The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Neumms on September 24, 2007, 04:04:24 PM
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Has anyone else noticed that "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" is a misnomer considering they only play/do one crossword per episode? Looking at it this way might have even lead to a better name.
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I think you're splitting hairs.
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' post=\'164685\' date=\'Sep 24 2007, 01:19 PM\']I think you're splitting hairs.
[/quote]QFT.
For what it's worth, I was listening to the AM radio last night, and the 9p-1a guy happens to be both a five-time winner on The Challengers and a game show fan in general. And he was going on about Crosswords for a full segment, about the money, the host, the Spoiler Snipe, and (I kid you not) about how Ty refers to the lecterns as "podiums", giving all 200 or so of his listeners a quickie Latin lesson about the prefix pod-, and so forth.
If I wasn't actually trying to get to sleep, I would have called him up, but then, how interesting is talk radio when both sides agree?
/I don't remember which ratings book it was, but the poor shlub only managed an AQH of 200. No wonder they went with Midnight Trucking Radio for those three boring months.
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[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'164683\' date=\'Sep 24 2007, 04:04 PM\']
Has anyone else noticed that "Merv Griffin's Crosswords" is a misnomer considering they only play/do one crossword per episode? Looking at it this way might have even lead to a better name.
[/quote]
No, the real misnomer is that most of the words on the show they use are not words you would either use or say when you *are* cross, or pissed off!
Then again, these are *Merv Griffin's* Crosswords! Maybe when Merv was upset he'd scream words like "COLUMBUS" or "MATCH" !
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Oddly enough, I'm thinking of a few of those words right now.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'164723\' date=\'Sep 24 2007, 11:29 PM\']
For what it's worth, I was listening to the AM radio last night, and the 9p-1a guy happens to be both a five-time winner on The Challengers and a game show fan in general. And he was going on about Crosswords for a full segment, about the money, the host, the Spoiler Snipe, and (I kid you not) about how Ty refers to the lecterns as "podiums", giving all 200 or so of his listeners a quickie Latin lesson about the prefix pod-, and so forth. [/quote]
Tell him to check his dictionaries. Even my 20-year-old Webster's Ninth New Collegiate lists "podiums" as an acceptable plural (in fact, it's listed first). You don't hear many people using "stadia" these days, either...and we won't even get into "scrota," so to speak.
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[quote name=\'tomobrien\' post=\'164750\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 11:14 AM\']
and we won't even get into "scrota," so to speak.
[/quote]
Nice.
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[quote name=\'tomobrien\' post=\'164750\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 09:14 AM\']
[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'164723\' date=\'Sep 24 2007, 11:29 PM\']
For what it's worth, I was listening to the AM radio last night, and the 9p-1a guy happens to be both a five-time winner on The Challengers and a game show fan in general. And he was going on about Crosswords for a full segment, about the money, the host, the Spoiler Snipe, and (I kid you not) about how Ty refers to the lecterns as "podiums", giving all 200 or so of his listeners a quickie Latin lesson about the prefix pod-, and so forth. [/quote]
Tell him to check his dictionaries. Even my 20-year-old Webster's Ninth New Collegiate lists "podiums" as an acceptable plural (in fact, it's listed first). You don't hear many people using "stadia" these days, either...and we won't even get into "scrota," so to speak.
[/quote]
No, the problem isn't the plural. It's that a podium is something you stand on. The things you stand behind are lecterns.
Where's Edwin Newman when you need him?
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[quote name=\'fishbulb\' post=\'164753\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 01:25 PM\']
No, the problem isn't the plural. It's that a podium is something you stand on. The things you stand behind are lecterns.
Where's Edwin Newman when you need him?
[/quote]
This may be a losing battle. Even Merriam-Webster lists (http://\"http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/podium\") "lectern" as a definition of "podium."
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'164754\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 10:31 AM\']
[quote name=\'fishbulb\' post=\'164753\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 01:25 PM\']
No, the problem isn't the plural. It's that a podium is something you stand on. The things you stand behind are lecterns.
Where's Edwin Newman when you need him?
[/quote]
This may be a losing battle. Even Merriam-Webster lists (http://\"http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/podium\") "lectern" as a definition of "podium."
[/quote]
Yes, but that's only because people have been confusing the two for so long. I think you're right that it's a losing battle.
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'164754\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 01:31 PM\']
This may be a losing battle. Even Merriam-Webster lists (http://\"http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/podium\") "lectern" as a definition of "podium."
[/quote]
On Jeopardy!, they are lecterns.
On Crosswords, they are podiums.
On Wheel of Fortune, they are "things".
On The Price is Right, they are $1290.
On Temptation, they are T$15.
/Millionaire doesn't have them.
//Interesting thing about M-W's definition.
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Words mean what people use them to mean; why shouldn't the dictionary update accordingly?
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[quote name=\'HYHYBT\' post=\'164765\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 12:03 PM\']
Words mean what people use them to mean;
[/quote]
This is the most depressing thing I have read in a very long time.
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Given that Merv's show requires contestants to spell their answers, answers which include such corkers as "etui," one might expect proper usage of "podium" vis a vis "lecturn."
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164768\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 03:21 PM\']
[quote name=\'HYHYBT\' post=\'164765\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 12:03 PM\']
Words mean what people use them to mean;
[/quote]
This is the most depressing thing I have read in a very long time.
[/quote]
Depressing, but absolutely true. That's how it's been for as long as there's been language.
/Still doesn't make it right, IMO.
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[quote name=\'Gus\' post=\'164780\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 04:43 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164768\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 03:21 PM\']
[quote name=\'HYHYBT\' post=\'164765\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 12:03 PM\']
Words mean what people use them to mean;
[/quote]
This is the most depressing thing I have read in a very long time.
[/quote]
Depressing, but absolutely true. That's how it's been for as long as there's been language.
[/quote]
There's nothing depressing about it. Unless you're a member of some sect that believes all language to have been handed down from some higher power, at some point every word was a coinage. Even "coinage."
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Reading Language Log for a few years has greatly tempered my prescriptivism. My only big holdout is using phrases that cause confusion among those who are still using the "correct" counterparts. If you tell me someone is literally begging the question, please don't mean that they're figuratively raising the question. Or I will strangle you.
Figuratively.
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[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'164784\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 02:24 PM\'][quote name=\'Gus\' post=\'164780\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 04:43 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164768\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 03:21 PM\'][quote name=\'HYHYBT\' post=\'164765\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 12:03 PM\']Words mean what people use them to mean;
[/quote]This is the most depressing thing I have read in a very long time.[/quote]Depressing, but absolutely true. That's how it's been for as long as there's been language.[/quote]There's nothing depressing about it. Unless you're a member of some sect that believes all language to have been handed down from some higher power, at some point every word was a coinage. Even "coinage."[/quote]Except that there's a difference between coining a word because none exists to express what could not be stated briefly, and abusing the language because you're too lazy to do it right.
After all, what's to stop me from saying "Fooga whoppity spirinkety dooba doo, chumble spuzz" the next time someone asks me a question. After all, the words mean what I used them to mean, it's just that you don't know what I used them for.
Language is the currency of ideas, and should be treated as such.
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Watching Crosswords on Monday while I fought a nasty cold, I just couldn't help but be underwhelmed by the whole show. Ty's ok, the set is nice, and I like the idea and concept of the game, but the mid-70's payouts and the spoiler 'swoop-in-at-the-end' potential (which happened monday BTW) just doesn't do it for me.
/I flipped between this and Stuart Saves his Family
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[quote name=\'urbanpreppie05\' post=\'164927\' date=\'Sep 27 2007, 09:34 AM\']
Ty's ok, the set is nice, and I like the idea and concept of the game,
[/quote]
Ty grates on me. And the basic concept, that of solving crossword clues for money, is good, but the execution is garbage. I mean, sniping effect aside, the best they could do was "Here's the next clue?"
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164928\' date=\'Sep 27 2007, 11:41 AM\']
Ty grates on me.
[/quote]
Boy, me too. I'd only seen promos for his talk show on SoapNet (I went through a "Dallas" phase a while back) but I didn't figure he'd be such a grinning idiot. After all, he'd done a talk show.
Yet. . . he's still not the worst new game show host this fall.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'164928\' date=\'Sep 27 2007, 12:41 PM\']
Ty grates on me. And the basic concept, that of solving crossword clues for money, is good, but the execution is garbage. I mean, sniping effect aside, the best they could do was "Here's the next clue?"[/quote]
Ty comes across as plastic. In addition to the next clue line, Ty continually uses the "spoilers are lurking in the shadows" line and the whole Crossword Extra spiel, among others. At least Rossi has some variety in his lines every now and then.
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[quote name=\'urbanpreppie05\' post=\'164927\' date=\'Sep 27 2007, 11:34 AM\']/I flipped between this and Stuart Saves his Family
[/quote]
Now that's bad.
/I tried to watch that movie when it hit the video stores. I couldn't finish it.
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'164981\' date=\'Sep 27 2007, 07:46 PM\']
/I tried to watch that movie when it hit the video stores. I couldn't finish it.
[/quote]
At least he didn't pay for it! :)
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'164814\' date=\'Sep 25 2007, 10:19 PM\']
After all, what's to stop me from saying "Fooga whoppity spirinkety dooba doo, chumble spuzz" the next time someone asks me a question. After all, the words mean what I used them to mean, it's just that you don't know what I used them for.
[/quote]
Hey, if it catches on, I'm fine with it. But quit calling me "chumble spuzz." ;)