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Re" Crosscat

Posted by Malone on June 04, 2004

In Reply to: Re" Crosscat posted by ESC on June 03, 2004

I found it in j joyce`s ulysses (episode 13 nausicaa, page 475 Penguin edition 1992) and all descriptions take place inside Gerty Macdowell's mind acting out as narrator and as part of her interior monologue; given JJ's 'homeric approach' to compound names, I thought it may be

a)compound of 'cross + cat'
b)a sort of feline 'mongrel' or
c)taken from the childhood oath I mentioned above.

I've looked in all dictionaries and could not find an entry for 'crosscat'

Just to give you an idea of how she is protrayed here some short sentences about Edy Boardman, a young female friend of Gerty:

1) and Father Conroy handed him his hat to put on and crosscat Edy asked wasn't she coming but Jacky Caffrey called out:
-O, look, Cissy!

2)- Edy said none too amiably with an arch glance from her shortsighted eyes.

3)- (Edy) she was black out at daggers drawn with Gerty (the girl chums had of course their little tiffs from time to time like the rest of mortals)

4)- squinty Edy

5)- Edy Boardman prided herself that she was very
petite but she never had a foot like Gerty MacDowell, a five, and neverwould ash, oak or elm.

6)- and Edy, little spitfire, because she would betwentytwo in November.

7)- Edy got as cross as two sticks

8)- when Edy asked her was she heartbroken about her best boy throwing her over.

9)- O yes, it cut deep because Edy had her own quiet way of saying things like that she knew would wound like the confounded little cat she was

10)- Miss puny little Edy's countenance fell to no slight extent

thanks

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