General
gulliver
What does gulliver mean?
In Nadsat, the gulliver is the head. Source word: Russian 'golova' (голова), literally 'head'; Burgess reshaped it into the familiar-looking name 'Gulliver'.
"Alex gets a nasty crack on the gulliver during a fight."
Origin
Coined by Burgess in A Clockwork Orange (1962) from the Russian 'golova', 'head', deliberately respelled to echo Swift's Gulliver. Burgess discussed this kind of layered punning in his essay 'Clockwork Marmalade' (1972).
Frequently asked questions
What does gulliver mean in Nadsat?
It means the head, anglicised by Burgess from the Russian 'golova'.
Is gulliver named after the Swift character?
The pun is intentional, but the root is Russian 'golova'; Burgess just borrowed the familiar spelling.
Where did gulliver come from?
Anthony Burgess constructed it for A Clockwork Orange in 1962 from the Russian word for head.
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