Invitation to a Beheading 154-169
Cincinattus describes the lights in the fortress courtyard as footlights. Almost exclusively used on stages and in performance of some kind, footlights are one of the many ways Cincinatttus describes his reality like a theatre show.
pg. 160 — Marchpane
An early iteration of what we now know as marzipan.
pg. 160 — Candied Angelica
Angelica stems that are repeatedly soaked in syrup until they turn translucent. They are a very early form of candy and have been around for centuries.
pg. 161 — Arabesques
A decorative pattern originating in the Middle East that features many interlocking swirls and tendrils like foliage.
pg. 164 — Talus
Considering that Cincinattus is crawling through dingy tunnels in a fortress prison and describes these tunnels as having skeletons in them, this could have one or two meanings. The first is that he means the talus bone in our ankles. It is the first ankle bone below the tibia. It could also take its geological meaning as Cincinattus says that the tunnels were like claustrophobic caves. In geology, a talus is a pile of randomly sized rock fragments lying at the base of a steep slope, indicating that the deposit of rocks is there because rocks above it keep falling down.
pg. 165 — Venetian Green
A rather light but not bright green. Think lime but not as bright.
pg. 167 — Antimacassar
A piece of cloth with the sole purpose of protecting furniture. Usually draped over the backs of sofas and chairs.
