Secret Spot · Puzzle #33 · Sunday, November 1
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 street food
Each food counts once, by any of its names (a gyro, a döner and a shawarma are three answers; a döner kebab is a döner). Sizes, fillings and toppings count as the food.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 372 different answers. The obvious picks are Churro, Gyros and Hot dog: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Bánh mì and Corn on the cob look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Puff-puff, Farinata and Lángos, which the sheet rates Locals only or Secret spot, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: Puff-puff, balls of fried dough, are a traditional snack all across West Africa.
Most common
- Churro
- Gyros
- Hot dog
Rarest
- Chiko Roll: Australia's Chiko Roll was first sold in 1951 as the "Chicken Roll", though it contained no chicken. Source: Wikipedia, “Chiko Roll” (CC BY-SA)
- Turon: Turon, a Filipino snack, is sliced banana rolled in a spring roll wrapper, fried and coated in caramelized sugar. Source: Wikipedia, “Turon (food)” (CC BY-SA)
- Bibingka: Bibingka, a Filipino rice cake, is baked in a terracotta oven lined with banana leaves. Source: Wikipedia, “Bibingka” (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 craft (handicrafts)
Each handicraft counts once, by its usual name: felting and needle felting are one, and bead weaving or bead embroidery count as beadwork. Different crafts from one material (wood carving, whittling, woodturning) count on their own.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 97 different answers. The usual answers are Crochet, Knitting and Pottery, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Macramé and Decoupage: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Kirigami, Scoubidou and Shrinky Dinks are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Kirigami is origami's cousin: the paper is cut as well as folded, so the design pops off the page.
Most common
- Crochet
- Knitting
- Pottery
Rarest
- Millefiori: Millefiori glass gets its name from the Italian for 'a thousand flowers'. Source: Wikipedia, “Millefiori” (CC BY-SA)
- Nålebinding: Nålebinding, Scandinavian 'needle-binding', is a way of making fabric that is older than both knitting and crochet. Source: Wikipedia, “Nålebinding” (CC BY-SA)
- Smocking: Before elastic was invented, smocking let cuffs and necklines stretch. Source: Wikipedia, “Smocking” (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 Harry Potter character
Each character counts once, by any name: Tom Riddle and You-Know-Who are Voldemort, Wormtail and Scabbers are Peter Pettigrew. Characters from the books, the films, Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child count; Fred and George count as one.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 150 different answers. The obvious picks are Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Voldemort: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Neville Longbottom and Dobby look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Amos Diggory, Amycus Carrow and Andromeda Tonks, which the sheet rates Secret spot, worth up to 10.0.
Most common
- Albus Dumbledore
- Severus Snape
- Voldemort
Rarest
- Blaise Zabini: Blaise Zabini’s gender wasn’t revealed until Half-Blood Prince, so some fans and translators guessed wrong. Source: Wikipedia, “Blaise Zabini” (CC BY-SA)
- Alecto Carrow
- Alicia Spinnet
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 piece of sports equipment
Each piece of equipment counts once, by its name; a sport's ball counts as that ball (a basketball, a football).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 218 different answers. The usual answers are Baseball bat, Basketball and Football, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Shuttlecock and Hockey puck: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Alaia, Campus board and Alpenstock are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: an alaia is a thin, finless wooden surfboard ridden in Hawaii before the 20th century.
Most common
- Baseball bat
- Basketball
- Football
Rarest
- Clap skate: Speed skaters' clap skates have a blade hinged at the front instead of fixed to the boot. Source: Wikipedia, “Clap skate” (CC BY-SA)
- Olo board: Hawaii's Olo surfboard, ridden by chieftains, was up to 17 feet long: twice a modern longboard. Source: Wikipedia, “Olo board” (CC BY-SA)
- Baseball doughnut: A baseball doughnut is a weighted ring that slips over a bat for warm-up swings. Source: Wikipedia, “Baseball doughnut” (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 city or town in the United Kingdom
Each city or town counts once, however it's typed (Derry is Londonderry). London's boroughs and towns count as London (Croydon is London). Villages count too. Places that share a name count once. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands don't count.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 1,907 different answers. The usual answers are London, Birmingham and Liverpool, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Bath, Somerset and Stratford-upon-Avon: however original those picks seem, the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: Lerwick, St Andrews and Portmeirion are rated Locals only or Secret spot on the sheet, worth up to 10.0. One deep cut: Lerwick, in Shetland, is the northernmost major town in the United Kingdom.
Most common
- London
- Birmingham
- Liverpool
Rarest
- Tintagel: Tintagel and its clifftop castle in Cornwall are tied to the legends of King Arthur. Source: Wikipedia, “Tintagel” (CC BY-SA)
- Hay-on-Wye: With over twenty bookshops, Hay-on-Wye is known as the "town of books" and hosts the Hay Festival. Source: Wikipedia, “Hay-on-Wye” (CC BY-SA)
- Port Isaac: The Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac was the backdrop for the TV series Doc Martin. Source: Wikipedia, “Port Isaac” (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 rock band
Each band counts once, with or without "The" (Beatles, the Beatles). Solo artists and their backing bands count only under the band's own name. Family-friendly band names only.
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 569 different answers. The usual answers are AC/DC, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, the party waves, worth 1.0 each. Watch out for Rush: however original that pick seems, the sheet marks it a kook move, worth 1.5. The big scores sit further out: No Doubt, Three Dog Night and Smash Mouth are rated Locals only on the sheet, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: Gwen Stefani was a founding member of No Doubt, formed in Anaheim, California.
Most common
- AC/DC
- The Beatles
- Led Zeppelin
Rarest
- Devo: Devo, best known for 'Whip It', started out with two pairs of brothers in the band. Source: Wikipedia, “Devo” (CC BY-SA)
- Dogstar: Actor Keanu Reeves plays bass in the rock band Dogstar. Source: Wikipedia, “Dogstar (band)” (CC BY-SA)
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' best-known song is 'Maps'. Source: Wikipedia, “Yeah Yeah Yeahs” (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 phobia
Each phobia counts once, by its -phobia name or as a fear of something (fear of spiders is arachnophobia, nyctophobia is fear of the dark).
The answer sheet for this prompt accepts 111 different answers. The obvious picks are Acrophobia, Arachnophobia and Claustrophobia: party waves on the sheet, worth 1.0 each. Triskaidekaphobia and Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia look like clever picks, but the sheet marks them as kook moves, worth only 1.5. For a big score you need something like Balloon phobia, Heptadecaphobia and Gephyrophobia, which the sheet rates Locals only, worth up to 8.5. One deep cut: for most people with a fear of balloons, the scariest part is the pop.
Most common
- Acrophobia
- Arachnophobia
- Claustrophobia
Rarest
- Gelotophobia: Gelotophobia is the fear of being laughed at, and its stiff, puppet-like moves were nicknamed Pinocchio syndrome. Source: Wikipedia, “Gelotophobia” (CC BY-SA)
- Phobophobia: Phobophobia is the fear of fear itself. Source: Wikipedia, “Phobophobia” (CC BY-SA)
- Megalophobia: Megalophobia is a fear of huge things, so some people with it steer clear of skyscraper-filled cities. Source: Wikipedia, “Megalophobia” (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.