# Jeopardy; we did not understand a correction in scoring tuesday 2/27 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014 "2015-02-18T16:24:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/1 "2015-02-18T16:24:00Z")
Last evening Alex took away something from a woman for some reason. Did you catch the explanation? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/2 "2015-02-18T16:45:00Z")
It seems that Alex started to give the correct response before the woman did. So they negated the question entirely in the name of fairness. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/3 "2015-02-18T16:46:26Z")
Assuming you mean the 2/17 show, he took away points because he when he called on her, he accidentally started to blurt out the answer instead of the woman’s name. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/4 "2015-02-18T17:22:19Z")
It was a real **“WTF?!?”** moment! I was surprised when at first it looked as though the judges were going to let it slide. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/5 "2015-02-18T23:56:41Z")
Well, did anybody see today’s episode? (2/18) A contestant gave the (wrong) question “What is a _ **schmuck** _?” :eek: The correct answer was “What is a schlemeil” but schmuck just sailed right on through without anyone batting an eye. A schlemeil is a Yiddish word for someone who is kind of a dork. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/6 "2015-02-19T02:24:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It was a real **“WTF?!?”** moment! I was surprised when at first it looked as though the judges were going to let it slide. I’m more surprised it made it to air. I guess they needed the mistake so that you’d understand the score change. Otherwise, mistakes tend to get edited out. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/7 "2015-02-19T03:07:49Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Well, did anybody see today’s episode? (2/18) A contestant gave the (wrong) question “What is a _ **schmuck** _?” :eek: The correct answer was “What is a schlemeil” but schmuck just sailed right on through without anyone batting an eye. > > A schlemeil is a Yiddish word for someone who is kind of a dork. What was the answer? ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/8 "2015-02-19T03:13:18Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > What was the answer? The category was insults and the answer was something like (I don’t remember the exact wording) "You don’t want to be around this person of Yiddish origin. I guess Schmuck myself, because I’ve never heard of schlemeil before. I didn’t realize it was supposed to be a vile insult, I thought it was mild, along the lines of ‘jerk’ or ‘dork’. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/9 "2015-02-19T03:16:29Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > The category was insults and the answer was something like (I don’t remember the exact wording) "You don’t want to be around this person of Yiddish origin. > > I guess Schmuck myself, because I’ve never heard of schlemeil before. I didn’t realize it was supposed to be a vile insult, I thought it was mild, along the lines of ‘jerk’ or ‘dork’. My parents are native Yiddish speakers (their first language) and never used schmuck more than a mild insult, but as an English word. It means penis, so it’s calling someone a dick. While in the Yiddish it’s more vulgar, in English it’s pretty mild. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/10 "2015-02-19T03:19:27Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It was a real **“WTF?!?”** moment! I was surprised when at first it looked as though the judges were going to let it slide. I was surprised at that too, in fact, I was planning to start a thread to ask what they do when Alex slips up like that. I figured they would let it slide as well since it was pretty clear she knew the answer, she practically started saying as soon as Alex looked at her. > [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > The category was insults and the answer was something like (I don’t remember the exact wording) "You don’t want to be around this person of Yiddish origin. > > I guess Schmuck myself, because I’ve never heard of schlemeil before. I didn’t realize it was supposed to be a vile insult, I thought it was mild, along the lines of ‘jerk’ or ‘dork’. Ahhhh, you’ve probably heard it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJzF8_df1R8#t=7s). ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/11 "2015-02-19T03:22:47Z")
not surprised that they let schmuck on the air they also had “jackass” as the answer to a question tonight I guess not even Jeopardy! is safe for families anymore 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/12 "2015-02-19T03:51:45Z")
Yeah, JoeyP has a link to what most people would be familiar with. The opening to the Laverne and Shirley sitcom where they recite a ditty with “Schlemiel, Schlemozel”. So when the clue included schlemozel I was expecting schlemiel to come naturally to the contestant. When she blurted out schmuck it caught me by surprise but the show just moved right along as if she said jerk or dummy or something innocuous. I guess it’s been watered down now. Kind of like saying something “sucks” which used to be quite vulgar too. I wasn’t offended or anything. In fact I found it funny as hell and missed the next 3 questions because I was laughing through them. Here’s a link to the etymology of [schmuck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmuck_%28pejorative%29). ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/13 "2015-02-19T03:58:09Z")
> [@Peanuthead](#): > > Yeah, JoeyP has a link to what most people would be familiar with. The opening to the Laverne and Shirley sitcom where they recite a ditty with “Schlemiel, Schlemozel”. So when the clue included schlemozel I was expecting schlemiel to come naturally to the contestant. When she blurted out schmuck it caught me by surprise but the show just moved right along as if she said jerk or dummy or something innocuous. > I guess it’s been watered down now. Kind of like saying something “sucks” which used to be quite vulgar too. I wasn’t offended or anything. In fact I found it funny as hell and missed the next 3 questions because I was laughing through them. > Here’s a link to the etymology of [schmuck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmuck_%28pejorative%29). The clue included schlemozel? Then schlemeil should’ve been the answer, I agree. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/14 "2015-02-19T04:31:36Z")
There are lots of Yiddish words for a pitiful or unpleasant person, though. What a weird clue. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/15 "2015-02-19T04:38:49Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > There are lots of Yiddish words for a pitiful or unpleasant person, though. What a weird clue. Shlimiel and shlimazel go together naturally, especially if you watched _ **L&S** _ in the '70s. IIRC, a shlimiel is the guy who spills his beer; a shlimazel is the guy he spills it on. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/16 "2015-02-19T06:03:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Ahhhh, you’ve probably heard it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJzF8_df1R8#t=7s). I was watching that tonight at a bar. Some other people were also guessing and when the clue came up (I too guessed schmuck) I heard one of them say “Laverne & Shirley” and thought _ **WTF?!** _ Got it when I saw the right answer. And yes, schmuck is completely (almost comically) innocent in contemporary English. Kind of like the insult ‘wanker’. Here in America it’s just a nonsense word (_The Simpsons_ used it repeatedly [in the old U2 episode)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB3tZnQKKn4)even though in the UK it’s the equivalent of calling someone ‘a jerk-off’ which you most definitely cannot say on American broadcast TV. > [@PSXer](#): > > not surprised that they let schmuck on the air > > they also had “jackass” as the answer to a question tonight > > I guess not even Jeopardy! is safe for families anymore 😕 To each his own, but calling someone a jackass (or even shortened to just an ‘ass’) has been understood to mean foolish, and be completely separate from the body part for quite a while now. I remember hearing/reading it in polite circles as a kid back in the 70s. Calling someone an ‘asshole’ however is definitely not allowed on network TV. Using it repeatedly in a film can be enough to earn you an R from the MPAA. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/17 "2015-02-19T06:11:59Z")
Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/18 "2015-02-19T08:23:44Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > My parents are native Yiddish speakers (their first language) and never used schmuck more than a mild insult, but as an English word. It means penis,… I thought that was “putz”. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/19 "2015-02-19T08:55:08Z")
Pretty sure _schmuck, schmecke,_ and _putz_ all mean penis. I think _putz_ is the rudest of those three. Only in Yiddish, though. In German, _putz_ is just, like, an ornament of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014/20 "2015-02-19T09:01:21Z")
How many words for “penis” does Yiddish need? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-we-did-not-understand-a-correction-in-scoring-tuesday-2-27/713014.md?page=2)