Book hopper. Also at aus.social/@liam.
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Use of Weapons is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Iain M. Banks, first published in 1990. It is β¦
Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down β¦
Suddenly, condemned arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig found himself with a noose around his neck and β¦
'Ah, I see you're admirin' my hair, sir,' said Groat proudly, as the toupee spun gently. 'It's all mine, you know, not a prunes.'
'Er⦠prunes?' said Moist.
'Sorry, sir, shouldn't have used slang. Prunes as in "syrup of prunes", sir. Dimwell slang.* Syrup of prunes: wig.'
*The Dimwell Street rhyming slang is probably unique in that it does not, in fact, rhyme. No one knows why, but theories so far advanced are 1) that it is quite complex and in fact follows hidden rules or 2) Dimwell is well named or 3) it's made up to annoy strangers, which is the case with most such slangs.
— Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (Page 43)
I'm taking a break from this book, but the line "Syrup of prunes: wig" still pops into my head at random.
Secondhand find. Curious to read someone's thoughts about "the impact and implications of cyberspace on our daily lives" in 1997.
Suddenly, condemned arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig found himself with a noose around his neck and β¦
Ye gods, thought Moist, back in the here-and-now, no wonder Groat sucked cough sweets all the time, the dust in this place could choke you!
He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the diamond-shaped cough lozenge the old man had given him. It looked harmless enough.
One minute later, after Mr Pump had lurched into the room and slapped him heavily on the back, the steaming lozenge was stuck to the wall on the far side of the room where, by morning, it had dissolved quite a lot of the plaster.
— Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (Page 66)
Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down β¦
Suddenly, condemned arch-swindler Moist von Lipwig found himself with a noose around his neck and dropping through a trapdoor into β¦
