Final Jeopardy: Word Origins (5-28-20)

Today’s Final Jeopardy question (5/28/2020) in the category “Word Origins” was:

P.T. Barnum, whose traveling shows carried musicians, coined this word that now represents something growing in popularity

We’re up to the fourth quarterfinal of the 2020 Teachers Tournament. Here are today’s educators: Ben Henri, a 7th-12th grade vocal music teacher from St. Clair Shores, MI; Matt Joyal, a H.S. history teacher from Hampstead, NH; and Mary Kate Trausch, a H.S. science teacher from Vernon Hills, IL

Round 1 Categories: American Health Care – Mythology – Choir Practice – In the State Capital – Teaching the Sport – The Language of de-Feet

Ben found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “State Capital” under the $800 clue on the 9th pick of the round. He was in second place with $2,000, $200 less than Matt’s lead. He bet it all and responded with the state instead of the capital so that was WRONG.

Hernando de Soto State Archaeological site. show

WHAT IS TALLAHASSEE?

Ben finished in the lead with $5,200. Matt was second with $4,200 and Mary Kate was last with $2,400.

Round 2 Categories: Ancient History – A Potpourri of Pictures – 10-Letter Words – Poems – I’m a Chick – Magnet

Mary Kate found the first Daily Double in “Magnet” under the $2,000 clue on the 15th pick. She was in third place with $5,600 now, $7,200 less than Ben’s lead. She bet $4,000 and guessed Cavendish. That was WRONG.

An 1845 letter from the 21-year-old future Lord Kelvin inspired this British scientist to show how magnetism & light are related. show

WHO IS MICHAEL FARADAY?

Ben got the last Daily Double in “Poems” under the $800 clue, with just the $400 clue in the same category left after it. In the lead with $24,000, he had $13,800 more than Matt in second place. He bet $100 and he was RIGHT.

Maya Angelou wrote that it “sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still” show

WHAT IS A CAGED BIRD?

Ben finished in the lead with a runaway $24,500. Matt was next with $10,200 and Mary Kate was in third place with $1,600.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS BANDWAGON?

Hoo boy! “bandwagon” is attributed to various sources online. Apparently, when referring to P.T. Barnum, it means the first time the word can be found in print. It’s in his 1855 autobiography: “At Vicksburg we sold all our land conveyances excepting four horses and the ‘band wagon.'” But that doesn’t mean Barnum coined the word or the phrase “jump on the bandwagon.” According to Bloomsbury International, “This idiom originated in the USA probably in the 18th century when musicians were carried in a bandwagon ahead of everyone else when going to a parade or a political rally.” It seems like they meant the 19th century on that one.

Many other sources credit Dan Rice, a clown and circus owner who was a rival of Barnum with coining the phrase, particularly in regard to politics when he used it to invite Zachary Taylor to jump on the bandwagon. Here’s one: “Weird NJ: The Dan Rice Bandwagon.”

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Mary Kate got it right. She bet $1,599 and finished with $3,199.

Matt just wrote down “up.” He lost his $800 bet and finished with $9,400.

Ben went with “fad.” He lost $822 and won the semi-final spot with $23,678. There won’t be any changes to the Wild Card spots today.

A triple stumper from each round:

IN THE STATE CAPITAL ($1000) Dedicated to Christa McAuliffe & Alan Shepard, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

POEMS ($2000) Though this Romantic poet lived to be 80, he didn’t manage to publish his long poem “The Prelude” before he died in 1850

More clues on Page 2

2 years ago: NONE of the players got this FJ in “Currency”

20-euro notes available in 2015 fittingly feature this mythological mother to some of Zeus’ kids show

WHO IS EUROPA?

Click here to leave well wishes and prayers for Alex Trebek for continuing success in his battle against cancer. There’s also a link to where you can make a donation to pancreatic cancer research in his honor.