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Chic
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:46 pm
Post subject: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
Thank you!
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John of Aix
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:32 pm
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Chic wrote:
| Quote: | Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
|
It coulmd be but it might also be an expression for something and one I
don't know.
But in fact it can't be a "billiards" ball properly speaking because
that is a game played with only three balls. There is a multi-ball game
in Britian called Snooker and a similar one in the USA called Pool, it
is only in the latter that the balls have numbers on them. |
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Ivan
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:58 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Chic wrote:
| Quote: | Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
Thank you!
|
Are you referring to the expression, "behind the eight-ball"? It means
to be in a difficult or stressful situation. Derived from a game of
pool where striking the eight-ball is to be avoided until the end of
the game.
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John of Aix
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 4:33 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Ivan wrote:
| Quote: | Chic wrote:
Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
Thank you!
Are you referring to the expression, "behind the eight-ball"? It means
to be in a difficult or stressful situation. Derived from a game of
pool where striking the eight-ball is to be avoided until the end of
the game.
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Ah, the solution. Thanks. I've never heard this expression, an
Amercanism I suppose. |
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Giles Todd
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:55 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 15:46:52 GMT, "Chic" <11281invalid@mynewsgate.net>
wrote:
| Quote: | But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
|
OED2:
a. The black ball, numbered eight, in the North American variety of
pool (pool n.3 3); this variety of pool.
b. Phr. behind the eight ball, at a disadvantage; ‘snookered’.
c. slang. A Negro.
d. slang. A stupid person.
e. (See quot. 1937.).
1937 Printers' Ink Monthly Apr. 53/1 Eight ball, an astatic
microphone characterized by non-directional pick-ups and having a
360-degree beam.
Giles |
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Nick Wagg
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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"Dante Alighieri" <michel.angelo@heavens.gate> wrote in message
news:1122041126.7e914a44afb259653efed5186504a4c4@teranews...
| Quote: |
Snooker is a pool game where snookering your opponent is the main object
and uses different balls
than the regular 15 balls numbered 1 through 15. Therefore, "being
snookered" is approximately the same as
"being 8balled", but less severe. Like, if you're snookered you got it
tough, if you're 8balled you're dead. |
Snooker has 15 red balls and six other colours, has completely different
rules, a much larger table and much smaller holes, compared with the
size of the balls.
I wouldn't say that the main object is to snooker your opponent.
IME, this is only done when there are fewer points left on the table
than are needed for the person who is behind to overtake the leader.
Then the only way for the trailer to win is to try to position the cue
ball so that the leader can't get a clear shot. If a player misses the
target ball altogether s/he sacrifices penalty points but, even if s/he
hits the target, it is unlikely to go in a pocket. |
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Dante Alighieri
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 2:03 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Approx. Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:33:06 +0200, someone calling themselves "John of Aix" <j.murphy@libertysurf.fr> let their cat run across the keyboard
resulting in:
:-)= Ivan wrote:
 = > Chic wrote:
= >> Hi!
= >> I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
= >>
= >> But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
= >> What does it means?
= >>
= >> It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
= >>
= >> Thank you!
= >
= > Are you referring to the expression, "behind the eight-ball"? It means
= > to be in a difficult or stressful situation. Derived from a game of
= > pool where striking the eight-ball is to be avoided until the end of
= > the game.
=
= Ah, the solution. Thanks. I've never heard this expression, an
= Amercanism I suppose.
=
8 Ball
One variation:
one player has to sink solid pool balls, excluding the 8 ball, the other player has to sink the striped balls.
After either player has sunk all their pool balls, that player must sink the eight ball in order to win.
A player may hit the eight ball to drive another ball into a pocket.
If a player accidentally sinks the 8ball prematurely that player automatically loses.
two variation:
sames as one variation except,
during regular play the cue ball cannot touch the 8ball.
Yes, when a player has only two balls left they are close to winning but to make the game interesting
they may easily be "snookered" behind the 8ball by their opponent.
hence, the expression "being behind the 8ball" meaning being in a difficult situation.
Snooker is a pool game where snookering your opponent is the main object and uses different balls
than the regular 15 balls numbered 1 through 15. Therefore, "being snookered" is approximately the same as
"being 8balled", but less severe. Like, if you're snookered you got it tough, if you're 8balled you're dead.
HTH
Pax Vobiscum |
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Jim
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:09 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Chic wrote...
| Quote: | Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
Thank you!
|
Some context please!
It's the black ball in pool.
It can mean 'to finish off' like the last ball to be potted in pool.
A magic 8-ball is a game/toy
Eight-ball is a character from Grand Theft Auto
Eight-ball Zucchini - a squash (food)
Eight-ball of cocaine (aka a henry) - drugs
Eight-ball stout - a drink |
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Rose Melinis
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 7:13 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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The expression "8 ball" is meant to denote something unfavorable, or a bad
situation. For example, "My boss has asked for that report I am supposed to
be working on. Now I'm behind the 8 ball!"
The origin comes from Billiards, where sinking the 8 ball (the black ball)
would come last. If you were trying to sink other balls in their numerical
rotation it becomes disadvantageous to find your cue ball hidden or masked
by the 8 ball, hence the expression "behind the 8 ball".
"Chic" <11281invalid@mynewsgate.net> wrote in message
news:2005072115465211281@mynewsgate.net...
| Quote: | Hi!
I'm an italian girl, and I love the english culture.
But I didn't understand a thing: the "8 ball".
What does it means?
It's not just the billiard's ball, isn't it?
Thank you!
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{R}
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:05 pm
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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In uk.culture.language.english on Mon, 25 Jul 2005 01:49:41 GMT, "Rose
Melinis" <rosemelinis@yahoo.com> wrote:
}The origin comes from Billiards, where sinking the 8 ball (the black ball)
}would come last.
Strange that - Billiards is a game with three balls. A red one. A white
one and a white one with two small black dots.
{R} |
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Nick Wagg
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:20 pm
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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"{R}" <nospam@spam.nium.org> wrote in message
news:5mh9e1l9a2vh4j20go0th5uqjurgbho0bg@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In uk.culture.language.english on Mon, 25 Jul 2005 01:49:41 GMT, "Rose
Melinis" <rosemelinis@yahoo.com> wrote:
}The origin comes from Billiards, where sinking the 8 ball (the black
ball)
}would come last.
Strange that - Billiards is a game with three balls. A red one. A white
one and a white one with two small black dots.
|
I would have agreed with you and insisted that the expression is
derived from pool, but a quick Google reveals lots of variants
(probably mainly American), many with lots of balls with which
I am unfamiliar.
I don't have the charter or FAQ for this group to hand so can't
say whether answers should be strictly limited to the English
language as spoken by the British, or the English or whether the
culture bit should be limited to what is normally practised in
England, or Britain, or the English-speaking world...
Anyone for Morris dancing or well-dressing? |
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Rose Melinis
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:00 am
Post subject: Re: Meaning of "8 ball" |
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Sorry, billiards, as in "billiard hall" is a common name in the USA to
denote any type of game played on a felt covered table, with pockets, and
using balls and sticks.
"{R}" <nospam@spam.nium.org> wrote in message
news:5mh9e1l9a2vh4j20go0th5uqjurgbho0bg@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In uk.culture.language.english on Mon, 25 Jul 2005 01:49:41 GMT, "Rose
Melinis" <rosemelinis@yahoo.com> wrote:
}The origin comes from Billiards, where sinking the 8 ball (the black
ball)
}would come last.
Strange that - Billiards is a game with three balls. A red one. A white
one and a white one with two small black dots.
{R} |
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