A wooden abacus with pale green beads rests on yellow cloth against brick red.

Original artwork, not a still

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul ‧ 1988

Douglas Adams

“My name is Kate Schechter. Two ‘c’s, two ‘h’s, two ‘e’s, and also a ‘t’, an ‘r’, and an ‘s’. Provided they’re all there the bank won’t be fussy about the order they come in.”

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker gives their name as an inventory of letters, counting doubles and singles instead of spelling it in order. They then assure that the bank won't be fussy about sequence, provided every letter turns up. It is a deadpan joke about treating identity as a matter of ticking boxes.

Context reviewed

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