Annotation - Chapter 14, Page 137       next       context       previous

(137:30) "Drop John the Foller Man which they call me Mr On The Levvil as wel"
Hoban says Drop John was named after "Knock John," the location of a World War Two offshore fort north of Herne Bay. [EE] "Mr On The Levvil" for "Devil" sounds like Cockney rhyming slang, but seems to be Hoban's invention.