the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question
the most important question
TRANSLATION
the $64,000 question = die große Frage, Gretchenfrage --- GOOGLE INDEX the $64,000 question: approximately 150,000 hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Here's the $64,000 QUESTION. Is the value worth the risk? Many IT software vendors would prefer you think only about the value and not about the risk. Their sales process may not include helping you understand the risks you will have to manage to gain the value.
(www.securitypronews.com)
(www.securitypronews.com)
Did you
know?
the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question
catch phrase
- the most important question to ask, the key issue
DH
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WORD ORIGIN
The phrase "$64,000 question" originated from a 1950s American television quiz show of the same name. The immensely popular show ran from 1955 to 1958. The format was similar to the current "Who wants to be a millionaire" quiz show that originated in the UK and which now has variants in countries around the world.
In the $64,000 Question game show, contestants tried to answer increasingly difficult questions. The first question was worth $1, with the value of each subsequent question doubling until the final question, which was the "$64,000 question". This was the equivalent of $500,000 in today’s dollars. Once participants reached the $8,000 level, an incorrect answer resulted in a consolation prize of a Cadillac automobile.
At one point, the show was drawing more than 55 million viewers to their televisions every Tuesday evening. It also spawned a host of imitators such as Surprise, Tick-Tack-Dough, and the now infamous Twenty-One quiz show, which became embroiled in a national scandal. The show involved two contestants sitting in isolation booths who picked each other’s question categories and level of difficulty.
Both the producers and the sponsor were shocked to discover that the format only served to highlight just how little the contestants actually knew. Their reaction was to choreograph the entire show and contestants actively took part in the deception. They were told how to dress, what to say to the host, when to say it, what questions to answer, what questions to miss and even when to mop their brows in their isolation booths (the booths had air conditioning that could be cut off at will, to make them sweat more).
The manipulation of Twenty-One eventually became public when one of the show’s participants blew the whistle. A federal investigation led to congressional hearings at which another prior contestant, Charles van Doren, admitted under oath that he had been provided all of the answers before each show. Having lost all credibility, Twenty-One was cancelled in October of 1958.
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SYNONYMS
the big question, the crucial question, the crunch question, the litmus test
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
"Who will become the next president of the United States? That is the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question."
catch phrase
- the most important question to ask, the key issue
DH
---
WORD ORIGIN
The phrase "$64,000 question" originated from a 1950s American television quiz show of the same name. The immensely popular show ran from 1955 to 1958. The format was similar to the current "Who wants to be a millionaire" quiz show that originated in the UK and which now has variants in countries around the world.
In the $64,000 Question game show, contestants tried to answer increasingly difficult questions. The first question was worth $1, with the value of each subsequent question doubling until the final question, which was the "$64,000 question". This was the equivalent of $500,000 in today’s dollars. Once participants reached the $8,000 level, an incorrect answer resulted in a consolation prize of a Cadillac automobile.
At one point, the show was drawing more than 55 million viewers to their televisions every Tuesday evening. It also spawned a host of imitators such as Surprise, Tick-Tack-Dough, and the now infamous Twenty-One quiz show, which became embroiled in a national scandal. The show involved two contestants sitting in isolation booths who picked each other’s question categories and level of difficulty.
Both the producers and the sponsor were shocked to discover that the format only served to highlight just how little the contestants actually knew. Their reaction was to choreograph the entire show and contestants actively took part in the deception. They were told how to dress, what to say to the host, when to say it, what questions to answer, what questions to miss and even when to mop their brows in their isolation booths (the booths had air conditioning that could be cut off at will, to make them sweat more).
The manipulation of Twenty-One eventually became public when one of the show’s participants blew the whistle. A federal investigation led to congressional hearings at which another prior contestant, Charles van Doren, admitted under oath that he had been provided all of the answers before each show. Having lost all credibility, Twenty-One was cancelled in October of 1958.
---
SYNONYMS
the big question, the crucial question, the crunch question, the litmus test
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO A CONVERSATION TODAY
say something like:
"Who will become the next president of the United States? That is the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question."
