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Is the idiom "behind the 8 ball" common in the USA? I'm not sure I'd heard it before Biden used it to refer to the disadvantages black people face when trying t

Is the idiom "behind the 8 ball" common in the USA? I'm not sure I'd heard it before Biden used it to refer to the disadvantages black people face when trying to get a loan, etc. I'm not sure billiards/pool is popular enough (especially for young people) for someone to quickly deduce the meaning. I found it to be a strange term and wondered if it was just a dated term. Would anyone in K-12 understand it?

overboard2 6y ago
I don't think it's that common, and I don't think I've ever heard it before. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eight+ball%2Cbehind+the+8+ball&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%20eight%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%208%20ball%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eig... Edit for comparison: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eight+ball%2Cbehind+the+8+ball%2Cat+a+disadvantage&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%20eight%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%208%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cat%20a%20disadvantage%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eig...
jcranmer 6y ago
I wouldn't say it's the most common idiom, but it's definitely something I heard growing up.
Jtsummers 6y ago
It’s common but, I think, fading out with younger generations.
kube-system 6y ago
It’s not that common of an idiom in the US, but not unheard of. I think most could figure out that he was referring to people being disadvantaged from context clues, though.
- interestica 6y ago
  Yeah, it's easy enough to figure out that it means "bad" -- but that still misses the whole point of it as a metaphor. I think, being unaware of the billiards idiom, my brain first went to 'magic 8-ball' and wondered if he was referring to 'chance'.
mjevans 6y ago
I don't play pool, but I happened to witness a game or two and thus I happened to understand the jist while still needing to look it up... Search results include definitions such as: "A term, referring to the game of pool, meaning in an unfavorable or uncomfortable position"
tertiary 6y ago
Yeah, I'm in my 20s and I regularly use it without any confusion from the people I communicate with. Maybe its popularity varies with region?
- mod 6y ago
  I'm a pool player and pretty well versed in the different billiard type games. In Europe they're almost certainly more likely to say "snookered" instead, as 8 ball is not their main sport. US players generally understand that reference, but I'm not sure non- players will.
dragonwriter 6y ago
> Is the idiom "behind the 8 ball" common in the USA? My Dad was born around the same time as Joe Biden (a few years different) and also from Pennsylvania (though I don't think this is particularly associatsd with that region) and used it fairly frequently; I also remember hearing it fairly frequently growing up fron others of his age cohort (and Boomers) and media created by and for them. I think it's a fading idiom, though.

overboard2 6y ago

I don't think it's that common, and I don't think I've ever heard it before. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eight+ball%2Cbehind+the+8+ball&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%20eight%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%208%20ball%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eig... Edit for comparison: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eight+ball%2Cbehind+the+8+ball%2Cat+a+disadvantage&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%20eight%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cbehind%20the%208%20ball%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cat%20a%20disadvantage%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=behind+the+eig...

jcranmer 6y ago

I wouldn't say it's the most common idiom, but it's definitely something I heard growing up.

Jtsummers 6y ago

It’s common but, I think, fading out with younger generations.

kube-system 6y ago

It’s not that common of an idiom in the US, but not unheard of. I think most could figure out that he was referring to people being disadvantaged from context clues, though.

interestica 6y ago
Yeah, it's easy enough to figure out that it means "bad" -- but that still misses the whole point of it as a metaphor. I think, being unaware of the billiards idiom, my brain first went to 'magic 8-ball' and wondered if he was referring to 'chance'.

mjevans 6y ago

I don't play pool, but I happened to witness a game or two and thus I happened to understand the jist while still needing to look it up... Search results include definitions such as: "A term, referring to the game of pool, meaning in an unfavorable or uncomfortable position"

tertiary 6y ago

Yeah, I'm in my 20s and I regularly use it without any confusion from the people I communicate with. Maybe its popularity varies with region?

mod 6y ago
I'm a pool player and pretty well versed in the different billiard type games. In Europe they're almost certainly more likely to say "snookered" instead, as 8 ball is not their main sport. US players generally understand that reference, but I'm not sure non- players will.

dragonwriter 6y ago

> Is the idiom "behind the 8 ball" common in the USA? My Dad was born around the same time as Joe Biden (a few years different) and also from Pennsylvania (though I don't think this is particularly associatsd with that region) and used it fairly frequently; I also remember hearing it fairly frequently growing up fron others of his age cohort (and Boomers) and media created by and for them. I think it's a fading idiom, though.