# The Jeopardy thread \[was James Holzhauer\]\[contains spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** reality-or-game-show\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696 "2019-04-17T21:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 147
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2924 "2021-10-06T22:43:04Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > He has said that he spends a lot of his spare time just aimlessly browsing Wikipedia. Everything has a price to pay, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2925 "2021-10-06T23:15:32Z")
I actually guessed the FJ answer. It was just a guess though (High School French may have helped) The dish that includes the month’s name may have helped too. Brian ---
**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:** [October 6, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2926 "2021-10-06T23:28:49Z")
I just finished watching it on YouTube (it was right after 02:00 in Moscow, so someone must have posted it on Atlantic Time). I thought it was easy. Even if I didn’t know my European history, I would have gotten it just from the word “heat” in the clue. (And yeah, I know about the dish and its origins too.) I was astonished, though, that Matt missed it. That encyclopedia he reads must have some blank spots. I was also amazed he missed the one about what happens to mercury at low temperatures. I thought the response was obvious. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2927 "2021-10-07T02:24:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > None of the 3 could identify Long Island as a peninsula? Really? Well maybe the Supreme Court said it was a peninsula, but who else would think that? A weird one - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United\_States\_v.\_Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Maine) ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2928 "2021-10-07T02:38:20Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > When I was a kid, I read an entire set of the _World Book Encyclopedia_ (my mom sold them for a while) maybe your mom sold my set to my grandparents back in 86 lol But yeah I used to read them from front to back. I was the jeopardy fan in the house and unless it was anything math or technical English (which the sdmb informs me I’m the worst at … although I do try ) id run the board…I miss hard-back encyclopedias… ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2929 "2021-10-07T02:47:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > None of the 3 could identify Long Island as a peninsula? Really? I don’t know why Long Island is considered a peninsula if Manhattan is considered an island. Anyone else surprised they didn’t ask Matt to be more specific with his “what’s Adams?” response? Don’t they always do that with the Presidents Adams? I have to admit, for a while it was fun to watch each night hoping Matt would lose, this is getting boring. If this goes on much longer, I might just stop watching until I hear that he’s lost. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2930 "2021-10-07T03:57:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > None of the 3 could identify Long Island as a peninsula? Really? I had no idea LI is considered a peninsula. They should at least change the name to Long Peninsula. I would have guessed Manhattan before I guessed LI. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2931 "2021-10-07T04:00:10Z")
It was right on the tip of my tongue, and then I remembered it at the last second…Humidor! ---
**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:** [October 7, 2021, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2932 "2021-10-07T04:37:33Z")
Never would have come up with FJ. That was pretty obscure. I was trying to come up with something that sounded like “calor,” (knowing that is Spanish but thinking French may be similar and looking it up now, the French word for heat is “ la chaleur” so I wasn’t too far off) but the answer appears to have nothing to do with the French word for heat so no idea how you’re supposed to figure that one out. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2933 "2021-10-07T06:05:27Z")
I got FJ. First, it was the mention of Messidor and the French Revolution–and thanks to my high school European history teacher’s enthusiasm for the French Revolution, we learned that the French had redesigned their calendar in its wake. We didn’t learn all the months by name, but we did learn the correct response, and the “-dor” part of Messidor reminded me of it. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I was pretty sure. As for the French word for “heat,” the correct response has nothing to do with “chaleur.” Rather, it comes from the Greek. Think of the now-generic brand name for a vacuum bottle that keeps hot liquids, such as soups and coffee, hot; and that you might take to work. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2021, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2934 "2021-10-07T07:02:38Z")
Yeah, it helps if you know something about languages too. The clue was _Following Messidor, this summer month in the 18th century French Revolutionary calendar had a name meaning “heat gift”_ The Greek word for “gift” is _doro_ (δώρο). So “therm” + “doro” = Thermidor. Easy-peasy! (The name “Doris” is derived from _doro_ too.) I don’t understand how Matt could have gotten “Mercurial” but not “Saturnine.” And yes, I was waiting for Mayim to say “Be more specific” on the “What is … Adams?” response. Maybe the “1801” was enough to differentiate John from John Q. (On the other hand, I laughed out loud the other day when Angie Givant said “Agincourt” instead of “Hastings.” Apparently the year 1066 didn’t ring any bells with her.) I know the Bronx is the only part of NYC to be “attached” to the continent of North America (or so I was once told). I guess that makes it a peninsula (“almost an island”), but I don’t think it’s 118 miles long. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2935 "2021-10-07T10:14:24Z")
I remembered from Geography class that peninsula and islands are sometimes named incorrectly. The historical name stuck and never changed. I didn’t _know for certain_ Long Island was the answer. But what else in the NYC area sticks out over a 100 miles into the sea? Long Island seemed like the only logical answer. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2936 "2021-10-07T11:21:28Z")
Plus causeways/canals can eliminate/create islands. Wikipedia also says that the Supreme Court ruling “In the popular media this has been often misinterpreted as a ruling that Long Island is legally not an island.” Brian ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2937 "2021-10-07T13:44:21Z")
[Island vs peninsula.](https://youtu.be/4OwN7eYZseI) ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2938 "2021-10-07T14:20:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I remembered from Geography class that peninsula and islands are sometimes named incorrectly. The historical name stuck and never changed. Long Island is completely surrounded by water. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2939 "2021-10-07T14:28:29Z")
I got Thermidor without even thinking. It was just ‘obvious’. And I don’t speak French. But, I’ve never even _heard_ the word saturnine. If they make you clarify TR from FDR, they most certainly need a clarification of which President Adams you’re talking about, ---
**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:** [October 7, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2940 "2021-10-07T14:41:36Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > Long Island is completely surrounded by water. Yes, it extends into the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s divided from the rest of New York by a river. I always wondered if that was part of the justification for calling it a peninsula. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2941 "2021-10-07T14:50:46Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Yes, it extends into the Atlantic Ocean, but it’s divided from the rest of New York by a river. The East River is not really a river. > Technically, the East River, the body of water that separates Long Island from Manhattan and the Bronx (on the New York mainland), is a [tidal strait](http://www.britannica.com/place/East-River), rather than a river. Since the East River is relatively shallow, difficult for ships to navigate, and not an outlet to the sea, it doesn’t count, the Court essentially argued. _Newsday_ points out that scientific experts don’t support this argument—geologically, the two islands are made of very different kinds of rock that formed at millions of years apart. But, as a matter of political expediency, it’s more convenient for Long Island to be a peninsula so New York can exercise jurisdiction over it (and reap whatever natural resources it can from that). > **[The Reason Long Island Isn't Considered an Island](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76297/sort-bogus-reason-long-island-isnt-considered-island)** > > The peninsula just happens to have a little water between it and the mainland. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2942 "2021-10-07T14:51:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I got Thermidor without even thinking. It was just ‘obvious’. And I don’t speak French. > > But, I’ve never even _heard_ the word saturnine. I’ve never heard either of those words. It would not have been a good day for me to be a contestant. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696/2943 "2021-10-07T15:23:11Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’ve never heard either of those words. It would not have been a good day for me to be a contestant. You’ve never heard of Lobster Thermidor? I’ve never eaten it, but I’ve heard of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=146) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jeopardy-thread-was-james-holzhauer-contains-spoilers/832696.md?page=148)