Line 28: "Lucia's nicey-nercy, featherly Patrisia, sips besight her while she bibs her searly monin' cuppla Tees and mentalpatiently ensquires jest what the flameous rider's cross-i, dot-t doubter well be druin' with hersylph toda."
Non-Lucy-Lips Version: Lucia's nice nurse, fatherly Patricia, sits beside her while she imbibes her early morning cup of tea and patiently enquires just what the famous writer's cross-eyed, dotty daughter will be doing with herself today.
"nicey-nercy"
"Nice nurse" but in a sing-song, childish way, as Lucia is being babysat, in a way, by Patricia. Also contains the suggestion of mercy.
"featherly Patrisia"
Weird to describe Patricia as "fatherly" but perhaps the kindness shown by her nurse reflects the kindness Lucia received from her father. We also get Patricia described as having feathers, and so probably bird-like. Maybe I should assume her name is actually "Patrisia" so I don't have to wonder why it was misspelled. It's probably just the British spelling.
"sips"
Patricia sits beside Lucia but Lucia, busy drinking tea, messes up the verb.
"besight"
Patricia keeps Lucia in her sights as she sits beside her, probably observing her to see if she'll be okay to wander the hospital grounds on her own. This reinforces the idea of Patricia as a parental figure, keeping careful watch of Lucia. Perhaps this is also why she's featherly, she's as a bird keeping watch of a young chick.
"while she bibs"
Lucia is drinking, or imbibing, her tea. "Bibs" suggests a baby's bib, once more suggesting Lucia is a youngster under the care and watchful gaze of a nanny. Of course Lucia is well into her 70s at this time.
"searly monin'"
Perhaps Lucia, like many people, is a bit gruff and liable to moan a bit in the morning before she as her cuppa (although she has earlier been portrayed as getting up with a "wry sing of de light," suggesting the opposite. Although maybe "wry" opposites the opposite?!).
"cuppla Tees"
The Non-Lucy-Lips version of this is simply "cup of tea" or "cuppa tea." So introducing the "l" and capitalizing the "T" of "Tees" probably means something. This is like trying to do a British Crossword puzzle. I just don't think I have the right neural pathways for it! Oh wait! I decided to look up "Tees Britain" and discovered the River Tees. Lucia has constantly been compared to water so that's that. Although what the "cuppla" has to do with anything, I can only guess. Maybe a bra?
"mentalpatiently"
And then Alan Moore throws in a really easy one for somebody like me! This was just meant to be "patiently" but Lucia sticks "mental" on the front of it, describing herself!
"ensquires"
Patricia is the sane squire, Sancho Panza, to Lucia's insane Don Quixote.
"jest"
I don't know what the joke is. Perhaps the suggestion that Lucia can make any real plans that the nurse doesn't already know about. Lucia probably spends every day in much the same way and so the nurse asking what she'll get up to is a daily joke between them.
"flameous rider's"
Suggestive of a flaming rider which would be what? Perhaps just a metaphor for a writer illuminating others. Also Lucia meaning light could be the flame and with all the incest, maybe there's a suggestion of that here with the rider of the flame? Man, I hope not!
"cross-i, dot-t"
Spoonerism of "dot your i's and cross your t's" in a clever way of referencing Lucia's mental illness, "cross-eyed and dotty."
"doubter"
"Doubter" instead of "daughter." What does Lucia doubt? Reality, mostly!
"well"
Back to Lucia and water imagery.
"be druin' with hersylph"
Suggestion of "druid" and "sylph," indicating Lucia will probably be wandering around outside in the natural grounds of the hospital.
"toda"
Toad. Toad? Anybody got anything better?!
Non-Lucy-Lips Version: Lucia's nice nurse, fatherly Patricia, sits beside her while she imbibes her early morning cup of tea and patiently enquires just what the famous writer's cross-eyed, dotty daughter will be doing with herself today.
"nicey-nercy"
"Nice nurse" but in a sing-song, childish way, as Lucia is being babysat, in a way, by Patricia. Also contains the suggestion of mercy.
"featherly Patrisia"
Weird to describe Patricia as "fatherly" but perhaps the kindness shown by her nurse reflects the kindness Lucia received from her father. We also get Patricia described as having feathers, and so probably bird-like. Maybe I should assume her name is actually "Patrisia" so I don't have to wonder why it was misspelled. It's probably just the British spelling.
"sips"
Patricia sits beside Lucia but Lucia, busy drinking tea, messes up the verb.
"besight"
Patricia keeps Lucia in her sights as she sits beside her, probably observing her to see if she'll be okay to wander the hospital grounds on her own. This reinforces the idea of Patricia as a parental figure, keeping careful watch of Lucia. Perhaps this is also why she's featherly, she's as a bird keeping watch of a young chick.
"while she bibs"
Lucia is drinking, or imbibing, her tea. "Bibs" suggests a baby's bib, once more suggesting Lucia is a youngster under the care and watchful gaze of a nanny. Of course Lucia is well into her 70s at this time.
"searly monin'"
Perhaps Lucia, like many people, is a bit gruff and liable to moan a bit in the morning before she as her cuppa (although she has earlier been portrayed as getting up with a "wry sing of de light," suggesting the opposite. Although maybe "wry" opposites the opposite?!).
"cuppla Tees"
The Non-Lucy-Lips version of this is simply "cup of tea" or "cuppa tea." So introducing the "l" and capitalizing the "T" of "Tees" probably means something. This is like trying to do a British Crossword puzzle. I just don't think I have the right neural pathways for it! Oh wait! I decided to look up "Tees Britain" and discovered the River Tees. Lucia has constantly been compared to water so that's that. Although what the "cuppla" has to do with anything, I can only guess. Maybe a bra?
"mentalpatiently"
And then Alan Moore throws in a really easy one for somebody like me! This was just meant to be "patiently" but Lucia sticks "mental" on the front of it, describing herself!
"ensquires"
Patricia is the sane squire, Sancho Panza, to Lucia's insane Don Quixote.
"jest"
I don't know what the joke is. Perhaps the suggestion that Lucia can make any real plans that the nurse doesn't already know about. Lucia probably spends every day in much the same way and so the nurse asking what she'll get up to is a daily joke between them.
"flameous rider's"
Suggestive of a flaming rider which would be what? Perhaps just a metaphor for a writer illuminating others. Also Lucia meaning light could be the flame and with all the incest, maybe there's a suggestion of that here with the rider of the flame? Man, I hope not!
"cross-i, dot-t"
Spoonerism of "dot your i's and cross your t's" in a clever way of referencing Lucia's mental illness, "cross-eyed and dotty."
"doubter"
"Doubter" instead of "daughter." What does Lucia doubt? Reality, mostly!
"well"
Back to Lucia and water imagery.
"be druin' with hersylph"
Suggestion of "druid" and "sylph," indicating Lucia will probably be wandering around outside in the natural grounds of the hospital.
"toda"
Toad. Toad? Anybody got anything better?!
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