Jeopardy! Season 38 (2021-2022)

[853fisher]

On 5/28/2022 at 3:20 PM, ams1001 said:

She has thumbs!

One of Hemingway's cats!  (That's great fodder for a J! clue.  He was given a cat with extra toes by a sea captain who considered them good luck.  Today there are over 50 cats at his home on Key West.  Not all have the toes, but all have the genes.)  Officially, they're polydactyl, but that's much less fun.  Judy has one extra toe on each of her front paws, plus a nub between the extra and main toes, which seems to serve no purpose other than to contain an extra claw with which to enforce her wishes.

[ams1001]

22 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

One of Hemingway's cats!  (That's great fodder for a J! clue.  He was given a cat with extra toes by a sea captain who considered them good luck.  Today there are over 50 cats at his home on Key West.  Not all have the toes, but all have the genes.)  Officially, they're polydactyl, but that's much less fun.  Judy has one extra toe on each of her front paws, plus a nub between the extra and main toes, which seems to serve no purpose other than to contain an extra claw with which to enforce her wishes.

I've been to Key West (long time ago); my mom and I took the trolley tour which went by the Hemingway House and talked about the cats. Never got a chance to actually go visit the house, though. I've never personally met a polydactyl...

[853fisher]

Bill Cullen isn't half as well remembered as I think he deserves to be, so I was glad Mandy mentioned him, but "Tic Tac Dough" wasn't actually among the well over a dozen shows he hosted.  Maybe she misspoke, rather than being misinformed, but it was a bit of a bummer to this big fan of his.

Another nitpick: Howard Dietz was inspired by Columbias's mascot to create the mascot for Goldwyn Pictures. The lion was also used by that studio's successor, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, but the clue asked specifically about its genesis. Some will think this is splitting hairs, but I thought it was sloppy.

Just one more: the sound engineer forgot to mute Mayim's mic as she walked from her opening mark to the podium, in case you wondered what that CLOMP CLOMP was while the categories were revealed.  And this isn't a criticism of Mayim - it's not the host's job to take care of that.

Maybe I'm just grumpy because I biffed FJ with Desmond Tutu.  He died December 26 2021, so I was at least warmer than the two who guessed John Lewis, who died July 17 2020.  In retrospect it sounds outlandish to guess that he would've mentored an American talk show host, but I knew he had died quite recently and he didn't strike me as one who would've had hang-ups about engaging with anyone with a large platform that could have helped him spread the values he stood or.

Edited May 30, 2022 by 853fisher

[Roaster]

Things I learned watching Jeopardy! today:

Napalm is partially named from the ingredient palmitate.
Those light fixtures on walls are called sconces.
Phil Donahue is still alive.

[Ailianna]

Instaget FJ! I even remember reading that quote, but there were a lot of tributes to Sidney Pointier when he died. John Lewis was another monumental figure, but his death is inextricably linked to 2020 for me, part of all the crazy and devastation of that year. I'm surprised two people put him down unless they forgot the category.

And as I write this, there's a commercial on with Payton Manning saying Omaha over and over. Where was this last week when I didn't know that answer?

[Katy M]

I said Phil Donahue.

I did terribly tonight.  Mostly in DJ.  That was a train wreck for m.

I got the missed clues of pendulum, swimming, chicken (which is no longer a TS, but I did so badly tonight, I'm keeping it) and kangaroo (I loved Pocket Books).

[Browncoat]

I didn't even have a guess for FJ.  I pre-guessed Betty White, and she wouldn't get out of my brain.  Maybe I need a Snickers.

The only TS I got were pendulum, Cedar Rapids, chicken (I'm keeping it, too, @Katy M!), and south.

[dgpolo]

The TS I'm most proud of getting is Tapestries and I'm not sure just how I did so. Did they not give Mandy 'Irish Creamed' because I thought that was a good answer?

[dcalley]

I was halfway out of the room when Mandy got the Daily Double, but it sure sounded to me like she just said 5 [dollars]. The show needs to make sure the wagers are crystal clear.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

In retrospect it sounds outlandish to guess that he would've mentored an American talk show host,

Argh. Once again I forgot to read the FJ clue out loud to myself and didn't even notice key parts, like "friend and mentor" 
--not that it would have helped me come up with Sidney Poitier as either Oprah's friend or mentor.
But I am going to put on my Outlook Web calendar for next Monday: READ FJ CLUE OUT LOUD!
Sorry for shouting here.

I too got Pendulum and Chicken, but also South, even though I have no idea what show it was from, but just having lived most of my life near Chicago, it had to be "South Side."

3 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Did they not give Mandy 'Irish Creamed' because I thought that was a good answer?

I agree "Creamed" could refer to someone who was murdered or otherwise treated badly in a Mystery story. I did not understand how "Stewed" fits in.

Mayim's wardrobe is definitely good now. Her delivery and rapport are better, but still need a little smoothing out.

[dcalley]

11 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Did they not give Mandy 'Irish Creamed' because I thought that was a good answer?

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I agree "Creamed" could refer to someone who was murdered or otherwise treated badly in a Mystery story. I did not understand how "Stewed" fits in.

The clues were about real books, but I like "Irish Creamed" better!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/177350-ethnic-eats-mystery

[secnarf]

Partial instaget for me...I knew instantly who they were referring to, but had a hell of a time dragging his name out of my brain. I did manage to do it before time was up, but it was PAINFUL. Think: "Si.....Si.....Sid.....Sid....Sidn....Sidney......................................................... Sidney..................Sidney Poitier"

All the while picturing his face in my head. I knew the Oprah connection too; I was absolutely certain it was him.

[ams1001]

Got home late; just watched on YT.

Not a great game. Only ran Verb+er=Noun,

TSes were Pendulum, Swimmers, Prairie Chicken (I'm keeping it, too), kangaroo, South Side. 

FJ was an instaget.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, dgpolo said:

The TS I'm most proud of getting is Tapestries and I'm not sure just how I did so. Did they not give Mandy 'Irish Creamed' because I thought that was a good answer?

It might have been a good answer, but is probably not actually the name of a book.

[DrSpaceman73]

I thought Donahue too

And I don't think it's out of the question he would have mentored her. Plus mentor can mean a lot of things over a wide range, from an active daily advisor and financial supporter to an occasional fellow host you go to for advice. As the talk shows became more outlandish and unlike Oprah and Donahue I'm sure they compared notes on occasion 

Also when she started out they were both in Chicago, though he moved to New York shortly after, and in the mid 80s as far as talk shows it was basically just those two nationally. 

But he's still alive, that is the #1 thing against that answer. 

I never would've come up with Sidney poitier

Edited May 31, 2022 by DrSpaceman73

[Bastet]

At least they used Female, instead of Women, Presidents as a category title.  Now if only they'd include clues about women in plain ol' "presidents" categories more often (like three of the sports clues being about women, rather than them only appearing in a Female Athletes category).

The South TS surprised me; I don't know the artist, song, or show, but Chicago + ___ Side made for an easy guess.

I came within one of running the entire first round, but, like the contestants, I couldn't come up with the Irish pun.

I did really well in DJ, too, running three categories, getting all but one each in two others (one of which was the bible category, shockingly), and only missing two in the last (18th c.).

And FJ was an instaget, so I had a great game all around.

[Prevailing Wind]

In December, after Mike Nesmith died, the Decades channel did a Monkees Marathon, which, thanks to Nesmith, enabled me to get not only Prairie Chicken, but the Texas Prairie Chicken. There was a series of outtakes of him attempting to say, "Save the Texas Prairie Chicken" without laughing. Apparently, my mind thought it was indelible.

I am SO weary of all the religion categories.

Blew FJ.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Prevailing Wind

[opus]

I confidently said John Lewis, but as the clock was ticking down started to think “Uh oh, that wasn’t this year, was it?”

[Montreal Meany]

5 hours ago, dcalley said:

The clues were about real books, but I like "Irish Creamed" better!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/177350-ethnic-eats-mystery

One might get Irish stewed on Irish cream, though I don't know what happens in the book.

[South]

I said “that would be a grouse!”, with more confidence and swagger than you’d think necessary.  I have a senior cat who looks, behaves and sounds like one, and has for years.  The South house refers to her as The Grouse, and we make comments about her grousing about the place.  Oh, my chagrin when I was knocked off my high horse.  I bellowed “HORSE SHIT!!”, and sat befuddled and cross until the correction.  Then all was right in my world.  I know a grouse when I see one.

[HyeChaps]

7 hours ago, opus said:

I confidently said John Lewis, but as the clock was ticking down started to think “Uh oh, that wasn’t this year, was it?”

That happened to my guess of Colin Powell.

[Mindthinkr]

I only looked up the game on the archives, and did get FJ although it too me a few seconds to get there. 
 

I had a Hemingway polydactyl cat. His name was Justice. I didn’t know the kitten was one, but the vet knew him from being checked out when the litter was born. He ate cheese and crackers at cocktail hour by using his opposable thumb to hold it and take bites. I miss him. Just the sweetest boy. 

12 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Maybe I need a Snickers.

When I took my RN boards I took a Snickers in with me. It was suggested at the college to do so to help us keep up our focus and energy levels during the test. It worked. I passed. 

[zapper]

On 5/28/2022 at 12:25 PM, Bastet said:

Poseidon was an IG for me, since The Poseidon Adventure was one of my favorites during my disaster movie phase as a kid (and I'll still watch at least parts of it if I come across it on TV now), so ask me about an upside down ship, and I know it's Poseidon.  But add me to the list who'd never come across the fact the film was based on a book.

my beef is that she answered "poseidon adventure" when the question asked for the liner. This answer should have been "poseidon" which is the name of the liner. 

[Clanstarling]

17 hours ago, Roaster said:

Phil Donahue is still alive.

Well, at least that's different from my usual discovery when reading an obit - "oh, he/she was still alive?" So now, a long time from now, when I see Donahue's obit, I will know he was still alive until he died. 😉

16 hours ago, dcalley said:

The clues were about real books, but I like "Irish Creamed" better!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/177350-ethnic-eats-mystery

I must have missed Mayim's intro - I had no idea they were real books.

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

At least they used Female, instead of Women, Presidents as a category title.  Now if only they'd include clues about women in plain ol' "presidents" categories more often (like three of the sports clues being about women, rather than them only appearing in a Female Athletes category).

The younger women I know (my daughters) hate the use of the word "female" - I've never quite understood their reason, but I think it has something to do with the fact that idiot misogynistic men on social media tend to use it. (very vague on my understanding - if there's someone on the forum who understands this, please explain.) I don't care about "women" the word, so much as it doesn't really need to be used as a category title (though it certainly helps eliminate answers)

8 hours ago, South said:

I said “that would be a grouse!”, with more confidence and swagger than you’d think necessary.  I have a senior cat who looks, behaves and sounds like one, and has for years.  The South house refers to her as The Grouse, and we make comments about her grousing about the place.  Oh, my chagrin when I was knocked off my high horse.  I bellowed “HORSE SHIT!!”, and sat befuddled and cross until the correction.  Then all was right in my world.  I know a grouse when I see one.

My husband said grouse - but was more befuddled. He was pleased when the correction was made too.

It was a crap game for me. Maybe my mind was off in lala land.

I thought of Lewis for FJ, but knew he didn't die this year. I would never have come up with Poitier.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Clanstarling

[proserpina65]

On 5/28/2022 at 2:04 PM, illdoc said:

I've read it (about 10 years ago). I will say (a) the movie (the original 1972 version) is very faithful to the book and (b) you wouldn't think that the movie was ... uplifting... but compared to the book, wow! I will just say that the book is rather depressing compared to the movie. 

That movie completely freaked me out when I first saw it as a child.  I blame it for my fear of being trapped on a sinking ship. (Yes, my parents let me watch some very age-inappropriate stuff.)

On 5/28/2022 at 2:30 PM, SomeTameGazelle said:

"Get Happy" the number may be less obscure than the movie "Summer Stock" because it was included in "That’s Entertainment"

That's how I knew it.

I did okay but not great on Friday.  Ran Quick History, Books About Celebrities, Thirds and Alliteration.  Got Hermitage, Judy Garland, Balkanize, Hesperus, Donna Summer and Napoli.  Should've gotten Belgium but said France instead.

I was completely clueless about FJ.  Tried to come up with some famous athlete from Nebraska.  I'm not an NFL fan so there was no way I'd have known that one.

Monday's game was no better for me than Friday's.  Ran Verb+ER, Potpourri, Female Presidents and TV Theme Songs.  Got Cedar Rapids, pendulum, swimming, Handel and south side.  Completely forgot that Sidney Poitier died earlier this year.

23 hours ago, Montreal Meany said:

“Today, you remember. I wonder how many Americans remember. Today is Pearl Harbor Day"-George HW Bush, addressing the American Legion, September 7, 1988. 

And he was the smart Bush!

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, Katy M said:

I got the missed clues of pendulum, swimming, chicken (which is no longer a TS, but I did so badly tonight, I'm keeping it) and kangaroo (I loved Pocket Books).

I stupidly said penguin, despite them not having pockets and there being a publisher named Penguin for whom the penguin is the mascot.  And I used to work in a bookstore.  Oy.

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

At least they used Female, instead of Women, Presidents as a category title.  Now if only they'd include clues about women in plain ol' "presidents" categories more often (like three of the sports clues being about women, rather than them only appearing in a Female Athletes category).

I like that they used "Female" because it narrowed the category down considerably for me; I like it every time they do it for just that reason.  And meant that my crappy knowledge of US presidents wouldn't be a factor.  I don't get bothered by them using "Women" in category titles like "Women Authors" although that is grammatically incorrect, I guess.  Basically I like any phrasing which make the possible pool of answers less broad.

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

The younger women I know (my daughters) hate the use of the word "female" - I've never quite understood their reason, but I think it has something to do with the fact that idiot misogynistic men on social media tend to use it. (very vague on my understanding - if there's someone on the forum who understands this, please explain.) I don't care about "women" the word, so much as it doesn't really need to be used as a category title (though it certainly helps eliminate answers)

My impression is that at least some people's objection is that "woman" is a noun, "female" is an adjective (unless you're a detective identifying suspects).  I'm sure other people have objections that are less grammar-based, though.

[Bastet]

6 hours ago, zapper said:

my beef is that she answered "poseidon adventure" when the question asked for the liner. This answer should have been "poseidon" which is the name of the liner. 

That bugs me too, but they always accept stuff like that, so I try to roll with it.

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

The younger women I know (my daughters) hate the use of the word "female" - I've never quite understood their reason, but I think it has something to do with the fact that idiot misogynistic men on social media tend to use it. (very vague on my understanding - if there's someone on the forum who understands this, please explain.)

My guess is they object to "female" as a noun because of the way it's used by misogynistic men.  I do too.  Grammatically, it can be a noun or an adjective, yes, but outside of a few circumstances (e.g. medical, scientific), when it's used as a noun, it's generally done in a demeaning way.

But "woman" is a noun, not an adjective.  So if they're going to continue with their "Women Authors/Presidents/Scientists" shit, they need to at least be grammatically correct and use "Female" instead as they did last night and have done several times before*; they seem to have caught on at long last (although I think there have still been some "Women Whatevers" in the interim).  I won't be fully satisfied, though, until women are the subject of more clues in categories about world leaders, authors, scientists, artists, athletes, etc. rather than too often being relegated to "Female Whatevers" categories, like they're anomalies within the Whatever field.  The writers are getting better at properly integrating women into broader categories, but they're not there.

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Basically I like any phrasing which make the possible pool of answers less broad.

I wouldn't have a problem with female being occasionally used to narrow the pool*, just like American, 18th century, [Award]-winning, [Sport] superstars, etc. are, if male was also occasionally used.  But they never do "Men/Male Whatevers" categories.  That discrepancy positions men as the default in any given profession, and women as outliers.  

*But the failures of a binary gender construct are now known widely enough that it's best to just do away with categories that group people that way.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Bastet

[proserpina65]

19 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I wouldn't have a problem with female being occasionally used to narrow the pool*, just like American, 18th century, [Award]-winning, [Sport] superstars, etc. are, if male was also occasionally used.  But they never do "Men/Male Whatevers" categories.  That discrepancy positions men as the default in any given profession, and women as outliers.  

*But the failures of a binary gender construct are known widely enough now that it's best to just do away with categories that group people that way.

Yeah, I don't really care that much.

[Clanstarling]

36 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That bugs me too, but they always accept stuff like that, so I try to roll with it.

My guess is they object to "female" as a noun because of the way it's used by misogynistic men.  I do too.  Grammatically, it can be a noun or an adjective, but outside of a few narrow uses (e.g. medical, scientific), when it's used as a noun, it's often done in a demeaning way.

But "woman" is a noun, not an adjective.  So if they're going to do their "Women Authors/Presidents/Scientists" shit, they need to at least be grammatically correct and use "Female" instead as they did last night.*  But I won't be fully satisfied until there are a more clues about women in categories about world leaders, authors, scientists, artists, athletes, etc. rather than too often relegating them to categories devoted to "Female Whatevers", like they're anomalies within the Whatever field.  The writers are getting better at properly integrating women into broader categories, but they're not there.

I wouldn't have a problem with female being occasionally used to narrow the pool*, just like American, 18th century, [Award]-winning, [Sport] superstars, etc. are, if male was also occasionally used.  But they never do "Men/Male Whatevers" categories.  That discrepancy positions men as the default in any given profession, and women as outliers.  

*But the failures of a binary gender construct are known widely enough now that it's best to just do away with categories that group people that way.

Thanks for the views (you too @SoMuchTV).

*is an excellent point.

[853fisher]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

My guess is they object to "female" as a noun because of the way it's used by misogynistic men.  I do too.  Grammatically, it can be a noun or an adjective, yes, but outside of a few circumstances (e.g. medical, scientific), when it's used as a noun, it's generally done in a demeaning way.

This is why I also object to it when used as a noun, usually by men.  I find it seems depersonalizing and is almost never used in a positive or neutral sense.  You wouldn't hear "I'm glad to see females in leadership at this company" or "I've been dating a while but haven't met the right female for me yet."  It would far more likely be "I wonder what these females do to get those jobs" or "there's something wrong with these females I've been meeting."  (Both of which I have read or heard recently.)  A friend once summed it up by saying that she thought she had never heard anyone use it without it being evident that they really wanted to use a word for a female dog instead.

[Bastet]

1 minute ago, 853fisher said:

This is why I also object to it when used as a noun, usually by men.  I find it seems depersonalizing and is almost never used in a positive or neutral sense.  You wouldn't hear "I'm glad to see females in leadership at this company" or "I've been dating a while but haven't met the right female for me yet."  It would far more likely be "I wonder what these females do to get those jobs" or "there's something wrong with these females I've been meeting."

Yep.  While these same men will never use "male" as a noun.  Woman is specifically a female human being, so to use female reduces us to less than human.  It's blatant, and so common it's no wonder there's a reflexive backlash to almost all instances of "female" as a noun.

It has become such a pejorative as a noun, even its usage as a benign adjective can cause a reaction.  In that sense, I'm sympathetic to those who want to make "woman/women" an adjective - language eternally evolves, after all - but I'd rather use gender-neutral language other than when specifically necessary, and use a non-binary framework when it is.

[853fisher]

Today was Ryan’s highest coryat score (betting clues are given their “natural value” on the board instead of the player’s wager) yet.  I hope it helps his confidence to have some of these really dominant performances along with the games he seems to get through by the skin of his teeth.  (Of course, it doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do it.)  Was there a particular meaning behind his joking response of Ted Cruz for FJ?  I know there are various mock conspiracy theories about him, but I can’t think of one that links to the clue.

Accepting “King Lear” raised my eyebrow a bit.  The title of James Shapiro’s book is “The Year of Lear,” no “King” in sight.  The clue was “…’Year of’ this great tragic play,” and I guess that play is sometimes colloquially called “Lear,” but I really wish I couldn’t find any of these things to even think about poking holes in the writing.

I also wish they would briefly explain reversals by the judges.  “Earlier we accepted your response of ‘privateering’ to the clue about letters of marque.  A privateer has received letters of marque authorizing them to engage in naval operations, but we asked you what those operations would be considered without the authorization.  The correct response was ‘piracy,’ so I’m afraid we’ve had to adjust your score.”  I know time is not unlimited, but I think it makes sense to offer some kind of clarification without requiring the viewer to do their own research.

[ams1001]

Had a not-so-great first round but a pretty good second round…ran Medieval Times, Flat-Out Fact, and Going PRO, missed one in Science, and two in the others. Got the TSes of 1985, Epistles, Lori Lightfoot, protein, Flathead, and FJ was an instaget.

Anyone else think Mayim looked like she was listing to the right a bit?

Edited May 31, 2022 by ams1001

[Katy M]

I read Catcher in the Rye 100years ago in high school and hated it, so don't think I would have gotten it anyway.  But, I spent way too long confusing myself, thinking the main character was a title character.  By the time I figured out my mistake, I had about 2 seconds left.  

I got the missed clues of 1985, '42, epistles, Lori Lightfoot, Flathead, and Malaysia (after the miss of Indonesia).

I got the entire category of flat facts right.

Better night than last night.  But, that didn't take much.

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

I also wish they would briefly explain reversals by the judges.  “Earlier we accepted your response of ‘privateering’ to the clue about letters of marque.  A privateer has received letters of marque authorizing them to engage in naval operations, but we asked you what those operations would be considered without the authorization.  The correct response was ‘piracy,’ so I’m afraid we’ve had to adjust your score.”  I know time is not unlimited, but I think it makes sense to offer some kind of clarification without requiring the viewer to do their own research.

I was just glad they reversed it. I was pretty ticked off it was accepted in the first place.

[ams1001]

6 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I was just glad they reversed it. I was pretty ticked off it was accepted in the first place.

I wasn't ticked off (yet, only because I hadn't double checked before they reversed it) but I was thinking, "wait, I'm pretty sure those aren't the same thing..."

[Browncoat]

I missed FJ again tonight!  It's been ages since I read Catcher in the Rye, and while I know of several poems by Robert Burns, none of the ones I could think of had anything to do with rye.  Oh well.  

I did get the TS of hickory, Andre, tongue, Boston, protein, and Flathead.

My TV station cut to commercial immediately after the Bob Dylan clue.  Did I miss anything?  Or was that where they would have gone to a break anyway? 

[853fisher]

3 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

My TV station cut to commercial immediately after the Bob Dylan clue.  Did I miss anything?  Or was that where they would have gone to a break anyway? 

I think you missed two clues and an acknowledgment that Ryan had run the category.

"In 2021 the estate of this "Dance With My Father" R&B singer who left us far too soon at 54 made a $40 mil. deal with Primary Wave"

Spoiler

Who is Luther Vandross?

"Sony Music made a boss move in 2021, paying more than half a billion for the recordings & music publishing of this Jersey guy"

Spoiler

Who is Bruce Springsteen?

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I read Catcher in the Rye 100years ago in high school and hated it, so don't think I would have gotten it anyway.  But, I spent way too long confusing myself, thinking the main character was a title character.  By the time I figured out my mistake, I had about 2 seconds left.  

I couldn’t manage to parse that clue or figure out what they were asking for, but in hindsight I now remember “Comin' Thro' the Rye” and how it figured into that book. 

[Browncoat]

9 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

I think you missed two clues and an acknowledgment that Ryan had run the category.

"In 2021 the estate of this "Dance With My Father" R&B singer who left us far too soon at 54 made a $40 mil. deal with Primary Wave"

  Reveal spoiler

Who is Luther Vandross?

"Sony Music made a boss move in 2021, paying more than half a billion for the recordings & music publishing of this Jersey guy"

  Reveal spoiler

Who is Bruce Springsteen?

I did miss those clues!  Stupid local TV station.  I definitely would have gotten the second one, but I'm not sure I would have gotten the first one.

[mertensia]

21 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In December, after Mike Nesmith died, the Decades channel did a Monkees Marathon, which, thanks to Nesmith, enabled me to get not only Prairie Chicken, but the Texas Prairie Chicken. There was a series of outtakes of him attempting to say, "Save the Texas Prairie Chicken" without laughing. Apparently, my mind thought it was indelible.

I am SO weary of all the religion categories.

Blew FJ.

I got Prairie Chicken because I met Fran Hamerstrom once and read her book **My Double Life**.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Hamerstrom

[Miss Anne Thrope]

29 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I read Catcher in the Rye 100years ago in high school and hated it, so don't think I would have gotten it anyway.  But, I spent way too long confusing myself, thinking the main character was a title character. 

Strangely enough, I also read Catcher in the Rye 100 years ago in high school and hated it -- but that's why I got it.  For some reason, it has stuck with me -- even the "if a body catch a body comin' through the rye" line despite my best efforts to put it in the past. Thanks a freakin' lot, (10th grade English teacher) Mr. Quinn.

[dcalley]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

if they're going to continue with their "Women Authors/Presidents/Scientists" shit, they need to at least be grammatically correct and use "Female" instead as they did last night and have done several times before*; they seem to have caught on at long last (although I think there have still been some "Women Whatevers" in the interim).

Well, tonight we had "London Breed is this California city's first African-American woman mayor".

[Ailianna]

2 hours ago, 853fisher said:

I also wish they would briefly explain reversals by the judges.  “Earlier we accepted your response of ‘privateering’ to the clue about letters of marque.  A privateer has received letters of marque authorizing them to engage in naval operations, but we asked you what those operations would be considered without the authorization.  The correct response was ‘piracy,’ so I’m afraid we’ve had to adjust your score.”  I know time is not unlimited, but I think it makes sense to offer some kind of clarification without requiring the viewer to do their own research.

This one really irritated me because, as you mentioned, a privateer by definition has a letter of marque. Sometimes they do through in a quick explanation, but I almost feel like this one would make them look really bad. I can't say for certain since I just saw it on TV, but I think Mayim made the call and was wrong. It definitely shouldn't have been an alternative answer on her card and it didn't look like she waited for the judges before accepting it. It did seem like she stumbled just a little when she said "or a pirate." She's admitted she doesn't know trivia or most of the clues on the show, so I can see her jumping in on one like this and being wrong.

[TakomaSnark]

2 hours ago, 853fisher said:

Was there a particular meaning behind his joking response of Ted Cruz for FJ?  I know there are various mock conspiracy theories about him, but I can’t think of one that links to the clue.

The Reddit recapper suggested it might have referred to Cruz's impersonation of Mr. Burns back in 2016. It's on YouTube if you really want to see it but it's... not that good.

[853fisher]

20 minutes ago, TakomaSnark said:

The Reddit recapper suggested it might have referred to Cruz's impersonation of Mr. Burns back in 2016. It's on YouTube if you really want to see it but it's... not that good.

Oh my, I just have.  Thank you for the tip.  I must say the impression was not...excellent. ;)

38 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

This one really irritated me because, as you mentioned, a privateer by definition has a letter of marque. Sometimes they do through in a quick explanation, but I almost feel like this one would make them look really bad. I can't say for certain since I just saw it on TV, but I think Mayim made the call and was wrong. It definitely shouldn't have been an alternative answer on her card and it didn't look like she waited for the judges before accepting it. It did seem like she stumbled just a little when she said "or a pirate." She's admitted she doesn't know trivia or most of the clues on the show, so I can see her jumping in on one like this and being wrong.

Hmmmm, I think you could be right.  Mayim has seemed so reliant on her earpiece that I gave her the benefit of the doubt this time and assumed this was the judges' fault.  Wouldn't it be ironic if she had struck out on her own for once and biffed!

[Bastet]

And now, as noted, we get "woman mayor" in a clue.  Sigh.

No one guessing Boston or 1985 surprised me.

I didn't have quite as strong a first round as I typically do, missing two each in three categories (but running the other three), but I was on fire in DJ; I ran three, got all but one each in two more, and only missed two SNL cast members, which is impressive since I don't watch the show and have only seen one of the films.

FJ was an instaget again - I don't know why, as I haven't read that in eons, but it was - so I'm off to a really good start this week.

[MrAtoz]

3 hours ago, Miss Anne Thrope said:

For some reason, it has stuck with me -- even the "if a body catch a body comin' through the rye" line despite my best efforts to put it in the past.

Which, of course, is wrong.  The actual line is "if a body meet a body."  Holden's mis-remembering of the poem is what gives the novel its title.

I didn't get it, by the way.  Looking for a novel with a title based on a Burns poem, I came up with "Of Mice and Men," so I guessed Lennie.

[30 Helens]

On 5/30/2022 at 6:02 PM, 853fisher said:

Bill Cullen isn't half as well remembered as I think he deserves to be, so I was glad Mandy mentioned him, but "Tic Tac Dough" wasn't actually among the well over a dozen shows he hosted.  Maybe she misspoke, rather than being misinformed, but it was a bit of a bummer to this big fan of his.

I was a game show junkie as a child (enough to fake sickness so I could stay home from school for Password and Pyramid tournaments), and I loved Bill Cullen. As much for his celebrity guest appearances as his hosting. He just seemed like such a kind, genial man.

6 hours ago, 853fisher said:

This is why I also object to it when used as a noun, usually by men.  I find it seems depersonalizing and is almost never used in a positive or neutral sense.  You wouldn't hear "I'm glad to see females in leadership at this company" or "I've been dating a while but haven't met the right female for me yet."  

It’s also in the pronunciation. Maybe it’s just harder, somehow, to make “women” sound derogatory, but a certain type of man can say “feee-male” and it sounds like the worst kind of sneering insult. 

This clue, heard from the next room, taught me it’s important to read the clues, not just listen: ”Thomas Chippendale preferred this dark reddish-brown wood from the West Indies; the British had dropped duties on it in 1733.”  Also, Mayim needs to work on her enunciation.

[Cotypubby]

I was so certain FJ was “Of Mice and Men” and was so proud of myself for getting it! 🙃 whoops

Wow, never would have come up with Catcher in the Rye and had no idea that had anything to do with Burns.