A touch of etymology for a Monday

[AndrewT]

At the end of the Grand Prix on Sunday, Martin Brundle ran down the placings of the drivers. There were points for the top eight finishers, and the driver who was ninth was described as being 'on the bubble'.

This is the first time that I have heard this expression used in a non-poker context and was wondering if it is a sign of the growing influence of poker on the mainstream or whether the phrase has long been used outside of poker tournaments (which, after all, have only been around for just over 30 years).

Has anyone else noticed the phrase used in this way and do they think it is a new thing or does the expression pre-date poker tournaments?

[TightEnd]

Nope Andrew, this is the first time I have heard it in a non-poker context

[Tonji]

Interesting to find out if the term has its origins from poker, or poker took the term from another context. I don't have the Oxford English Dictionary, but thats the place to find its etymology.

[stallyon]

Terms that origionate from poker are becoming more and more prevalent in modern day english i'm finding.

The amount of times my non poker friends claim to have been riverd in any unfavorable non poker situation is almost a daily occourance, after hearing me and my pals constantly whine about the river they correlate the term with any act of being unlucky or unfortunate.

A lot of  my pals now refer to any sort of bet that was an unlucky loser as a bad beat.

My freind even once told he's dad that he was all in, in an argument that they were having and that if he wanted to call he'd have to go and get the guy that they was arguing about and bring him to disprove what he was saying.(i was there it was quite funny as they were deadly serious).

I was, however, known as a fish in the pub long before i started playing poker!

and i am quite often asked to show my nuts 

[thetank]

Would "on the bubble's" roots be in "burst your bubble"

"Burst your bubble" would certainly predate poker tournaments.

The bubble bursting symbolising your moving from a situation of safety or ignorance, to one of physical and/or intellectual availability.

Just my thoughts.

[The Baron]

Would "on the bubble's" roots be in "burst your bubble"

"Burst your bubble" would certainly predate poker tournaments.

The bubble bursting symbolising your moving from a situation of safety or ignorance, to one of physical and/or intellectual availability.

Just my thoughts.

That's what I was thinking.

[AndrewT]

Would "on the bubble's" roots be in "burst your bubble"

"Burst your bubble" would certainly predate poker tournaments.

The bubble bursting symbolising your moving from a situation of safety or ignorance, to one of physical and/or intellectual availability.

Just my thoughts.

I think it's more that the bubble term comes from the fact that as you move towards the money in a tournament, the pressure builds - like a bubble getting bigger. Once the person outside the money gets knocked out, the pressure is lifted - the bubble 'bursts'.

This is particular to the situation of a poker tournament - a motor race doesn't have the same 'people dropping out until one remains' system. Here the 'bubble' refers to the more general meaning of the term from poker - the person who finishes one place outside where competitors are rewarded.

Maybe it's one for Vicky Coren to handle in Pebbledash and Skiffle (or whatever it's called).

[ericstoner]

This is particular to the situation of a poker tournament - a motor race doesn't have the same 'people dropping out until one remains'

Unless your driving anything but a Renault........

Incidently, I first heard of 'Bursting a bubble' back in the 1967 song by Bobby Gentry.

In the line,

"what do you get if you fall in love? A guy with a pin to burst your bubble".

So Ive always taken it to mean, losing somthing.IE, her virginity or in Poker,(no pun intended)
your chance of a return.

[ericstoner]

From the song,

I'll never fall in love again......Bobby Gentry 1967.

[thetank]

All conjecture so far. We need a scholar 

[matt674]

All conjecture so far. We need a scholar 

YYYYOOOOOUUUUUUUU RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG??



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[happybhoy]

On an almost completely unrelated point, my favourite bit of useless trivia relates to the saying 'freeze the balls off a brass monkey' - its naval in origin, a brass monkey was the holder at the bottom of those pyramids of cannonballs you see in pirate movies. They were commonly made of brass and when cold would contract quicker than the iron cannonballs which would then to no longer fit the grooves that held them in place causing them to spill all over the deck,much to the amusment of all the pirates (execpt the one whose job it was to pick them all up again).
Admittedly that last bit is conjecture on my part, but hey, who's counting
 

[NoflopsHomer]

My back and shoulders were all sore from how I slept last night, it can only be described as a 'bad laydown'

[bolt pp]

My back and shoulders were all sore from how I slept last night, it can only be described as a 'bad laydown'

LOL

Some men consider waking up with those symptoms a good laydown,  in prison!!!

[nirvana]

Can't add on the etymology but I think it may have preceeded poker. A boss I once had a while back, who didn't play poker and when poker wasn't on TV always used to refer to the next person he was going to sack as ''he's on the bubble". This was one stage before he would say 'I've already got my black hat on".