# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 180
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3877 "2025-02-09T20:42:38Z")
The Reuben was the original inspiration for the term “shit sandwich.” In fact, in some parts of southern Michigan (mostly around Battle Creek, but clusters in lower Ann Arbor as well), the expression is simply “Reuben.” As in “Last night’s hockey game was a real Reuben” or “The income tax code is a Reuben, and everyone has to take a bight.” ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3878 "2025-02-09T21:59:09Z")
Nitpick. Gauis Julius Caesar was never emperor. For a short period he was legal dictator, but that isn’t the same. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3879 "2025-02-09T22:12:53Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > They also make a pretty good Reuben Roll: Corned Beef, Sauerkraut and Swiss cheese inside a wonton wrap, with crispy spinach and Dusseldorf mustard sauce. That sounds _awesome._ > [@Baker](#): > > Nitpick. Gauis Julius Caesar was never emperor. And the Caesar salad has nothing to do with any Romans. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3880 "2025-02-09T22:13:24Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Nitpick. Gauis Julius Caesar was never emperor. For a short period he was legal dictator, but that isn’t the same. That’s true. But later emperors’ titles got named after him, like Caesar itself in the Roman empire, Kaiser in the Holy Roman Empire and Czar in Russia (and in Bulgaria for a while, I think). ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3881 "2025-02-09T22:14:34Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > And the Caesar salad has nothing to do with any Romans. **[Tijuana](https://sandiego.eater.com/2024/7/4/24191621/caesar-salad-history-mexican-restaurant-tijuana-anniversary-mexico-javier-plascencia)** say anything more about that?? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3882 "2025-02-09T22:20:49Z")
Cute. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3883 "2025-02-09T22:27:45Z")
Gaius Julius Caesar did bear the title “Imperator” while he was alive, but it didn’t mean the same thing as it did for later Caesars. In his time, “Imperator” was a title given to military leaders, by the informal consensus of the troops who served under them. Later Caesars adopted the title, mostly I think, because Gaius Julius held it. And I’m sure you know this, but for anyone else following along, “dictator” was a legitimate position within the government of the Republic, but what made Caesar different was that he declared himself “dictator for life”: The legitimate position of dictator was legally limited to a six-month term. Meanwhile, what Caesar never called himself was “rex” (usually translated “king”), because “rex”, to the Romans, had approximately the same connotations as “dictator” does for us. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3884 "2025-02-09T23:03:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Meanwhile, what Caesar never called himself was “rex” (usually translated “king”), because “rex”, to the Romans, had approximately the same connotations as “dictator” does for us. Yeah. When the Franks ruling Italy called themselves Kings of the Romans, you can tell that the classic Roman society is fully gone ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3885 "2025-02-10T00:34:51Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Nitpick. Gauis Julius Caesar was never emperor. For a short period he was legal dictator, but that isn’t the same. Did Augustus Caesar ever claim to be “Emperor” himself? My understanding was that his preferred style was “First Citizen” or the like. To me “dictator for life” and “emperor” is a distinction without a difference. Call it what you like, that doesn’t change the reality of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3886 "2025-02-10T01:19:31Z")
Specifically, “dictator” was originally a temporary office that was granted only during times of declared war, giving the dictator war powers in command of a mobilized nation that would not have been legitimate in peacetime. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3887 "2025-02-10T03:09:15Z")
PLONK: > [@Super Bowl LIX - Game Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-lix-game-day/1014098/204): > > > [@Super Bowl LIX - Game Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-lix-game-day/1014098/198): > > > > They won like 14 games by one score or less-that absolutely cannot BE disputed. They wouldn’t be the first lucky team to make it here and get destroyed. Stupid, huh? 😡 > > Yes. Profoundly, ridiculously, incredibly stupid. They’re 40-11 in the last 3 years. They had the 4th best scoring defense in the league, and they WON. @Hamlet This was a mediocre team who LUCKED into the big game and got their ass handed to them decisively. They were NOT in any way shape or form any sort of good team, even if they were for the previous 2 seasons (which I will not dispute). Outgained overall 5.3 yards per play to 5.1. Only had a 97 point differential (and that after I deducted the Broncos game). Won like a dozen+ one score games. Yet _I_ am somehow the idiot. Yeah sure whatever you say. Oh, and PLONK. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3888 "2025-02-10T04:12:32Z")
My prediction was either the Chiefs getting blown out or winning by a score or less. The former happened and it exposed how lucky they’d been all year. But yeah, I agree with you here. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3889 "2025-02-10T05:34:25Z")
The Chiefs were _ **not lucky** _, they were very very good. But even the best team ends up losing sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3890 "2025-02-10T08:07:12Z")
Taylor Swift and Kelce having a tough month. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3891 "2025-02-10T11:23:03Z")
Why? Have they stopped being rich, famous and good-looking? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3892 "2025-02-10T12:31:16Z")
When did they start being good looking? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3893 "2025-02-10T13:33:09Z")
Huh? They’re both good-looking. Taylor Swift is not my type, but she is pretty conventionally beautiful. I’m bad at judging men’s looks, but I’d happily trade bodies with Kelce. Is this one of those “her knees are crooked” things? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3894 "2025-02-10T14:20:41Z")
Yeah, one isn’t obligated to find them personally appealing, but to deny they’re considered attractive by broad conventional standards is pretty weird. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3895 "2025-02-10T14:33:43Z")
Wouldn’t be the first time a Doper with some…unconventional views also had other unconventional (read: f’ing weird/head-scratching) takes ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/3896 "2025-02-10T14:48:38Z")
Yup. Wacky is as wacky does. Or thinks. Or posts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=179) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=181)