The word of the day is SNOW. This is as much as I’ve seen in a long time, and that’s saying something:
Did you keep track of your Coryat score today? Still no one has entered my contest, which makes your chances excellent if you would post your score(s). If you have any, post them as a comment below. I of course kept track of mine today. I kind of miss hearing my Jeopardy Challenger’s theme music play while that of the real show is. Today’s contestants:
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| Margaret Murphy |
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| Michael Rose |
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| Dan Jensen |
Incidentally, there was an article on pale blue ties in today’s paper.
I was embarrassed to miss this first clue of the day, in Italian Art and Artists. I think I felt like I had to ring in because it was worth only 200. Not a good start for me: “Begun in 1503, it’s been called ‘the most famous portrait in art history.'”* Dan got it right. I kicked myself, too, for not officially answering this triple-stumper in the same category. I had it right in my head, but it was a wild guess and I didn’t pull the trigger: “Caravaggio’s Gypsy woman isn’t just holding the man’s hand, she’s reading his palm, giving the painting this title.”*
Dan found the Daily Double of the round before the first break, in “Car” Pool. He led with 4200, while Michael had 2000 and Margaret had 0. Dan wisely wagered everything on this clue: “The Panteon Nacional in this city is the final resting place of Simon Bolivar.”* Like Dan, I answered quickly and confidently (though not the same thing), and we were both wrong.
Did you guys notice during Margaret’s contestant interview that she said something like, “…for four years, from age 4 to 10”? She was referring to years she spent in Malta. She said six years later in the interview, but I don’t think she ever realized her mistake.
Did you guys get this triple-stumper in Holidays and Observances?: “Quebec’s Fete Nationale is June 24, the feast day of this herald of Jesus.”* What about this one, in Laundry Detergent?: “3-letter adjective for the Beatles.”*
After the Jeopardy round, Dan had 4000, Michael had 4600, and Margaret had 2200. Dan found the first Daily Double in the Double Jeopardy round, in Those Animals Frighten Me! He’d made a nice comeback with 9200. Michael had 8200, and Margaret still had 2200. Dan wagered 2000 on this clue: “Hippophobia (Don’t say hippos).”* Dan and I got it right.
Why was 6-Syllable Words the last category to be chosen? It appealed to me the most. The last clue of the round was the other Daily Double, and Michael found it. He had 13000, Dan had 16800, and Margaret had 4200. Michael made a most excellent wager of 4000: If right, he’d have the lead. If wrong, he’d still have more than twice the third-place person. Here was the clue: “Meaning ‘before the flood,’ this word refers to something or someone very old.”* I slam-dunked this one, but Michael missed it.
The Final Jeopardy category was Symbols. This was the clue: “One tale of its origin says that the blind seer Tiresias separated 2 snakes with his staff.”* All three contestants got it right, and so did I. Michael made another savvy wager. (Is this guy a student of the game?): He apparently expected Dan to wager enough to beat him by a dollar if he doubled. Michael, then, wagered to win if Dan wagered that way and missed. Clever. Dan did, in fact, wager that way. So Dan wins again, and he looked as happy as ever. We’ll see him tomorrow! My Coryat score today, by the way, is 22800. Dan’s was 20200, Michael’s was 13000, and Margaret’s was 4200.
*the Mona Lisa, the Fortune-Teller, Caracas, John the Baptist, Fab, horses, antediluvian, caduceus