# Poorly-written Jeopardy clue?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 19, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284 "2013-11-19T19:16:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/21 "2013-11-21T13:38:39Z")

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What was the category? Sometimes that makes it clear which way to go.

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**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/22 "2013-11-21T15:37:50Z")

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> [@sco3tt](#):
>
> Returning to the OP’s topic of poorly-worded clues, today’s Jeopardy had another questionable one:

That’s not poorly worded at all.

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**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:** [November 21, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/23 "2013-11-21T16:07:05Z")

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> [@Justin\_Bailey](#):
>
> That’s not poorly worded at all.

Uh, yes it is. I had exactly the same reaction to it.

Don’t recall the category, and for some reason yesterday’s game has been posted at Jeopardy! Archives yet.

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**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/24 "2013-11-21T16:24:43Z")

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> [@KneadToKnow](#):
>
> What was the category? Sometimes that makes it clear which way to go.

The category was simply “Inspiration”. Not much help there.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/25 "2013-11-21T16:24:50Z")

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I immediately thought Swift and didn’t think the clue was ambiguous.  
For all my complaints about Trebek I must say he does do a good job of pronouncing the clues

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**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poorly-written-jeopardy-clue/674284/26 "2013-11-21T21:37:18Z")

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I didn’t think the Swift clue was ambiguous at all. IIRC, the other questions in that category all referred to the authors of works.

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