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May 18, 2023
This week’s themeWords from ball games This week’s words Hail Mary kingpin wheelhouse snooker jump ball 
“You told me you were no good at this!”
Cartoon: Jonnie Griffiths / Zazzle
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Gargsnooker
PRONUNCIATION:
(SNOO-kuhr)
MEANING:
verb tr.: To cheat, dupe, trap, stymie, etc.
ETYMOLOGY:
Snooker is a cue sport played on a billiards table. The origins of the
name are lost to history. Snooker is also slang for a new cadet. The most
popular story is that the word was used by a British army officer, Neville
Chamberlain (not the future PM), commenting on a fellow officer’s sub-par
performance at the pool table. In a game of snooker, the word is also used
as a verb for leaving an opponent in a place such that it’s impossible to
take a direct shot. This usage likely resulted in the general sense of the
word. Earliest documented use: 1889.
USAGE:
“‘Marty was a con artist and he had me snookered,’ remembers Edgell.” Kristian Hammerstad; Ticketmaster’s Dark History; The American Prospect (Washington, DC); Feb 2023. See more usage examples of snooker in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
No man treats a motorcar as foolishly as he treats another human being.
When the car will not go, he does not attribute its annoying behavior to
sin; he does not say, "You are a wicked motorcar, and I shall not give you
any more petrol until you go." He attempts to find out what is wrong and to
set it right. An analogous way of treating human beings is, however,
considered to be contrary to the truths of our holy religion. -Bertrand
Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (18 May
1872-1970)
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