blitz

Mon Jan 24 07:33:12 UTC 2011

At 1/23/2011 10:31 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
>Blitz is German for lightning.

That's why I wondered whether the original
language of "My Uncle Joe" (as it was called in
England) was German.  But the German edition
lists (in WorldCat) a second name, either a
translator or (perhaps) a second
author.  Apparently a translator --- We're
told  "Im engsten Kreis. Der unbekannte Stalin
dargestellt von s. Neffen. Übers, von [translated
by] H. Lindemann. Stuttgart (1953). ...".  From
"Georgien: Bibliographie des deutschsprachigen
Schrifttums", Heinrich Rohrbacher (2008) - Page 481.  (GBooks Preview)

Joel

>The terms blitz, bullet and lightning
>are often confused as applied to forms of chess played with very short
>time limits, no more than five minutes per player for the entire game.
>
>In the era before the widespread use of chess clocks, blitz referred
>to a version where each move is supposed to be made instantaneously,
>ie, without any noticeable time for thought.
>
>DanG
>
>On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 1:24 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the
> mail header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: blitz
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > There is also "blitz chess" -- according to
> > Wikipedia, a specific one of several levels of
> > rapid play, 3 to 5 minutes per side per game.
> >
> > 1)  As a phrase, dating to 1947, Chess Review, volume 15 (Snippet).
> >
> > "... Blitz Chess Spectators often wonder how
> > Sammy Reshevsky can survive the horrendous time
> > pressure in which he so frequently finds himself.
> > This game gives a partial answer. After twenty
> > five moves, with only six minutes for his ..."
> >
> > However, this snippet does not refer specifically
> > to a game of "rapid chess", but rather to a point
> > in a game at which Reshevsky had to play his
> > remaining moves in a very short time.  Perhaps
> > further on "blitz chess" is defined.
> >
> > 2)  And then an odd source for a "first" instance:
> >
> > "Molotov was sitting in a corner, playing blitz
> > chess with Marshal ... "If you continue to think
> > over each move for ten minutes, it isn't blitz chess any more," ..."
> >
> >  From "My uncle, Joseph Stalin," by Budu Svanidzé - 1953 (perhaps 1952).
> >
> > So was "blitz chess" imported into English from
> > some other language?  I can't tell what may have
> > been the original language; it was not English,
> > since a translator is credited (Putnam,
> > c1953).  The Harvard catalog says about the
> > Putnam edition "Published in London in 1952 under
> > title: My Uncle Joe."  But also, presumably, a
> > translation.  WorldCat and Harvard do not help:
> > they list editions in Japanese, German, Spanish,
> > and French, and all 1953 or later.  While German
> > might be possible for an Eastern European author,
> > the German edition, as listed in Worldcat, also
> > seems to have a translator (unless he was a co-author).
> >
> > 3)  Then 1955:
> >
> > "But this was Blitz chess, and at five seconds a move, ..."
> >
> >  From "1000 best short games of chess: a treasury
> > of masterpieces in ...", by Irving Chernev, page 221.  (Snippet)
> >
> > 4)  And from 1956, extremely rapid blitz chess:
> >
> > "Blitz Chess This is the ultimate in fast chess.
> > It is played at the rate of no- seconds-per-move.
> > As each player moves, the opponent must reply
> > instantaneously. No thinking is allowed. It is
> > reflex chess, pure and simple. ..."
> >
> >  From "The official blue book and encyclopedia of
> > chess", by Kenneth Harkness,  (Snippet)
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 1/23/2011 03:19 AM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
> >>Spotted in the wild (on the pages of the Guardian):
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/AkE3k
> >>>Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season, then blitz the soup
> >>>with a liquidiser or stick blender until smooth.
> >>
> >>I've encountered "blitz" before in this context, but not "liquidiser",
> >>although the meaning appears to be transparent.
> >>
> >>A couple of things on "blitz". First, the OED's entire citation
> >>collection is from WWII. No figurative usage--media blitz (e.g.,
> >>corporate PR), blitzing an opponent with (more media) ads at a
> >>vulnerable moment in an election campaign, etc. Of course, this is
> >>because both OED lemmas preclude such usage, even though it is allowed
> >>for the noun (blitz n. b. transf. and fig.):
> >>
> >>>a. To attack with a blitz; to hit, blast, destroy, etc., by an air-raid.
> >>>b. Amer. Football. intr. To mount a blitz or blitzes (sense c); to
> >>>charge the offensive backfield.
> >>
> >>AHD4 and MWOL are not much better (I could not find the verb in MWOL).
> >>McMillan Online is a little better:
> >>
> >>>3. /informal/ to defeat someone easily in a sports game or competition
> >>>4. /informal/ to make a special effort to finish a job or deal with a
> >>>problem quickly and thoroughly
> >>
> >>[For "British" version, these are 2. and 3. respectively.]
> >>
> >>Encarta ups the ante and adds three to the OED two:
> >>
> >>>2. /transitive verb/ defeat somebody comprehensively: to defeat a
> >>>person or team overwhelmingly in a competition, especially a sports event
> >>>3. /transitive verb/ deal with something energetically: to concentrate
> >>>a lot of effort on something to get it done ( informal )
> >>>4. /transitive verb/ try to overwhelm somebody: to subject somebody to
> >>>an overwhelming amount of something, often in order to force him or
> >>>her into agreement or submission ( informal )
> >>>blitzed with a stream of facts
> >>
> >>In the example above, the soup is not being overwhelmed, of course, but
> >>simply quickly pureed in a blender--or with a hand-blender (a.k.a.,
> >>stick-blender). So is "liquidiser" just the same as a blender? Or is
> >>there more specificity here?
> >>
> >>A few more Google finds on culinary "blitz":
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/mCSYl
> >>>Blitz vegetables in a food processor and add to hamburger patties,
> >>>meatballs or meatloaf.
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/Kb8lQ
> >>>Blitz vegetables in a blender to make pasta sauces...
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/2mOZk
> >>>you can blitz steamed veggies into a pasta sauce...
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/yayb7
> >>>Then blitz sauce in food processor or with hand blender, and return to
> >>>heat.
> >>
> >>http://goo.gl/QKjPT
> >>>Blitz sauce with a hand blender if wished.
> >>
> >>Note that the relevant appliances include blenders, stick-blenders and
> >>food processors. And all of these are quite distinct from occasional
> >>references to stir-frying as "blitz-cooking". So "blitz" is clearly on
> >>the rise as a culinary term. Not sure about "liquidiser", however.
> >>
> >>     VS-)
> >>
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> >
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> >
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