Etherjammer
Since: Jan, 2001
Aug 4th 2010 at 3:41:41 PM
•••
Redacted for nattering:
- "Start from scratch" means to begin from the starting line (as opposed to being granted the advantage of starting in front of it) [1]
. "Behind the eightball" in pool means that the next shot is obstructed by the eight ball (which must be pocketed last) [2]. "Hat trick" is from various sports but originally from cricket[3] (and thus properly Limey Osmosis).
- The term "hat trick" originated in juggling. It was a standard trick (trope?) for a juggler to start the well-known three-ball cascade, toss all three balls in the air, whip off his hat, and catch the balls in the hat. Subverted by "that jolly juggler, Bullwinkle!"
- Au Contraire. According to the other wiki: HH Stephenson was the first cricketer to be awarded a hat for taking three wickets in consecutive balls, the origin of the hat-trick. He performed the feat for the All-England Eleven against the twenty-two of Hallam at the Hyde Park ground, Sheffield in 1858. A collection was held for Stephenson (as was customary for outstanding feats by professionals) and he was presented with a cap or hat bought with the proceeds.
- In hockey, the term "hat-trick", from Wikipedia : "According to the Henri Henri hat store in Montreal, before 1967 when there were only the Original Six teams in the NHL, the store rewarded players who had scored three goals or more in one game at the Montreal Forum with a free hat, which brought the "Hat Trick" expression into the world of hockey."
- The term "hat trick" originated in juggling. It was a standard trick (trope?) for a juggler to start the well-known three-ball cascade, toss all three balls in the air, whip off his hat, and catch the balls in the hat. Subverted by "that jolly juggler
- "Knocked for six" is also from cricket, meaning the cricketing equivalent of a home run that's worth six runs. Possibly "caught out" as well, but that's just a guess.
- Not to mention how few people know where "stumped" and "a sticky wicket" come from.
- "Brought up to scratch" is another sporting term, originating from bare-knuckle boxing. If a boxer couldn't stand up in a chalk square drawn in the centre of the ring (the "scratch") then he lost the fight, so the boxer must be brought up to scratch at the beginning of each round.
- That's also the root of "Toe the line". Yes folks, it ain't "tow" it's "toe". Wrong line.
- "Start from scratch" means to begin from the starting line (as opposed to being granted the advantage of starting in front of it) [1]
(Also, much of it just isn't true.)
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: What A Mess
, started by BringTheNoise on Dec 29th 2010 at 9:17:28 PM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman