Even though the Oxford English Dictionary is listed as one of their references, the Jeopardy writers occasionally write a clue without checking it.
On December 19, 2017, one of the categories was “More than one meaning.”
The clue was: “A coffin, or the gloomy feeling that comes upon you as it’s being carried.
The expected answer was pall. One of the contestants answered with pall and received credit.
However, pall is not another word for coffin.
In the context of a funeral, a pall is a large piece of cloth that drapes a coffin.
One might also speak of a “pall of smoke” or a “pall of dust.”
Pall can also refer to a feeling or atmosphere of gloom. For example, “The news of the bombing cast a pall over the festivities.”
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