Secret Spot · Puzzle #26 · Sunday, October 25
Secret Spot: the answers
Seven prompts, one answer each, and the fewer surfers who said yours, the more it scored. Here are the prompts with the answers we expected to be most common, and the rarest. Play today's Secret Spot, or play this day as practice (never counted).
1. Name a condiment
Each condiment counts once, by any of its names; brands count on their own (Grey Poupon, Tabasco). Sauces, relishes, pickles, dressings, salt and pepper all count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 410 different answers. The obvious picks are Ketchup, Mayonnaise and Mustard: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Sriracha looks like a clever pick, but the sheet marks it as a kook move, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Chamoy, Fleur de sel and Furikake, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Chamoy, made from pickled fruit, is salty, sweet, sour and spicy all at once.
Most common
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
Rarest
- Heinz 57: Heinz 57 is named after the company's old '57 Varieties' slogan. Source: Wikipedia, “Heinz 57” (CC BY-SA)
- Piccalilli: Piccalilli traveled to North America, where it inspired bright 'neon relish'. Source: Wikipedia, “Piccalilli” (CC BY-SA)
- Mala: Mala seasoning is famous for being both numbing and spicy, thanks to Sichuan peppercorns. Source: Wikipedia, “Mala (seasoning)” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
2. Name a musical instrument
A kind named after its instrument counts as it: an electric guitar is a guitar, an alto sax is a saxophone, a snare drum is a drum. One with its own name is its own answer (banjo, bongos, bass guitar).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 840 different answers. The obvious picks are Guitar, Drum and Flute: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Didgeridoo and Kazoo look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Musical saw, Octobass and Sea organ, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the musical saw is a hand saw played as an instrument, with an eerie tone a lot like a theremin's.
Most common
- Guitar
- Drum
- Flute
Rarest
- Boomwhacker: Boomwhackers are color-coded plastic tubes, each tuned to a note by its length. Source: Wikipedia, “Boomwhacker” (CC BY-SA)
- Stroh violin: The Stroh violin has a metal horn attached to its body to make it louder. Source: Wikipedia, “Stroh violin” (CC BY-SA)
- Hydraulophone: A hydraulophone is played by touching the water itself. Source: Wikipedia, “Hydraulophone” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
3. Name an Olympic gymnast or figure skater
Each athlete counts once, by full name, or by surname when only one athlete here has it. Pair and ice dance partners count apart (Torvill and Dean are two).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 244 different answers. The obvious picks are Simone Biles, Mary Lou Retton and Michelle Kwan: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Kerri Strug and Olga Korbut look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Debi Thomas, Kim Zmeskal and Tenley Albright, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Debi Thomas's 1988 Olympic duel with Katarina Witt was nicknamed the Battle of the Carmens.
Most common
- Simone Biles
- Mary Lou Retton
- Michelle Kwan
Rarest
- Robin Cousins: Robin Cousins can spin both clockwise and anticlockwise, a rare skill for a figure skater. Source: Wikipedia, “Robin Cousins” (CC BY-SA)
- Věra Čáslavská: Věra Čáslavská is the only gymnast, man or woman, to win Olympic gold in every individual event. Source: Wikipedia, “Věra Čáslavská” (CC BY-SA)
- Midori Ito: Midori Ito was the first woman ever to land a triple Axel in competition. Source: Wikipedia, “Midori Ito” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
4. Name a river
Any river, typed with or without "River" (the Hudson is the Hudson River). Rivers that share a name count once (every Red River is the Red River).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 895 different answers. The usual answers are Mississippi River, Amazon River and Nile, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Danube and Yangtze: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Willamette River, Atchafalaya River and Charles River are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the valley of Oregon's Willamette River is home to two-thirds of the state's people.
Most common
- Mississippi River
- Amazon River
- Nile
Rarest
- Caño Cristales: Colombia's Caño Cristales is called the River of Five Colors, or the Liquid Rainbow. Source: Wikipedia, “Caño Cristales” (CC BY-SA)
- Suwannee River: The Suwannee River is the Swanee of Stephen Foster's 1851 song "Swanee River". Source: Wikipedia, “Suwannee River” (CC BY-SA)
- Okavango River: The Okavango runs 1,600 km across southern Africa but never reaches the sea. Source: Wikipedia, “Okavango River” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
5. Name a magazine
Each magazine counts once, by its title (Time, People, Mad); a country or kids' edition counts as its magazine (British Vogue is Vogue). Any real magazine counts, in print or once in print; newspapers and academic journals don't.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 583 different answers. The usual answers are National Geographic, People and Sports Illustrated, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Mad and Highlights: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Ranger Rick, Tiger Beat and Cracked are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Ranger Rick, the children's nature magazine, is published by the National Wildlife Federation.
Most common
- National Geographic
- People
- Sports Illustrated
Rarest
- Scout Life: Scout Life, once called Boys' Life, is the monthly magazine of Scouting America. Source: Wikipedia, “Scout Life” (CC BY-SA)
- Ladies' Home Journal: In 1903, Ladies' Home Journal became the first American magazine to reach one million subscribers. Source: Wikipedia, “Ladies' Home Journal” (CC BY-SA)
- Popular Science: Popular Science's print magazine ran from 1872 to 2020 and was translated into over 30 languages. Source: Wikipedia, “Popular Science” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
6. Name an invention
Each invention counts once, by what it is: a light bulb is the incandescent light bulb, a cell phone is a mobile phone. Later versions of one thing count as it.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 688 different answers. The usual answers are Airplane, Incandescent light bulb and Internet, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Sliced bread and Velcro: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Bakelite, Faraday cage and Matryoshka doll are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Bakelite, invented in 1907, was the first plastic made from synthetic ingredients.
Most common
- Airplane
- Incandescent light bulb
- Internet
Rarest
- Aeolipile: The aeolipile, a spinning steam engine, was described by Hero of Alexandria about 2,000 years ago. Source: Wikipedia, “Aeolipile” (CC BY-SA)
- Wootz steel: Wootz steel was first made in southern India over 2,000 years ago. Source: Wikipedia, “Wootz steel” (CC BY-SA)
- Metronome: Metronome comes from the Greek words for measure and law. Source: Wikipedia, “Metronome” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.
7. Name a famous palace
Each palace counts once, by its name (Versailles is the Palace of Versailles). Royal and presidential homes count, like the White House or Windsor Castle, and so do buildings named palaces, like the Crystal Palace.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 1,786 different answers. The obvious picks are Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Palace of Versailles: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Neuschwanstein Castle and Alhambra look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like ʻIolani Palace, Grand Palace and Château de Chenonceau, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Honolulu's ʻIolani Palace is the only royal palace on US soil.
Most common
- Buckingham Palace
- Kensington Palace
- Palace of Versailles
Rarest
- Linderhof Palace: Linderhof is the smallest of King Ludwig II's three palaces, and the only one he finished and lived in. Source: Wikipedia, “Linderhof Palace” (CC BY-SA)
- Chowmahalla Palace: Chowmahalla means four palaces: chow is four and mahal is palace in Urdu, Hindi and Persian. Source: Wikipedia, “Chowmahalla Palace” (CC BY-SA)
- Palais des Papes: In the 1300s, Avignon's Palace of the Popes was the popes' home and a seat of Western Christianity. Source: Wikipedia, “Palais des Papes” (CC BY-SA)
Before the crowd came in: the answers we expected to be most and least common, from how well known each one is.