Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses/Eumaeus/594

Annotations

stiver     Stiver is the Anglicization of an old Dutch coin called stuiver representing 5 Dutch cents or 1/20 of a guilder prior to the introduction of the Euro in 2001. Because a form of this was minted by the East Indian Company for colonial currency in Sri Lanka, the word developed a meaning in English in the 19th century as a low-value coin.

— cum —     Cum is a Latin preposition meaning with. In English it is used as a combining form to indicate a dual nature or function. Here, the narrator (Bloom?) is alluding to the dual purpose for which Murphy went outside: to relieve himself (libation) and to have a drink of liquor (potation).