastebasket.”

“He was four workers in one. In Mr. Reilly’s competent hands, the filing seemed to disappear.”

F

fecund — producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile
floozie — a girl or a woman who has a reputation for promiscuity
foppery — foolish character or action
forlorn — pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely; (of an aim or endeavor) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled; hopeless

“Ignatius believed in the rota Fortunae, or wheel of fortune, a central concept in De Consolatione Philosophiae, the philosophical work which had laid the foundation for medieval thought.”

“When Fortuna spins you downward, go out to a movie and get more out of life.”

G

gimlet — a cocktail typically made of gin or vodka and lime juice
graft —is a form of political corruption, being the unscrupulous use of a politician’s authority for personal gain. The term has its origins in the medical procedure whereby tissue is removed from one location and attached to another for which it was not originally intended. Similarly, political graft occurs when funds intended for public projects are intentionally misdirected in order to maximize the benefits to private interests

“With the breakdown of the Medieval system, the gods of Chaos, Lunacy, and Bad Taste gained ascendancy.”

H

halitosis — noticeably unpleasant odor is present on the breath
hovel — a small, squalid, unpleasant, or simply constructed dwelling

“Only the most flamboyant offal would be seen in a miscarriage like that. You must have some shame or at least some taste in dress.”

“Canned food is a perversion. I suspect that it is ultimately very damaging to the soul.”


I

impotent — unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless
imprecations — a spoken curse

“Ignatius went behind the filing cabinets, picked up the accumulated and unfiled material, and threw it in the wastebasket. Noticing that the office manager was sitting at his desk with his hand over his eyes, Ignatius pulled out the first drawer of the files, and, turning it over, dumped its alphabetical contents into the wastebasket, too.”

J

John Kennedy Toole — jktoole.com/viewthefilm.html

“The tragedy of the book is the tragedy of the author — his suicide in 1969 at the age of thirty-two. Another tragedy is the body of work we have been denied.
It is a great pity that John Kennedy Toole is not alive and well and writing. But he is not, and there is nothing we can do about it but make sure that this gargantuan tumultuous human tragicomedy is at least made available to a world of readers.” — Walker Percy

K

Kiwanis — is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan

“Myrna appeared through a turnstile carrying a NON-VIOLENT CONGRESS FOR THE SEXUAL NEEDY placard and began heckling him. “Jesus will come to the fore, skins or not.” Ignatius-St.James prophesied grandly.”

L

lascivious — (of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire
loquacious — tending to talk a great deal; talkative
lugubrious — looking or sounding sad and dismal

“Am I going to be attacked in my own home before a stranger with a false beard?”

M

macabre — the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere; works particularly gruesome in nature
Magyar — a member of a people who originated in the Urals and migrated westward to settle in what is now Hungary in the 9th century AD
mansard — a roof that has four sloping sides, each of which becomes steeper halfway down
modicum — a small quantity of a particular thing, especially something considered desirable or valuable
muscatel — a muscat grape, especially as grown for drying to make raisins
muumuu — a woman’s loose, brightly colored dress, especially one traditionally worn in Hawaii
moribund — (of a person) at the point of death; (of a thing) in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigor

“Beloved Myrna: I have received your offensive communication. Do you seriously think that I am interested in your tawdry encounters with such sub-humans as folksingers? In every letter of yours I seem to find some reference to the sleaziness of your personal life. Please confine yourself to discussing issues and such; thereby you will at least avoid obscenity and offense. I did think, however, that the symbolism of the rat and squirrel or rat-squirrel or squirrel-rat was evocative an rather excellent.”

N

nickelodeon — a jukebox, originally one operated by the insertion of a nickel coin; a movie theater with an admission fee of one nickel
nosegay — a small bunch of flowers, typically one that is sweet-scented

“It appeared that Vaseline had also been applied to the mustache, for it gleamed very brightly.”

O

offal — the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion; the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera; refuse; rubbish; garbage
Onanists — a man who masturbates; a man who uses coitus interruptus as a means of birth control

“The syndicate. Whoever the are. Look at my hands.” Ignatius shoved two paws into the man’s face. “My entire nervous system is on the brink of revolt against me for subjecting it to such trauma. Ignore me if I suddenly go into a state of shock.”

“Let me assure you that I did not choose to collapse here before your gas chamber of a den. I did not return here of my own volition. My feet have simply ceased to function. I am paralyzed.”

P

pekoe — a high-quality black tea made from young leaves
penury — extreme poverty; destitution
proustian — of, relating to, or resembling Marcel Proust, his writings, or the middle-class and aristocratic worlds he described
pyloric — connects the stomach to the duodenum. The pylorus is considered as having two parts, the pyloric antrum (opening to the body of the stomach) and the pyloric canal (opening to the duodenum)

“There was the old aunts who has been robbed of fifty cents by some hoodlums, the cousin who had been struck by the Magazine streetcar, the uncle who had eaten a bad cream puff, the godfather who had touched a live wire knocked loose in a hurricane.”


Q

Don Quixote — a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Published in two volumes, in 1605 and 1615

“In my private apocalypse he will be impaled upon his own nightstick.”

R

rheumy — (especially of the eyes) full of rheum; watery
rococo — or “Late Baroque”, is an early to late French 18th-century artistic movement and style, affecting many aspects of the arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, interior design, decoration, literature, music, and theater
roughage — food containing much indigestible material acting as fiber

“Dear Reader, A great writer is the friend an benefactor of his readers.” — Macaulay

“Dear Reader, A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose for a life beyond.” — Milton

“Dear Reader, Books are immortal sons defying their sires.” — Plato”

S

sashaying — walk in an ostentatious yet casual manner, typically with exaggerated movements of the hips and shoulders
sated — satisfy (a desire or an appetite) to the full; supply (someone) with as much as or more of something than is desired or can be managed
sepulcher — a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried
stentorian — (of a person’s voice) loud and powerful
supercilious — behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others

“Once in high school someone had shown him a pornographic photograph, and he had collapsed against a water cooler, injuring his ear.”

T

tenement — any species of permanent property, as lands, houses, rents, an office, or a franchise, that may be held of another; freehold interests in things immovable considered as subjects of property

“I had an unspoken attachment to it. It was a contact with my childhood, a link with the past.”

U

umbilicus — the navel

“As the magnificence and originality of my worldview became explicit through conversation, the Minkoff minx began attacking me on all levels, even kicking me under the table rather vigorously at one point.”

“Myrna was, you see, terribly engaged in her society; I, on the other hand, older and wiser, was terribly dis-engaged.”

V

vagrant — a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging
vibrissae — any of the long stiff hairs growing around the mouth or elsewhere on the face of many mammals, used as organs of touch; whiskers
vicissitudes — a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant; alternation between opposite or contrasting things

“Veneration of Mark Twain is one of the roots of our current intellectual stalemate.”

W

woolly — made of wool; vague or confused in expression or character

“Our nation demands the scrutiny of a completely disengaged observer like your Working Boy, and I already have in my filed a rather formidable collection of notes and jottings that evaluate and lend a perspective to the contemporary scene.”

X

Mr. Claude RobichauX — A grandfather of six, he is convinced that communists are taking over the country. When Patrolman Mancuso attempts to arrest Ignatius, Claude sticks up for him and ends up arrested himself. Later in the novel, he becomes a potential husband for Mrs. Reilly.

“Perhaps she had written the letter. All sots of things happened that she couldn’t remember anymore. “Well, I guess I did. Yes. Now that you mention it, I guess I did write that. You people deserve it, too. You’ve driven me crazy these last few years. No retirement. No ham. Nothing. I must say I hope you lose everything you own.”

Y

“YOU” — (used in apposition with the subject of a sentence, sometimes repeated for emphasis following the subject)

“Attacked by a bird. Mrs. Reilly wept. “That hadda happen to you, Ignatius. Nobody never gets attacked by a bird.”

Z

zeroing — adjust (an instrument) to zero
*ZANY* — If you had to compress the breadth of comedic genius of this novel into one word— zany — would be mine. (amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic; an erratic or eccentric person)

“So we see that even when Fortuna spins us downward, the wheel sometimes halts for a moment and we find ourselves in a good, small cycle within the larger bad cycle. The universe, of course, is based upon the principle of the circle. At the moment, I am in an inner circle. Of course, smaller circles within this circle are also possible.”

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