Dictionary definition of “two and barbecue”

two and barbecue

other. in the phrase go two and barbecue, to be defeated in the first two games of a double-elimination tournament. Subjects: English, Sports & Recreation

2 Comments | Cites | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Citations: 1988 Mike Baldwin Saturday Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) (May 21) “Pacific Blanks Kearney Stout Slams Solo Homer in 9th” p. 23: The Lutes were 0-2 and out the past two years at nationals. “Lose two and barbecue. That’s what we called it.” 1991 Austin American-Statesman (Texas) (Aug. 8) “Sports notes” p. 3: “We went West with great expectations,” said Charles Gurkin, president of the Austin Silver Travlers girls 16-and-under fast-pitch softball team. “But once we got to Midland, Texas, it was take two and barbeque.” 1996 [James Cox] Usenet: rec.sport.baseball.college (May 27) “Re: Question of Sports Dominance”: That’s not the word I’d choose if my school had lost a bowl game by a score of 41-0, been bounced from the NCAA basketball tournament in the first round, and turned in seven straight “two and barbecue” performances in Omaha. 1998 [Jim Carr] Usenet: rec.sport.baseball.college (May 23) “Re: Final: Usc Vs. Clemson”: The current version of that page, at…/conf-rank-98.html, shows quite clearly who went “oh and two and barbeque” in the first two rounds of the tournament. 2006 Michael Murphy Houston Chronicle (Texas) (May 24) “UT tries to regain stature”: Gone is the double-elimination (“two-and-barbecue”) format, replaced by the pool-play setup first proposed by Garrido, one that ensures at least three games for every team. 2006 TexasSports.com (May 26) “Big 12 Tournament chronicles: To the power goes the glory” (in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma): Going “two and barbecue,” which meant losing two consecutive games in the traditional double-elimination tournament format, was always disappointing, but long-time observers knew that was “just something that happens.” Two straight losses is a slump, three is a losing streak. 2006 Bob Thomas Gwinnett Daily Post (Georgia) (June 14) “With four teams in Omaha, ACC looks to end title drought”: There’s no shortage of explanations for the ACC’s 51-year drought. Of the league’s 25 qualifiers, only seven have won at least two games in the tournament, equaling the number of league teams heading home after going 0-2 in the double-elimination format. In CWS parlance, that’s called, “two-and-barbecue.”

Posted 15 Jun 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Perhaps an extension of the single-elimination version one and done?

by Ben Zimmer 16 Jun 06, 0218 GMT

Many recipes for BBQ involve cooking the meat twice. For example steaming the meat first to tenderize it before further “flavor cooking” over a flame.

Perhaps that could have something to do with its origin.

by Brent 16 Jun 06, 1212 GMT