Make Your Point > Archived Issues > KIBITZ

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"KIBITZ" Pronunciation: "KIB its" or "kuh BITS" Part of speech: Verb. It's usually intransitive (you kibitz) but sometimes transitive (you kibitz people.) Meaning: To kibitz is to butt in and give unwanted advice or comments, especially while you're watching a game, competition, or performance. Other forms: kibitzer, kibitzed, kibitzing How to use it: This is an informal word. Talk about kibitzing at a Little League game, kibitzing while your friends play Apples to Apples, kibitzing with your family as you watch the football game on TV, and so on. Often you'll kibitz with people, kibitz about topics, kibitz from the sidelines, and so on. Kibitzing doesn't happen just at actual games, competitions, or performances. Any time there's something going on and people standing by (concretely or abstractly) to comment, that's kibitzing. News anchors kibitz a little about reported events before going to commercial, bloggers kibitz about current happenings online, your friends kibitz with each other about the upcoming election, etc. Dictionaries report that you can also "kibitz people" or "kibitz around," but I haven't often seen the word used in either of these ways. (Go for it if you want to.) Finally, some people use "kibitz" more loosely to mean "schmooze" or "just talk casually for fun." No piece of entertainment news slips by without Redditors endlessly kibitzing about it. I can't seem to stop myself from kibitzing when we're watching a movie or show and the characters use unusual words. Especially when they use them wrong. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "kibitz" means when you can explain it without saying “offer unwanted advice" or “make intrusive comments." Think of a person (or a group) who just always has to make a comment about everything, and fill in the blanks: "(Person or group)'s kibitzing only gets truly annoying when _____." Example: "Morning radio hosts' kibitzing only gets truly annoying when they spend so much time laughing at their own comments that the discussion never moves forward." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words:   This month's game content is protected by a copyright, so I can't reprint the trivia questions here--but check out the thoughtful and thorough reference book that I got them from: Last Words of Notable People! A Point Well Made: Rebecca Solnit: “The rhythm of walking generates a kind of rhythm of thinking, and the passage through a landscape echoes or stimulates the passage through a series of thoughts. This creates an odd consonance between internal and external passage, one that suggests that the mind is also a landscape of sorts and that walking is one way to traverse it.” 1. The opposite of KIBITZ is A. KEEP MUM B. KEEP UP C. KEEP HOPE 2. Everyone _____ the kibitzer in the movie theater. A. was eager to assist B. kept shooting angry glares at C. carefully stepped around the mess made by Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B