Is there a "term" for this act?

[ScienceFail]

Let's say there's a tossup and the answer is George III.

A guy on the opposing team buzzes in and guesses "Charles I" and gets it wrong. Even though you don't know the answer either, you assume that "Charles I" was somewhat close to the right answer, so you buzz in with "Charles II". Is this looked down upon in the QB world? And is there an actual term for it?

[Charbroil]

Well, if you don't wait for the tossup to be over, it's called "vulturing," (or "vulching") http://www.doc-ent.com/qbwiki/index.php?title=Vulture

Otherwise, not really.

[Mechanical Beasts]

Well, this is sort of an act of lateral thinking (that takes the opponent's answer into account), so I guess it's a subclass of lateraling. But if you're buzzing off that instead of off the giveaway (which I assume you haven't heard yet, because otherwise you'd have something easier--particularly in that case--than your opponent being wrong to go off of), then you're "vulturing" the tossup--buzzing on a tossup before the end when your opponent is already locked out.

[at your pleasure]

And yeah, vulturing is usually looked down on because vulching and then negging loses your team what should be a free tossup and the attendant chance at a bonus). Some format variation(especially bounceback bonuses, power marks, and timers) encourage vulching under very specific circumstances, but that's about it.

[Maxwell Sniffingwell]

This happens the most when the other team is prompted and misses, right?

[theMoMA]

I would say it's just good strategy. It's easy to say that we should know more about George II, or whatever the case may be. But once you're in a game, you just need to play as smart as you can with the knowledge that you have.

[Cheynem]

I mean, obviously don't assume that the person who negged was close to the money. Wait a little bit if you're totally not sure--no harm done, unless I guess it's timed and you need to get rolling or there's powers and you're sure you can power vulch.

But, if, for instance, someone negs with "Holbein the Elder" after being prompted, go ahead, take your free points. AND LAUGH WITH MERCILESS GLEE.

[Rufous-capped Thornbill]

Gamesmanship, baby. No shame, only points.

[Nine-Tenths Ideas]

I'm pretty sure I jokingly suggested "Fettucini" as a bonus part for an Italian composer as a freshman, was ignored, and then watched in horror as the other team had the bonus bounce to them and confidently say "Fettucini!"

[jonah]

I'm pretty sure I jokingly suggested "Fettucini" as a bonus part for an Italian composer as a freshman, was ignored, and then watched in horror as the other team had the bonus bounce to them and confidently say "Fettucini!"

Pasta shape bonuses, sir, are no laughing matter.

[Geringer]

I'm pretty sure I jokingly suggested "Fettucini" as a bonus part for an Italian composer as a freshman, was ignored, and then watched in horror as the other team had the bonus bounce to them and confidently say "Fettucini!"

Pasta shape bonuses, sir, are no laughing matter.

Pasta shape bonuses pale in comparison to the time a certain Illinois coach distributed Juicy Fruit sticks to each team and demanded that they name the various fruit flavors present.

I would have twentied that bonus without mercy.

[David Riley]

Yeah, Isaac, if you had said that in Illinois you would have been escorted out of town on one of our many rails.....

(a bonus on pasta shapes was the final one in our state champioship some years ago, and some of have never forgotten it)

[David Riley]

For the umpteenth time:

1) that was a f/s tournament

2) it was during the golden age of bad quizbowl, and

3) it wasn't the final question of a championship match!!!!


And Jeff, that was far form being the worst question I had ever written

[cvdwightw]

This is nothing new. Back in 2003 Patrick Friel was proposing the strategy of "if you buzz and then realize that your answer is wrong, you should mispronounce your answer so that the other team thinks that you got the correct answer but screwed up the pronunciation so badly that the moderator couldn't give you points." I'd like to think that he learned it (or made it up) while he was playing in the 1990s.

[Monk]

More interesting is when the moderator can't prompt, but pauses and looks twice the packet before saying "I can't accept that". It isn't always easy to spot, but it can be a bit of a giveaway.

[Jane Fairfax]

Oh, this term you talk about is so prevalent. Another example of it I've seen is my teammate Alex Cooper changing the sign on any math computational question Siva missed (which worked, actually, about 30% of the time).

Edit: Also, the one time Nolan Winkler buzzed in with "Madama Butterfly" after the other girl negged with "madame butterfly" was the funniest thing ever. what a loser.

[jonpin]

This is nothing new. Back in 2003 Patrick Friel was proposing the strategy of "if you buzz and then realize that your answer is wrong, you should mispronounce your answer so that the other team thinks that you got the correct answer but screwed up the pronunciation so badly that the moderator couldn't give you points." I'd like to think that he learned it (or made it up) while he was playing in the 1990s.

I had something like this happen to me circa 2002. A tossup asked about the first female PM of India. I buzz and say "Irina Gandhi." The moderator pauses and says "Say again?" Realizing that the given first name was probably wrong and that an initial is sufficient, I say "I. Gandhi." I'm told I can't change my answer in response to such a request and negged. The tossup continues and at the end the other team buzzes in and confidently says "Irina Gandhi."

[the return of AHAN]

For the umpteenth time:

1) that was a f/s tournament

2) it was during the golden age of bad quizbowl, and

3) it wasn't the final question of a championship match!!!!


And Jeff, that was far form being the worst question I had ever written

My lord....
Mr. Riley, did you once write a bonus on Juicy Fruit?
What's the answer, anyway?

[David Riley]

Yes, I did. And the answser was lemon, orange, pineapple, and banana. The source is one of those old Imponderables books. Now, let's put thiis wicked past of mine to rest.