Secret Spot · Puzzle #31 · Friday, October 30
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 Japanese dish
Any dish, snack or sweet from Japanese cooking, by any of its names (gyudon is a beef bowl). A kind counts as its dish: tonkotsu ramen is ramen, nigiri and California rolls are sushi. Drinks, sauces and seasonings don't count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 177 different answers. The obvious picks are Sushi, Ramen and Miso soup: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Kibi dango, Anpan and Tsukemen, which the sheet rates Locals only or Secret spot, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: in the folktale of Momotarō, the Peach Boy, kibi dango are the treats he uses to recruit a dog, a monkey and a pheasant.
Most common
- Sushi
- Ramen
- Miso soup
Rarest
- Siberia: Despite its name, Siberia is a Japanese cake: sweet red bean yōkan sandwiched in castella sponge. Source: Wikipedia, “Siberia (cake)” (CC BY-SA)
- Kiritanpo: Akita's kiritanpo is mashed rice shaped around cedar skewers and toasted over an open hearth. Source: Wikipedia, “Kiritanpo” (CC BY-SA)
- Hōtō: Yamanashi's hōtō looks like udon, but locals say it isn't: its dough is made like dumplings, not noodles. Source: Wikipedia, “Hōtō” (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 Star Wars character
Each character counts once, by any name: Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader, Palpatine is Darth Sidious, Ben Solo is Kylo Ren, Grogu is Baby Yoda. Named droids and creatures count; species and armies (Ewoks, stormtroopers) don't.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 270 different answers. The usual answers are Darth Vader, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Jar Jar Binks and Admiral Ackbar: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: IG-11, Captain Phasma and Maz Kanata are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: once reprogrammed, the droid IG-11 became a nurse and protector of the Child.
Most common
- Darth Vader
- Han Solo
- Luke Skywalker
Rarest
- Admiral Piett: Admiral Piett is the only original-trilogy officer to appear in more than one film played by the same actor. Source: Wikipedia, “Admiral Piett” (CC BY-SA)
- Huyang: Huyang is an ancient droid who has guided generations of young Jedi in building their first lightsabers. Source: Wikipedia, “Huyang” (CC BY-SA)
- Kuiil: Kuiil, the Ugnaught from The Mandalorian, is wise, patient, hard-working and a whiz with machines. Source: Wikipedia, “Kuiil” (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 job
Each job counts once; a job and its trade are the same (a nurse is nursing, a carpenter is carpentry), and gendered titles count as one (waiter or waitress).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 375 different answers. The obvious picks are Doctor, Firefighter and Lawyer: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Astronaut and Chimney sweep look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Mudlark, Lamplighter and Knocker-up, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Mudlarks search river banks for treasures, and some now use metal detectors.
Most common
- Doctor
- Firefighter
- Lawyer
Rarest
- Wheelwright: Wheelwrights gave us the surname Wright, along with Cartwright and Wainwright. Source: Wikipedia, “Wheelwright” (CC BY-SA)
- Elevator operator: In British English, an elevator operator is a liftman or lift attendant. Source: Wikipedia, “Elevator operator” (CC BY-SA)
- Perfumer: A perfumer is sometimes nicknamed 'a nose' for their fine sense of smell. Source: Wikipedia, “Perfumer” (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 stadium
Each stadium counts once, by any of its names, old or new. Stadiums that share a name count as one (every Olympic Stadium).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 800 different answers. The obvious picks are Fenway Park, Lambeau Field and Wrigley Field: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Wembley Stadium and Camp Nou look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Shibe Park, Kai Tak Sports Park and Lord's, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Philadelphia's Shibe Park, opened in 1909, was baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium.
Most common
- Fenway Park
- Lambeau Field
- Wrigley Field
Rarest
- Estadio Centenario: Montevideo's Estadio Centenario was built in 1929-30 to host the very first FIFA World Cup. Source: Wikipedia, “Estadio Centenario” (CC BY-SA)
- Beijing National Stadium: Beijing's National Stadium is better known as the Bird's Nest. Source: Wikipedia, “Beijing National Stadium” (CC BY-SA)
- La Bombonera: Boca Juniors' La Bombonera means 'the chocolate box', for its likeness to one. Source: Wikipedia, “La Bombonera” (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 country in Europe
The countries of Europe, by any of their names (Holland is the Netherlands, Czechia is the Czech Republic). England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each count on their own; "UK" and "Britain" are the United Kingdom. Countries that straddle Europe and Asia count in both: Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, plus Cyprus. Kosovo counts.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 55 different answers. The obvious picks are England, France and Germany: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Monaco and Liechtenstein look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean.
Most common
- England
- France
- Germany
Rarest
- Armenia: In AD 301 Armenia became the first state in the world to make Christianity its official religion. Source: Wikipedia, “Armenia” (CC BY-SA)
- Azerbaijan: In 1918 Azerbaijan became the world's first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. Source: Wikipedia, “Azerbaijan” (CC BY-SA)
- Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan, which reaches into Eastern Europe, is the largest landlocked country in the world. Source: Wikipedia, “Kazakhstan” (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 whale, dolphin or porpoise
Each species counts once; close cousins sharing a name count as one (any right whale is a right whale, any minke is a minke). "Dolphin" alone is the bottlenose. Extinct whales count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 86 different answers. The obvious picks are Orca, Sperm whale and Blue whale: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Narwhal 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 Basilosaurus, Cuvier's beaked whale and Livyatan, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Basilosaurus means "king lizard": its fossils were first mistaken for a giant reptile.
Most common
- Orca
- Sperm whale
- Blue whale
Rarest
- Rice's whale: Rice's whale lives only in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Source: Wikipedia, “Rice's whale” (CC BY-SA)
- Ambulocetus: Ambulocetus means "walking whale": it lived both on land and in the water. Source: Wikipedia, “Ambulocetus” (CC BY-SA)
- Common dolphin: The common dolphin is the most abundant cetacean in the world, about six million strong. Source: Wikipedia, “Common dolphin” (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 an operating system
Each operating system counts once; its versions count as it (Windows XP is Windows, Mac OS X is macOS, Android 14 is Android). Linux distributions count on their own (Ubuntu, Fedora), as do phone and watch systems (iOS, watchOS).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 334 different answers. The usual answers are Microsoft Windows, Linux and Android, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Ubuntu: however original that pick seems, the sheet marks it a kook move, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Haiku, Classic Mac OS and NeXTSTEP are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Haiku is a community-built continuation of the 1990s BeOS.
Most common
- Microsoft Windows
- Linux
- Android
Rarest
- Tails: Tails stands for 'The Amnesic Incognito Live System': it forgets everything when you shut down. Source: Wikipedia, “Tails (operating system)” (CC BY-SA)
- OpenWrt: OpenWrt's name comes from 'open wireless router'. Source: Wikipedia, “OpenWrt” (CC BY-SA)
- BeOS: BeOS was first built for Be's own BeBox computer, released in 1995. Source: Wikipedia, “BeOS” (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.