{"id":106822,"date":"2025-07-04T07:10:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=106822"},"modified":"2025-07-04T07:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:24:11","slug":"the-old-coot-cant-get-the-answer-fast-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/07\/04\/the-old-coot-cant-get-the-answer-fast-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"The Old Coot can\u2019t get the answer fast enough"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler —<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re a fan of \u201cJeopardy,\u201d the quiz show where your answer has to be in the form of a question, but I am, to a degree. That rule was strictly adhered to; contestants often spit out the correct answer, but not in the form of a question; the response wasn\u2019t accepted. <\/span><\/p>\n

The rule has gradually eroded over the years: the host will look at the responder in a questioning manner, giving them a second or two to realize their error and restate it in the proper form. All well and good; that format was a gimmick that worked. The show has been on the air since 1964 with a few gaps in that long string of time. <\/span><\/p>\n

I started watching it when Art Fleming was the host, and it aired during the noon hour when I was often at home for lunch. I could get a few dozen answers before a contestant beat me to the punch. <\/span><\/p>\n

Over time, the questions got harder, the contestants got smarter, and I got dumber and slower. I now rarely blurt out the correct answer before they do, and I do a lot of blurting, mostly in error. <\/span><\/p>\n

My recollection reflex is compromised. The people on the show are just too quick, cheating me of the opportunity to puff up my ego. The only way I might have a chance of shouting out a correct answer before they spoil things for me is to DVR the show,, and when I watch it, pause it right after the question is asked, giving me a minute to dig a response out of the cobwebs in my brain. Then, forward the recording to see if I was right. <\/span><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t resorted to that solution yet. Maybe I never will. It just seems like too much of an effort. So, for now, I\u2019ll sit back with a dunce cap on my head and call it a victory if I get one correct answer before the brainiacs cut me off at the pass. <\/span><\/p>\n

Comments? Send to mlessler7@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Merlin Lessler — I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re a fan of \u201cJeopardy,\u201d the quiz show where your answer has to be in the form…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":82349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Old Coot can\u2019t get the answer fast enough - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2025\/07\/04\/the-old-coot-cant-get-the-answer-fast-enough\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Old Coot can\u2019t get the answer fast enough - 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