# The “fifth” this, the “fourth” that **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185 "2019-05-19T17:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/21 "2019-05-20T06:47:53Z")
The 12th man in football comes from [Texas A&M](https://www.myaggienation.com/history_traditions/12th_man/the-th-man-how-e-king-gill-started-texas-a/article_3d5df82c-0394-11e3-95ab-001a4bcf887a.html): > [@](#): > > Gill told the Post that when he got to the sideline, Bible told him, “Boy, it doesn’t look like I’m going to have enough players to finish the game. You may have to go in there and stand around for a while.” > > So Gill ran under the bleachers and put on Weir’s uniform. He returned to the sideline, ready to aid the Aggies if needed. He was the only player on the bench for the rest of the game, but never got into the game. When the Seahawks started using the term in an official way, A&M lodged a protest (or threatened to sue, not sure which). Apparently they had trademarked the term, or at least felt they had the rights. After negotiations, they compromised with A&M taking the rights for college and the Seahawks for the pros. Other Nth \ uses in sports are the 19th Green, which is the bar at the golf course clubhouse. Some of them have that at their actual name. The post-game show on some radio broadcasts of football and basketball games are sometimes called the 3rd Half or the 5th Quarter. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/22 "2019-05-20T10:14:11Z")
There is a third wheel, a single person doing something with a couple. I had a good friend in Japan, but whenever he got into a relationship, it would turn into a codependent mess. We would get together once a month for dinner or drinks and even though they lived and worked together, she couldn’t stand to let him have one night a month with me. So she would come along and it changed instantly from a couple of guys hanging out together to me as a third wheel. As far as I could tell, the only thing she liked to talk about was get friends and who was doing what. Since I had never met said friends, didn’t know them and had absolutely no idea who their current boyfriends were and why they were either better or worse then the previous ones, there wasn’t much to contribute to the conversation. That got old pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/23 "2019-05-20T13:07:26Z")
In a James Bond book, Bond has pinned a female baddie (henchwoman?) with a chair; another character makes a joke about Bond inventing the 70th position. If you don’t get the joke, get Rob Gronkowski to explain it. Well, give you a clue, anyway. You’d probably actually have to explain the joke to him. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/24 "2019-05-20T14:43:13Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > A lot of folks have been called [The Fifth Beatle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Beatle). Not just Murray and Billy. Yoko ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/25 "2019-05-20T16:36:51Z")
[The AA](https://www.theaa.com/) (British equivalent of the AAA), had, until recently, a strapline of ‘The Fourth Emergency Service’. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/26 "2019-05-20T17:09:25Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > [The AA](https://www.theaa.com/) (British equivalent of the AAA), had, until recently, a strapline of ‘The Fourth Emergency Service’. I’m sure [Her Majesty’s Coastguard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty%27s_Coastguard)\* were delighted to hear that. - which in UK parlance refers to a search and rescue service for people in distress at sea. It’s very different from the US Coast Guard, it doesn’t do things like stop boats smuggling drugs. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/27 "2019-05-20T17:27:06Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The term “[Eighth Wonder of the World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Wonder_of_the_World)” gets thrown around an awful lot, in fact, and I have no doubt that that is by no means a complete list. I saw in a museum the other day a poster for the opening ceremony for the first Tay Bridge in 1878. It was about 2 miles long and would have been amongst the longest bridges in the world at the time. Weirdly the poster described the bridge as the “9th wonder of the world”. I’ve no idea what they regarded as the 8th wonder (by which I mean I haven’t bothered to research) but I suspect that it was something that was far more specific to the 1870s than people realised at the time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/28 "2019-05-20T17:32:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > John Cairncross was the Fifth Man in the KGB British spy ring. I don’t think that quite works here, as the number of spies wasn’t regarded as normally finite (as in the Fab Four, the Seven Wonders etc…). I think we were shocked to discover that there were a couple of high level spies, then we dicovered there were four of them, then evidence turned up of a fifth, so it became “OMG, who is the fifth man!?”. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/29 "2019-05-20T22:51:45Z")
When a pitcher is adept with the glove, announcers will sometimes applaud him for being a “fifth infielder”. I’ve seen Lake Winnipeg described as the Sixth Great Lake. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/30 "2019-05-21T01:41:57Z")
I’ve heard of “transferred to the [number\_of\_floors+1]th floor” used as a euphemism for “died” in hospitals. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/31 "2019-05-21T03:08:36Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > The 51[sup]st[/sup] state. Thought about this for the OP but wasn’t sure. I’m going to guess Puerto Rico and District of Columbia May have been referred to as this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/32 "2019-05-21T03:20:55Z")
The Nineteenth Hole - Golf course bar. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/33 "2019-05-21T03:22:03Z")
This is my 7422nd post. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/34 "2019-05-21T12:18:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The Nineteenth Hole - Golf course bar. Mentioned in post 21. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/35 "2019-05-21T15:04:00Z")
And bowling has the [11th Frame](https://www.11thframebarandgrille.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/36 "2019-05-21T18:45:41Z")
Vienna had a third man. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/37 "2019-05-21T18:50:45Z")
[Matthias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Matthias), chosen to replace Judas, who the 13th Apostle. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/38 "2019-05-21T19:30:47Z")
D’Artagnan was the fourth Musketeer. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/39 "2019-05-21T19:42:54Z")
In basketball, you would sometimes hear a player referred to as the “sixth man” of a team - i.e. the best player to not be in the regular starting five. I suggest Newman (!) was the fifth cast member of Seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185/40 "2019-05-21T19:59:27Z")
Right after John Lennon died, a friend of mine asked “What do they call Brian Epstein in heaven? … The Second Beatle.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fifth-this-the-fourth-that/834185.md?page=3)