As always, there were several lines that caught my eye—of course, I loved the turn of phrase that Heidi mentioned: “Sherlockholmesing” (636). It felt very modern, very slang-like and common-place.

I also was a fan of, previously mentioned by Crystal: “We can’t change the country. Let us change the subject.’ (645). I may employ that myself…

A few other favorites:

“Everyone according to his needs and everyone according to his deeds.” (619)

“He could spin those yarns for hours on end all night long and lie like old boots.” (635)

I get knocked down
But I get up again
You’re never gonna keep me down
Pissing the night away…

Very much appreciated the straightforward, if a bit muddled, prose of this episode. It fits stylistically; they’re sobering up after the wicked bender of Circe. “His [Stephen's] mind was not exactly what you would call wandering but a bit unsteady…” [ML 1046, p.597]

We do see Poldy’s paternal instincts turn a bit mercenary towards his charge at episode end; thinking more in terms of capitalizing on his talents vs shepherding him safely home. Still, his intentions seem honest. He’s genuinely upset by Stephen’s coal-eating layabout lifestyle.

Many delightful euphemisms and turns of phrase this episode. A few I jotted down:
cordially disliked
swear a hole through a 10 gallon pot
flusterfied but outwardly calm
Sherlockholmesing him up
unfurl a reef (euph. for taking a pee)

Think my favorite passage this week was Bloom’s observation, “People could put up with being bitten by a wolf but what properly riled them was a bite from a sheep.” [ML p.642]

Felt I needed to solve a mystery here.  Not quite there yet… my guess:

It was Colonel Stephen under the cabman’s shelter with his ash plant.  ;D

A little sobering up with coffee and words.  My faves:

And when all was said and done the lies a fellow told about himself couldn’t probably hold a proverbial candle to the wholesale whoppers other fellows coined about him. (p. 636)

It’s all very fine to boast of mutual superiority but what about mutual equality. I resent violence and intolerance in any shape or form. It never reaches anything or stops anything. A revolution must come on the due instalments plan. It’s a patent absurdity on the face of it to hate people because they live round the corner and speak another vernacular, in the next house so to speak. (p. 643)

All those wretched quarrels, in his humble opinion, stirring up bad blood, from some bump of combativeness or gland of some kind, erroneously supposed to be about a punctilio of honour and a flag, were very largely a question of the money question which was at the back of everything greed and jealousy, people never knowing when to stop. (p. 643)

We can’t change the country. Let us change the subject. (p. 645)

And an endnote:
Our lives are in peril tonight. Beware of the steamroller. (p. 647)