1. (sti-lin) slang. meaning looking good or in fashion.
2. (stiii-lin) slang. to lie, con, bluff, play or simply get-over on someone.
Hmm. I know a lot of bridge players who lie, con, bluff and many who need to get over themselves but some are definitely lookin' good while playin' the game....... i.e. STYLIN' bridge.
I admire the women who sit in erect posture, beautifully manicured and beringged hands holding fanned cards the correct distance away for optimum viewing through whatever bifocal strength is being worn. However, the ones who are graceful as ballet dancers in depositing the card on to the table top, amaze me. You have noticed the ones with the slightly curved arm movement ending in a graceful flip as the card hits the table. If I tried to do that, opponents would think I was having an arm seizure and tell my neurologist husband/partner to put me on some medication.
Not so admirable are the players who toss the dummy in the general direction of the table, leaving the cards piled up, laying sideways, or in total disarray. Being sort of a neat freak, when I first began to play, I would reach over to the opponents' dummies and straighten out whatever suit I was interested in actually seeing. I was admonished in no uncertain terms that I was NEVER to touch someone else's dummy so now I politely ask the dummy depositor (read this any way you want to) to please arrange the cards so that we all might know what is there.
I have a very wonderful occasional partner whose style is what I call, subrosa. She holds her hand below the table top. Whatever card appears from down below seems more of a surprise than cards coming from above.
Then there is husband/partner whose method is to try to obscure in any way possible whatever card is coming out of his hand. I think, this method is designed to avoid anyone noticing his revokes. The opponents and I have to ask him to please lay his card on the table rather than holding on to it so that we all can share in his joy of trumping an ace (fat chance). It's stylin' but annoyingly so.
I'm not even getting into the card snapping issue here. That isn't a style. It's just obnoxious.
Postures at the table vary greatly. There are the slouchers who always seem to be trying to show that they are so far above any other player that the current oppostition bores them. They give the impression that are barely paying attention and they don't need to. I like whacking those guys on a board or two.
One of my favorites to watch play is dementor Robert. When I lay down a dummy for him, he puts his hand down, folds his arms and leans half way across the table to stare at the dummy for a while before starting play. I never know if he can't believe what he is seeing because my bidding was so inscrutable or what? He says he is making a plan. Okay. We'll go with that. I like his style.
Of course, everyone has seen the pissed off partner who slams her cards on the table, throws them at the table, or slides them across the table in disgust. This is usually leading up to or after a partnership disagreement and we can't wait to leave those tables. I usually mumble a thank you and try to unobtrusively slide out of my chair while they go at it. Bad stylin'.
My least favorite style is the players who agonize over whether to play a 2 or 3 on my Ace. Please. Get on with it. Along the same lines, several players stand the card to be played on end, let it sit there for some seconds, and then ever so slowly, let it drop. I play my hand at a fairly quick pace and I know of one player who uses this method I think to try to get me off my game. It usually works. When the hand is played that slowly, I sometimes have trouble remembering the count.
Keep on keeping on all you stylin' bridge players. I hope to play long enough to develop a style of my own.
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