Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0011154, Sat, 5 Mar 2005 10:24:17 -0800

Subject
Re: Help to translate "lapping at Van´s rock" ...??
Date
Body


----- Forwarded message from irenaks@poczta.onet.pl -----
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 11:11:32 +0100
From: Irena Ksiezopolska <irenaks@poczta.onet.pl>
Reply-To: Irena Ksiezopolska <irenaks@poczta.onet.pl>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Help to translate "lapping at Van´s
rock" ...??
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum

Re: Help to translate "lapping at Van?s rock" ...??"garrulously pour hateful
instructions in Russian-lapped German into her hateful bidet, she decided to
stop turning on tap water altogether".

To me this sentence always suggested that Dr's German is strongly "lined up" -
or folded over - with a Russian accent. I got this meaning from the "lapel":
part of the front of a coat folded back toward the shoulders", and "lappet:
flat or fold". Of course, I may be transferring my own associations of the
words into the text here. But isn't this the common-sence meaning?

Also, probably, not all VN's uses of the word "lapping", "lapped", etc. are
identical, and should not be automatically linked.

Irena
----- Original Message -----
From: Donald B. Johnson
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 12:52 AM
Subject: Fwd: Re: Help to translate "lapping at Van´s rock" ...??




----- Forwarded message from chaiselongue@earthlink.net -----
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2005 11:33:25 -0800
From: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: Carolyn <chaiselongue@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: Help to translate "lapping at Van´s rock" ...??
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum
Russian-lapped German into her hateful bidet,


Could this be a reference to Aqua's Alsatian dog?

----- End forwarded message -----



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Russian-lapped German into her hateful bidet,


Could this be a reference to Aqua's Alsatian dog?

----- End forwarded message -----
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