The expression to go chalk has to do with rankings in an athletic tournament and harks back to when seeded teams or players were listed on a chalkboard. To pick chalk means to choose one’s favorite competitor, and you can also speak of a chalk...
March Madness is over, but the confusion lingers as to why teams are seeded in tournament brackets. The best theory is that brackets resemble sideways trees, and the teams are spread out evenly so the best can prosper—just like a in a garden. This...
A listener who recently played in a Boggle tournament wants to know why we speak of seeding such a competition. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Seeding a Competition” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi there, this is Tom from...