title: Triple deity

text: Georges Dumézil proposed in his trifunctional hypothesis that ancient Indo-European society conceived of itself as structured around three activities: worship, war, and toil. As social structures developed, particular segments of societies became more closely associated with one of the three fundamental activities. These segments, in turn, became entrenched as three distinct "classes", each one represented by its own god. In 1970, Dumézil proposed that some goddesses represented these three qualities as different aspects or epithets. Interpreting various deities, including the Iranian Anāhitā and the Roman Juno, he identified what were, in his view, examples of this. Dumézil's trifunctional hypothesis proved controversial. Many critics view it as a modern imposition onto Indo-European religion rather than an idea present in the society itself.


title: Triple deity

text: Vesna Petreska posits that myths including trinities of female mythical beings from Central and Eastern European cultures may be evidence for an Indo-European belief in trimutive female "spinners" of destiny. However, according to the linguist M. L. West, various female deities and mythological figures in Europe show the influence of pre-Indo-European goddess-worship, and triple female fate divinities, typically "spinners" of destiny, are attested all over Europe and in Bronze Age Anatolia.


title: Triple deity

text: The Roman goddess Diana was venerated from the late sixth century BC as "diva triformis", "three-form goddess", and early on was conflated with the similarly depicted Greek goddess Hekate. Andreas Alföldi interpreted a late Republican numismatic image as Diana "conceived as a threefold unity of the divine huntress, the Moon goddess and the goddess of the nether world, Hekate". This coin shows that the triple goddess cult image still stood in the "lucus" of Nemi in 43 BC. The Lake of Nemi was "Triviae lacus" for Virgil ("Aeneid" 7.516), while Horace called Diana "montium custos nemoremque virgo" ("keeper of the mountains and virgin of Nemi") and "diva triformis" ("three-form goddess"). In his commentary on Virgil, Maurus Servius Honoratus said that the same goddess was called Luna in heaven, Diana on earth, and Proserpina in hell.


title: Triple deity

text: Spells and hymns in Greek magical papyri refer to the goddess (called Hecate, Persephone, and Selene, among other names) as "triple-sounding, triple-headed, triple-voiced..., triple-pointed, triple-faced, triple-necked". In one hymn, for instance, the "Three-faced Selene" is simultaneously identified as the three Charites, the three Moirai, and the three Erinyes; she is further addressed by the titles of several goddesses. Translation editor Hans Dieter Betz notes: "The goddess Hekate, identical with Persephone, Selene, Artemis, and the old Babylonian goddess Ereschigal, is one of the deities most often invoked in the papyri."


title: Triple deity

text: E. Cobham Brewer's 1894 "Dictionary of Phrase & Fable" contained the entry, "Hecate: A triple deity, called Phoebe or the Moon in heaven, Diana on the earth, and Hecate or Proserpine in hell," and noted that "Chinese have the triple goddess Pussa". The Roman poet Ovid, through the character of the Greek woman Medea, refers to Hecate as "the triple Goddess"; the earlier Greek poet Hesiod represents her as a threefold goddess, with a share in earth, sea, and starry heavens. Hecate was depicted variously as a single womanly form; as three women back-to-back; as a three-headed woman, sometimes with the heads of animals; or as three upper bodies of women springing from a single lower body ("we see three heads and shoulders and six hands, but the lower part of her body is single, and closely resembles that of the Ephesian Artemis".)


title: Triple deity

text: The Olympian demiurgic triad in platonic philosophy was made up of Zeus (considered the Zeus [king of the gods] of the Heavens), Poseidon (Zeus of the seas) and Pluto/Hades (Zeus of the underworld). All were considered to be ultimately a monad; the same Zeus who gave rise to the Titanic demiurgic triad of Helios (the sun when in the sky), Apollo (the sun seen in the world of humankind), and Dionysus (god of mysteries, or the "sun" of the underworld), as in Plato's Phaedrus, concerning the myth of Dionysus and the Titans)


title: Triple deity

text: The Matres or Matronae are usually represented as a group of three but sometimes with as many as 27 (3 × 3 × 3) inscriptions. They were associated with motherhood and fertility. Inscriptions to these deities have been found in Gaul, Spain, Italy, the Rhineland and Britain, as their worship was carried by Roman soldiery dating from the mid 1st century to the 3rd century AD. Miranda Green observes that "triplism" reflects a way of "expressing the divine rather than presentation of specific god-types. Triads or triple beings are ubiquitous in the Welsh and Irish mythic imagery" (she gives examples including the Irish battle-furies, Macha, and Brigit). "The religious iconographic repertoire of Gaul and Britain during the Roman period includes a wide range of triple forms: the most common triadic depiction is that of the triple mother goddess" (she lists numerous examples).


title: Triple deity

text: In the case of the Irish Brigid it can be ambiguous whether she is a single goddess or three sisters, all named Brigid. The Morrígan also appears sometimes as one being, and at other times as three sisters, as do the three Irish goddesses of sovereignty, Ériu, Fódla and Banba.


title: Triple deity

text: Nicene Christians profess "one God in three divine persons" (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost). This is not to be understood as a belief in (or worship of) three Gods, nor as a belief that there are three subjectively-perceived "aspects" in one God, both of which the Catholic Church condemns as heresy. The Catholic Church also rejects the notions that God is "composed" of its three persons and that "God" is a genus containing the three persons.


title: Triple deity

text: The Gnostic text Trimorphic Protennoia presents a threefold discourse of the three forms of Divine Thought: the Father, the Son, and the Mother (Sophia). Micheus, Michar, and Mnesinous, the three heavenly spirits of baptism, also appear in various Sethian Gnostic texts.


title: Triple deity

text: Some Christian saints, especially martyrs, are trios who share a feast day or other remembrance. Whether they are subject to actual veneration and prayed to for supernatural aid, or simply honored, varies by Christian denomination.


title: Triple deity

text: Whereas Nicene Christians professes "one God in three divine persons" (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost), Modalism is a form of Christian Unitarianism which stands in opposition to Trinitarianism and holds that the one God is also just one person, but simply appears in three different forms; those forms being the Father, Son, and Spirit. Modalism holds that the same one God simply appears in different forms throughout history. For example, Jesus was simply one form of the same God, and so Modalism holds that the "Father" suffered no less on the cross than did the "Son", as these are simply two names for one deity appearing in different forms. In addition, Modalism holds that the Holy Spirit is not a separate person from the Father either, but is simply a term that describes God in action. Modalism is considered a heresy in orthodox Christianity.


title: Triple deity

text: Peter H. Goodrich interprets the literary figure of Morgan le Fay as a manifestation of a British triple goddess in the medieval romance "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". A modern idea of a triple goddess is central to the new religious movement of Wicca.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The Japanese language has a system of honorific speech, referred to as , parts of speech that show respect. Their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese may be used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank. Japanese honorific titles, often simply called honorifics, consist of suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The system is very extensive, having its own special vocabulary and grammatical forms to express various levels of respectful, humble, and polite speech. It closely resembles other honorifics systems found in the East Asian cultural sphere, such as honorifics in Korean.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Japanese uses honorific constructions to show or emphasize social rank, social intimacy or similarity in rank. The choice of pronoun used, for example, will express the social relationship between the person speaking and the person being referred to, and Japanese often avoids pronouns entirely in favor of more explicit titles or kinship terms.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Honorific speech is often longer, and sometimes much longer, than more direct speech. Some extreme, but not uncommon, examples include the following:


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: When asking a question: the first is casually between friends, the second is a junior person asking a superior in a formal meeting:


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: When asking for cooperation: the first is usual and polite, the latter is very formal, but often found in writing, especially in posters or flyers.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: This latter example includes two honorific prefixes, nominalization of a verb (for formality), a respectful form, and two humble forms.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Honorifics in Japanese, or , fall under three main categories: ; ; and . Linguistically the first is an addressee honorific, used for someone being talked "to", and the latter two are referent honorifics, used for someone being talked "about". Sometimes two more categories are also used, for a total of five categories: and , but more often these are included in the above three: as a kind of humble language, as a kind of polite language. These two other categories use the same forms as the general categories, but are used in different contexts, hence differentiated by some linguists. Each type of speech has its own vocabulary and verb endings.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: For example, the standard form of the verb "to do" is "suru" (). This form is appropriate with family members and close friends. The polite form of "suru", the addressee honorific, is "shimasu". This form is appropriate in most daily interactions. When showing respect, such as when talking about a customer or a superior, however, the respectful word "nasaru" and its polite form "nasaimasu" are used, and when referring to one's own actions or the actions of a group member, the humble word "itasu" and its polite form "itashimasu" are used. These respectful and humble words are referent honorifics, and thus can coexist with addressee honorific "-masu".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: is characterized by the use of the sentence ending "desu" and the verb ending "-masu" and the use of prefixes such as "o-" and "go-" towards neutral objects. Television presenters invariably use polite language, and it is the form of the language first taught to most non-native learners of Japanese.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: is a special form or alternative word used when talking about superiors and customers. It is not used to talk about oneself. For example, when a Japanese hairdresser or dentist requests their client to take a seat, they say "o kake ni natte kudasai" to mean "please sit down". However, they would use the verb "suwaru" る rather than "o kake ni naru" to refer to themselves sitting down. The respectful version of language can only be used to refer to others.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In general, respectful language is directed at those in positions of power; for example, a superior at work, or a customer. It also implies that the speaker is acting in a professional capacity.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: It is characterized by lengthy polite expressions. Common verbs may be replaced by more polite alternative verbs, for example "suru" (do) by "nasaru", or "hanasu" (talk) by "ossharu" when the subject is a person of respect. Some of these transformations are many-to-one: "iku" (go), "kuru" (come), and "iru" (be) all become "irassharu", and "taberu" (eat) and "nomu" (drink) both become "meshiagaru".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Verbs may also be changed to respectful forms. One respectful form is a modification of the verb with a prefix and a polite suffix. For example, "yomu" (read) becomes "o-yomi ni naru", with the prefix "o-" added to the i-form of the verb, and the verb ending "ni naru". The verb ending "-(r)areru" can also be used, such as "yomareru".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Nouns also undergo substitution to express respect. The normal Japanese word for person becomes in respectful language. Thus, a customer would normally be expected to be referred to as a "kata" rather than a "hito".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In general, humble language is used when describing one's actions or the actions of a person in one's in-group to others such as customers in business. Humble language tends to imply that one's actions are taking place in order to assist the other person.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Similar to respectful language, verbs can also change their form by adding a prefix and the verb "suru" or "itasu". For example, "motsu" (carry) becomes "o mochi shimasu". The use of humble forms may imply doing something for the other person; thus a Japanese person might offer to carry something for someone else by saying "o mochi shimasu". This type of humble form also appears in the set phrase "o matase shimashita", "I am sorry to have kept you waiting", from "mataseru" (make wait) with the addition of "o" and "shimasu". Similarly, "o negai shimasu", "please [do this]", from "negau" (request or hope for), again with the addition of "o" and "shimasu".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Even more politely, the form "motasete itadaku" literally means "humbly be allowed to carry". This phrase would be used to express the idea that "I will carry it if you please."


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The same forms may also be used when the speaker is not the agent, as a courtesy to the listener, as in the common phrase 電車が参ります ("densha ga mairimasu" "a train is arriving") at rail stations. In the case, the announcer him or herself is not arriving, but he or she is simply being courteous. Some linguists distinguish this from kenjōgo (where the speaker is the agent), calling it instead teichōgo (丁重語) "courteous language", and defining it formally as:


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: This category was first proposed by Hiroshi Miyachi (宮地裕). Teichōgo, as an addressee honorific, is always used with the teineigo ("-masu") form, the politeness sequence (using "go" as an example) being 行く, 行きます, 参ります ("iku", "ikimasu", "mairimasu").


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In humble language, name suffixes are dropped when referring to people from inside one's group. Thus, Japanese-speaking company executives would introduce themselves and their team by saying "I am Gushiken, the president, and this is Niwa, the CEO."


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Similarly to respectful language, nouns can also change. The word , meaning "person", becomes . The humble version is used when referring to oneself or members of one's group, such as one's company.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Word beautification (, , "beautified speech", in also sometimes , , "elegant speech") is the practice of making words more polite or "beautiful". This form of language is employed by the speaker to add refinement to one's manner of speech. This is commonly achieved by adding the prefix or to a word and used in conjunction with the polite form of verbs. In the following example, before and and the polite form of the verb are used to this effect. Generally is used before native Japanese words and is used before Sino-Japanese words, but there are exceptions.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In finer classifications, the above example is classified as word beautification—rather than honorific speech—as the speaker is voicing a "general opinion" regarding tea and rice crackers and is not intentionally deferential towards the "listener". In the following example, the speaker is directly referring to the listener and items received by them and is regarded as honorific language:


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Honorifics are considered extremely important in a business setting. Training in honorifics usually does not take place at school or university, so company trainees are trained in correct use of honorifics to customers and superiors.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: When using polite or respectful forms, the point of view of the speaker is shared by the speaker's "in-group" (内 "uchi"), so in-group referents do not take honorifics. For example, members of one's own company are referred to with humble forms when speaking with an external person; similarly, family members of the speaker are referred to humbly when speaking to guests. Similarly, the "out-group" (外 "soto") addressee or referent is always mentioned in the polite style (though not necessarily with honorifics).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Mastery of politeness and honorifics is important for functioning in Japanese society. Not speaking politely enough can be insulting, and speaking too politely can be distancing (and therefore also insulting) or seem sarcastic. Children generally speak using plain informal speech, but they are expected to master politeness and honorifics by the end of their teenage years. Recent trends indicate that the importance of proper politeness is not as high as before, particularly in metropolitan areas. The standards are inconsistently applied towards foreigners, though most textbooks attempt to teach the polite style before considering to teach any of the other styles.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Depending on the situation, women's speech may contain more honorifics than men's. In particular, in informal settings, women are more likely to use polite vocabulary and honorific prefixes, such as to mean "eat rice", whereas men may use less polite vocabulary such as with exactly the same meaning. This is part of a general pattern of speech differences by sex. However, in many settings, such as in customer service, there will be little or no difference between male and female speech.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Japanese has grammatical functions to express several different pragmatic registers. Not only "politeness" but also "respectfulness", "humility" and "formality" can be expressed.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: There are three levels of politeness, "plain" or "direct" ( "futsūtai" or 常体 "jōtai"), "polite" or "distal" (敬体 "keitai" or 丁寧 "teinei"), and "formal" (generally, 敬語 "keigo" or 最敬体 "saikeitai"). Formal and polite can be combined. For example, for the sentence "This is a book",


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The informal style is used among friends, the distal or polite style by inferiors when addressing superiors and among strangers or casual acquaintances, and the formal style generally in writing or prepared speeches. The plain formal and informal styles of verbs are nearly identical, with a few grammatical differences, such as the verb "de aru" being used as a formal copula, and the preferential usage of verb stems to connect clauses instead of the "te form". Formal language in Japanese also uses different vocabulary and structures from informal language.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In some contexts, where both the imperfective (incomplete: present/future) and perfective (complete: past) tenses are acceptable, the perfective is considered more polite. This is only at the completion of an activity; common examples are ありがとうございました "arigatō gozaimashita" "thank you (for a completed favor)", ご馳走様でした "go-chisō-sama deshita" "it was a feast (for a completed meal)", 失礼しました "shitsurei shimashita" "I have been rude (when leaving, after a visit)". For example, when entering someone's office, one conventionally says 失礼します "shitsurei shimasu," as the visit is not complete yet, while when exiting one may say either "shitsurei shimasu" or, more politely, 失礼しました "shitsurei shimashita." Many phrases cannot be used in the perfective in this way, as the referent is as yet incomplete. For example, the standard greeting お早うございます "ohayō gozaimasu" "Good morning" (lit. "It is early") cannot be said as ×お早うございました *"ohayō gozaimashita" "It was early", as it is used only during the morning.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: These respectful forms are represented by different verb endings. Since verbs come at the end of the sentence in Japanese, most of the factors of formality, politeness, and respect are expressed at the very end of each sentence.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The "o-machi-suru" humble forms carry an implication that the waiting or other activity is being (humbly) done by the speaker for the benefit of the person being addressed. Thus a "humble" sentence is unlikely to take a third person subject. For example, a sentence like "jon ga sensei o o machi suru" (John waits for the teacher) is unlikely to occur.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Honorific suffixes and prefixes are used when referring to others in a conversation. They reflect not only the level of politeness chosen, but also the relative social rank or the degree of intimacy between people. For example, a person might refer to their classmate or colleague as "Asada-san" ("Mr./Ms. Asada"), but to their little son as "Hideyo-chan" ("lil' Hideyo")"." Referring to somebody without using a honorific is a sign of great informality or intimacy.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Japanese requests and commands have many set forms depending on who is being addressed by whom. For example, the phrase "yoroshiku o negai shimasu", meaning "I ask your favor" can take various forms. At the bottom of the scale comes


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: means the same thing, but is used in business settings. It is possible to go further, replacing the polite "shimasu" with the humble "itashimasu", to get


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In extremely formal Japanese, such as that used on New Year's greeting cards, this may be replaced with an even more polite expression


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: When making requests, at the bottom of the politeness scale comes the plain imperative "tabero" or "kue", literally "Eat!", a simple order to be said to an inferior or someone considered to have no choice, such as a prisoner. This form might convey anger. Similarly, the "no/n da" suffix can make an order: "taberu n da", or "kuu n da" "Eat!". To express anger, the suffix "yagaru" also exists: "kuiyagare", an extremely forceful and angry instruction to eat, expressing contempt for the addressee.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Negatives are formed by adding suffix "na": "taberu na" "do not eat", "gomi o suteru na": "do not throw away rubbish". Similarly, the negative of "da", "ja nai", can be used: "taberu n ja nai".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: More polite, but still strict, is the "nasai" suffix, which attaches to the i-form of the verb. This originates in the polite verb "nasaru". "Tabenasai" thus is an order perhaps given by a parent to a child. This is often colloquially shortened to "na", hence "tabena". This form has no grammatical negative.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Requests can also be formed by adding to the "te" form of a verb. The plainest form adds "kure", an irregular form of the verb "kureru", to the te form. For example, "tabete kure" or "kutte kure": "eat it", less forceful than "tabero". Negatives are made by using the negative "te" form: "tabenaide kure" or "kuwanaide kure" "don't eat it".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Going up one scale in politeness, the more polite verb "kudasai" is added. For example, "tabete kudasai". With this polite form, the rough "kū" verb is unlikely to be used. Similarly, "tabenaide kudasai": "please don't eat it".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: A similar entry on the scale of politeness is made by using the imperative form of a polite verb. For example, "meshiagaru", the polite verb for "to eat", when turned into "meshiagare", the imperative, becomes the response to the set phrase "itadakimasu".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Further, more polite forms are also possible. These involve the "i-form" of the verb rather than the "te form", and an honorific prefix (see honorific prefixes: verbs, below). Beyond simply increased politeness, this form is more formal, and is used when addressing a group, or as a general instruction, rather than directed at a particular person. For example, "tsukau", "use", becomes "o tsukai kudasai": "please use this". In the case of phrasal verbs the honorific "o" appears before the entire phrase, not simply the verb, as in , from . Politeness can be carried even further by conjugating kudasaru into its masu form and using the imperative, which becomes "o tsukai kudasaimase." The most polite form of this would probably be along the lines of "o tsukai ni natte itadakimasen deshou ka." "You will probably not bestow the favor of honorably using this?" Language like this, however, is rarely used.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Other ways to increase politeness involve indirection of the request: "kore o tsukau you ni o negai shimasu": "I humbly request that you think about using this".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The "bikago" (beautifying) prefixes "o-" (お〜) and "go-" (ご〜) (both written with the character 御- in kanji) are honorific prefixes which are applied to nouns and in some contexts to verbs. In general, "go-" (the on'yomi) precedes Sino-Japanese words (that is, words borrowed from Chinese or made from Sino-Japanese elements), while "o-" (the kun'yomi) precedes native Japanese words. There are many exceptions, however, where the "o-" prefix is used for Sino-Japanese words, including お茶 "o-cha" "tea", お大事に "o-daiji-ni" "get well", お電話 "o-denwa" "telephone", お稽古 "o-keiko" "practice", お宅 "o-taku" "home/you", and many others. There is also one common exception for the "go-" prefix, ごゆっくり "go-yukkuri" "slowly", where the main word is clearly not of Chinese origin.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: These prefixes are used for two purposes: to speak respectfully about a stranger or social superior's family, belongings, or actions (as part of 尊敬語, sonkeigo); or to speak in a generally refined or polite way (敬語 "keigo" generally, specifically 美化語, "bikago").


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Although these honorific prefixes are often translated into English as "honorable" ("o-denwa," for example, would be given as "the honorable telephone") this translation is unwieldy and cannot convey the true feeling of their use in Japanese. These prefixes are essentially untranslatable, but their use indicates a polite respect for the item named or the person to or about whom one is speaking. A shorter translation is "dear"—for example, "o-ko-san", お子さん, translates idiomatically as "your dear child"—and a similar sentiment is expressed in such English expressions as "Would you " care for a spot of" tea?" or "Would you "care for a little" tea?" (as opposed to the plain "Would you "like some" tea?").


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: As with honorific word forms and titles, honorific prefixes are used when referring to or speaking with a social superior, or speaking about a superior's actions or possessions, but not usually when referring to oneself or one's own actions or possessions, or those of one's in-group.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: For example, when referring to one's own order at a restaurant, one would use "chūmon", but when referring to a customer's order, the restaurant staff would use "go-chūmon". Similarly, "kazoku" means "my family," while "go-kazoku" means "your family" (or, broadly speaking, someone else's family).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: There are some words which frequently or always take these prefixes, regardless of who is speaking and to whom; these are often ordinary items which may have particular cultural significance, such as tea ("o-cha") and rice ("go-han"). The word "meshi", the Japanese equivalent of Sino-Japanese "go-han", is considered rough and masculine (男性語). The honorific "o-" is also sometimes attached to of native verbs (hence native "o-") to refer to a specific item associated with the verb, as in oshibori (お絞り、絞る) "hot towel", and onigiri/omusubi (お握り、握る and お結び、結ぶ) "rice ball".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In rare cases, both a base form and honorific are in use with different readings. A notable example is 利益 "ri-eki" "benefit, profit (e.g., business)" and 御利益 "go-ri-yaku" "divine favor, grace"; plain "ri-yaku" is sometimes used, but "go-ri-eki" is generally not. The former, an everyday term, uses the usual kan-on reading, while the later, a specialized religious term, uses the older go-on reading.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Honorific prefixes can be used for other items, possibly for a comic or sarcastic effect (for example, "o-kokakōra", "honorable Coca-Cola"). Overuse of honorific prefixes may be taken as pretentious or simpering, and, as with other polite speech, they are more used by women than men.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In tea ceremony, common ingredients and equipment always take the honorific "o-" or "go-", including water ("o-mizu"), hot water ("o-yu"), and tea bowls ("o-chawan"). However, these terms are often heard in daily life as well.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Foreign loanwords (gairaigo, except those that come from Chinese; see above) seldom take honorifics, but when they do "o-" seems to be preferable to "go-". Examples are "o-bīru" ("bīru": beer), which can sometimes be heard at restaurants, "o-kādo" ("kādo": card, as in credit card or point card), which is often heard at supermarkets and department stores, and "o-sōsu" ("sōsu": sauce).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: For verbs, a respectful request—or rather a polite command—addressed to a group may be formed by using 御〜, followed by the "masu"-stem (連用形), followed by . For Chinese verbs (kango + "suru"), the prefix is generally pronounced "go-," while for native Japanese verbs the prefix is pronounced "o-." This is generally written in kana. The most commonly heard use is (Chinese verb), which is used pervasively in recorded announcement in Japan (escalators, trains and subways, turning trucks), but other verbs are also used frequently, such as (Japanese verb).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The respectful prefix can also be used in honorific verbs, when speaking about a superior, in which case it is formed by "o-," followed by the "masu"-stem, followed by (suitably conjugated), as in .


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: "O-" was also commonly used as an honorific prefix to female given names in pre-war Japan, particularly in combination with dropping common suffixes such as -ko (-こ) (-子, literally "child"). For example, would be referred to as , would become , would become , and so on. This was a less polite honorific than "san". For example, a female servant named "Kikuko" would be referred to as "O-kiku" rather than "Kikuko-san". This usage has disappeared in current Japanese, and has been replaced by using the diminutive suffix "-chan" instead (compare to male "-kun"), as in "Aki-chan" for "Akiko".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: There is also a rarer prefix "mi-" (kun'yomi), which is mostly used in words related to gods and the emperor, such as "mi-koshi" (御輿, "portable shrine" in Shinto) and "mi-na" (御名, "the Holy Name" in Christianity). However, in this context it is often replaced by 神 ("god", also pronounced "mi-"), and then a further 御 (pronounced お-, "o-") may be added, as in 御神輿 ("o-mi-koshi"). Sometimes the reading is ambiguous—for example, 御霊屋 "mausoleum" may be pronounced either "mi-tama-ya" or "o-tama-ya". When pronounced as "mi-," the prefix is usually written in kanji (unlike "o-" and "go-", which are very frequently hiragana), but in some case it is written in hiragana, with a notable example being "mi-hotoke" (御仏, "Lord Buddha") often being written as み仏, partly to avoid confusion with the incorrect reading *"go-butsu".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The honorific prefix generally does not fall in the middle. In compounds, where the honorific would fall in the middle, the honorific is almost always dropped. For example, お茶／御茶 "o-cha" "tea", but 麦茶 "mugi-cha" "barley tea", not ×麦お茶／麦御茶 *"mugi-o-cha". There are exceptions, however, such as 乾御門 "inui-go-mon" "northwest gate (to imperial palace)"; note that 乾門 "inui-mon" "northwest gate (generally)" is also used.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Rarely, 御 is used instead as an honorific "suffix," notably in 甥御 "oigo" "your nephew" and 姪御 "meigo" "your niece".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: The character 御 has other readings, notably "on" (kun'yomi) and "gyo" (on'yomi), as seen in and , but these are not productive (they are not used to form new words, but only in existing words).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Another prefix, pronounced "o-" （お〜） and potentially confused with 御〜 when written in hiragana, is 阿〜 "o-", which also has affectionate connotations, but is a separate term and not productive. It was previously used for endearment for women's names, and today is most notable in 阿多福／阿亀 ("o-ta-fuku," "o-kame", "moon-faced woman, homely woman"), which are frequently written as お多福／お亀, which may be mistaken (partially) for hiragana forms of ×御多福／×御亀. The character 阿 is more frequently pronounced "a," and used especially in words and names from Sanskrit, such as the "a" in the syllable "aum", hence unfamiliar in this use, creating the potential for confusion.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: In one case, a triple honorific prefix may used, namely in the word "o-mi-o-tsuke," a polite term for miso soup, which is ordinarily referred to as . This may be spelt in kanji in multiple ways, including , but also as (味 = "mi," flavor), and the 御御御〜 spelling may be considered ateji, punning on 御 and 味 both having the reading "mi".


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: While English has different registers, its levels of formality and politeness are not as formalized or as clearly defined as in Japanese. However, they can be instructive in gaining a feel for Japanese speech. English imperatives range from very blunt ("Give me the book"), to very indirect and elaborate ("If it's not too much trouble, could you please be so kind as to pass me the book?"—note the use of potential form, as in Japanese).


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Similarly, changes in word use can make language more flowery or respectful—rather than "Do you know?", one might say "Are you familiar with?" or "Are you acquainted with?", which convey some of the feel of 知る "shiru" versus ご存知だ "go-zonji da". In English, words of Germanic origin are generally plainer, those from French are generally more flowery (compare "drink" versus "beverage"), and those from Latin are more formal and technical (see Anglish and related articles); similarly in Japanese, words of Japanese origin are plainer, while words of Chinese origin are more formal. These are not hard-and-fast rules, but they give a feel for the gradations.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Humble language is less common in modern English, but is found in some contexts, such as guests saying "I am "honored" to be here," (rather than "I am "glad" to be here" or "I am "happy" to be here") and in various valedictions such as "Sincerely", which were formerly more formal and humble, with such forms as "I am, Sir, your most humble and obedient servant," and the like.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Some scholars argue that while honorific usage is necessarily affected by culturally specific values systems, the linguistic principles regulating its usage are not necessarily distinct from those of other languages, including honorific-poor languages such as English.


title: Honorific speech in Japanese

text: Some convenience stores and fast-food restaurants teach their young and part-time employees to verbally interact with customers in strictly prescribed ways laid down in instruction manuals. These forms of speech are known as マニュアル敬語 ("manyuaru keigo", "manual keigo") or バイト敬語 ("baito keigo", "part-timer keigo"). Manual keigo includes forms which would be considered incorrect or at least non-standard in terms of traditional usage (keigo and otherwise). A common example is "udon ni narimasu" (literally "[this] becomes udon", "[this] will be udon") as a polite form of "udon desu" ("[this] is udon"), instead of the standard "udon de gozaimasu" ("[this] is udon (polite)")—this manual keigo form is often criticized on the basis that the udon is not "becoming" anything, and therefore "ni naru" is incorrect, both as keigo and more generally.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 American black comedy crime film directed by Woody Allen, written by Allen and Douglas McGrath and starring an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri and Jennifer Tilly.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Allen and co-writer Douglas McGrath for Original Screenplay, Allen for Director, Wiest & Tilly for Supporting Actress and Palminteri for Supporting Actor. Wiest won Best Supporting Actress for her performance, the second time Allen directed her to an Academy Award. It is considered one of Allen's best works.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: In 1928, David Shayne is an idealistic young playwright newly arrived on Broadway. Desperate to gain financing for his play, "God of Our Fathers", he is convinced by producer Julian Marx to cast actress Olive Neal, the girlfriend of gangster Nick Valenti, in a minor role.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Compensating for his frustration with the demanding and talentless Olive, Shayne is thrilled to cast alcoholic faded star Helen Sinclair in the lead role, along with the dieting British thespian Warner Purcell. Rehearsals are soon thrown into chaos when Olive shows up escorted by Cheech, a mob henchman, who insists on watching rehearsals.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Eventually Cheech starts giving notes on the script to Shayne, who is initially angered by the intrusion but quickly realises the ideas are excellent. Cheech, who barely learned to read before burning down his school, has a natural talent for playwriting, but is not interested in taking any credit. The cast members herald the revised script as genius, disparaging his initial draft as dull and pompous.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Buoyed by their imminent success, Shayne and the actors succumb to their vices. His partner, Ellen, catches him cheating on her with Helen. Warner indulges in overeating and begins an affair with Olive, which he attempts to break off when Cheech threatens his life. Growing increasingly frustrated with Olive's poor acting, Cheech tries to have her fired from the production. After Shayne reminds him he can't get rid of Olive, Cheech murders her and dumps her body in a river.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Olive's murder is widely assumed to be part of an inter-gang conflict, but Shayne immediately senses the truth and argues with Cheech. Regretting his mistakes, Shayne is dismayed to learn that Ellen is leaving him for his hedonistic Marxist friend Sheldon Flender.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: On opening night, Valenti accuses Cheech of the murder, which he denies. Henchmen Rocco and Aldo chase Cheech backstage while the play is being performed, shooting him. With his dying words, Cheech gives Shayne a new final line for the play. The play is a critical and commercial hit, but Shayne skips the after party to confront Flender. He confesses his lack of talent and proposes marriage to Ellen, who accepts his newfound desire to leave high society.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: The film's title may have been an homage to a lengthy sketch of the same title from the 1950s television show "Caesar's Hour"; one of Allen's first jobs in television was writing for Sid Caesar specials after the initial run of the show.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: The film featured the last screen appearance of Benay Venuta. Allen cast her in a cameo role as a well-wishing wealthy theatre patron. She died of lung cancer months after the film opened.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: "Bullets Over Broadway" received a positive response from critics. The review-aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports 95% positive reviews from 60 critics, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The consensus reads, "A gleefully entertaining backstage comedy, "Bullets Over Broadway" features some of Woody Allen's sharpest, most inspired late-period writing and direction."


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" described the film as "a bright, energetic, sometimes side-splitting comedy with vital matters on its mind, precisely the kind of sharp-edged farce [Allen] has always done best." Todd McCarthy of "Variety" similarly called it "a backstage comedy bolstered by healthy shots of prohibition gangster melodrama and romantic entanglements" and wrote, "In its mixing of showbiz and gangsters, this is a nice companion piece to Allen's "Broadway Danny Rose", and about as amusing." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" praised, ""Bullets Over Broadway" shares a kinship with a more serious film by Allen, "Crimes and Misdemeanors", in which a man committed murder and was able, somehow, to almost justify it. Now here is the comic side of the same coin. The movie is very funny and, in the way it follows its logic wherever it leads, surprisingly tough."


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: The film grossed $13.4 million in the United States and Canada and $24.1 million internationally for a worldwide total of $37.5 million.


title: Bullets Over Broadway

text: Allen adapted the film as a stage Jukebox musical, titled "Bullets Over Broadway the Musical". The musical is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, produced by Julian Schlossberg and Allen's younger sister Letty Aronson, with a score from the American songbook using songs from the 1920s and 1930s. The new musical premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on April 10, 2014. A staged reading was held in June 2013. The cast features Zach Braff as David Shayne, Brooks Ashmanskas, Betsy Wolfe, Lenny Wolpe, and Vincent Pastore. Marin Mazzie stars as Helen Sinclair, and Karen Ziemba appears as "Eden Brent." Musical supervisor Glen Kelly has adapted and written additional lyrics for songs including "Tain't Nobody's Bus'ness," "Running Wild," "Let's Misbehave" and "I Found A New Baby". The musical closed on August 24, 2014, after 156 performances and 33 previews.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Password is an American television game show in which two teams, each composed of a celebrity player and a contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The show was created by Bob Stewart and originally produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. It aired on CBS from 1961 to 1967, and ABC from 1971 to 1975. The original host was Allen Ludden, who had previously been well known as the host of the "G.E. College Bowl".


title: Password (American game show)

text: Two revivals later aired on NBC: "Password Plus" from 1979 to 1982, and "Super Password" from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, "Million Dollar Password", on CBS from 2008 to 2009. All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Two teams, each consisting of one celebrity player and one "civilian" contestant, competed. The word to be conveyed (the "password") was given to one player on each team and was shown onscreen to viewers as well as spoken softly on the audio track. Gameplay alternated between the two teams. On each team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which their partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password within the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, "coined" words, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team. If the password was revealed by the clue-giver it was thrown out.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The game continued until one of the players guessed the password correctly, any form of the password was given as a clue, or until ten clues had been given. Scoring was based on the number of clues given when the password was guessed, e.g. ten points were awarded for guessing the password on the first clue, nine points on the second clue, eight points on the third clue, etc., down to one point on the tenth and final clue. On the ABC version, a limit of six clues was imposed to expedite gameplay, with the last clue worth five points. In addition, teams were given the option of either playing or passing control of the first clue to the opposing team. Specifically, the team that was trailing in score, or that had lost the previous game, was offered the pass/play option; when the score was tied, the team that failed to get the previous password was awarded the pass/play option.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On the CBS daytime edition, the first team to reach 25 points won that contestant $100. On the nighttime edition, the winner won $250. The winning team earned a chance to win up to an additional $250 by playing the "Lightning Round", in which the civilian contestant on the prevailing team tried to guess five passwords within 60 seconds from clues given by his/her celebrity partner. $50 was awarded for each correctly guessed password (increased to $100 from 1973 to 1974).


title: Password (American game show)

text: The Lightning Round was among the first bonus rounds on a television game (along with the scrambled phrase game on the original "Beat the Clock"). On the ABC version from 1971 to 1974, immediately after completing the Lightning Round, the player was given a chance at "the Betting Word," in which they could wager any amount of their winnings on their celebrity partner's ability to guess it within 15 seconds. This increased the maximum bonus prize to $500 ($1,000 from 1973 to 1974 when the regular Lightning Round values were doubled).


title: Password (American game show)

text: In each episode from 1961 to 1975, Ludden would caution the players about unacceptable clues by stating, "When you hear this sound (a buzzer would sound) it means your clue has not been accepted by our authority, (name of word authority)." Word authorities on the CBS version included New York University professor David H. Greene and "World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary" editor Dr. Reason A. Goodwin (that dictionary being still a work-in-progress at the time of the show's first airing, first appearing in print form in 1963). Robert Stockwell from UCLA and Carolyn Duncan served as word authorities during the ABC version.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Jack Clark, Lee Vines, and John Harlan whispered the password to viewers on the first two versions of the show, but the practice was discontinued, beginning with "Password All-Stars", when a computer (referred to as "Murphy" by Ludden) was incorporated. The computer would display the password one letter at a time (like a typewriter), followed by the quotation marks. A beeping sound would accompany each letter as it appeared on the screen. A final beep would signal that the password was revealed to the home viewer, and play would start. On "Password Plus", a bell would ring when the password was revealed. On "Super Password" from September 24, 1984, to October 31, 1986, a chirping sound was heard when the password was revealed. However, Gene Wood began whispering the words on "Super Password" just like in the original, starting on November 3, 1986. The practice was again discontinued on "Million Dollar Password", while the 2022 revival reinstated it.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Before the cancellation of the Goodson-Todman game show "Snap Judgment" on NBC in 1969, that program's set was changed to make it resemble the look of the CBS "Password". Goodson-Todman did this to correspond to rule changes that made "Snap Judgment" identical to "Password."


title: Password (American game show)

text: On the CBS daytime version, contestants played two matches, win or lose, with each game awarding $100 to the winner. For most of the CBS nighttime version's first year, the same two players stayed for the entire show, playing as many matches as time allowed. However, after three contestants managed to break the $1,000 mark, this practice was changed in November 1962 to having two new contestants play each game (generally, three pairs of contestants competed in the course of each show), with winning contestants receiving $250 and losers receiving $50.


title: Password (American game show)

text: For two shows in July 1965, the nighttime version experimented with a "championship match" format, in which the winners of games 1 and 2 would return to compete against each other in the final game. Also in 1965, the show adopted an annual "Tournament of Champions" where contestants on the daytime version who won both their games were invited back to compete for more money.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Early on in the ABC version, contestants played a single-elimination game; winning contestants could stay until they were either defeated or won a maximum of 10 games, thus retiring them as undefeated champions. Later on, the limit was dropped, and champions stayed on the show until defeated. From 1973 to 1974, the first contestant to win a two-out-of-three match played the Lightning Round.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Every three months, the four top winners during that period would return for a quarterly contest. The winner would earn $1,000 and the right to compete in the annual Tournament of Champions. The winner of the annual contest won $5,000, received a free trip to Macedonia, and faced the previous year's champion in a best-of-seven match for $10,000. Lewis Retrum, from Boston, won the Tournament of Champions two years in a row and retired undefeated when the show went off the air.


title: Password (American game show)

text: From November 18, 1974, to February 21, 1975, "Password" became "Password All-Stars", where teams of celebrities played for charity in a tournament-style format. At the end of each week, the highest scorer would win $5,000 and advance to the Grandmasters' Championship, which would award the winner another $25,000. The first tournament's finalists were Dick Gautier, James Shigeta, Peter Bonerz, and Don Galloway, with Shigeta winning the championship; the second tournament's finalists were Richard Dawson, Bill Bixby, Hal Linden, and Betty White, with Dawson winning the championship (Dawson had almost made it to the first tournament finals, but Gautier beat him out during their preliminary week by just one point).


title: Password (American game show)

text: After the celebrity format modification proved unpopular with viewers, Goodson-Todman made "Password All-Stars" simply "Password" again, but the show carried over elements of "All-Stars" mainly to use the set that had been redesigned for the all-celebrity period. Among these was an elimination round in which four contestants (two new players and the two players from the previous game) competed with the help of the two celebrities in the first round. In the qualifying round, one of the two celebrities used a one-word clue to a password (with both celebrities alternating turns on giving clues), and the four contestants would ring in with the password. If no contestant identified the password after four clues, the word would be discarded. A correct response earned that contestant one point, with three points needed to qualify for the regular game. An incorrect response locked that player out of the word in play. The first two contestants to reach three points went on to play the regular Password game.


title: Password (American game show)

text: In the regular game, an addition to the rules was the "double" option, in which the first clue giver could ask to increase the word value to 20 points by giving only one clue; if that word was missed, the other team could score the 20 points with a second clue. The first team to reach 50 points or more could win thousands of dollars in the "Big Money Lightning Round", using a three-step structure in which the winning team attempted to guess three passwords within 30 seconds per step. The contestant was paid as follows:


title: Password (American game show)

text: With Goodson–Todman established as a reliable producer of highly rated games for CBS, including "What's My Line?", "To Tell the Truth", and "I've Got a Secret", the network gave the new word-association game the 2:00 PM (1:00 Central) time slot, replacing the courtroom-themed game "Face the Facts". As television's first successful celebrity–civilian team game, "Password" attracted a large and loyal audience that made it into a solid Nielsen favorite for nearly five years while shows came and went with great frequency on the other networks. A concurrent prime-time version, which debuted in January 1962, was also successful, but less than the daytime show. Both versions performed strongly in the ratings.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On July 11, 1966, CBS preempted "Password" in favor of live coverage of a press conference held by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on the progress of the Vietnam War. The other two networks went ahead with their regular schedules because their news divisions had not been granted the power to make programming decisions. A new show beginning that day on ABC, "The Newlywed Game", attracted some "Password" fans. NBC also benefited from the CBS programming decision, experiencing success with the recently launched soap opera "Days of Our Lives".


title: Password (American game show)

text: Over the next year, "The Newlywed Game" and "Days of Our Lives" got higher ratings than "Password". CBS daytime head Fred Silverman cancelled "Password" in the spring of 1967 after squabbles over where the show would be taped (New York City or Hollywood). Silverman wanted the show permanently moved to CBS Television City, where it was moved for part of the 1966–1967 season for taping in color because CBS's New York studios had not made the full switch to color. Mark Goodson, however, opposed permanently moving the show to Hollywood.


title: Password (American game show)

text: "Password" was most often taped in New York at CBS-TV Studio 52 (later converted to the Studio 54 discothèque) and CBS-TV Studio 50 (the Ed Sullivan Theater) until the end of the daytime run in 1967. The original CBS version made annual trips to CBS Television City during the 1960s, including once when the CBS New York studios were upgraded for color TV. During its run, "Password" was taped in all four of the studios at different times (31, 33, 41 and 43).


title: Password (American game show)

text: Goodson-Todman sold reruns of the CBS version to local stations via syndication in the late 1960s, and in some markets, they performed quite well in mid-morning or late-afternoon slots. This prompted ABC to contact Mark Goodson about reviving the game; this time around, Goodson agreed to have the show tape in Hollywood per ABC's wishes. "Password" would become Goodson-Todman's first show to be staged in Los Angeles full-time rather than New York City. The company eventually moved almost all production to southern California during the 1970s. The show was taped at ABC Studio TV-10, "The Vine Street Theater," in Hollywood and the ABC Television Center.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The network slated "Password" to replace the cult soap "Dark Shadows" at 4:00 PM (3:00 Central) on April 5, 1971. Some of the more devoted "Shadows" fans threatened ABC with physical disruption of the first tapings of "Password" at the Hollywood studios. These plans never materialized and ABC went ahead, managing strong results against NBC's "Somerset" and reruns of "Gomer Pyle, USMC" on CBS.


title: Password (American game show)

text: ABC promoted the show to 12:30 PM (11:30 AM Central) on September 6, where it faced stronger challenges in the form of CBS' long-running "Search for Tomorrow" and NBC's "The Who, What, or Where Game", which had been on for two years. "Password" held up well there for six months until the network moved it up a half-hour to 12:00 PM (11:00 AM Central) on March 20, 1972, for the new Hatos-Hall game "Split Second". "Password" came in a solid second to NBC's "Jeopardy!" and out-performed three-year-old CBS soap "Where the Heart Is". CBS replaced "Heart" on March 26, 1973, with the youth-oriented "The Young and the Restless", causing "Password" and "Jeopardy!" to hit ratings trouble that summer.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Even though NBC moved "Jeopardy!" on January 7, 1974 from 12:00 PM to 10:30 AM (9:30 Central) in favor of "Jackpot!", the ABC "Password" was sliding into third place. In May, the show won the first-ever Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show. A large Emmy statue then became part of the set's backdrop until the overhaul in November.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On November 18 (after one final week of unknown content), the show ran an all-celebrity format called "Password All-Stars". Although Goodson-Todman had success with celebrity-driven formats such as "Match Game" (which debuted in 1973) and "Tattletales" (which began earlier in the year) through the late 1970s, the lack of civilian contestants and significantly altered rules on "Password" drove more viewers away.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On February 24, 1975, Goodson-Todman abandoned the all-stars format (but changed the contestant configuration in order to avoid another set redesign) in a last-ditch effort to save the program. Although "Password" was given another eighteen weeks, ABC had all but given up on the show. Aside from a week in which Betty White hosted while her husband played (March 24–28), no more gimmicks were attempted for the rest of the run.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On June 27, 1975, four members of the show's staff played a "mock game" which filled some time after the final Lightning Round. Mark Goodson then appeared to declare Ludden "Mr. Password" and mentioned that numerous elementary schoolteachers in the U.S. used the various editions of the Milton Bradley-packaged home game as a tool to teach their pupils English. Ludden and White then gave an emotional farewell. "Password" was replaced with "Showoffs", which lasted six months.


title: Password (American game show)

text: In 1978, Goodson-Todman tried again and successfully brought "Password" to NBC on January 8, 1979, with Allen Ludden returning as host. It was originally announced in "Variety" magazine as "Password '79", in the manner that "Match Game" named its 1973 version with the year. Celebrity guest Carol Burnett remarked during a run-through that with the various new elements the show had adopted, it was "Password Plus". The name stuck and became the title of the revival. Gene Wood served as the primary announcer (with Johnny Olson and Bob Hilton as substitutes); however, the announcers did not announce the passwords as in previous editions.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Ludden hosted until 1980 when he was forced to step down due to a bout with stomach cancer. Initially, Ludden took a month off from taping to deal with his illness, and Bill Cullen took time off from hosting "Chain Reaction" to step in for him. (During this time Geoff Edwards stepped in for Cullen on "Chain".) Eventually, Ludden's cancer worsened and he left the series after October 24, 1980; he succumbed to the disease in 1981. The producers, reportedly at Ludden's request, hired Tom Kennedy - whose TV credits included the "Password"-inspired "You Don't Say!" - to take over "Password Plus", and he remained as host until its final episode aired on March 26, 1982.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On September 24, 1984, NBC brought the format back as "Super Password" with Bert Convy hosting; with few tweaks, gameplay remained in the "Password Plus" format. Rich Jeffries was the first announcer until November 23, 1984, and filled in for the returning Gene Wood sporadically thereafter, as did Bob Hilton. As noted above, the tradition of the announcers reading the passwords was reinstated midway through the show's run.


title: Password (American game show)

text: "Super Password" ran until March 24, 1989, and was canceled on the same day as another NBC game show, "Sale of the Century". In some markets in the Eastern time zone, the show was preempted by local news due to its 12:00 PM time slot. NBC stations in the Central and Pacific time zones usually preempted "Scrabble" at 11:30 for local news and aired "Super Password" at 11:00.


title: Password (American game show)

text: CBS picked up a new version of the show entitled "Million Dollar Password", hosted by Regis Philbin, which premiered on June 1, 2008, and ran for 12 episodes over two seasons. The series was taped in New York and was the second million-dollar game show that Philbin has hosted (the first being the American network version "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"). The first season was taped at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, and the second season was taped at the CBS Studio Center in Los Angeles.


title: Password (American game show)

text: From March 4, 2015 until June 18, 2016, the Buzzr YouTube channel had a very short-lived online reboot of "Password" hosted by online personality Steve Zaragoza ("SourceFed") where various internet celebrities were teamed up as contestants instead of a celebrity and civilian being paired up.


title: Password (American game show)

text: NBC greenlit a new version of "Password" from Fremantle with current "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon as executive producer, on May 17, 2021, during NBCUniversal's upfronts presentation. On January 24, 2022, a casting notice was put out. In April 2022, it was reported that Keke Palmer would serve as host, and that the show would premiere in the summer, later specified as August 9. The first episode was dedicated to Betty White. Each hour-long episode consists of two half-hour matches, each with different pairs of contestants.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Gameplay is reminiscent of the 1961–74 versions, with games played to 15 points and the point value for each password starting at 6 for the first clue. If an illegal clue is given, the opposing team gets two points. Two such games are played, with the celebrities switching partners for the second game; if the contestants each win one game, a tie-breaker round, presented on-screen similarly to the Password Puzzle format from "Password Plus and Super Password", is played. Palmer reads a series of up to five clues to the final password; whoever buzzes-in with the correct answer moves on to the bonus round. An incorrect answer, however, allows the opponent a guess with all five clues revealed. If both players answer incorrectly, the procedure repeats until one buzzes-in with correct answer.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The bonus round uses a modified Alphabetics/Super Password round format (again from "Plus/Super"). The contestant now plays with both celebrities, where they have a total of 60 seconds to guess all ten passwords that begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet. After one celebrity plays for the first 30 seconds, they switch out and gameplay resumes. If an illegal clue is given during the first 30 seconds, a new word beginning with the same letter will be used during the second 30. The contestant wins $1,000 per guessed word, and $25,000 for solving all ten before time runs out. If all ten are not solved in time, the contestant receives one more password for both celebrities to jointly guess. After giving a single clue, the contestant puts on headphones and turns their back to the celebrities, while they deliberate for up to 30 seconds. If they are correct, the contestant's winnings are doubled; if not, they keep their previous winnings. (This final password is the only one not revealed to the home audience beforehand.)


title: Password (American game show)

text: The final episode of the first season featured four celebrities playing for charity and switching teams for the second half of the episode. One member of the winning team gives the clues in the bonus round and the other guesses the password in 60 seconds. If all ten passwords are not solved, the celebrity gives a clue to the other celebrities and puts on headphones during the deliberation. Fallon, instead of playing in the second half of the episode, let Palmer take his place playing, while he hosted.


title: Password (American game show)

text: All of the CBS primetime episodes were preserved on videotape, and have aired on GSN and Buzzr. The final year of the CBS daytime version and the second primetime version was preserved on color videotape, as the producers chose to syndicate those reruns following the program's first cancellation. Most of the earlier daytime episodes are presumed lost; at least two daytime episodes are available on home video, each one as part of a general game show compilation package. A number of episodes exist in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The ABC version is considered to be almost completely gone. Clips from the December 7, 1971 episode featuring Brett Somers and Jack Klugman were featured on VH1's "" in 2006. GSN aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on September 11, 2006, in the early morning hours as part of its weekly overnight classic game-show programming (and aired it again in tribute following Somers' death). Buzzr aired the complete Somers/Klugman episode on August 8, 2022.


title: Password (American game show)

text: A second studio master from February 14, 1972, with Sheila MacRae and Martin Milner is also known to have survived; the opening of that episode can be seen on YouTube, with the complete episode being uploaded in May 2020. Four episodes from 1975 circulate amongst collectors, two as recorded by home viewers: the "Password All-Stars" Finale; a studio master of episode #15 of the big-money revamp (March 14, 1975) with Betty White and Vicki Lawrence; a kinescope of episode #24 of the revamp (March 27, 1975); and the June 27, 1975 Finale with Kate Jackson and Sam Melville. An audio recording of an episode featuring Jack Klugman and Loretta Swit from 1975 is also known to have survived. A few more episodes from this run are held in UCLA's film and television archive.


title: Password (American game show)

text: It is believed that the videotapes that were used for the ABC "Password" were recycled and reused for the Dawson version of "Family Feud", which began on July 12, 1976.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On December 2, 2008, BCI Entertainment Company LLC (under license from FremantleMedia Enterprises) released a DVD box set "The Best of "Password", starring Allen Ludden: The CBS Years - 1962–1967". The set predominately features the nighttime show, with most of the final disc containing daytime episodes from 1967; notably, despite their existence, neither the nighttime nor daytime finales are present. This 3-Disc set contains 30 episodes of "Password" (1961 daytime episodes and 1962-1967 primetime episodes), uncut and unedited, and also digitally transferred, remastered, and restored from the original B&W kinescopes and original 2-inch color videotapes.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Although "Password" began in 1961, the DVD set consistently states "The CBS Years: 1962–1967". This misleading title may be due to the earliest episode on the set being the nighttime premiere, which aired in early 1962. A rerelease by Mill Creek, which acquired the rights to the Fremantle game-show DVD sets following BCI's collapse, corrected this error.


title: Password (American game show)

text: An early mock-up of the packaging showed host Ludden on the later CBS set, with the original ABC logo on the front of the desk (as well as on the spine), while a slew of celebrities was listed on the bottom of the cover. Further, the press release stated that the set would range "from the early 1960s all the way up to the mid 1970s", indicating that ABC episodes would be included. A later update to the box art removed the celebrity list and clarified that the set would only cover the CBS era, although the ABC logo was still present (the front cover now had it in place of the CBS logo above Ludden). The ABC logo was omitted altogether when the DVD set was released, with the CBS logo behind Ludden in the original picture being enlarged.


title: Password (American game show)

text: According to a November 11, 1997 issue of "Broadcasting & Cable" magazine, it was reported that former talk show host and emcee of the short-lived 1990 NBC daytime revival of "To Tell the Truth", Gordon Elliott was being prepped to become the brand new host of a version of "Password" planned for syndication in the Fall of 1998, with Pearson/All-American Television to have produced the series. However, those plans never materialized.


title: Password (American game show)

text: On May 14, 2016, an article from "Buzzerblog" received word from an anonymous but reputable source that "Password" was listed as a possible new alternative series on the internal ABC affiliate website. But neither the host, premiere date, nor taping/casting information have been mentioned since.


title: Password (American game show)

text: The Milton Bradley Company introduced the first home version of "Password" in 1962 and subsequently released 24 editions of the game until 1986. Owing to common superstition, these releases were numbered 1–12 and 14–25, skipping 13. It was tied with "Concentration" as the most prolific of Milton Bradley's home versions of popular game shows and was produced well into the "Super Password" era of the television show. Milton Bradley also published three editions of a "Password Plus" home game between 1979 and 1981, but never did a version for "Super Password".


title: Password (American game show)

text: Since 1997, Endless Games has released seven editions of "Password", including a children's edition (with gameplay closer to the various incarnations of "Pyramid"), a special "50th Anniversary Edition" in 2011 and a DVD edition featuring the voice of Todd Newton (notably, the latter uses the original ABC logo on its packaging). In addition, Endless released a home version of "Million-Dollar Password" in 2008.


title: Password (American game show)

text: A computer version of "Super Password" was released by GameTek for MS-DOS systems, as well as the Apple II and Commodore 64, shortly before the series was canceled. A Nintendo Entertainment System version was also planned but never released. Tiger Electronics released an electronic hand-held ""Super Password"" game in the late 1990s. More recently, Irwin Toys released a new hand-held electronic version featuring a touch screen with a stylus to enter words.


title: Password (American game show)

text: An online version of "Password" was once available on its now-defunct website "Uproar.com" where instead of just one partner every time, you were allowed to play along with lots of other people in a party atmosphere. However, as of September 30, 2006, the website no longer offers any game show-based online games of any kind.


title: Password (American game show)

text: Interactive online versions of "Password Plus" & "Super Password" were once available from Game Show Network where you would play along while watching the show.


title: Password (American game show)

text: As with several other Goodson-Todman/Goodson game shows, "Password" has been adapted into a slot machine by WMS Gaming. A simulated Allen Ludden emcees the proceedings, with the voices and caricatures of Rose Marie, Dawn Wells, Adam West, and Marty Allen. One bonus round offers the player free spins; the other involves choosing from four envelopes offered by the celebrities. Finding the "Password" envelope advances the player to a new level with four more envelopes, worth more prize money.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Kia Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ring of Honor (ROH), Shimmer Women Athletes, All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and with WWE under the ring name Kharma.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Stevens began her professional wrestling career in 2002 after appearing on a reality television show. For the first five years of her career, she primarily wrestled in Japan and held numerous championships there. In 2006, she began wrestling in her native United States again, wrestling on the independent circuit before appearing on national television with TNA, where she was a driving force in the foundation of their Knockouts division. During her time with TNA, she became a two-time TNA Knockouts Champion and one-time TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Hamada. She later signed with WWE, where she became the third woman to enter the men's Royal Rumble match in 2012, and she began making appearances for then-upstart AEW towards the end of the decade.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Stevens was ranked first in the inaugural list of "Pro Wrestling Illustrated"'s PWI Women's 100 in 2008. She retired from professional wrestling in 2021 and was subsequently inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame. As an actress, she is best known for playing Tammé "The Welfare Queen" Dawson in the wrestling-themed Netflix original comedy series "GLOW".


title: Awesome Kong

text: Kia Stevens was inspired to become a professional wrestler by Amy Dumas, known during her WWE career as Lita. In 2002, Stevens appeared on the "Discovery Health Body Challenge" as a contestant trying to lose weight in hopes of becoming a professional wrestler. Afterwards, Stevens trained at the School of Hard Knocks out of San Bernardino, California. Soon, she was able to have her first professional match in the Empire Wrestling Federation. Stevens also auditioned for "Tough Enough 2", a competition in which the winner earned a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) contract, but failed her audition after Jim Ross told her that she was "too fat." After being signed to WWE in 2010, Stevens defended Ross, stating that "If [Ross] hadn't shot from the hip all those years ago, I wouldn't have had the fire to succeed as much as I did."


title: Awesome Kong

text: After putting on an impressive showing at a tryout, Stevens was invited to further her training in the dojo of joshi puroresu (female Japanese wrestling) promotion All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW). While there she underwent a rigorous training schedule, became fluent in Japanese, and engaged in training for mixed martial arts but chose to pursue professional wrestling. She was given the ring name Amazing Kong by Masatsugu Matsunaga, who needed a replacement for Japanese female wrestler Aja Kong in several matches. Stevens, as Kong, worked for multiple women's promotions in Japan, and she defeated Ayako Hamada for the WWWA World Single Championship in late 2004. Later, Stevens cited Hamada as one of her favorite opponents.


title: Awesome Kong

text: In 2004 Kong debuted for the joshi promotion Gaea Japan in a match against Aja Kong. At the promotion's ninth anniversary event Aja Kong won the match but gained enough respect for Amazing Kong that the two attacked both competitors in the main event, revealing themselves as a new tag team named W Kong. The duo soon made their presence felt when they challenged Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka for the AAAW Tag Team Championship on May 5 and won. The team defended the championship successfully all Summer, eventually losing to Manami Toyota and Carlos Amano on September 20. Going into 2005, Kong main evented the final Gaea show before the promotion closed down. In the final match of "Fifth Anniversary", Kong teamed with Ayako Hamada and Mayumi Ozaki in a winning effort against Akino, Dynamite Kansai and Gami with Ayako picking up the victory.


title: Awesome Kong

text: After the closure of Gaea, W Kong went on to wrestle for a number of Japanese promotions including Hustle, where they were given the comedic gimmicks of Margaret and Erika which involved, among other things, wrestling in a yellow tutu. They won the predominantly male Hustle Super Tag Team Championship from June until October 2006. They were also the final team to hold WWWA World Tag Team Championship before AJW shut down. In early 2007, Kong also won the AWA Superstars of Wrestling World Women's Championship in Tokyo, Japan and held it from January to May. She lost it to Nanae Takahashi in a three-way match, which also included Wesna.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Her success in Japan attracted the attention of United States promotion Shimmer Women Athletes, who began regularly booking her for their DVD tapings


title: Awesome Kong

text: in Kong's homeland from May 2006. Her debut came on "Volume 5" with a win against Nikki Roxx. She defeated Roxx again on "Volume 14: Hot Summer Nights" in a rematch. The rematch was Kong's fifth successive win which led her to challenge for the Shimmer Championship in October 2007 against inaugural champion Sara Del Rey, for the "Volume 15" taping. Del Rey retained to give Kong her first Shimmer loss, albeit via count out.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Kong then began another winning streak, losing only to Ariel by disqualification after using a chair on "Volume 17" which set back her chances of being given another championship match. She was placed in a Four-Way Contendership match on "Volume 21"; during the match Mercedes Martinez used her Fisherman Buster finisher on Cheerleader Melissa but before she could be pinned, Kong dragged Martinez to the floor and the two battled it out while Ariel stole the win to receive a championship match. This incident led to a grudge match between Martinez and Kong on "Volume 23", which Kong won. On the following show, instead of a Shimmer Championship match, Kong was put in a contendership match for the Shimmer Tag Team Championship, forming a brief alliance of convenience with Del Rey, who herself was having issues with their opponents MelissChif (Cheerleader Melissa and Shimmer


title: Awesome Kong

text: Champion MsChif). After winning the match, they faced the reigning champions Ashley Lane and Nevaeh in the following match, and once again Kong was disqualified after using chairs on her opponents. An assault continued until Martinez and Serena Deeb, who was feuding with Del Rey, appeared to help out the Tag Team Champions. This occurrence led to another tag team match with Kong and Del Rey picking up a victory over Martinez and Deeb.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Wanting to focus on her singles career again, Kong wrestled LuFisto on "Volume 27" in a match to take on the Shimmer Champion. It ended in a double count-out, with the two brawling outside the ring through the building and even during the next match in the show. This meant the championship match on "Volume 28", in November 2009, would be a three-way elimination match including the champion MsChif. Kong eliminated LuFisto early on with an Amazing Bomb, essentially leading to a rematch of Kong and MsChif's critically respected "Volume 9" match. In this match, however, MsChif took a return win after kicking out of the Amazing Bomb and delivering all of her signature finishing moves on Kong to become the first woman to pin Kong in Shimmer. She appeared for one more appearance in September 2010 for the "Volume 35" event, answering an open challenge by Kellie Skater with an emphatic victory.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Owing to Shimmer being a promotional partner of Ring of Honor (ROH), Kong was noticed by ROH and scouted to appear on both products. On 15 September 2007 she made her debut for ROH at their Man Up pay-per-view (PPV). Teaming with Daizee Haze in a tag team match, they defeated Sara Del Rey and Lacey.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Kong returned to ROH on May 8, 2010, to take part in the promotion's annual "Supercard of Honor V". Once more she wrestled Del Rey, this time in a singles match which she lost after Del Rey used a weighted elbow pad thrown to her by Kings of Wrestling stablemate Chris Hero, sparking a rivalry between the two. Kong returned to settle the score with Del Rey two months later at "Hate: Chapter II" on July 23. The Kings of Wrestling were in the midst of a rivalry with The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark), and so Kong teamed with them in a six-person tag team match, where they defeated Del Rey, Hero and their stablemate Claudio Castagnoli, though Kong did not secure the pin. Consequently, they had a singles rematch the following night, with Kong finally defeating Del Rey one-on-one. At the end of the year, ROH held their live PPV Final Battle 2010, which saw Del Rey challenge Daizee Haze to bring more competition to ROH. Haze responded by bringing Kong back for the December 18 match against Del Rey and her partner Serena Deeb. In the match Del Rey pinned Haze, while Deeb successfully neutralized Kong with a spear.


title: Awesome Kong

text: After growing success in Shimmer, Kong began appearing on the American independent circuit bringing with her the AWA World Women's Championship from Japan. She put it on the line in a champion versus champion match against MsChif's NWA World Women's Championship on May 5, 2007, becoming a joint champion with her win. A rematch between the two in September, exclusively for the NWA belt after Kong lost the AWA title in May, headlined the NWA No Limits "3rd Anniversary Show" which saw Kong retain the title. Kong defended the belt in a number of promotions throughout the year but 11 months later, in April 2008, MsChif won back the title via countout under a special stipulation to retain Kong's stature. The following year, Kong once again challenged for the NWA World Championship at NWA Charlotte's Valentine's Day themed inaugural show, "Thorns & Roses", in the penultimate match of the evening. With Daffney in her corner, MsChif and saved herself from the Awesome Bomb by using her green mist, disqualifying herself to retain the belt in the process.


title: Awesome Kong

text: In June 2007, Kong toured Great Britain under the ChickFight promotion, wrestling guest matches under that banner for other promotions. The tour started on June 15 in Wales for Celtic Wrestling, where she picked up a victory over ChickFight stalwart Cheerleader Melissa. The following day Kong debuted for Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) and took part in a Four-Way RQW Women's Championship match, that saw Wesna win the belt from reigning champion Eden Black, with Jetta also coming up winless. The following day Kong competed in Chickfight IX, the ninth and final all-women knockout tournament under the ChickFight banner. She received a bye via forfeit, owing to a severe injury Cheerleader Melissa had given her opponent Sweet Saraya at RQW the night before, which allowed her to be fresh against Blue Nikita. After defeating Nikita in the semi-final, she faced dethroned RQW Champion Eden Black and won the trophy.


title: Awesome Kong

text: After achieving notoriety on national television, Kong received more bookings including for the all-female company Women Superstars Uncensored in March 2008. She appeared at their "First Anniversary Show" answering an open challenge made by Rick Cataldo and Roxxie Cotton, defeating them both in a handicap match within a minute. Later in the same event she teamed with Amy Lee and defeated Angel Orsini and Shimmer rival Mercedes Martinez. Despite picking up the victory, Kong felt that Lee stole the glory of a win from her and went to attack Lee; this led to an Amy Lee's Rules match in the main event of "Dawn of a New Day" which Kong won after Lee passed out, refusing to submit. The two had a rematch at "Army of One" which Kong lost by disqualification after hitting a referee leading to a deciding rubber match contested under Last Man Standing rules. At the "Second Anniversary Show", Kong narrowly beat Amy Lee after charging at Lee with a chair only for Lee to pass out to the ground and Kong to hit the ropes and knock the chair back into herself. Judging Lee to have been down one count before Kong, Kong won the match but bowed to Lee afterwards out of respect.


title: Awesome Kong

text: After winning this match, Kong was given a match against Martinez for the WSU Championship in December 2009 at a WSU and National Wrestling Superstars co-hosted event. Kong received another chance at the title at "Evolve 5: Danielson v Sawa" for the Evolve promotion but still could not bring an end to Martinez's two-year reign.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Stevens debuted on the October 11, 2007 episode of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)'s flagship show "Impact!" under her original name "Amazing Kong" which would be later tweaked to "Awesome Kong" as part of TNA's attempt to bolster their Knockout division. After defeating Gail Kim, Kong participated at the Bound for Glory PPV. There she took part in a 10-Knockout Gauntlet match to crown the first TNA Women's Knockout Champion but she was eliminated by the combined effort of Angelina Love, ODB and eventual winner Gail Kim. Two months later at Turning Point, she lost a Women's Knockout Championship match to Kim via disqualification after shoving the referee and Awesome Bombing him. This incident led to a No Disqualification match for the Women's Knockout Championship at Final Resolution in January 2008, which Kong also lost. On the next episode of "Impact!", airing 10 January, Kong debuted an anonymous manager wearing a niqāb, later named Raisha Saeed; with her help Kong finally won the Women's Knockout Championship. At Lockdown, Kong and Saeed teamed up for the first time, losing a Tag Team Cage match to Kim and ODB.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On the 8 May episode of "Impact!" Kong began a regular $25,000 challenge to females in the audience who wanted to challenge her for the Women's Knockout Championship. The audience members, played by planted wrestlers, failed to defeat her but one challenger, Taylor Wilde, kept returning and on 10 July she won both the $25,000 and Women's Knockout Championship on her third attempt. Kong then failed to regain the championship from Wilde during a rematch at "Victory Road". On October 23, during a live episode of "Impact!" Kong defeated Wilde to become a two-time Knockout Champion. Two weeks later Wilde's tag team partner Rhaka Khan turned on her and aligned herself with Kong and Saeed. The alliance of Kong, Saeed and Khan became known as The Kongtourage, with a fourth wrestler named Sojourner Bolt joining later. Wilde then found a new partner in Roxxi, who helped her defeat Kong and Saeed in a tag team match at "Turning Point". Going into 2009, Bolt became the contender for Kong's championship and left the Kongtourage with Khan. Kong retained her title against Bolt at "Destination X" in April.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On the March 26 episode of "Impact!", Kong and Saeed were defeated by villainous tag team The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky), and after the match The Beautiful People tried to cut Kong's hair as part of their makeover gimmick. They continued to target Kong's hair and eventually accomplished the task on the April 16 episode of "Impact!" which transitioned Kong into a fan favorite by attempting to retaliate. The tension built to a Three-Way Cage match at "Lockdown" for the Women's Knockout Championship with Kong defending against Angelina Love and continual rival Wilde. In the match, Kong lost the championship after Velvet Sky, on the


title: Awesome Kong

text: outside, tied Kong's hair to the cage preventing her from breaking up Love's pin on Wilde. After losing the title, Kong defeated Love's allies Sky, Madison Rayne and Cute Kip in separate Stretcher matches ahead of their rematch. Love, however, retained the title against Kong at "Sacrifice".


title: Awesome Kong

text: In August 2009 Kong and Saeed entered the tournament to crown the inaugural TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions. In the first round of the tournament, the team was able to defeat The Main Event Mafia (Traci Brooks and Sharmell) after Saeed blind tagged Kong and pinned Brooks, much to Kong's dismay. Three weeks later they were eliminated from the tournament by their long term rival Taylor Wilde and her partner Sarita when Wilde pinned Saeed. Subsequently, Kong began rivalries with Tara and Knockout Champion ODB. At "Bound for Glory", Kong had her last match for the Knockout Championship against Tara and ODB, but Saeed inadvertently cost Kong the match while interfering. On the following episode of "Impact!" Kong faced Saeed in a grudge match and powerbombed her through the entrance stage, signalling the end of both their partnership and the Saeed character. After interfering in two of Tara's matches, Kong and Tara wrestled at "Turning Point" in a Cage match, which Tara won.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On the December 17 episode of "Impact!" Kong formed a tag team with Hamada as they won a three-way non-title match against The Beautiful People (Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky) and the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Taylor Wilde and Sarita, when Kong pinned Rayne. On the first "Impact!" episode of 2010, Kong and Hamada defeated Sarita and Wilde to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.


title: Awesome Kong

text: In a non-storyline incident Bubba the Love Sponge claimed on his January 19 radio show that Stevens had attacked him while backstage for the tapings of "Impact!" the previous day due to his negative comments concerning the Haiti earthquake relief project. Kong, who had been a driving force in the wrestling community in raising funds for Haiti, was reportedly sent home from the tapings following the altercation. It was later reported that the same day as Bubba's radio show, Stevens asked for her release from TNA, but it was not granted. After she refused to take part in TNA's January 2010 tour of the United Kingdom, the company suspended her. The following month, Stevens filed a lawsuit against Bubba for an alleged threatening phone


title: Awesome Kong

text: call. She was reportedly released from TNA on March 1. On the March 8 episode of "Impact!" it was announced that Kong and Hamada were stripped of the Knockouts Tag Team title after allegedly failing to defend them in 30 days, even though their previous defense had taken place just 21 days prior, against Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky. On March 22, TNA confirmed Stevens' release, while also claiming that she had requested her release due to personal reasons, but she later said it was due to monetary issues and recent changes to TNA management.


title: Awesome Kong

text: In March 2013, Stevens turned down an offer to take part in a special all Knockouts pay-per-view held by TNA.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On December 29, 2010, it was reported that Stevens had signed a contract with WWE. From April 11, 2011, onwards, vignettes aired during WWE television with Stevens, whose face was concealed by shadows and her signature braids, dismembering female dolls while cackling maniacally. During the April 25 episode of "Raw", Stevens' face was shown for the first time in the vignettes, and her new ring name was revealed as Kharma. Kharma made her debut on May 1 at Extreme Rules, attacking Michelle McCool after a match, and she continued to attack former WWE Divas Champions on both "Raw" and "SmackDown" in the following weeks. On the May 23 episode of "Raw", Kharma interrupted a tag team match but rather than attack everyone, she uncharacteristically broke down crying.


title: Awesome Kong

text: The following week, Kharma spoke for the first time to reveal she was pregnant and thus forced to take a leave of absence from WWE. During her absence, she was included as a downloadable playable character in the "WWE '12" video game.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Kharma made a surprise return in the 2012 Royal Rumble match as the twenty-first entrant. She intimidated Michael Cole into eliminating himself before eliminating Hunico only to be thrown out by Dolph Ziggler. With her entrance, she became the third female, after Chyna and Beth Phoenix, to participate in a men's Royal Rumble match. This also marked her first and only official WWE match. In July 2012, Stevens confirmed that she had been released by WWE. On August 19, she was added to the list of the playable characters on the main roster in the "WWE '13" video game. In September 2013, Stevens revealed that she had been released because she was not ready to return in the time allotted to her. She also confirmed her interest in returning to the company, stating she was ready.


title: Awesome Kong

text: In early November, it was reported that Stevens (again under the "Amazing Kong" gimmick) would be appearing at a "Shine" event on November 16, 2012, as the mystery partner of Jazz in a tag team match against Mercedes Martinez and Rain. At the event, Kong and Jazz defeated Martinez and Rain after Kong pinned Rain. On January 18, 2013, Kong defeated D'Arcy Dixon, Nikki St. John and Thunderkitty in a four-way match to win the vacant Resistance Pro Wrestling Women's Championship. On March 8, Kong returned to "Chikara", losing to Eddie Kingston in an intergender main event. Stevens has also wrestled for PWS Bombshells (as Amazing Kong) in early to mid-2013, defeating Amy Lee in consecutive matches.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On April 6, 2013, Kong returned to Shimmer at the Volume 53 internet pay-per-view, defeating Mia Yim in the opening match. The Amazing Kong returned to "Shine" event on July 12, 2013, in a losing effort to Ivelisse in a four way to qualify for Shine Championship tournament among the participants were Angelina Love and Kimberly. Then at "Shine" 12 on August 23, 2013, she defeated Mercedes Martinez in a singles match. On September 27, 2013, Kong and Jessicka Havok were in a losing effort against Allysin Kay and Ivelisse. On October 25, 2013, she defeated Madison Eagles in a singles match and later in the night she was announced the next challenger for the Shine Championship. On December 13, 2013, she was defeated by Rain for the Shine Championship by count-out. On January 24, 2014, she defeated Taylor Made and on "Shine" 18 Kong defeated Nikki Storm and "Shine" 19 she defeated Athena. On August 22, 2014, Kong was part of a #1 contender four corner survival match to challenge Ivelisse for the Shine Championship the other participants in the match were Leah Von Dutch, Su Yung, and Nevaeh. Nevaeh would emerge victorious in the #1 contender match but was unsuccessful on capturing the Shine Championship. On September 21, 2014, Stevens was part of Smash CANUSA Classic where she was captain of Team USA, Stevens would lose in her tournament match against LuFisto who was team captain of team Canada which lead Team Canada victorious.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On August 26, 2015, Kong returned to Japan to work the first ever event of Nanae Takahashi's new Seadlinnng promotion, which saw her and Meiko Satomura lose to Takahashi and Ayako Hamada in a main event tag team match. At the end of the show, Kong reformed the W Kong tag team with Aja Kong. Stevens was supposed to return to take part in Seadlinnng's November 25 event, but on November 22 Takahashi announced that she had pulled out of the match due to "poor health" and claimed she had decided to retire from professional wrestling. Stevens later stated that she had wrestled her final match in Japan and retired the Amazing Kong name, but was for the time being still working as Awesome Kong.


title: Awesome Kong

text: Despite her previous announcement that she had wrestled her final match in Japan, Stevens, again working under the name Amazing Kong, returned to the country on July 18, 2016, to work Aja Kong's 30th anniversary event, promoted by Oz Academy. In the main event of the show, Kong teamed with Aja Kong and Ayako Hamada to defeat Chihiro Hashimoto, Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita.


title: Awesome Kong

text: On January 7, 2015, during "Impact Wrestling"'s debut on Destination America, Awesome Kong returned after a battle royal, had an altercation in the ring with Havok and attacked referee Brian Stiffler. Over the following weeks, tension would build between Kong and Havok, with their feud culminating in a steel cage match on the "Lockdown" edition of "Impact Wrestling" on February 6, which Kong won. On the March 6 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Kong failed to capture the TNA Knockouts Championship in her match against Taryn Terrell after she got herself disqualified. She received a no disqualification rematch against Terrell on the "TKO: Night of Knockouts" edition of "Impact Wrestling" on April 24, which she lost after The Dollhouse (Marti Bell and Jade) attacked Kong. On the May 1 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Kong turned face and allied herself with Gail Kim to feud with The Dollhouse. The following week, Kong and Kim were defeated by The Dollhouse in a 3–on–2 handicap match. On the June 17 episode of "Impact Wrestling", Kong teamed up with Brooke to defeat The Dollhouse in a "Double or Nothing" tag team match, meaning that Kong and Brooke would face Taryn Terrell for the TNA Knockouts Championship in a three-way match. At "Slammiversary XIII", Kong once again teamed with Brooke to defeat The Dollhouse in a 3-on-2 handicap match. Kong and Brooke received their three-way championship match on the July 1 episode of "Impact Wrestling", in which Terrell retained the title.