Question of the Day - 27 April 2024

Where's Kevin Lewis? I hope he's OK. I miss his sense of humor!

We tracked down Kevin and here's what he had to say.

"Well, the reason I haven't participated as much recently is due to work obligations, which have been really time-consuming; also, a little while ago, I spent a week on the beautiful Oregon coast doing nothing, nothing, nothing -- including accessing the interblab (much).

"I'm happy as always to hear that some people actually look forward to my participation in QoD; it makes up for those who want to use their Vegas winnings to have me rubbed out. (Was there any point in the Vegas Mob days when the top slot jackpot was to have the person of your choice whacked?)"

What is being built at Ellis Island in front?

Little Ellis Island is getting bigger again. Only five years since opening the major Front Yard addition, the casino will be enlarged by 6,500 square feet that will stretch, as you say, out to the sidewalk in front, with a greatly enlarged sports book and back-of-the-house audiovisual area, a new south service entrance, and rooftop access. Much of the expansion will take the place of the micro-brewery that closed a few years ago was demolished a few weeks ago. The project is expected to be completed early next year.

Where does the term "high roller" come from? 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it first appeared in 1873, in the writings of one J. Morris. Try as we might, we couldn't find anything written by him. But according to EtymOnline.com, "High roller was probably, originally, a reference to a gambler throwing dice. It has come to mean a big-time gambler and, in general, an extravagant spender." A graph on that site shows that the term was mostly unknown until the 1960s, when its usage rose almost vertically until leveling off over the past few years.