Nothing makes a writer like me twitch more than the word "deadline." I've got 20 a month, just for VB, and they come at me like speeding locomotives. So when I found a little article about the origin of the word "deadline," I was interested.

An original definition, going back to the 1500s, was that of a weighted fishing line that doesn't move in the water. Makes sense, no? Next usage was in the early printing industry referring to some kind of mark on the press. An unfortunate usage was a line in POW camps of both sides during the Civil War that if a prisoner crossed it, he was shot.

That meaning disappeared during the 1920s and the word evolved into its present meaning of a time by which a project must be finished.

So there you have it. And I better get hopping here, or I'll miss one!

Today we are looking at bidding scenarios and making a decision whether the last bid is forcing (like a deadline!) or not. There are no cards to look at, just bids. Hint: Remember that an auction may NOT end until one hand has limited its point count.