Friday, February 5, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

[econgator]

A dart is a spear? Ummm, no.

Took about 5 seconds, but got Spanish Armada.

Are the J! judges going to argue with Wikipedia?

Feathered spears, often called darts or javelins, were used in medieval and Renaissance Europe...

I'll still go with, "Ummmm, no...".

[davey]

A dart is a spear? Ummm, no.

Took about 5 seconds, but got Spanish Armada.

Are the J! judges going to argue with Wikipedia?

Feathered spears, often called darts or javelins, were used in medieval and Renaissance Europe...

I'll still go with, "Ummmm, no...".

I remember lawn darts, a game with "13‐inch pointed darts weighing more than five ounces each." (When I was a boy, they seemed a lot heavier than that...) They've been banned in the US since 1989, because they killed people. Just like spears...
Another here who found the wording of this FJ a bit turgid...at least that's my excuse! But a great tradition continues: The post-:30 hint of the host led to my head-smacking moment before the reveal...

[TenPoundHammer]

Ran Fishing for the Right Word, but was 0/5 in Ronald Reagan, Play Characters, and Movie Magic.

NHO Jennie-O or Casper mattresses. Said bnbfinder.com at $1,200, but got the bottom two with ease. Did they load that category upside down?

All but "eating out of your hand" in Handy. Can't say I've heard that one used metaphorically.

No guess on FJ!

Lach Trash: smelt, hands-on, laying on of hands, Ireland

[BrigadierSolo13]

Does anyone else feel that FROM THE GRIDIRON TO TV for $600 should have mentioned that Ed O'Neill also scored 4 touchdowns in one game for Polk High?

I don't know if I've ever kept track before, but 3/3 on DDs today may have given me my first ever 15/15 on DD's for a week.

Invading force of the late 1500s that was also Catholic? Gotta be Armada

[opusthepenguin]

Medieval war dart:



Sorry, but yeah.

[Volante]

Got absinthe solely from sugar and spoon (and the category)

The biggest mistake "Now You See Me 2" brass made is that they did not title it "Now You Don't".

It was the four word requirement that stumped me on what I would have answered "Lay on hands" to.

Medieval war dart:

(for size)

Sorry, but yeah.

One hundred and eeeeeeeeeeighty...stitches!

This week hated me. 1/5. I don't know if I can even find the last time I was this bad on FJs...
I put down "Children's Crusade" because I had nothing else. (Even with crusade in the clue, too...)

[seaborgium]

The first thing I thought of was the Spanish Inquisition, then I recognized that wasn't an invading force, but I was in the right place to make a minor adjustment for a correct response.

[opusthepenguin]

The first thing I thought of was the Spanish Inquisition,

Well, that's to be expected.

[guessonguessonguess]

I think it was a little unfair of the writers to call Reagan's gubernatorial win his "first political victory". Starting in the early '40s he was elected to the board of directors of the fledgling Screen Actors Guild, then to the vice presidency, then to the presidency of the organization. To characterize these elections as anything other than political victories is to place unnatural constraints on the word "political".

This is an embarrassingly-dumb take.

[opusthepenguin]

The biggest mistake "Now You See Me 2" brass made is that they did not title it "Now You Don't".

Seriously? How do you not make the right call on something like that? Focus groups and market research and pure idiocy, I imagine. "Now You See Me 2"? That is even worse than "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer".

It was the four word requirement that stumped me on what I would have answered "Lay on hands" to.

Yeah that one was weird. I fumbled my way toward it and got to the right response as the contestants stood and stared. So I had time to buzz in from the fourth podium, but I don't know if I would have. They reference Hebrews 6:2 which probably isn't talking about "a type of faith healing" as the clue suggests. It's more likely talking about conferring the Holy Spirit and/or a gift or a blessing thereof. That might mean healing in some cases, but it's more likely to refer to, say, an ordination ceremony.

[opusthepenguin]

I think it was a little unfair of the writers to call Reagan's gubernatorial win his "first political victory". Starting in the early '40s he was elected to the board of directors of the fledgling Screen Actors Guild, then to the vice presidency, then to the presidency of the organization. To characterize these elections as anything other than political victories is to place unnatural constraints on the word "political".

My first thought on that clue was definitely that he'd been president of SAG. There's no way around acknowledging that as a "political victory". I wonder how the clue might be phrased to eliminate the ambiguity. I rejected the SAG response solely because 1966 seemed a bit late for it and about right for his election to the governorship.

[goongas]

The first thing I thought of was the Spanish Inquisition,

Well, that's to be expected.

I couldn't get past the Spanish Inquisition, I knew it was wrong but couldn't make the leap to the Armada. I spent half the time trying to figure out what they wanted, a terribly worded clue.

[talkingaway]

I literally typed in Spanish Armada thinking of Spanish Inquisition. I then proceeded to "correct" myself well before time ran out. Oops. I wonder if the Knights Templar ever said "Ni". When Ken started talking about Catholics beating down Protestants, I kind of thought I was on the right track, but the Inquisition was far more broad (and didn't really even focus on heretical Christians much), and started much earlier. (And, technically, ended much later.)

Judges: For a 4-letter fish meaning to complain, I had "pout". There is a fish called "ocean pout", and I know my grandfather used to call a type of fish "pout". But then again, my grandfather took me fishing in December in New England, so maybe he's not the most reliable source. And if someone's pouting about something, they're pretty much complaining.

Also, "second hand" for "hand me down"? I guess it's not specific enough from the "older sibling" part, but it certainly fits a garment that's passed on from someone to someone else.

I know I'm really bad in college sports, so I don't have much room to complain, but is "Pac 12 + Huskies = University of Washington" really a top row clue? For a top row college team clue, I expect something like "The Fighting these, from South Bend".

Reagan as Governor of California in 1966 was a TS? Maybe they were afraid that it wasn't that easy, but that's about the third thing I know about Reagan, after "President for most of the 80s" and "actor". And yet Bedtime for Bonzo was swooped up - which seems to me a little more obscure than the Governor of California. And for the last clue in his category, I wonder if they'd accept just "hostages". That was my initial response, and when Rob said "Beiruit", I said, "No, they were held by Iran", so I would have easily picked it up on a BMS.

I had an alternate bad first instinct response for the play with nuns - Sister Act. I quickly realized that they were going for plays, not musicals, and knew it was the Meryl Streep movie...Doubt.

[opusthepenguin]

And how about this for close but no cigar on DD3: "DOCTOR HOW ...do you recover from this 11-letter nasal procedure? The Mayo Clinic says don't jog, try not to smile or laugh & no pullover clothes." Mrs P said, "What is septoplasty"? 11 letters. Mayo Clinic says don't jog or wear pullover clothes. But it doesn't advise against smiling or laughing after septoplasty. Only rhinoplasty gets that additional caution. So so so so so close.

[MattKnowles]

41R. 3/4 on big clues. I got confused and thought they wanted an invading force attacking the Catholics. Guessed Huns but knew it was wrong. Oops.

That was a really close game. If Rob had gotten hamstrings right, I wonder how much he would have wagered on the daily double.

Interesting wagers on Final Jeopardy. Maybe Stuart and Leah didn't like that category.

I missed Carl Weathers but I've watched Arrested Development so I should have gotten that. I didn't do well in the Ronald Reagan category. Beaujolais and Cozumel are new things for me to learn about. I missed Now You See Me and I'll probably watch it now that I know more about it.

[DBear]

Can we really call the Spanish Armada an invasion force?

[opusthepenguin]

Nothing added on the Scottish poet clue other than, "Right".

That was a heart-breaker right there. What a missed opportunity. I still think Ken's the best candidate for AT's successor that we've seen so far. But that sure shook my faith a bit. Not that Katie or Mehmet would've swung at that pitch. Maybe Mayim.

[seaborgium]

I know I'm really bad in college sports, so I don't have much room to complain, but is "Pac 12 + Huskies = University of Washington" really a top row clue? For a top row college team clue, I expect something like "The Fighting these, from South Bend".

I got it, and I suck at colleges, sports, and college sports. But I'm also in a dual Pac-12 city, so maybe I have a bit of an advantage. (But also, as a wordplay lover, I knew UConn are punningly the Huskies as well, so maybe that knowledge led to the collateral knowledge of some other Huskies.)

[Robert K S]

Nothing added on the Scottish poet clue other than, "Right".

That was a heart-breaker right there. What a missed opportunity. I still think Ken's the best candidate for AT's successor that we've seen so far. But that sure shook my faith a bit. Not that Katie or Mehmet would've swung at that pitch. Maybe Mayim.

Just you guys wait until there's a Welsh poet (Dylan Thomas?) for Ken to give it a crack at.

[Lefty]

Today's Ken moments:
Nothing added on the Scottish poet clue other than, "Right".
Tampico not said as "Tam-PEE-koe" but more like "TAM-puh-koe"

For Burns, maybe he couldn't decide between these two options. If so, let me recommend the latter.

As for TAM-pi-co, it seems to be analogous to PEE-ru Indiana, CAY-ro Illinois, and New BER-lin WIsconsin.

Does anyone else feel that FROM THE GRIDIRON TO TV for $600 should have mentioned that Ed O'Neill also scored 4 touchdowns in one game for Polk High?

Yes. It would have stopped me from guessing Bill Cosby (albeit with certain reservations).

Fell for the GB negbait on Islands $800.

I'm not down with that characterization. If you don't know the answer there, the right move is to let someone else be the guinea pig.