[thepossum]

Hi all

Showing my cultural ignorance I only discovered the word/concept of kibitzing when I joined this site a few years ago. I was rather surprised at some of the discussion or comments among the kibitz and even on occasion to the people at the table. So I looked it up, found the definition and have tried to live up to its definition ever since - I dont tend to annoy the table though - not that brave. Not many people seem to join in the fun though

regards P

[pilowsky]

kibitzing (ki BITZ ing if you're German) is a german Yiddish word. In chess, a kibitzer was a person who stood around and made asinine suggestions while you were trying to think. My understanding is that the word is onomatopoeic for the sound that seagulls make when they see a bit of bread on the ground.
On BBO the word now seems to have become rather anodyne and just means onlooker.
On Stepbridge which is a Dutch site, they use the term 'spectators'. I prefer this term because it connotes the idea of a respectful onlooker.

In cricket, when spectators get bored after the 4th day, Tony Grieg and Richie Benaud would 'entertain' people by discussing the seagull count at the Adelaide Oval. The seagulls never outnumbered the kibitzers in the stands, and they were always more respectful.
Tony and Richie would also discuss the merits of different kinds of sausages as in
"They're cooking sausages with coriander Richie",
"oh, would that be fresh coriander or dried Tony?"
"I don't know Richie but it tastes delicious"

As Bill Bryson commented, "Cricket is the only game in the world where the spectators get more exercise than the players".

Bridge and chess are two games where the kibitzers always know better than the players.

This post has been edited by pilowsky: 2021-January-11, 19:47

[spade7]

Spectators usually get bored earlier than the fourth day.

[spade7]

For those not acquainted with test match cricket, watching paint dry is usually more interesting.

[spade7]

At-table spectators are also known as kibitzers.