Final Jeopardy: Words & Their Meanings (4-16-24)
Today’s Final Jeopardy question (4/16/2024) in the category “Words & Their Meanings” was:
Churchill gave a word a new meaning when he called for a “talk with Soviet Russia upon the highest level… a parley at” this
3x champ Alison Betts, a writer & creative exec. orig. from San Jose, CA, has now won $97,300 so far. In Game 4, her challengers are: Veronica Tabor, a study abroad advisor from Ann Arbor, MI; and Eric Reimund, a substitute teacher orig. from Collegeville, PA.
Round 1 Categories: Lived Past 100 – The Movies – Paging the Fictional Driver – Don’t Eat That! – Countries of the World – Just For Fun “Z”S
Alison found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Countries of the World” under the $600 clue on the 15th pick of the round. She was in the lead with $3,200, $3,000 more than Eric in second place. Alison bet $2,000 and she was RIGHT.
The king of this country gets the official title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” show
Alison finished in the lead with $6,800. Veronica was in second place with $1,200. Eric was last with $400. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: Val, History’s Clumsiest Time Traveler – Siblings in Pop Culture – Making Noise – Say It in Spanish – Land Of Milk & Honey – A “M”edical Dictionary
Eric found the first Daily Double in “A ‘M’edical Dictionary” under the $800 clue on the 4th pick of the round. He was in second place with $2,400, $7,200 less than Alison’s lead. Eric made it a true Daily Double and he was RIGHT.
Swelling of the parotid glands is a symptom of this acute viral disease show
Two clues later, Eric landed on the last Daily Double in “Say it in Spanish” under the $1,600 clue. He was in second place with $6,000 now, $3,600 less than Alison’s lead. Eric bet $4,000 but, in his confusion, forgot to guess in question form so he was WRONG (even though his guess wasn’t).
A song often heard in Spanish-speaking countries at Christmastime is this “Sabanero”, meaning “My Little Savannah Donkey show
Eric finished in the lead with $11,600. Alison was in second place with $11,200. Veronica was last with $0 and out of the game at this point. All clues were shown.
NEITHER contestant left in Final Jeopardy! got it right.
WHAT IS THE SUMMIT?
In my effort to learn what’s missing from the quote in the FJ! clue, I came across an editorial in London’s Daily Herald (2/16/1950). “What exactly did Mr. Churchill say? He said: ‘I can’t help coming back to this idea of another talk with Russia on the highest level’; and: ‘It is not easy to see how things could be worsened by a parley at the summit if such a thing were possible.'” The editor was hardly impressed with Churchill’s turn of phrase. His title: “Anything for a Vote”. 🤣
Etymology Online says “summit” has been around in a few forms since the 1400s, meaning “‘highest point, peak, apex’ of a physical thing….” Figurative use was traced back to 1711. Winston Churchill is credited with changing the meaning to “meeting of heads of state” in 1950 with the metaphor “parley at the summit”.
Alison thought it was Yalta. She only lost $1,000 and finished with $10,200.
Eric came up with the Himalayas. That cost him $11,599. He was left with $1.00 and Alison won again, for a 4-day total of $107,700.
A triple stumper from each round:
THE MOVIES ($800) The first DVD that Netflix mailed was this spirited film starring Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis as a deceased married couple
SIBLINGS IN POP CULTURE ($2000) Sid & Marty Krofft produced ’70s Saturday morning TV like “H.R. Pufnstuf” & this one where a family ends up in a time with dinosaurs
2 years ago: TWO of the players got this FJ in “Geographic Terms”
The 1964 article that gave this term its current use noted the “menace that haunts the Atlantic off our southeastern coast” show
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I thought “top of the world” for Final, and was sure it was wrong, so I cheated and looked it up. Had never heard that. Oh well!
Lucky break for Alison. And, sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good! Eric did bounce up a bit, but, I didn’t think he had “it”. This game does underscore how much of a game it is!
@VJ, that editorial was a great find. I salute you.
Thanks, Steve. I’m glad you liked it.
Lots of misses and stumpers tonight. The Binney & Smith product was pretty obvious from the clue. Knew the Frampton band, but that was a toughie. Was sure someone would know the southern Z-music. A neighbor who lives three blocks down the road has that word on their vanity license plate. The Kentucky heel dance was not difficult. The type of honey was, and even though I have some at home, I momentarily forgot its name.
Usually I say it’s critical to have the lead going into FJ, regardless of size. But sometimes it is a detriment. Eric, who made a monumental comeback in DJ, was more or less committed to betting the farm in FJ. Sure, he could have wagered zero or a tiny amount, but that can also kill you if the opponent bets big and gets FJ right. Alison needed to wager only $401. She played it right and took the win. That was a tough Final that in hindsight seems almost obvious.
I first thought of ‘summit’ for FJ, but then changed it to ‘communism’. Oh well!
So this means Veronica will automatically receive the third place prize. Am I correct?
Yes. Even if Eric had lost it all, she was getting third place.
First regular play dismissal of Season 40 and a double stumper. At the final clue of DJ! The scores were Alison and Eric tied at 11,200 and Veronica at 0. If Veronica gets that last clue, she would be around for FJ! with 400 and hope that Alison and Eric miss and wager everything and she would win. But Eric got that last clue instead to take the lead and I wished that Veronica buzzed in instead of Eric so she could be the new champion.
That’s why today’s final was a tough one.