Epping Forest is an ancient forest in the north London area and obviously "effing" is a euphemism for "fucking". Page 110 and footnote - "Having kittens" is an expression meaning "to become very nervous or upset about something " which of course anyone would be who was placed in an Iron Maiden with a bunch of kittens and beaten by Cedric if the kittens meowed. Daffodils reminds the reader of the romantic poem 'I Wander Lonely as a Cloud' by William Wordsworth.

Raising Steam - Penguin Books UK Raising Steam - Penguin Books UK

Vetinari himself is rather apprehensive of new technology, like in The Truth, because of his past experience. They have a time-honoured and arcane key ceremony at two in the morning which is like the Changing of the Guards in other cities of the Multiverse, only louder and more obtrusive, involving the Patting of the Pockets, the I'll Swear They Were Here This Morning, and the Stone Me, They Were Here All Along, and ending with the signing-over of keys between the incoming and outgoing porters. If human thought is a growth, like all other growths, its logic is without foundation of its own, and is only the adjusting constructiveness of all other growing things.

Moist protests that this is impossible because the railway is nowhere near its completion, but is told that achieving this target is non-negotiable. He concedes that Moist probably really has put his criminal lifestyle behind him, and commends him for fighting off some dwarf extremists - though he adds (with a wink) a parody of the standard "you should have let the police handle it" routine. Later in the novel, Moist comes up with the plan to franchise the bridges to Troll families, who are natural bridge tenders and will be given homes in the bridge pillars - complete with lavatories - and a guaranteed herd of goats. Charlie makes an appearance to fill in for Vetinari while he goes undercover on Iron Girder as "Stoker Blake".

Raising Steam - Wikipedia

The inventor of the steam engine is Dick Simnel, son of Ned Simnel, who notably failed to invent a steam engine in Reaper Man. The character of Mrs Bradshaw is a reference to the well known Bradshaw's series of railway timetables and tourist guides. Dopey Docson, a male dwarf, and Crackle, a female troll, meet up on the trainline around midway through the book and start having an affair, due to dissatisfaction with their former partners and recognizing a kindred spirit in each other - a Shout-Out to Brief Encounter.Precision F-Strike: Amusingly averted, the map in the front of the book contains an Effing Forest which leads to some entertaining wood based puns later on.