Angle of Repose discussion

I have never heard of this term, nor can I find a definition online. Does anyone else have an idea of what it means?

I can't remember where it is used in the book. Can you give us the context?

Certainly. It's used a few times, but in one instance where Shelly is talking about her guy:

"He'll pop up from behind bushes, and he'll leave these cannibal tracks in the sand for us to see, he'll get us all looking over our shoulders."

And a few lines later, Lyman says:

"But you're scared he'll hang around and leave cannibal tracks.... If he does, if he practices any philosophical trespass around here, I will call the cops. I haven't got time to spend on cannibal tracks, and I doubt you have."

I found another reference to it here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=hacX...

linking it to Robinson Crusoe. I hope this won't be a spoiler but after Crusoe has been on the island for awhile (years, I guess), he sees a man's footprints in the sand and totally freaks out. He knows there are cannibals on a neighboring island and he assumes a cannibal has been there and left. So it sounds like Shelly is saying her boyfriend (ex?) will leave footprints so people will know he's been there and it will make them nervous.

Ah, nice find, Lobstergirl. And I'd say by now, Robinson Crusoe is fair game for spoilers ;). I was at first confused by Shelly's seemingly literal usage of the term while Lyman's seems more metaphorical, but it could be that Lyman was in fact just running with the term. Maybe he meant it more to say that Shelly's ex was doing things to make his presence felt around the household and that it was making everyone uneasy.

"I haven’t got time to spend on cannibal tracks"

made me think something would be left behind along with the footprints. i googled it as well & could not find anything, but this

Thanks for this! I googled the term while reading Angle of Repose and was glad to happen upon this explanation.

Thanks, Lobstergirl