Coffeehouse?!

[Victor Steinbok]

You are right, of course, except that the groups I played with always
expanded on the original definition, but probably because both kinds of
talk came as a package (we often played with five players, rotating
someone in--particularly when teaching a novice). Of course, the other
default was "table-talk", although that was usually a "conversation"
between partners--not with opponents. I'm sure there were other
Yiddishism flying across the table, but I don't recall them.

     VS-)

On 1/10/2012 11:09 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
> On Jan 10, 2012, at 10:56 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
>> I checked my Mac dictionary, and it says that kibitzing refers to someone who is not playing giving advice. That's what I recall from my childhood, too.
> Right, a kibitzer (in chess too) is looking over your shoulder, not telling you how he's going to move or bet or what he has in his hand.  I suppose you can coffeehouse in chess as well, if you're playing; seems like something Bobby Fischer would have done.
>
> LH

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