As mentioned earlier, this may be my favorite Lord Peter book, for several reasons: the still-fairly-realistic, both fond and critical, picture of academics (!), the intellectual level of the discourse, including Harriet Vane's inner musings, the feminist subtext, and of course that Wimsey and Vane finally get together!
"Strawberry leaves" (p. 167), Lord St. George, detective Lord Peter Wimsey's nephew mentions: I knew this was something re being a duke, and 'tis, per Edwardian Promenade's Titles and Orders of Precedence page: "The coronet of a duke is a circlet, heightened with eight conventional strawberry leaves, and encloses a velvet cap."
"dsp" (p. 167), also St. George: means died without children, Latin "decessit sine prole", per the British Encyclo online encyclopedia.
"Like playing 'Staggie'" (p. 189): A group running around chaotically. All I can find is an Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (USC Libraries' online subscription) short entry that says a staggie is a colt? May or may not fit context. Sources re "staggy" are not illuminating either.
"Pot of Gloy" (p. 195): Fits the Urban Dictionary definition - a cheap type of glue
"Issue a ukase" (p. 234): Knew it was some kind of decanal proclamation; per OED, it is specifically an old Russian kingdom edict: "A decree or edict, having the force of law, issued by the Russian emperor or government." Sayers uses it a bit tongue-in-cheek.
'Ukase' is a word that appeared rather frequently in British literature post-Great War. Amongst other authors who used the word that come to mind immediately are Sapper, Saki and Wwodehouse.
ReplyDelete'Staggie' is possibly a game played at some exclusive public school (I can think of games we played that filtered through that way.)
'Gloy' was a brand name.
Thank you much for the informed commentary, Avril! Interesting that "ukase" was used so much! I've read some Wodehouse (my husband is a huge fan), but not recently. Ah! So you've seen or heard of Gloy glue? Cool!
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