I am interested when these phrases became associated with Backgammon?
Mark Ferrante
Home of THE SHEIK
>Could someone explain how these phrases came into play. On Netgammon,
>when you are not able to move, you hear "I dance" and I recently read
>in a Backgammon Club newsletter that someone threw a "dancing roll".
>
>I am interested when these phrases became associated with Backgammon?
>
>Mark Ferrante
Just want to add that I have always been curious too as I have always
thought it was an ill-begotten term. I think of dancing as something
graceful, like skipping around the board with 6-6 in a race, and what
could be more awkward than failing to enter?
I learned with the term "fan" as in "fanning the breeze" from
baseball. Also the term "flunk" is used, and seems appropriate. I
won't use the term "dance".
> mail.erols.com wrote:
>Mark Ferrante
> Just want to add that I have always been curious too as I have always
> thought it was an ill-begotten term. I think of dancing as something
> graceful, like skipping around the board with 6-6 in a race, and what
> could be more awkward than failing to enter?
>
> I learned with the term "fan" as in "fanning the breeze" from
> baseball. Also the term "flunk" is used, and seems appropriate. I
> won't use the term "dance".
>
>
I think "dance" describes this otherwise tragic event with just the right
touch of irony, perhaps even gently reminding us that it is an integral part
of an activity we supposedly engage in for enjoyment. I think "fan" (or, my
preference, "whiff") is best reserved for missing a direct shot ... in fact I
often count the strikes to myself or out loud as my opponent's blot sits
tauntingly untouched before me ...
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That reminds me of a skit from the original "Saturday Night Live" -
one of the ones in the Greek Restaurant ("No Coke, Pepsi!). After the
owner learns that the insurance company won't pay for the damage done
by a fire in the restaurant, one of the cooks asks "what do we do
now?", and the owner (Belushi, as I recall) replies "We are Greeks.
We dance!"
Jon
Rodrigo
You can control what you want to hear on GG. Perhaps on Netgammon too
(I don't recall). But I do recall that Netgammon doesn't say "You
dance". It says "YOU DENSE!". I take umbrage at that!
It's because you reach for the checker, expecting to bring
it in, lift it, see that you can't move it, and set it down.
"Dancing on the bar."
(See a Kleinman piece involving a player, Dan Sondebar.)