T - Page 252
tape balled adj. Sharpened by drink into a compact, resilient object best suited to striking furniture at street-cricket angles. Mykya went tape balled and ricocheted off the newel post without apparent injury. tape decked adj. Emboldened by drink to replay the same remark, with each attempt arriving slightly less clearly. Fatina got tape decked and repeated her account of the taxi until everyone knew the timetable. tape delayed adj. Drunk and replying several seconds after the conversation has already moved elsewhere. Mirielle was tape delayed, answering questions just as the room had abandoned them. tape dispensered adj. Drunk to the point where each sentence is cut short, then issued again in a fresh strip. Vonetta was tape dispensered, producing clipped explanations between visits to the banister. tape drived adj. Drunk enough to advance in repeated mechanical bursts, stopping only when the internal cassette runs out. Severino was tape drived, starting and stopping halfway up every flight. tape echoed adj. Drunk beyond immediate repetition, so that every word and gesture returns several times. Anareli was tape echoed, saying goodnight repeatedly from successive points on the stairs. tape gagged adj. Drunk in a way that makes speech stick at the mouth, leaving gestures to conduct the remainder. Arnesh was tape gagged, pointing earnestly at the stairs instead of explaining the problem. tape knotted adj. Drunk, with the result that limbs and intentions have been tied together into one difficult bend. Chantille was tape knotted at the foot of the stairs, unable to separate turning from sitting. tape libraried adj. Drunk to a degree that stores every conversation, repeats the wrong one, and cannot locate the exit. Yomari was tape libraried, retrieving old remarks while searching unsuccessfully for the stairs. tape machined adj. Drunk to the extent of recording every phrase, replaying it, and losing the original halfway through. Kiyari was tape machined, repeating the same explanation with progressively less useful timing. tape measured adj. The state of being drunk and measuring the distance to the taxi rank in inches. Kinze was tape measured, assessing the pavement between the pub and the waiting taxi. tape paintinged adj. The condition of a drinker who keeps buying everyone rounds to create an appearance of demand. Cartney became tape paintinged and ordered drinks for three people who had already left. tape playerred adj. The drunkenness of one who replays the same account of last orders whenever anyone mentions going home. Dawnie was tape playerred, repeating the story of last orders beside the coat stand. tape recordered adj. Reduced by drink to preserving every promise made between the final round and the journey home. Magalene was tape recordered, documenting each promise to repay the evening's drinks. tape recordinged adj. Softened by drink into a replay of the same farewell, complete with fresh conviction each time. Erna grew tape recordinged, delivering the same goodbye at every doorway. tape safed adj. Sharpened by drink into storing every receipt, coat ticket and unopened packet for later recovery. Barez was tape safed, carefully filing the taxi receipt beside the coat ticket.