Infinite Summer

On page 133 he uses the term "cheeseater' which seems more comprehendible as a rat or a snitch than when he just uses "cheese" by itself as in the last passage of this section when Poor Tony goes on to greener pastures and eats cheese. Does he become a paid snitch for the police? As far as "maps" go, I think we've established it means face but I wondered if DFW coined it from another Irish expression ( I hope I'm not getting tiresome on this ) "She had the map of Ireland written all over her face"- of course meaning she was freckle-faced, blue-eyed,fair skinned - generally Irish looking. Always meant as a compliment. Wallace is a very Scottish name but since there was a huge Scottish presence in Ireland (Scotch-Irish) I wonder if DFW is descended from this tradition and that's why these Irish based phrases keep showing up in his book. Perhaps I should take the time to read his biography.

just a note, for those who might not have noticed.... roy tony and the brighton projects are mentioned by yrstruly on p. 129; these are both mentioned in the wardine section. are there any other connections between those two sections that i might be missing?

I really loathe this part of the book. This is where I stopped my first-time around. I can understand what's happening and what the author is doing cerebrally, and when I'm removed from it I think 'huh, that's cool in a way,' but when I get into it I cannot stand that section. This time I pushed through and am relieved that I did (I just finished it, I was ahead of schedule before yrstrly). Mostly I'm glad its over (for now) and I'm thoroughly enjoying the rest of the book.

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I would encourage those who find this section grating to re-read the mainlining Draino huddled over a vent description (toward the end). Again, personally, I found that to "make up" for any annoyance I may have experienced with the language choice (which I didn't feel too much of [annoyance] relative to some of you). Absolutely chilling description of addiction-addled destitution, I thought - such a naked, harsh reality.

What is the origin for "map" being slang for face? The explanation I can come up with is that a face is a guide to the person - and a map is a guide. But it is the most non-visceral, romantic sounding, least tough slang I've ever heard. It is like a poet's slang, in which case isn't that a metaphor?