Language desk
< May 24	<< Apr \| May \| Jun >>	Current desk >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 25

Geman speakers

Is the following a reliable source: https://www.lvstprinzip.de ? 92.10.238.53 (talk) 14:21, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This is already being addressed at Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard#German. Ian.thomson (talk) 15:00, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

"Runs paper for a bookmaker" - American

What does "runs paper for a bookmaker" mean? I know what a bookmaker is. DuncanHill (talk) 20:41, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

From what I recall, the bets would be written on slips of paper. Betters would often hire kids to run those papers to the bookie. Thus "running paper". †dismas†|^(talk) 21:37, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, a bookie's runner. That makes sense. DuncanHill (talk) 21:41, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The usual term in the U.S. is (or was) "numbers runner". We have an article numbers game... AnonMoos (talk) 00:36, 26 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

What if the subject of the bets is (say) a football game, rather than numbers? —Tamfang (talk) 05:54, 27 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Most variety stores and barbershops ran "numbers" - too hard to work on "odds" or variable "point spreads." All you need is the NY Daily News and the tote total for Belmont, or the like. Collect (talk) 14:27, 27 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

And yet sports bookies seem to exist. Are you saying they don't have runners, because of the complication of variable odds? —Tamfang (talk) 22:37, 27 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

I think he's saying that for the majority of the 20th century, the "numbers" was the most popular form of organized illegal gambling found among working-class and lower-class areas of U.S. cities... AnonMoos (talk) 02:47, 28 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]