Saturday 16 May 2020

Flying Carpets

Operation Chaos, XIV.

Steve and Virginia Matuchek's wedding presents include a soft, thick, spacious Persian flying carpet which has:

a 300 dragonpower spell;
a rear space for luggage;
polymerized sea foam cushions;
a force screen;
a convertible top.

It is so comfortable that they fly overnight instead of staying in a broomotel.

This gives us an indirect link with ERB (Edgar Rice Burroughs). ERB's sources for John Carter of Mars are thought to include Edwin Arnold's Lieutenant Gulliver (in some editions, Gullivar) Jones who, dissatisfied with life on Earth, wishes that he were on Mars when he happens to be standing on a flying carpet. Carter's means of travel to Mars is also supernatural.

Read about the Matucheks while remembering Jones and Carter.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Hmmm, a "broomotel" is a play on "motel." So, did "motel" come from "motor hotel"?

And that souped up Persian flying carpet certainly seems tempting!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Yes, I think that "motel" is "motor hotel."

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And I had never wondered about the origins of "motel," as a word, till I read this blog piece of yours.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I think that I have also seen a "boatel."

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And that I have never seen before!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I am fairly sure that it was a one-off.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Iow, a neologism which never caught on and spread, to become "fixed" in the language.

Ad astra! Sean