Secret Spot · Puzzle #30 · Thursday, October 29
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 pasta shape
Each shape counts once, under any of its names: bow ties are farfalle, angel hair is capellini, rotini is fusilli. Sizes count as their shape (jumbo shells are shells).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 95 different answers. The usual answers are Spaghetti, Farfalle and Macaroni, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Orecchiette and Bucatini: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Corzetti, Filindeu and Calamarata are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: coin-like corzetti are named after a 14th-century coin from Genoa.
Most common
- Spaghetti
- Farfalle
- Macaroni
Rarest
- Foglie d'ulivo: Foglie d'ulivo is handmade pasta shaped like olive leaves. Source: Wikipedia, “Foglie d'ulivo” (CC BY-SA)
- Occhi di lupo: Occhi di lupo means "wolf eyes" in Italian. Source: Wikipedia, “Occhi di lupo” (CC BY-SA)
- Lorighittas: Lorighittas means "small rings" in Sardinian. Source: Wikipedia, “Lorighittas” (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 Sesame Street character
Muppets and human characters from the US Sesame Street count, by any name (Snuffy is Mr. Snuffleupagus, the Count is Count von Count). Bert and Ernie count as one. Characters only in other countries' versions don't count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 62 different answers. The usual answers are Elmo, Bert and Ernie and Cookie Monster, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Mr. Snuffleupagus and Count von Count: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Guy Smiley, Two-Headed Monster and Alan are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: Guy Smiley's show Here Is Your Life once profiled a loaf of bread, a tooth and a tree.
Most common
- Elmo
- Bert and Ernie
- Cookie Monster
Rarest
- The Number Painter: Only ten Number Painter films were made, one for each number from 2 to 11. Source: Wikipedia, “The Number Painter” (CC BY-SA)
- Roosevelt Franklin: Roosevelt Franklin was a Sesame Street Muppet in the early 1970s. Source: Wikipedia, “Roosevelt Franklin” (CC BY-SA)
- Gordon: Gordon Robinson teaches high school science, and his wife Susan is a nurse. Source: Wikipedia, “The Robinson family (Sesame Street)” (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 tool
Each kind of tool counts once; other names and brand names are the same (an Allen key is a hex key, a Vise-Grip is locking pliers, a box cutter is a utility knife). Named kinds count on their own: a claw hammer isn't just a hammer.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 272 different answers. The usual answers are Drill, Hammer and Saw, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Swiss Army knife: however original that pick seems, the sheet marks it a kook move, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Diagonal pliers, Fretsaw and Nutcracker are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Diagonal pliers are named for their cutting edges, set 'on a diagonal' to the joint.
Most common
- Drill
- Hammer
- Saw
Rarest
- Clamp: In the UK, a woodworker's clamp is often called a cramp. Source: Wikipedia, “Clamp (tool)” (CC BY-SA)
- Grindstone: Like sandpaper, every grindstone has its own grit. Source: Wikipedia, “Grindstone” (CC BY-SA)
- Set square: In American English, a set square is simply called a triangle. Source: Wikipedia, “Set square” (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 martial art
Each martial art or combat sport counts once; its styles and versions count as it (Greco-Roman is wrestling, full-contact karate is karate, kung fu is Chinese martial arts). Named schools of their own count on their own (Wing Chun, Shaolin kung fu).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 154 different answers. The obvious picks are Karate, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Chinese martial arts: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Capoeira 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 Hung Ga, Kajukenbo and Oil wrestling, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Hung Ga has postures that copy the classic Shaolin animals: the tiger, crane, leopard, snake and bear.
Most common
- Karate
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu
- Chinese martial arts
Rarest
- Ssireum: Ssireum, Korean wrestling, is a national sport of Korea that began in the fourth century. Source: Wikipedia, “Ssireum” (CC BY-SA)
- Kūdō: Kudo was created in Japan, but Russia now has more Kudo athletes than Japan does. Source: Wikipedia, “Kūdō” (CC BY-SA)
- Bartitsu: Sherlock Holmes's author Arthur Conan Doyle made Bartitsu famous, though he spelled it 'baritsu'. Source: Wikipedia, “Bartitsu” (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 crustacean (crabs, lobsters, shrimp...)
Each kind counts once, with or without "crab", "shrimp" or "lobster" (Dungeness is the Dungeness crab). Species join their kind: any crayfish is a crayfish, any krill a krill, any barnacle a barnacle, any king crab, hermit crab, mantis shrimp, spiny lobster or snow crab its kind, and any pill bug a woodlouse. Other species count on their own (blue crab, Dungeness crab), and so does a plain crab, lobster, shrimp or prawn. Horseshoe crabs aren't crustaceans.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 173 different answers. The usual answers are Crayfish, Crab and Lobster, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Barnacle and Krill: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Amano shrimp, Fairy shrimp and Sally Lightfoot crab are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the Amano shrimp, a favorite in home aquariums, is also called the algae shrimp.
Most common
- Crayfish
- Crab
- Lobster
Rarest
- Boxer crab: Boxer crabs hold tiny sea anemones in their claws like pom-poms, which is why they're also called pom-pom crabs. Source: Wikipedia, “Lybia” (CC BY-SA)
- Harlequin shrimp: The harlequin shrimp eats nothing but starfish. Source: Wikipedia, “Hymenocera” (CC BY-SA)
- Decorator crab: Decorator crabs stick plants and small animals onto their bodies as camouflage. Source: Wikipedia, “Decorator crab” (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 country in Asia
The countries of Asia, by any of their names (Burma is Myanmar, East Timor is Timor-Leste). Countries that straddle Europe and Asia count in both: Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, plus Cyprus. Taiwan and Palestine count; Hong Kong, Macau and Egypt don't.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 50 different answers. The obvious picks are India, China and Japan: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Bhutan and Mongolia look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: the Georgian language isn't related to any other language family in the world.
Most common
- India
- China
- Japan
Rarest
- Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste became the first new country of the 21st century on 20 May 2002. Source: Wikipedia, “Timor-Leste” (CC BY-SA)
- Bahrain: Bahrain's pearls were thought to be the best in the world until the 1800s. Source: Wikipedia, “Bahrain” (CC BY-SA)
- Brunei: Brunei is the only country that lies entirely on the island of Borneo. Source: Wikipedia, “Brunei” (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 golfer who's won a major
Each golfer counts once, by full name or by surname when only one major winner has it (Nicklaus, Sörenstam). Winners of a men's or women's major championship count, amateurs included.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 382 different answers. The obvious picks are Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. John Daly and Annika Sörenstam look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Harry Vardon, Bernhard Langer and Laura Davies, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Harry Vardon, from Jersey, won The Open a record six times.
Most common
- Tiger Woods
- Arnold Palmer
- Jack Nicklaus
Rarest
- Gene Sarazen: Gene Sarazen was the first golfer to win all four majors, the Career Grand Slam. Source: Wikipedia, “Gene Sarazen” (CC BY-SA)
- Young Tom Morris: Young Tom Morris won The Open at 17, still the youngest major champion ever. Source: Wikipedia, “Young Tom Morris” (CC BY-SA)
- Byron Nelson: In 1945 Byron Nelson won 11 tournaments in a row, and 18 in all. Source: Wikipedia, “Byron Nelson” (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.