Shabet took a pince-nez from his breast pocket and settled it on the bridge of his nose.

punctus percontativus A reversed, but not inverted punctus interrogativus […] used in the 16th and 17th centuries to indicate the end of a percontatio.

He spoke fast, with the uneasy tone that so often underran his words.

Since most horizontal slipforming is against a fixed form support such as rock or earth, the operation is essentially a consolidating-screeding-finishing operation.