Octopidal

[slemslempike]

Does anyone know what "octopidal" means, or what it might be an error for? I have encountered it in Gyles Brandreth's biography of John Gielgud, on an announcement about Gielgud's performance on HMS Nelson, saying "Loudspeakers are being rigged so that any audience in the octopidal should be able to hear".

Neither google nor the OED are any help. I do not mean octopedal.

Comments

[randy-gibbons.livejournal.com]

Hm, that might be one of those cases of nautical terminology that 'floors' could be referred to as 'decks' regardless of whether you're on land or afloat. Not being a sailor, I wouldn't know.

It probably is the ship though. What year are we talking about? The battleship was broken up in 1949 and not even the navy would have two HMS Nelsons on the go at the same time.

Will you post the answer if you find out? It's intriguing.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I will! I hope there is an actual answer and it's not a weird mistake, that would be very disappointing.

It's in 1942, and it's in the context of a tour of aircraft carriers and battleships that Gielgud was doing. Why not even the navy? Are they notorious for ill-thought out names?

[randy-gibbons.livejournal.com]

No, just because it's a strange world of arcane traditions and terminology.