Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Telemachus/011

Annotations

011.3 quid . . . guinea      The guinea is not only more money than the twenty- shilling quid (pound), it is also more fashion- able, a gentlemanly sum of money.

011.5 kip      Has various slang meanings, which Mulligan exploits in his repeated use of the word: "that which is seized or caught; the catch," and "a brothel, lodging house, lodging, or bed."

011.5 four quid      Stephen's monthly wage as paid (2.222 [30:6]) is £3 12s., not £4, and while not sizable in modern terms, would still compare favorably with the salaries of in- structors in all but the wealthiest of modern pre- paratory schools.

011.8 druids      priests of Celtic pagandom

011.12-17 O, won't we have . . . coronation day?       One form of an English song to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII. Its words are repeated several times through the book. It is one of many ditties which Mulligan disrespectfully sings to refer to his surroundings or situation. In this case, he may be using "coronation day" as a rough slang for "payday," because the amount could be reckoned in crowns.

011.22 Clongowes     Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit school for boys, regarded as the most fashionable Catholic school in Ireland. Stephen is a student at Clongowes in chapter 1 of A Portrait. James Joyce attended Clongowes as a student from 1888 to 1891

011.28 barbacans       or barbican: an outwork of a fortified place, as a castle; a defensive outpost of any sort.