The meaning was clear: pigs used their noses both as tools (shovels for digging) and weapons (tusks for slashing). It just so happened that "Moby" sounded a lot like "muubi." He guessed that Dr. Rutledge’s phrase "Moby Pig" had gotten crosswired in the dusty electrical closet of his brain with muubi pooro , a term he had heard his Comanche relatives use, and created that nagging itch in his mind.