Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Penelope/710

Annotations

710.33 pesetas       The peseta was a currency unit of Spain from the 19th century until the introduction of the Euro in 1999. The name peseta derives from a Catalan word meaning "small piece".

710.33 perragordas       Perra gorda was the colloquial name for a coin of 0.10 pesetas (see previous annotation). Spanish perra means "she-dog" and perra gorda means "fat she-dog", referring to the animal on the reverse of the coin, which was a somewhat ambiguous lion. The smaller 0.05 peseta coin with the same lion was called perra chica, meaning "small she-dog".
Perra does also mean "prostitute", so perra gorda can be translated as "fat bitch".