Feathering, Jansy, besides what oarsmen and certain birds (logically) do to decrease drag on their blades or wings, and various other meanings, became a widely used term with the advent of aviation. On some aircraft powered by a reciprocating (as opposed to jet) engine, the pitch of the propeller blades can be adjusted so as to increase or decrease their bite. This ability can be important in certain instances, e.g., feathering the blades of the propeller (via rotation at the hub) on an inoperative engine so as to minimize air resistance, etc.

As to the Nabokov history, interesting information can be gleaned by Charles and others from volumes such as Les Nabokov, a genealogical essay by Jacques Ferrand, Paris 1982; La Noblesse Russe; etc. I don't much like glorifyiing my pedigree, since it reminds me of newspaper ads that propose to find or create titles, crests, and histories for European chambermaids and status-seeking, very middle-class Americans (whose country, after all, had rebelled against that sort of thing before falling for el cheapo "royalty" like the late Diana). Nevertheless, those who are interested will discover certain curious aspects of our family. One should bear in mind that the Russian aristocracy was not limited to those who bore a title (something that was liberally distributed by our monarchs ever since the days of Catherine the Great and her plentiful lovers). My paternal grandfather, who certainly did not need the cash, very visibly sold his court uniform because of his disagreement with the Tsar over the treatment of the poorer classes. On the other hand, on an occasion when he was being commended, he opted for a material reward rather than a title. Many titled and untitled nobles and courtiers appear on our family tree, including an antecedent of my paternal great-grandmother Baroness Korff, whose carriage Louis XVI borrowed to escape from Paris incognito only to be apprehended by eager revolutionaries after a short drive because his entire retenue had followed him on horseback, quickly blowing his cover. There are some important creative talents like the composer Karl Heinrich Graun, cabinet ministers, military men, individuals of various types and sexes. I guess there is some amusement value in all that, but VN acquired from his father, and passed on to me, the conviction that nobility was a function of a man's deeds, not of his lineage.

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