Secret Spot · Puzzle #29 · Wednesday, October 28
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 nut you can eat
Culinary nuts count, peanuts and coconuts included. A species counts as its nut: a black walnut or butternut is a walnut, a filbert is a hazelnut, a chinquapin is a chestnut, a pinyon is a pine nut.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 43 different answers. The usual answers are Walnut, Peanut and Cashew, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Brazil nut and Macadamia: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Maya nut, Bambara groundnut and Bunya nut are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the Maya nut grows on a tree in the same family as figs and mulberries.
Most common
- Walnut
- Peanut
- Cashew
Rarest
- Chilean hazelnut: The Chilean hazelnut isn't a real hazel at all: its tree belongs to the protea family. Source: Wikipedia, “Gevuina” (CC BY-SA)
- Baru nut: The baru nut grows wild on Brazil's Cerrado savanna and is catching on in North America as a snack. Source: Wikipedia, “Dipteryx alata” (CC BY-SA)
- Karuka: Karuka nuts are so loved in New Guinea that highland villagers move their whole households near the trees at harvest time. Source: Wikipedia, “Karuka” (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 TV sitcom
Each show counts once, by its title, with or without a leading "The". Versions that share a title count as one answer (the American and British Office); a spin-off with its own title is its own answer (Frasier, Young Sheldon).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 1,482 different answers. The obvious picks are The Big Bang Theory, Friends and How I Met Your Mother: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Arrested Development and Gilligan's Island look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Not Going Out, A Man on the Inside and Only Fools and Horses, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Not Going Out, on BBC One since 2006, is the second-longest-running British sitcom.
Most common
- The Big Bang Theory
- Friends
- How I Met Your Mother
Rarest
- North of North: North of North is Netflix’s first Canadian original series. Source: Wikipedia, “North of North” (CC BY-SA)
- Blackadder: Blackadder is four period sitcoms, with Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder in every episode. Source: Wikipedia, “Blackadder” (CC BY-SA)
- The IT Crowd: The IT Crowd is set in the offices of the fictional Reynholm Industries in London. Source: Wikipedia, “The IT Crowd” (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 a festival
Religious, cultural and seasonal festivals count, and named festival events too (Glastonbury, La Tomatina, Sundance). Each counts once by any name (Dussehra is Vijayadashami); all Mardi Gras celebrations count as Mardi Gras. Civic holidays such as Labor Day don't count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 884 different answers. The usual answers are Coachella, Diwali and Holi, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for La Tomatina and Sundance Film Festival: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Naki Sumo Crying Baby Festival, Boryeong Mud Festival and Sapporo Snow Festival are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: at Japan's Naki Sumo festival, the first baby to cry wins.
Most common
- Coachella
- Diwali
- Holi
Rarest
- Fête du Citron: Every float at Menton's Fête du Citron is made of lemons and oranges. Source: Wikipedia, “Fête du Citron” (CC BY-SA)
- Golden Eagle Festival: Mongolia's Golden Eagle Festival celebrates Kazakh eagle handlers and their golden eagles. Source: Wikipedia, “Golden Eagle Festival” (CC BY-SA)
- Monkey Buffet Festival: At Thailand's Monkey Buffet Festival, the local monkeys get a feast of fruits and vegetables. Source: Wikipedia, “Monkey Buffet Festival” (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 kind of cloud
Each named cloud counts once: the ten main types, and their species, varieties and special clouds each count on their own (a lenticular cloud is its own answer). Nicknames count as the cloud (an anvil cloud is cumulonimbus incus).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 82 different answers. The usual answers are Cumulus cloud, Cirrus cloud and Stratus cloud, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Cumulonimbus cloud: however original that pick seems, the sheet marks it a kook move, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Hector, Cirrocumulus floccus and Asperitas are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: Hector the Convector is a thundercloud that builds almost every afternoon over Australia's Tiwi Islands in the wet season.
Most common
- Cumulus cloud
- Cirrus cloud
- Stratus cloud
Rarest
- Moazagotl: The Moazagotl cloud is thought to be named after Gottlieb Matz, a shepherd known for describing it. Source: Wikipedia, “Moazagotl” (CC BY-SA)
- Taieri Pet: New Zealand's Taieri Pet is a cloud that can look like a huge stack of plates in the sky. Source: Wikipedia, “Taieri Pet” (CC BY-SA)
- Stratus silvagenitus: Stratus silvagenitus is a cloud born of a forest: its Latin name means 'created from forest'. Source: Wikipedia, “Stratus silvagenitus” (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 legendary or mythical place
Each place counts once, by any of its names (Hy-Brasil and Brasil are one; Emerald City is Oz). Places from myth and legend count, and so do classic fictional lands like Narnia, Neverland and Middle-earth.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 170 different answers. The usual answers are Atlantis, El Dorado and Camelot, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Avalon and Shangri-La: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Kitezh, Mountains of Kong and Erewhon are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: Kitezh is a legendary city said to lie beneath the waters of Lake Svetloyar in Russia.
Most common
- Atlantis
- El Dorado
- Camelot
Rarest
- Haunchyville: Haunchyville is a rumored village of dwarves in Wisconsin. Source: Wikipedia, “Haunchyville” (CC BY-SA)
- Cockaigne: Cockaigne was the medieval dream of a land of plenty, all luxury and ease. Source: Wikipedia, “Cockaigne” (CC BY-SA)
- Fusang: Fusang is a mythical tree, or land, said to lie far to the east of China. Source: Wikipedia, “Fusang” (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 a famous bridge
Any named bridge, viaduct or causeway, typed with or without "Bridge" (Golden Gate is the Golden Gate Bridge). Bridges that share a name count once (every London Bridge is London Bridge).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 2,572 different answers. The usual answers are Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and London Bridge, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Bridge of Sighs and Ponte Vecchio: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Kapellbrücke, Lions Gate Bridge and Mathematical Bridge are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Lucerne's Kapellbrücke is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe.
Most common
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge
- London Bridge
Rarest
- Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge: China's Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge was the world's longest and tallest glass-bottomed bridge when it opened. Source: Wikipedia, “Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge” (CC BY-SA)
- Pont Saint-Bénézet: Avignon's Pont Saint-Bénézet inspired the song "Sur le pont d'Avignon." Source: Wikipedia, “Pont Saint-Bénézet” (CC BY-SA)
- Tees Transporter Bridge: England's Tees Transporter Bridge is the longest transporter bridge still standing anywhere in the world. Source: Wikipedia, “Tees Transporter Bridge” (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 cat breed
Each breed counts once; a long- or short-haired cousin with its own name counts on its own (a Balinese is not a Siamese). Coat colors and patterns like tabby or calico are not breeds.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 87 different answers. The usual answers are Maine Coon, Ragdoll and Persian cat, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Sphynx cat and Munchkin cat: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Khao Manee, Lykoi and Nebelung are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the Khao Manee, a rare all-white cat from Thailand, is also known as the Diamond Eye cat.
Most common
- Maine Coon
- Ragdoll
- Persian cat
Rarest
- Korat: In Thailand the Korat is a good-luck cat, traditionally given in pairs to newlyweds. Source: Wikipedia, “Korat” (CC BY-SA)
- Ragamuffin cat: The Ragamuffin was once thought a kind of Ragdoll, until it became a breed of its own in 1994. Source: Wikipedia, “Ragamuffin cat” (CC BY-SA)
- American Wirehair: Well known as it is, the American Wirehair was ranked the rarest of the 41 Cat Fanciers' Association breeds in 2017. Source: Wikipedia, “American Wirehair” (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.