Round 3461 - results!

[Shani Naylor]

Fish dive doesn't sound very elegant, but it's actually the name of a ballet position, which looks like this:

Glenn is our next dealer with 5 natural points with his poker tactic def. Runners up, with 4 points, is Mike.

1.       [Astron] The little dipper constellation.
Johnny B, who was DQ. Score: 1
Vote from Glenn D.

2.       (slang) Broadly, a fraudulent business practice.
Debbie E, who voted 3 & 7. Score: 1
Vote from Dave C.

3.       To dispose of a corpse by dumping it in the ocean.
Tony A, who voted 7 & 10. Score: 1
Vote from Debbie E.

4.       Informally, any dive in (open or closed) pike position.
Efrem M, who voted 7 & 10. Score: 1
Vote from Judy M.

5.       An act of tumbling head over heels; a heavy fall, esp. from a horse.
Tim L, who voted 10 & 12. Score: 3
Votes from Paul K, Judy M & Mike S.

6.       In a fishing port, a cheap restaurant, often in a basement, serving dishes based on locally-caught fish.
Tim B, who voted 7 & 9. Score: 0

7.       In poker, a tactic where a player intentionally loses early hands to mislead others about their skill level.
Glenn D, who voted 1 & 9. Score: 5
Votes from Debbie E, Dave C, Tim B, Efrem M & Tony A.

8.       A 30-meter (98-foot) dive with abundant marine life and strong currents that often require a reef hook.
Judy M, who voted 4 & 5. Score: 0

9.       Gambling slang for a person who raises bets during a losing streak, in the belief that the streak must end.
Dave C, who voted 2 & 7. Score: 2
Votes from Tim B & Glenn D.

10.   A technique in parkour where a traceur runs partway up a wall and does a back flip while reversing direction.
Mike S, who voted 5 & 12. Score: 4
Votes from Paul K, Tim L, Efrem M & Tony A.

11.   (Ballet) A position in which a dancer is caught and supported by a partner with head and shoulders just clear of the floor.
The Free Dictionary. D0!

12.   A receptacle containing the counters, called fish, representing stakes in a game of cards, esp. quadrille; also called pool, pool-dish.
Paul K, who voted 5 & 10. Score: 2
Votes from Tim L & Mike S.

 

 

[Paul Keating]

Congratulations on the D0!

I do think the Free Dictionary’s definition is exceedingly poor; which, of course, made it an adroit choice of source, from your point of view as dealer. I rejected the definition on the grounds that it was impossible to tell the position of the dancers from the description, and so was unlikely to have come from a real dictionary (which turned out to be true):

A position in which a dancer is caught and supported by a partner with head and shoulders just clear of the floor.

(1) Is it the ballerina or the partner whose head and shoulders are just clear of the floor? (2) Is the ballerina facing up, down or sideways?

It really is possible to do better. Here is a definition that describes the lift (it’s not a position) in a way that doesn’t assume you already know what it looks like:

A lift in which a ballerina, held around the waist by a partner, maintains a retiré position with the head directed downwards and chest facing and almost parallel with the floor.

Admittedly, that is 40% longer, but online dictionaries don’t have the excuse of needing to save space, that printed ones used to have. Also, the Free Dictionary is clearly at pains to avoid male/female distinctions, and sacrifices clarity in favour of inclusiveness, and so ends up with something meaningless.

Again, congrats on the D0, and extra kudos for the choice of source.

P

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[Glenn Thomas Davis]

I figured there might be a definition or two from poker, given that “fish” is poker slang for the sucker at a table. (Learned from my [very] brief attempt at a professional poker career.) 

Anyway, thanks and congrats on the D0!

—Glenn

. . .

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

—Plutarch

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