Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0023465, Sat, 17 Nov 2012 11:42:47 -0500

Subject
Re: Pnin's necktie
Date
Body
"goon tie" is hardly obscure, in my opinion, but comments on the out-of-phase Pnin who selected the tie, without understanding current fashion, and missing it's vulgarity as in the choice of socks),just like he picked schedules without understanding, and being so busy with his inner world, misses the common-place as with the mermaid.



-----Original Message-----
From: Don Johnson <chtodel@COX.NET>
To: NABOKV-L <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Sent: Fri, Nov 16, 2012 3:35 pm
Subject: [NABOKV-L] Pnin's necktie



On page 1 of PNIN) we read ”His sloppy socks were of scarlet wool with lilac lozenges; his conservative black Oxfords had cost him about as much as all the rest of his clothing (flamboyant goon tie included)

The phrase is in the second paragraph of VN’s PNIN. I trust every heavy-weight VN aficionado has pondered the meaning (and significance, if any) of
Pnin’s “flamboyant goon tie.” There is a line of clothing apparel (Cornell Big Red Ties) for school sports fans that at one time (but apparently no longer) included red neckties. Several, if not all, Cornell sports teams are called “Big Red” and their uniforms are red.

The term “goon” remains obscure but was apparently a slang term with the definition “(ice hockey, pejorative) An enforcer or fighter” {presumably applied to the team Cornell was playing against).


Nabokovian SCHOLARSHIPmarches on!

D. Barton Johnson






Google Search the archive

Contact the Editors

Visit "Nabokov Online Journal"

Visit Zembla

View Nabokv-L Policies

Manage subscription options

Visit AdaOnline

View NSJ Ada Annotations

Temporary L-Soft Search the archive


All private editorial communications areread by both co-editors.


Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en

Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com

Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/








Attachment