I played into the blue ones

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Marius Hancu - 13 Jan 2007 19:21 GMT

Hello:

Does this
"I figured I had played into the blue ones"
mean
"I thought I got lucky?"

Gambling connotations?

-------
[Trying to find Adam, Jake scours the city]

So I went to Adam's apartment. When I saw his car sitting out front, I
figured I had played into the blue ones.

Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men, p. 559
------

BTW, what's the difference between:
"the car was standing there"
and
"the car was sitting there"

Also,

Thank you.
Marius Hancu

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CDB - 13 Jan 2007 19:55 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Gambling connotations?

Yes, I think so. It could be a reference to blue chips, the most
valuable ones to gamble with: he has entered a high-stakes game,
played well and won enough to be able to gamble with, and win, large
amounts.

> -------
> [Trying to find Adam, Jake scours the city]
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> and
> "the car was sitting there"

"Standing" gives me the impression that the car is in current use,
perhaps waiting to depart; "sitting", that it is not being used and is
perhaps unprotected ("But the pension fund was just sitting there").

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Marius Hancu - 13 Jan 2007 23:39 GMT

>>BTW, what's the difference between:
>>"the car was standing there"
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> perhaps waiting to depart; "sitting", that it is not being used and is
> perhaps unprotected ("But the pension fund was just sitting there").

Thank you.
Marius Hancu

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Mark Brader - 14 Jan 2007 07:35 GMT

Marius Hancu:

> > When I saw his car sitting out front ...
> > Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men, p. 559
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> > and
> > "the car was sitting there"

C.D.B.

> "Standing" gives me the impression that the car is in current use,
> perhaps waiting to depart; "sitting", that it is not being used and is
> perhaps unprotected ("But the pension fund was just sitting there").

I agree as to "sitting", but I don't think "standing" necessarily
conveys that meaning. A car is also "standing" if it's parked.

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Mark Brader A real Canadian science-fiction plot would be
Toronto about whether alien visitors were a federal or
msb@vex.net a provincial responsibility. --Duncan Thornton

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

I played into the blue ones