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Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 3 Since I entered this room you have made nothing but mistakes. You were without courtesy, which was offensive. You made a statement contrary to fact, which was stupid. You confused conjecture with knowledge, which was disingenuous. Wolfe giving a "free but valuable lesson" to homicide cop O'Grady after he tries to push Wolfe around (this was the first time they'd met).
Mr. O'Grady Fer-de-lance 3 You're a lulu, Mr. Wolfe. O'Grady reacting to Wolfe's manner and words at their first meeting.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 3 Accept my apologies, Mr. Townsend. I once saw golf clubs through a shop window while my car was having a flat tire, but the ends were not labeled. Wolfe explaining to a sporting good salesman (Townsend) why he does not know that the "end" of a golf club is called the "head."
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 3 Faultless sequitur. Wolfe responding to Mr. Townsend's explanation that a (golf club) brassie gets its name by virtue of its brass bottom.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 3 You know, Mr. Townsend, it is our good fortune that the exigencies of birth and training furnish all of us with opportunities for snobbery. My ignorance of this special nomenclature (golf club semantics) provided yours; your innocence of the elementary mental processes provides mine. Townsend's instruction was essential for Wolfe to understand how Peter Barstow was murdered.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 5 Must I again remind you, Archie, of the reaction you would have got if you had asked Velasquez to explain why Aesop's hand was resting inside his robe instead of hanging by his side? Must I again demonstrate that while it is permissible to request the scientist to lead you back over his footprints, a similar request of the artist is nonsense, since he, like the lark or the eagle, has made none? Do you need to be told again that I am an artist? Wolfe expressing frustration at Archie's request to know how he knew that Barstow was murdered by a poisoned needle shot from a golf club.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 6 You must pardon me; for engineering reasons I arise only for emergencies. Wolfe explains to Sarah Barstow why he did not get up when she entered the office and introduced herself.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 7 Sarah Barstow (in reference to Wolfe's orchids): "They are too much beauty." Wolfe: "At first, yes. But a long intimacy frees you of that illusion, and it also acquaints you with their scantiness of character. ..There is not such a thing as too much beauty." Sarah: "Perhaps. Yes, perhaps." Exchange between Sarah Barstow and Wolfe after Archie gave her a tour of the plant rooms (while Wolfe investigated the Barstow family finances).
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 7 People often find it difficult to think in my presence, I do not leave enough space. Wolfe observing Sarah Barstow's discomfort and confusion, encourages her to leave, consider his offer, and reply the next day.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 15 Why taunt me? Why upbraid me? I am merely a genius, not a god. Wolfe pushing back against Archie's needling him regarding how he's running the investigation.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 15 There is death in this room. Wolfe being dramatic, letting Archie know that he suspects Manuel Kimball has left a trap somewhere in office.
Nero Wolfe Fer-de-lance 17 Intrepid. Wolfe reacts to Archie's insistence the he personally have Anderson's check certified (despite the rain falling).
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 1 Nonsense...what good is an obscenity trial except to popularize literature. Wolfe rebutting Archie's assertion that Paul Chapin's book (the focus of an obscenity trial) would not be obtainable due to the court's suppression of it.
Archie Goodwin The League of Frightened Men 2 Viva voce? Archie attempting to ask Wolfe if he wants him to read a report out loud; Wolfe informs him he has misused and mispronounced the expression.
Del Bascom The League of Frightened Men 4 Well, who opened your valve? Bascom reacts to his underling who had just contradicted Wolfe in the office.
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 7 To be broke is not a disgrace, merely a catastrophe. Wolfe explaining to Farrell why he is willing to hire him. "You are broke, but you have a fairly intelligent face."
Archie Goodwin The League of Frightened Men 8 ...if I had just landed ten famous murderers and had them salted down, and was at the moment engaged in trying to run down a guy who had put a slug in a subway turnstile, Fritz going to answer the doorbell would put a quiver in me. Archie explaining why he nearly knocked over his glass of milk when the telephone rang as he was discussing the case with Wolfe.
Dora Chapin The League of Frightened Men 10 You're a fat fool! Dora reacts to Wolfe who had not fallen for her subterfuge of being attacked with a knife by her husband Paul Chapin. Wolfe replies, "Fat visibly, though I prefer Gargantuan. A fool only in the broader sense as a characteristic of the race."
Inspector Lionel T. Cramer The League of Frightened Men 12 Pratt [a NYC assemblyman] thinks it's funny that he has to shell out to a private dick when the city maintains such a magnificent force of brave and intelligent men to cope with such problems. He said cope. I was there. Cramer complaining to Archie about how he was being pressured by Pratt to solve the case of mysterious deaths and Hibbard's disappearance (and the general menace represented by Paul Chapin).
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 13 . . . I need to keep regular hours, I could not function even passably where properly chilled beer was not continually available, and I cannot run fast. If I am forced to engage in extreme physical effort, such as killing a snake, I am hungry for days. Wolfe explains why he is useful for a select few number of cases; usually Cramer is much more effective.
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 13 I love to make a mistake, it is my only assurance that I cannot reasonably be expected to assume the burden of omniscience. Wolfe explains to Archie why he takes making mistakes so well.
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 14 It is astonishing, the effect a little literary and financial success will produce on a spiritual ailment. Wolfe observes Paul Chapin's change in demeanor in the office as Wolfe refuses to give back Chapin's box of personal items.
Archie Goodwin The League of Frightened Men 16 I'm going to take Pinkie for a ride. Archie explains to Durkin why he wants him to distract the police officer camped out on Perry St.
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 19 Ah! Archie. After what Mrs. Chapin has told me, I scarcely expected to find you operating an apartment house switchboard. I am much relieved. Both Wolfe and Archie discover the other is safe after Dora Chapin drugged Archie and coerced Wolfe to leave the brownstone to save Archie.
Leopold Elkus The League of Frightened Men 21 I shall have apologies for you, sir, when this kindergarten is over. Elkus reacts to Wolfe's explanation regarding Paul Chapin's innocence at the decisive gathering in the office.
Nero Wolfe The League of Frightened Men 21 You are the most ridiculous murderer I have ever met. I do not know you well enough to be able to say whether it was through vast stupidity or extraordinary insouciance; however, that may be, you planned the most hazardous of all crimes as if you were devising a harmless parlor game. Wolfe confronts Bowen in the decisive gathering in the office.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 5 Great hounds and Cerebrus! Don't need to eat! In heaven's name, are you camels, or bears in for the winter?" Wolfe responds to Clara Fox's statement that she and her friends don't need to eat (at Wolfe's table after his indirect invitation) or might "go out for a bite." In Greek mythology, Cerberus, often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 7 ...this is Mr. Saul Panzer. I trust him further than might be thought credible. Wolfe introduces Saul Panzer to to Hilda Lindquist. Wolfe is arranging for Lindquist to be in seclusion as the police seek to question anyone connected with Harlan Scovil's murder.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 7 You understand, Miss Fox, this is something unprecedented. It has been many years since any woman has slept under this roof. not that I disapprove of them, except when they attempt to function as domestic animals. When they stick to the vocations for which they are best adapted, such as chicanery, sophistry, self-adornment, cajolery, mystification and incubation, they are sometimes splendid creatures. Wolfe explains to Clara Fox what an honor it is to be invited to stay in the South Room.
Inspector Lionel T. Cramer The Rubber Band 9 The Commissioner [Hombert] was talking on the telephone this evening to the Department of Justice. That's the kind of lay-out it is. They might really send and get you. That's a friendly warning. Cramer explains to Wolfe the gravity of the case and the consequences that Wolfe might face should he not cooperate with law enforcement.
George Rowcliff The Rubber Band 11 Look here, Goodwin. You've had your bluff called. Why not save time? Why don't you bring this Fox woman down here, or up here, and call it a trick? It'd save a lot of messing around." Lt. Rowcliff asks Archie to make the execution of the search warrant for Clara Fox easier.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 12 And as for my keeping you in the ignorance of facts, you already interfere so persistently with my mental processes that I am disinclined to furnish you further grounds for speculation...chiefly you lack patience, and my exercise of it infuriates you. Wolfe explains to Archie why he keeps certain information from him during the course of a case.
Marquis of Clivers The Rubber Band 13 Eh? What kind of talk is that? Rot. Lord Clivers responding to Wolfe's philosophizing about debts, "All debts are preposterous. They are the envious past clutching with its cold dead fingers the throat of the living present."
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 13 Confound you, Archie. I have you to thank for this acarpous entanglement. Wolfe expressing his frustration after learning from Lord Clivers that he already paid his debt to the Rubber Band. "Acarpous" means fruitless.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 15 Your meddlings have not entitled you to usurp the fatal dignity of Atropos; don't flatter yourself. Wolfe attempting to relieve Clara Fox's sense of guilt over the murder of Mike Walsh. Atropos is the Greek goddess of fate and destiny. Atropos could chose the manner of death of mortals.
Archie Goodwin The Rubber Band 15 If this keeps up another ten minutes I'll get Weltschmerz! Archie expresses frustration at Wolfe's apparent lack of action or development of a plan (after Mike Walsh is murdered). "Weltschmerz" is a feeling of weariness and/or pessimism about life in general.
Commissioner Hombert The Rubber Band 16 You'll talk or you'll rot! Hombert responding to Wolfe that he will do no talking whatever if he is arrested as a material witness to the Walsh murder.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 16 Let me make a suggestion, Mr. Hombert. Why don't you go home and go to sleep and leave this affair to be handled by Mr. Cramer...and Mr. Skinner. You probably have abilities of some sort, but they are obviously inappropriate to the present emergency. Wolfe responding to Hombert's shouting and threat to arrest Wolfe as a material witness.
Nero Wolfe The Rubber Band 17 I can't help that either; do you think I have the Moerae running errands for me? Wolfe, during his invitation to Cramer to wrap up the case. "Moerae" in Greek mythology were the incarnations for destiny, responsible for making sure that all beings lived out their destiny.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 1 Sir, I would not enter a taxicab for a chance to solve the Sphinx's deepest riddles with all the Nile's cargo for my reward! Good God. A taxicab...You observe my bulk. I am not immovable, but my flesh has a constitutional reluctance to sudden, violent, or sustained displacement. Wolfe responds to Llewellen Frost's effrontery and suggestion that he travel twenty blocks via taxicab to help him solve a problem.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 3 I don't trust you; you are incensed; the flame of fear and resentment is burning in you. Wolfe explains to his client, Lew Frost, who wishes to halt the investigation, why he does not trust an uncertified check in payment for his efforts.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 4 Put him out, Archie. Wolfe responds to an insulting comment made by Dudley Frost.
Inspector Lionel T. Cramer The Red Box 6 I should have had more sense. If that fat rhinoceros is kidding me, I'll make him eat his license... Cramer expresses his frustration at the lack of obvious progress after interviewing Boyden McNair, Inc. employees regarding their candy preferences.
Helen Frost The Red Box 7 You're a dirty fat beast. Helen responds to Wolfe's statement, "Do you imagine this is a friendly chat we are having. By no means. It is a very one-sided affair. I am forcing you to reply to questions by threatening to turn you over to the police if you don't."
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 8 I was wrong. Death did stalk him here. I am an imbecile. Wolfe rebukes himself after witnessing Boyden McNair dying in the office.
Archie Goodwin The Red Box 8 Language: Of course, I couldn't hear anything either, so I kept glancing at the office door without letting my fingers stop, and at length it opened and Wolfe entered. Observing the mise en scene, he winked with his right eye and steered for his desk. Archie describing the scene in the office (radio turned on and Archie typing loudly) as he provides cover for Wolfe escorting Helen Frost from the plant rooms out of the brownstone such that Boyden McNair does not detect her presence. In French "mise en scene" is a theatrical reference for the orchestration and direction of a scene as Archie has done here.
Archie Goodwin The Red Box 8 Vocabulary: Boyden McNair ... sat near Wolfe's desk in the dunce's chair, yclept that by me on the day that District Attorney Anderson of Westchester sat in it while Wolfe made a dunce of him. "Yclept" means so-called (i.e., the dunce's chair is so-called because Archie named it that after the incident with Anderson).
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 9 I confess that I have on occasions quibbled with you and played with double meanings, but you have never known me to tell you a direct and categorical lie. Never, sir. I tell you now that I have never seen Mr. McNair's red box, I have no idea where it is or was, and I have no knowledge whatever of its contents. Wolfe responding to Insp. Cramer's insinuation that he has possession of McNair's red box.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 10 And you, sir, who engaged me to solve a problem and then proceeded to hamper me aa soon as I made the first step - now you are quick on the trigger to resent it if I do not show tenderness and consideration for your cousin's remorse and grief. I show none because I have none. If I offer anything for sale in this office that is worth buying, it certainly is not a warm heart and maudlin sympathy for the distress of spoiled obtuse children. Wolfe chastises Lewellen and Helen Frost after the murder of Boyden McNair and their unannounced appearance at the brownstone.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 11 It is legally mine. Defend it. Wolfe's instructions to Saul regarding the red box, if Saul should find it.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 11 Dear me. As cynical as that about it? But a brave cynicism which is of course proper. Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth. Wolfe responding to Helen Frost's comment that many men (Gebert among them) have pursued her for her money.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 11 Culture: I have a house in Egypt which I haven't seen for twenty years. It has Rhages and Veramine tiles on the doorway. Wolfe tells Helen Frost about his home in Egypt after she mentions living in Egypt as a child. Rhages is both a vintage style of tile and also the name of a beautiful lavender orchid. Veramine is a traditional middle eastern styled pattern used in rugs and tiles.
Helen Frost The Red Box 11 History: Early in 1916. She was afraid to stay in Paris, on account of the war. Frost answers Wolfe question regarding when her mother left Paris for Spain. January 29, 1916 - a German Zeppelin bombs Paris (possibly a diversion for the coming land invasion). February 21, 1916 - On the Western Front, the German 5th Army attacks the French 2nd Army north of the historic city of Verdun, following a nine-hour artillery bombardment. The Germans under Chief of the General Staff, Erich Falkenhayn, seek to "bleed" the French Army to death by targeting the cherished city.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 11 History: Restaurant? I know nothing of restaurants; short of compulsion, I would not eat in one were Vatel himself the chef. Vatel (1631-1671) served French nobility and was known for his meticulous attention to detail in matters concerning the serving of food. He reportedly committed suicide over the delay in the arrival of seafood he was to have served at a banquet.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 11 We're combing a meadow for a mustard seed ... Tell me. Wolfe encourages Helen Frost to describe a recurring dream she has about her father.
Perron Gebert The Red Box 12 Culture: My Dear Helen! You've engaged Mr. Wolfe? Are you one of the Erinyes? Alecto? Megaera? Tisiphone? Where's your snaky hair? So one can really buy anything with money, even vengeance? The Erinyes, also known as the Furies, were female chthonic (things related to the underworld) deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology.
Perron Gebert The Red Box 12 Culture: I was reminded of a quotation from Norboisin - the girl Denise gasps it as she expires, "Au moins, je meurs ardemment." Norboisin seems to be a fictitious French author. The French translates to "At least, I die ardently."
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 12 Culture: Archie observes that Wolfe is re-reading the 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' in the office. Later, at dinner, Wolfe (approvingly) attributes Lawrence's success in Arabia to his personal attitude toward women being aligned with traditional Arabian attitudes, but he is not specific regarding exactly what that attitude is. 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' is the autobiographical account of the experiences of British Army Colonel T. E. Lawrence who served as a military advisor to Bedouin forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks from 1916 to 1918. The book was completed in February 1922, but first published in December 1926. The title comes from the King James Bible, Book of Proverbs (9:1): "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars."
Fred Durkin The Red Box 12 History: You might have thought I was Dillinger. Fred describes how the police reacted to seeing him on the grounds of the McNair estate, drawing their guns. John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led a group known as the "Dillinger Gang", which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times but escaped twice. He was charged, but not convicted, of the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana, police officer who shot Dillinger in his bullet-proof vest during a shootout; it was the only time Dillinger was charged with homicide.
Archie Goodwin The Red Box 13 History: Haile Selassie. Archie identifies himself as Selassie when challenged for his identity upon arriving at Glennanne. Haile Selassie I, born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Prior to his coronation, he had been the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia from 1916. He is a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, and the key figure of Rastafari, a religious movement in Jamaica which emerged shortly after he became emperor in the 1930s. He was a member of the Solomonic dynasty which claims to trace lineage to Emperor Menelik I, supposedly the son of King Solomon and Makeda the Queen of Sheba.
Nero Wolfe The Red Box 15 It's discipline. It fortifies me to put up with ordinary inanities for days. I gladly confess that after listening to the Pearls of Wisdom your conversation is an intellectual and esthetic delight. It's the tops. Wolfe explains to Archie why he listens to the Pearls of Wisdom Hour on the radio (during which he sits eyes closed with an awful grimace on his face).
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 1 Vocabulary: ... my distrust and hatred of vehicles in motion is partly based on my plerophory that their apparent submission to control is illusory... Wolfe explains to Archie the cause of their crash. "Plerophory" means complete assurance.
Caroline Pratt Some Buried Caesar 1 History: Dr. Livingstone, I presume? Caroline (along with Archie) drives a car through the field where Wolfe is trapped by an aggressive bull. Her rhetorical question to Wolfe is a famous reference to Morton Stanley's first encounter with renowned missionary Dr. David Livingstone, who was presumed dead or lost in Africa. Morton Stanley, a reporter for the New York Herald, was sent to locate Livingstone and found him in at the city of Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika in 1871. It was at this meeting that Stanley uttered his famous declaration, "Dr Livingstone, I presume."
Lily Rowan Some Buried Caesar 1 Culture: Escamillo Escamillo is a character in the opera "Carmen" by Bizet. He was the toreador (a kind of bullfighter) for whom Carmen left Don Jose. Lily gave Archie this sobriquet as a facetious acknowledgement of his prowess in escaping from the aggressive bull present in the field Archie and Wolfe entered as they sought help after their car accident.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 2 Vocabulary: The cook is downstairs ipso facto. The Latin expression, ipso facto literally means "by the fact itself."
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 3 Culture: ...the proper environment for that type is bounded by 42nd and 96th Streets on the south and north, and Lexington Avenue and Broadway on the east and west. In their habitat they don't look bad, in fact they help a lot in maintaining the tone, but out in the country like that, still wearing a Crawnley town suit including vest and a custom-made shirt and a Monteith tie, they jar. Archie describes Bronson, who was overdressed in his opinion, as he arrived at the Pratt ranch. A Crawnley suit would be more appropriate for a dandy in town rather than a comparatively well-dressed man in the countryside.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 3 History: You will be very happy for a while, then you will take a long journey under water and will meet a bald-headed man sitting on some seaweed who you will think is William Beebe ... Archie is talking apparent nonsense to Lily here. Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Charles William Beebe left college before obtaining a degree to work at the then newly opened New York Zoological Park, where he was given the duty of caring for the zoo's birds. He quickly distinguished himself in his work for the zoo, first with his skill in designing habitats for its bird population, and soon also with a series of research expeditions of increasing length, including an expedition around the world to document the world's pheasants. Beebe gradually developed an interest in marine biology, ultimately leading to his 1930s dives in the Bathysphere, along with its inventor, Otis Barton, off the coast of Bermuda. This was the first time a biologist observed deep-sea animals in their native environment and set several successive records for the deepest dive ever performed by a human. It's not clear why he is mentioned by Archie other than the possibility that Beebe was lately in the news, catching Stout's attention.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 4 Sophistry. Casuistry. Ignoratio elenchi. Sophistry: the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving. Casuistry: the use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions. Ignoratio elenchi (Latin): a logical fallacy which consists in apparently refuting an opponent while actually disproving something not asserted. Wolfe apparently is trying to console Archie (who feels responsible for Clyde Osgood's death on his watch) by informing him that his logic is flawed. The bull did not kill Osgood; thus, Archie could not be responsible for allowing him to do so.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 5 Vocabulary: You remind me of a second-grade dick harassing a dip. Dip (slang): a pickpocket. Archie speaking to Fred Osgood after his son was found dead, criticizing his technique for questioning him and others.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 6 Vocabulary: ...the fight for a hotel room, which was a pippin... Pippin (slang): a very sound or excellent thing (OED); something of high quality. Archie refers to his difficulty obtaining a hotel room in Crowfield in the middle of the Exposition.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 6 Culture: I passed a platform whereon a woman stood wearing a grin and a pure gold brassiere and a Fuller brush skirt 11 inches long... A Fuller brush skirt constituted fashionable clothing in the 1930's. An 11-inch long skirt was notably risque.
Frederick Osgood Some Buried Caesar 7 I'm going on with it. Osgood becomes resolute in his desire to suffer the consequences of allowing Wolfe to investigate the murder of his son, Clyde. Wolfe responds, "Then prepare yourself for annoyance, intrusion, plague, the insolence of publicity."
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 7 If you regard it as a rational project to try to find a legitimate nocturnal pick washer, go ahead. Wolfe giving his perspective to D.A. Waddell concerning evidence surrounding the death of Clyde Osgood. Waddell is grasping for a reason for a pickax handle to be wet at 11 pm.
Carter Waddell Some Buried Caesar 8 Now I don't know. Petitio principii isn't a good way to begin. Is it? District Attorney Waddell responds to Wolfe who just asserted he could offer pertinent information regarding the murder of Clyde Osgood. In rhetoric, "petitio principii" (Latin) is a fallacy in which a conclusion is taken for granted in the premises of an assertion. Waddell, thus, is indicating that it is not an established fact that Clyde was murdered.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 9 Vocabulary: Driving into Crowfield that morning, Caroline pointed out the Osgood demesne... Demesne: an estate occupied by its lord.
Howard Bronson Some Buried Caesar 9 Vocabulary: I feel very much de trop...I'll leave now if you prefer it Bronson seems to be fishing for an invitation from Fred Osgood to remain on the Osgood ranch in the aftermath of Clyde Osgood's death. "De trop" (pronounced: duh tro, with a rolled / gravelly r) is a French expression meaning "unwanted." Literally, it means "of too much (something)."
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 9 Vocabulary: The only way I can apodictically eliminate anyone from consideration as the possible murderer is to find out who did it. Wolfe is explaining to Fred Osgood who shall be under his scrutiny as he investigates the murder. "Apodictically" means to express something as a certain truth.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 10 Literature: You called Mr. Pratt Monte Cristo? During an interview, Caroline Osgood inadvertently refers to Tom Pratt as Monte Cristo, which Wolfe confirms in this quotation to Caroline. In the French novel "The Count of Monte Cristo," Monte Cristo is the identity the character Dantès assumes when he emerges from prison and acquires a vast fortune. The Count of Monte Cristo is usually associated with a coldness and bitterness that comes from an existence based solely on revenge. Thus, it seems that the Osgood children ridicule Pratt with this name they consider humorous.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 10 Literature: I am a hired instrument of vengeance ... Nowadays, an Erinys wears a coat and trousers and drinks beer and works for pay, but the function is unaltered and should still be performed, if at all, mercilessly. When Nancy Osgood objects to the nature and tone of Wolfe's questioning, he explains the nature of his existence and purpose in her household. In Greek mythology and religion, the "Erinyes" ("Erinys" is the singular; also, known as the "Furies" and the "Eumenides) were female deities of vengeance who sprang initially from the spilled blood of Uranus.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 10 Culture: ... he had invited luck to contribute to the good cause by sundry methods from crackaloo to 10-cent bridge... Archie summarizes how Clyde Osgood ran up debt, leading to his unfortunate involvement with Howard Bronson. "Crackaloo" is a game of chance in which players throw coins at the ceiling of a room, aiming to have them fall as near as possible to a certain crack in the floor.
Dave Smalley Some Buried Caesar 11 Literature: I sometimes think that never grows so red The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled. Dave making small talk with Archie as Caesar is burned, recites a slightly modified poem by Omar Khayyám (lived 1048-1131 AD. Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet. He was born in Nishabur, in northeastern Iran, and spent most of his life near the court of the Karakhanid and Seljuq rulers in the period which witnessed the First Crusade). The actual, entire poem is as follows (note: Dave substituted "grows" for "blows" in his recitation, or Archie misquotes him): I sometimes think that never blows so red The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled; That every Hyacinth the Garden wears Dropt in her Lap from some once lovely Head. Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/1894694-omar-khayyam-i-sometimes-think-that-never-blows-so-red-the-ros/
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 11 Culture: yellow Wethersill Archie mentions seeing a yellow Wethersill when he parks his car on the Pratt ranch, and this is an invention by Stout. No such automobile was ever manufactured.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 11 Vocabulary: Nor did I respond to the melting quality that seemed to be creeping into her tone, but kept strictly to persiflage. After suddenly kissing Lily and her favorable response (e.g., intertwining her arm with his), Archie plays harder to get. "Persiflage" islight and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter.
Archie Goodwin Some Buried Caesar 12 Vocabulary: Bert...sat in the kitchen and listened to the radio with his ear glued to it because it had to be kept pianissimo. Archie describes the scene at the Osgood ranch during Captain Barrow's and D.A. Waddell's visit. "Pianissimo" means very softly. Presumably Dave doesn't want to disturb anyone as he passes the time.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 12 Literature: Victor Hugo wrote a whole book to prove that a lie can be sublime. Wolfe makes this reference to Hugo's "Les Miserables" in which Jean Valjean lies about his identity after escaping from prison and rebuilding his life.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 13 Vocabulary: ...we can discuss facts calmly, without a lot of useless pother. Wolfe bantering with Bronson before getting more direct regarding Clyde Osgood's murder. "Pother" is a state of nervous activity or fuss.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 13 Vocabulary: Ethology is chaos. Wolfe bantering with Bronson prior to substantive questioning. "Ethology" is the study of animal (in this case human) behavior.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 17 Vocabulary: If I palaver with you at all - Wolfe is trying to explain to DA Waddell why his lines of inquiries are flawed. Palaver (v) - to talk unproductively and at length.
Nero Wolfe Some Buried Caesar 19 Vocabulary: Proscriptions carried too far lead to nullity. Wolfe is encouraging Archie to utilize Lily Rowan's fondness for him to their advantage (Archie had indicated that he didn't like "to use his spiritual appeal for business purposes." Proscription (n): the action of forbidding something; banning. Nullity (n): something legally void; a thing of no importance or worth.
Archie Goodwin Too Many Women 12 . . . husbands who try to go on steering when the car is upside down in a ditch aggravate me. Archie describing Harold Bendini's attitude toward his wife who wants nothing to do with him.
Archie Goodwin And Be a Villain 4 Very well, I resign as of now. You are simply too conceited, too eccentric, and too fat to work for. Archie upset with Wolfe for not accepting Sweeties as a client.
Nero Wolfe And Be a Villain 4 I would rather become a policeman and take orders from Mr. Cramer than work for anything or anyone called Sweeties. Nero explaining his decision not to allow Sweeties to pay part of his fee to find the killer of Cyril Orchard.
Archie Goodwin Christmas Party 1 Culture: I suppose it's a form of madness, but so what if I've got it? Like what Margot was reading to me the other night --- some poet, I think it was some Greek --- 'O love, resistless in thy might, thou triumphest even -' Archie is either misquoting or using a different translation; the correct quote is "O Love, resistless in thy might, triumphant over the power of gold". It's from the tragedy _Antigone_, a play (circa 441 B.C.) by Sophocles. Image of the translation used is at https://books.google.com/books?id=PtQIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165