Friday, February 14, 2014 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

[skullturf]

For
Pre-"Sex and the City," young(er) Ms. Bradshaw went to 1980s Castlebury High on this show
I said "Square Pegs" (1982-83), thinking they were looking for the actress, not the character... ...

Same here!

[seaborgium]

For
Pre-"Sex and the City," young(er) Ms. Bradshaw went to 1980s Castlebury High on this show
I said "Square Pegs" (1982-83), thinking they were looking for the actress, not the character... ...

Same here!

Me too, and I was born in 1983 and have no reason to be familiar with that show!

[UiscePreston]

How many of you know what "shanda" means? I can count 2 or 3 of you, but I'm curious how many others. I was surprised it was included in the wording of a clue.

Of the current generations? Anyone who watches New Girl since it is in Schmidt's go-to slang repository. I believe Vanessa Bayer's Jacob character on Saturday Night Live uses it as well.

Past generations know it most likely from Linda Richman and the Coffee Talk yentas, also on SNL. Robin Williams has used it frequently when ad-libbing as any number of his Jewish characters. I am sure I have heard Howard Stern use it when mimicking his mother.

The word is out there. If we put it in Google's Ngram https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?c ... da%3B%2Cc0, we can see its use has exploded in the last 40 years. So the likelihood that someone has heard or read it is quite high. Then it is only a matter of deducing its meaning from context or searching out its definition.

[teapot37]

For
Pre-"Sex and the City," young(er) Ms. Bradshaw went to 1980s Castlebury High on this show
I said "Square Pegs" (1982-83), thinking they were looking for the actress, not the character... ...

Same here!

Me too, and I was born in 1983 and have no reason to be familiar with that show!

I also said Square Pegs, with 90% confidence.

[Jaksiel]

Apparently "bio" being short for "Bathroom" is a World of Warcraft-exclusive slang. I thought that one was way out of place in the Online Slang category, as the others were all very accessible.

Referring to a "bio break" is most certainly not World of Warcraft-exclusive. It's pretty commonly used online.

[Zhankfor]

How many of you know what "shanda" means? I can count 2 or 3 of you, but I'm curious how many others. I was surprised it was included in the wording of a clue.

You can add an M.O.T.T. to the tally for me. Also surprised at the wording, just because it's not a very common word.

[Leah]

If you are counting alietr, Jerome and Eugene, you probably are correct. If you were thinking of me, well, I guess that's why you said "2 or 3".

On the other hand, part of the problem was that I didn't expect a Yiddish reference in that clue.

I was counting you. Eugene don't come 'round here much nowadays.

[goatman]

Apparently "bio" being short for "Bathroom" is a World of Warcraft-exclusive slang. I thought that one was way out of place in the Online Slang category, as the others were all very accessible.

Referring to a "bio break" is most certainly not World of Warcraft-exclusive. It's pretty commonly used online.

True yet I find that WoW Exp makes it possible to respond to these otherwise cryptic clues lol!

[Fishercat]

Apparently "bio" being short for "Bathroom" is a World of Warcraft-exclusive slang. I thought that one was way out of place in the Online Slang category, as the others were all very accessible.

Referring to a "bio break" is most certainly not World of Warcraft-exclusive. It's pretty commonly used online.

Very YMMV of course, but I've spent way too much time for my own good and have NHO "bio break". It was certainly a step more difficult than any of the other abbreviations and Jeopardy has a history of using...well...bizarre/obscure abbreviations when it comes to categories like these. Looking at some of the megalists of abbreviations, bio doesn't really come up. It's not wrong, just misplaced (IMO) at $400.

[TenPoundHammer]

Very YMMV of course, but I've spent way too much time for my own good and have NHO "bio break". It was certainly a step more difficult than any of the other abbreviations and Jeopardy has a history of using...well...bizarre/obscure abbreviations when it comes to categories like these. Looking at some of the megalists of abbreviations, bio doesn't really come up. It's not wrong, just misplaced (IMO) at $400.

This. Also, the first hit that I got for it said that it was a WoW slang, so I assumed it was only for players of that game.

[econgator]

Very YMMV of course, but I've spent way too much time for my own good and have NHO "bio break". It was certainly a step more difficult than any of the other abbreviations and Jeopardy has a history of using...well...bizarre/obscure abbreviations when it comes to categories like these. Looking at some of the megalists of abbreviations, bio doesn't really come up. It's not wrong, just misplaced (IMO) at $400.

This. Also, the first hit that I got for it said that it was a WoW slang, so I assumed it was only for players of that game.

WoW was the first place I remember seeing it and I've been playing MMO's since Neverwinter Nights on AOL. I obviously knew what it was, but wondered what the need for it was. AFK and BRB served the purpose just fine. I don't care why you are away, just that you are.

[periwinkle]

How many of you know what "shanda" means? I can count 2 or 3 of you, but I'm curious how many others. I was surprised it was included in the wording of a clue.

Me! It amused the heck out of me, because that is what we tend to semi-jokingly say about Ryan Braun at my house. And if you google "Ryan Braun" and "shanda," you'll find quite a few results about how other Jews are embarrassed/disappointed by Braun, probably the most famous Jewish active athlete, in whom they took some pride before his downfall.
Here's one:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/1139 ... nting-jews

In other words, Jeopardy! didn't use "shanda" to say 'hey, he's Jewish and he's done something bad,' they used it to say 'he's Jewish and other Jews have expressed disappointment in his bad behavior." Mostly as an extra TOM to help you figure out which doping player the clue refers to.

[periwinkle]

It was even in the Jewish Daily Forward (a newspaper, apparently the English version of the venerable Yiddish Daily Forward, I didn't know an English version existed):
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/701 ... orward-50/

"Three local names appear on this year’s Forward 50 list of newsworthy and notable Jews, an annual compilation by the Jewish Daily Forward. . . .
Three men were included on the list, but with a “shanda” designation: Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun, 29, who suggested that his positive drug test was the result of anti-Semitism; Bob Filner, 78, who resigned as mayor of San Diego after 18 women accused him of sexual harassment; and William Rapfogel, 59, accused in September of stealing $5 million from a New York social service agency he had led for 20 years, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty."

[lieph82]

How many of you know what "shanda" means? I can count 2 or 3 of you, but I'm curious how many others. I was surprised it was included in the wording of a clue.

Me! It amused the heck out of me, because that is what we tend to semi-jokingly say about Ryan Braun at my house. And if you google "Ryan Braun" and "shanda," you'll find quite a few results about how other Jews are embarrassed/disappointed by Braun, probably the most famous Jewish active athlete, in whom they took some pride before his downfall.
Here's one:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/1139 ... nting-jews

In other words, Jeopardy! didn't use "shanda" to say 'hey, he's Jewish and he's done something bad,' they used it to say 'he's Jewish and other Jews have expressed disappointment in his bad behavior." Mostly as an extra TOM to help you figure out which doping player the clue refers to.

I would guess a couple of Jewish writers threw it in there. That's what we call him in my Jewish household too, and in a lot of the other Jewish households I've been in. All of the people I've explained it to who aren't Jewish thought the clue was offensive, though, so I'm surprised it got past everyone who checks the clues if they understood it.

[Leah]

Yes, Braun fits into the "Bad For The Jews" category" (but nowhere near Filner or Rapfogel), which comes to my mind automatically since that's how it was expressed when I was a kid. I didn't find the use of shanda offensive (only wondered how many people understood it), and agree that the clue was most likely written by someone Jewish because who else has the license to, really? In passing, it's interesting that the same activity-- figuring out who's Jewish-- is popular with Jew and anti-Semite alike.

[alietr]

Hmm ... I'm wondering if that Arthur Chu guy is Jewish ...

[trainman]

Hmm ... I'm wondering if that Arthur Chu guy is Jewish ...

Well, he's definitely Chu-ish.

[Bamaman]

Yes, Braun fits into the "Bad For The Jews" category" (but nowhere near Filner or Rapfogel), which comes to my mind automatically since that's how it was expressed when I was a kid. I didn't find the use of shanda offensive (only wondered how many people understood it), and agree that the clue was most likely written by someone Jewish because who else has the license to, really? In passing, it's interesting that the same activity-- figuring out who's Jewish-- is popular with Jew and anti-Semite alike.

I'm not Jewish but don't see Braun's actions reflecting negatively on Jews any more than Barry Bonds does on blacks. For that matter, I was unaware Braun is Jewish until I read this thread.

[bpmod]

Yes, Braun fits into the "Bad For The Jews" category" (but nowhere near Filner or Rapfogel), which comes to my mind automatically since that's how it was expressed when I was a kid. I didn't find the use of shanda offensive (only wondered how many people understood it), and agree that the clue was most likely written by someone Jewish because who else has the license to, really? In passing, it's interesting that the same activity-- figuring out who's Jewish-- is popular with Jew and anti-Semite alike.

I'm not Jewish but don't see Braun's actions reflecting negatively on Jews any more than Barry Bonds does on blacks. For that matter, I was unaware Braun is Jewish until I read this thread.

I would tend to agree with you if not for the part about claiming anti-semitism when caught doping.

Brian

[Leah]

Yes, Braun fits into the "Bad For The Jews" category" (but nowhere near Filner or Rapfogel), which comes to my mind automatically since that's how it was expressed when I was a kid. I didn't find the use of shanda offensive (only wondered how many people understood it), and agree that the clue was most likely written by someone Jewish because who else has the license to, really? In passing, it's interesting that the same activity-- figuring out who's Jewish-- is popular with Jew and anti-Semite alike.

I'm not Jewish but don't see Braun's actions reflecting negatively on Jews any more than Barry Bonds does on blacks. For that matter, I was unaware Braun is Jewish until I read this thread.

I would tend to agree with you if not for the part about claiming anti-semitism when caught doping.

Brian

This is a particular insecurity or paranoia that is a very characteristic reaction on the part of a generation which felt less securely to be part of the American mainstream (I straddle that generation with the next). While I think American Jews have a very pronounced history of that feeling, likely other ethnic groups do too, even if non-members of the group don't give it a thought (as per the Barry Bonds example, with which I agree). I've learned everything I know about I know about Ryan Braun from this thread, including that he exists. So I didn't know he had claimed anti-Semitism over the doping revelation, but as scummy as that is, his actions have had much less impact on others than Filner's or Rapfogel's. Since doping is now a widely known phenomenon, Braun's should have less influence on young athletes, and compared to the other two guys, I'm sure he's caused less nail-biting among Jews (especially those of us who had never heard of him).