In another thread about a racehorse that disappeared from the face of the Earth in 1983 [hence a fitting search for Hubble], we were told that the source of the Hubble idea was "a pundit overheard".

Since the subject of the search is a racehorse, I suggested that the "pundit" was probably a chalker, and then we got into the meaning of "chalker".

Anyone familiar with the word "chalker"?

I associate the word with veteran gamblers who study the histories of the horses in a race before making their bet. They're easy to spot. They are always bent over their Racing Forms, scratching and scribbling their arcane science with feverish intensity as the odds for the race are posted.

I can't find any authority for this meaning in the Search Engines. Closest reference I can find is to someone who keeps score of a dart game.

If someone has a better idea, I may have to chalk mine up to experience [which is what any good chalker will do when his horse comes in out of the money].

moss, for whatever reason, I didn't see this post until today. I too wondered what it was. And my guess is the same as yours; but I'll add that, according to Dick Francis, racecourse bookmakers are legal in the UK, so I think it might be a term for them. I assume they might post their changing odds on a chalkboard.

The chalker is the scorekeeper in darts only, as far as I know

**thread diversion**

ever wondered what the trackside bookies are saying to each other in their secret sign language?
http://snurl.com/2c5f

Cool, Dody--thanks a million (to one...) ;-)
Tic-tac is the secret and complex sign language used by bookmakers at racecourses to indicate movements in the price of a horse.
Those plying this skill usually wear white gloves and stand on wooden crates so they can be easily seen, although mobile phones have made the art a rarer sight. The signs are further encoded by use of the 'twist card' which jumbles the racecard numbers for use by specific firms.

Most prices are also known by slang, as in the case of Burlington Bertie 100-30. Or scruffy and dirty, one hundred to thirty.

what ?

you know, the old music hall song, 'I'm Burlington Bertie, I rise at 10.30'
**paste**
I'm Burlington Bertie,
I rise at ten-thirty
And saunter along like a toff.
I walk down the Strand
With my gloves on my hand,
Then I walk down again with them off.
I'm all airs and graces,
Correct easy paces,
So long without food,
I forgot where my face is!
I'm Bert, Bert,
I haven't a shirt.
My people are well off, you know.
Nearly everyone knows me,
From Smith to Lord Rosebery.
I'm Burlington Bertie from Bow.