Monday, November 26, 2018 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[JayK33]

I'm off to a good start this week.

By guessing Twain and being 0/5 so far.

[davey]

Hmm...the book? Nope. The plot? Nope. The name Julian? Nope. OK, it's one of those clues. Let's see...a son writing novels in 1877, so he was probably active around mid-century, set in NH...Hawthorne? Whew.

Also, why were "Siamese twins" accepted in the clue? No, I'm not complaining about "the preferred term should be conjoined twins" because I'm ok with that, but I could swear they were looking for the names of the archetypal "Siamese twins" for which the condition was named (as they were from Siam) and were indeed connected by cartilage at the waist like the clue said. ("Eng and Chang Bunker" btw. That was my response, and I counted it)

"In 'Inseparable', about these 19th c. twins, we learn the 4" band that joined them stretched to a freeing 6" late in life."
I was expecting a BMS; instead, they accepted 'Siamese twins' without so much as a pause. I give up trying to figure out these judges.

Also, my copy of Inseparable says that their band expanded to 5 1/2, not 6 inches, from "constant tugging." It's mentioned when one of the twins gets very ill. I don't see any suggestion it was "freeing."
I found "cursed by an ancestor's crime" very helpful in deciding on the right response. Hawthorne was haunted because an ancestor was an unrepentant judge in the Salem witch trials. Sure, the idea of a curse could have led to Poe, but I was pretty certain Poe was never a family man.

[Euphonium]

I gave myself credit for Balaklava--they would have accepted that, right?

[seaborgium]

I gave myself credit for Balaklava--they would have accepted that, right?

That's what I said as well. The Charge of the Light Brigade happened during it, and I'm counting it as correct.

I also said Chang and Eng Bunker. Then I thought they'd never ask for that on a clue of that value, and thought, "they don't just want 'Siamese twins,' do they!?"

[This Is Kirk!]

I was working too hard on the “Inseparable” clue as my response was Chang & Eng Bunker.

Same here.

The FJ! clue had “Garth” and “Julian” meaning nothing to me. That left 1877 and New Hampshire as I matched Bridget for the solve. Twain and Thoreau were not on my radar for misses and I thought someone might try Poe going off “curse” and “crime.”

[raises hand] I thought of Hawthorne initially then decided to switch to Poe. I realized with about a second left that Poe probably wouldn't be referred to as a novelist.

[twelvefootboy]

Pathetic on the Bible category. Easy money there.

I got Ruth but the others flew right past me. I even missed the J!6. Somehow, I learned nothing in 9 years of Catholic school, except how to hate myself

I had no clue on the three exposed clues - I would have wagged Ruth on a DD, but no way. I don't think I can associate very many Biblical characters that aren't in Genesis or Exodus, especially since they basically need to be in only one book for the clue to work. Samson - can't tell you. Joseph - (the multi-color coat dude, not Jesus' stepdad) - uh, Kings?

Spoiler

Samson - Judges / Joseph - Genesis

Oh, but I've got Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel, and Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre wasting brain cells. I assume the easier clues would perhaps be Noah and Moses, or other characters from Genesis/Exodus. It was funny that Alex mentioned the football O'fer category - it's a cult classic now.

I just did some math and decided that Harriet Beecher Stowe was the only one I knew was in the right era to have a child author in 1877. It was just a surrender stab in the dark. If it hadn't been for the old board game "Authors", I would have zero recognition factor of all these classic authors.

[bbird]

I found "cursed by an ancestor's crime" very helpful in deciding on the right response. Hawthorne was haunted because an ancestor was an unrepentant judge in the Salem witch trials.

And supposedly that's why he added the W to Ha[w]thorne. For some reason I've always remembered that anecdote from 10th grade American lit. I also thought of Stowe because of the date, but New England + "ancestor's crime" seemed like a TOM so I stuck with Nathaniel.

[harrumph]

On FJ I initially went to John Irving until I noticed the 1877 year.

[Saturnalia]

While I'm OK with no reversal, I do think that "oblique" clue is quite negbaity. (For "skew," specifically.) With y'all on the Siamese Twins clue also.

Didn't quite grasp the category yet and WECIB'd that Safe Spaces DD with "Britain." I imagined that the name "New Britain" could reflect safety... but that would require being really attached to Britain... which the settlers, being settlers, probably weren't.

I got FJ right through much the same process as others. I did think Poe first but knew that couldn't be right and locked in the correct response.

I wonder how stage demeanor during intros correlates with J success. (I remember Alton Brown saying he can usually tell which chef will win Cutthroat Kitchen by watching them set up their workstations.) The reason I mention this is that Bridget looked strikingly tense when her name was read.

For those who play via the Reddit guy -- what's the weirdest place you've ever watched J? Tonight, I was flying into Midway and it was one massive icy snarl, so it took 45 minutes for the Uber (hah!) driver to arrive. Long story short, I wound up scoring myself in the MDW baggage claim. I had a very poor game but at least it was a memorable experience. I'm sure I've played/watched in stranger places; I'd have to think about it.

EDIT: I'm somewhat curious as to the solve rate on that David Sedaris clue, so if you're taking poll requests... if by Saturday you have other clues you find more interesting, no big deal, though.

[opusthepenguin]

On FJ I initially went to John Irving until I noticed the 1877 year.

Same here. Garth was close enough to Garp that I didn't register the difference at first.

[earendel]

Anyone else hear "POTUS: The Man", for the Lin-Manuel clue meaning they predict Miranda'd be in the White House by 2030 due to his popularity in the 2010s? (Took me a while to comprehend they said "Otis" instead. Still got the clue.)

Also, why were "Siamese twins" accepted in the clue? No, I'm not complaining about "the preferred term should be conjoined twins" because I'm ok with that, but I could swear they were looking for the names of the archetypal "Siamese twins" for which the condition was named (as they were from Siam) and were indeed connected by cartilage at the waist like the clue said. ("Eng and Chang Bunker" btw. That was my response, and I counted it)

That was also my response (Chang & Eng).

[earendel]

On FJ I initially went to John Irving until I noticed the 1877 year.

Same here.

[This Is Kirk!]

EDIT: I'm somewhat curious as to the solve rate on that David Sedaris clue, so if you're taking poll requests... if by Saturday you have other clues you find more interesting, no big deal, though.

I said Dave Barry for that one and I'm sure I'm not alone. I've even read a few of Sedaris' books and he still didn't come to mind.

[clt013]

I said Dave Barry for that one and I'm sure I'm not alone.

You're not - missing with Barry was part of a lousy DJ round for me.

[opusthepenguin]

EDIT: I'm somewhat curious as to the solve rate on that David Sedaris clue, so if you're taking poll requests... if by Saturday you have other clues you find more interesting, no big deal, though.

I said Dave Barry for that one and I'm sure I'm not alone. I've even read a few of Sedaris' books and he still didn't come to mind.

I said Carl Hiaasen. But then Mrs P said Dave Barry and I thought, yeah, that's a better guess.

[heppm01]

Another guess for Poe on FJ, even though I think of him more as a short story writer and wasn't sure if he had married and/or sired a son.

[Elijah Baley]

I was working too hard on the “Inseparable” clue as my response was Chang & Eng Bunker.

Same here.

The FJ! clue had “Garth” and “Julian” meaning nothing to me. That left 1877 and New Hampshire as I matched Bridget for the solve. Twain and Thoreau were not on my radar for misses and I thought someone might try Poe going off “curse” and “crime.”

[raises hand] I thought of Hawthorne initially then decided to switch to Poe. I realized with about a second left that Poe probably wouldn't be referred to as a novelist.

That, and the fact that Poe didn't have any children.

(Although his wife was just a child herself when they married; he was 26 and she was 13).

[davey]

Sedaris's essay on the Sea Section was published in The New Yorker a few months ago, so I pulled it out without much labor...

[AFRET CMS]

EDIT: I'm somewhat curious as to the solve rate on that David Sedaris clue, so if you're taking poll requests... if by Saturday you have other clues you find more interesting, no big deal, though.

I said Dave Barry for that one and I'm sure I'm not alone. I've even read a few of Sedaris' books and he still didn't come to mind.

You're not alone -- Dave Barry was my response, as well.

[twelvefootboy]

EDIT: I'm somewhat curious as to the solve rate on that David Sedaris clue, so if you're taking poll requests... if by Saturday you have other clues you find more interesting, no big deal, though.

I said Dave Barry for that one and I'm sure I'm not alone. I've even read a few of Sedaris' books and he still didn't come to mind.

+1, except for the reading part. Been a big fan of his since he did an NPR piece about painting apartments in NYC. Not big enough to follow him, but you know. Very similar to David Spade in delivery, but more subtle wit.