posted
Y'all did such a great job giving feedback on the whole sneezing in the sunlight thing, I thought I would throw another one at you.
Porter and I do "Thumb wars" (no, not the movie) differently. I say "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war" and he uses the phrase "declare thumb war", omitting the "a".
So a poll, how many of you do it one way or the other? Or do you do it completely differently?
Hatrack, changing the world one domestic dispute at a time.
posted
I don't even see how it makes a difference. If he's saying it at a nice, measured pace, then he's going to have to pause there anyway.
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posted
It's just one of those "I'm doing it the 'right' way" things. To me, his way just sounds wrong and visa versa. So I am curious about how others say it.
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I am a veteran of many thumb wars, primarily against my brother, who loses a lot, but never learns. Being a merciful victor, I have frequently left him defeated, but not vanquished. So of course he tries to beat me whenever the opportunity appears. In any case, I write to you to ask a question about the rules of engagement for thumb wars.
Frequently when he is losing, my aggressor hides his thumb down behind my knuckles where my thumb can't reach. It is very easy, on the other hand to trap his thumb with my knuckles.
I ask Hatrack to rule on the fairness of his underhanded tactics and also on the validity of a knuckle-hold. Is it fair to declare 15 seconds of thumb-immobility-by-knuckles a victory? If not, would it be advisable to chastise my brother a coward for his low tactics?
Posts: 1592 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
The thing is, without the "a," the rhyme simply doesn't scan. War may be hell, but bad poetry is surely worse.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
"One, two, three, four, I declare thumb war. Five, six, seven, eight, try to keep your thumb straight."
Posts: 4174 | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Nations "declare war" on each other. They don't "declare a war". Therefore, it makes more sense to declare thumb war instead of *a* thumb war.
Yes, but try replacing "thumb" with other words. Would you declare guerilla war, or declare a guerilla war? War of attrition, or a war of attrition? Some seem to go both ways. In those cases, euphony is clearly the more important factor.
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posted
True good form in "thumb war" is to simply initiate a preemptive strike against the rival thumb. Simply walk by your friend saying " geeze it'd be fun to have a thumb war." As soon as he/she says yes tackle them and assault their thumb.
Posts: 1753 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
change what you're going to count everytime. One two three four, i declare a thumb war five six seven eight try to keep your thumbs straight nine ten, lets begin.
That way they're always wondering when you're going to attack
Posts: 3493 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
If you say "I declare thumb war", that's four syllables (or "beats")...the same as "one, two, three, four"; if you say "I declare A thumb war", that's five syllables, and doesn't match up.
Did that make any sense?
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posted
Jon Boy -- your little diagram has to squeeze that "a" into the space in order to get it to work. Without that "a", you just let the space be a space. It seems much more natural to me.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
No, Jon Boy is quite right as far as rhythm goes. Declare gets very disproportionately drawn out if an a is not included. In fact, I'd bet even a lot of the people who just say "I declare thumb war" have a little up-breath between declare and thumb that's almost an a.
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posted
That's the truth, fugu, because when you listen to Porter and I say it, you can hardly tell the difference. But I am consciously thinking "a" and he is consciously not.
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posted
I agree with the A people. Thumb Wars are a type of warfare, as such it is usually proceded by an article. A thumb war, The air war. Thumb is not a noun, but acting as an adjective.
As far as the illegal knuckle lock, booo. The secret is to pull coup on your challenger. Place your thumb in a defeated position, making it a vunerable target to tempting to pass up. He will have to reach around, leaving his safe knuckle area, to trap yours. You must then prove your thumb-mastery by zipping around and capturing his thumb.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:True good form in "thumb war" is to simply initiate a preemptive strike against the rival thumb.
I would call this "The Way of the Thumb Warrior"
quote:change what you're going to count everytime. One two three four, i declare a thumb war five six seven eight try to keep your thumbs straight nine ten, lets begin.
That way they're always wondering when you're going to attack
This deserves its own chapter in "The Art of War." Possibly, "The Art of Thumb War."
*has trouble recalling any sections on grammar in "The Art of War."*
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Jon Boy -- your little diagram has to squeeze that "a" into the space in order to get it to work. Without that "a", you just let the space be a space. It seems much more natural to me.
The "a" is just as "squeezed" as the "de-" in "declare." It's an unaccented beat, and it's natural to fill it with something. Either you fill it with an unaccented syllable, or you pause slightly to keep the meter. You're not getting a head start by leaving it out.
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posted
I guess it all depends on how you say "declare a". It would fit just fine if you said it like "de claira", but wouldn't really fit if you said the words totally seperate.
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posted
I just got this image of Hatrackers with their wrists immersed in green Jell-O at KamaCon, engaged in "Jello thumb wrestling."
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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quote:I guess it all depends on how you say "declare a". It would fit just fine if you said it like "de claira", but wouldn't really fit if you said the words totally seperate.
I'm really not sure what you're saying here. If you're stressing "a," then no, it doesn't fit. It throws off the meter. If it's unstressed, then it fits perfectly. Try saying it out loud while tapping out the beat.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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Then we start... and I promptly perform the "mexican cut" (no offense, it is the name of the move) Where I grab her thumb with my forefinger, and declare myself the winner .
I can't win otherwise because she has these quick tiny thumbs (I am 6'5" and she is a full foot shorter than me, so you can imagine the thumb size difference.
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