Register Log In Wordsmith Talk Forums General Topics Miscellany Left in the lurch Search Advanced Forum Search Forums Calendar Active Threads

Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Left in the lurch #146187 08/09/2005 4:19 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 Sparteye Pooh-Bah Sparteye Pooh-Bah Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 He left me in the lurch. Have you ever wondered what or where this lurch was? Me too. So I finally looked it up in my trusty ol' Webster's Unabridged. Of the several "lurch" entries (none of which involve the Addams' family butler), this phrase draws its meaning from lurch ... [MF lourche, n., a game & lourche, adj. deceived, prob. of Gmc origin; akin to MHG lerz, lurz left, located on the left side ... 1 an act or instance of cheating; ... 2 an act or instance of discomfiture ... And, as Dr Bill already noted (http://wordsmith.org/board/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=words&Number=76153): 3a: a decisive defeat in which a player wins a game by more than twice his opponent's score; specif a defeat in which a player wins a cribbage game before his opponent has progressed halfway toward the goal I have played cribbage for many years, and I've never heard "lurch" used in this context. 'Round these parts, if you beat the opposition soundly, you skunk 'em; if you beat them by double the score, you double skunk 'em. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Left in the lurch #146188 08/09/2005 5:47 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass I'm with you on this one, Sparteye -- been playing cribbage for 50 years or more and never heard this. but when I google cribbage/lurch/skunk I get lots of hits at cribbage sites which claim lurch is another word for skunk. I guess we got left in the ~ somewheres. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Left in the lurch #146189 08/09/2005 7:01 PM Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada Zed Pooh-Bah Zed Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada I think I've read "He was lurched." meaning tricked/beaten by an opponent or enemy. I think I associated it with lurching to a halt but I didn't pay much attention at the time. Cribage was not involved. Crib is 121 to win and 90 is the skunk line. Would lurched be < 60? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Left in the lurch #146190 08/09/2005 7:20 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass according to these sites, lurched is also less than 91; I didn't notice, but I suppose less than 61 would be double-lurched? edit - check out the entry for 'lurch' at this cribbage glossary: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Alley/1542/ Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Left in the lurch #146191 08/10/2005 12:58 AM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 Sparteye Pooh-Bah Sparteye Pooh-Bah Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,773 How funny that this use of lurch is considered so low. I'm glad to know that I'm not a crib-lebe. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Left in the lurch #146192 08/10/2005 6:21 PM Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada Zed Pooh-Bah Zed Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada OOps, forgot to mention that I saw it either in an historical novel or a very old one, likely 1800's. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter That Lowdown skunk! #146193 08/25/2005 6:38 AM Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,636 Caribbean consuelo Carpal Tunnel consuelo Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2001 Posts: 2,636 Caribbean Seems to me it would have to be really low to be lower than a skunk, unless it's Pepe LePew?? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

Default Style BlackNTan Drab eBay GooG v2 infopop new dark new light original dark original stock rounded corners Slate snow sunny dropshadow theblues Touch Of Grey UBB.threads UBB.threads - Dark UBB.threads - Light UBBCentral UBBCentral - Crimson UBBCentral - Lime UBBCentral - Marshmallow UBBCentral - Mocha UBBCentral - Zen UBBT77 UBBT77 - Dark ubbthreads ubbthreads-dark Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith Talk