This usage of epic wouldn’t have been correct fifty years ago, but it is correct now. Meanings shift and change; that’s how language works, and especially quickly in the case of popular slang. Dictionaries aim to describe not prescribe the language, so inevitably they lag behind the latest changes.
So if you tell people “it doesn’t mean what you think it means”, that’s inaccurate — and also inconsistent, unless you’d also criticise someone saying “That pizza was fantastic!” or “I had an awful hangover.” (The pizza was real, not a fantasy! The hangover was probably not filled with awe!)
Why not just tell them that they’re overusing the word epic, and that it’s getting irritating? This is more accurate about what the problem is — overuse of great! or super! would be just as annoying, although there’s no question of their meaning — and more honest about the fact that this is a stylistic judgement, not a question of grammatical (in)correctness.
Tumble about means to either roll around, like sea would capture her heart and waves would roll around it, metaphorically
You are exactly right.
"tumble" here just means "to roll over and over, to and fro, or end over end", and "about" is used in the sense of "all around".
Think of waves in the ocean moving all around her heart, in all directions, crashing together (and of course figuratively!). Water is often a symbol of emotion. Here, Eveline is feeling overwhelmed and thus, at this very moment, is conflicted about whether she should go or not.
There is a word in English, "aflutter" (which means "nervously excited") that could describe Eveline's current state.
Note that a "flutter" (think of the movement of butterflies) is something we can feel in our heart:
Heart palpitations are a feeling that your heart is beating too hard
or too fast, skipping a beat, or fluttering. [...] Most of the time, they're related to stress and anxiety.
I think it is this sensation that Joyce is alluding to.
(Note also that "A bell clanged upon her heart" is like the feeling of her heart jumping, or "skipping a beat", as Ronan points out).
"fell upon" is one way to interpret "tumble about", but really it's too simplistic. It doesn't capture the chaotic movement of the water, rather suggesting that it comes down in one action - which is not synonymous with "tumbling".
Best Answer
Yes, it is written properly.
'Fall' is used in this way to mean 'day or date of occurrence'. We could say, for example,"My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year", or ask "What date does Easter fall on this year?"
This reflects the 'beyond control' nature of time. Probably, that particular October had 5 weekends as well as the holidays, which is beyond the control of the traders.