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“Fun and Games”

Published on 2/17/2011

Many of you caught the go joke Robert Cordingley spotted in the Go Daddy First Impressions ad, when CEO Bob Parsons catches the flying shirt button and says “Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” (One reader also suggested that the sound of Parson catching the button "sounds like a stone hitting a goban pretty hard" which seems like even more of a stretch) While this is a common expression among go players referring to the need for eyes to live, Richard Moseson points out that “if you do a search on this phrase in Google, there are over 100,000 non-go-related hits, some claiming that the expression comes from wrestling matches in Ancient Rome,” leading him to wonder “Is this truly a go-related expression?” Terry Benson says no, sending along a cite that claims it's an old American proverb and also noting the verse in Don Freed's 1992  song "You Can't Be a Pirate": "Being a pirate is all fun and games/Till somebody loses an eye. btw, no word on whether Parsons is a go player.