Secret Spot · Puzzle #5 · Sunday, October 4
Secret Spot: the answers
Five 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.
1. Name a dessert
Each dessert counts once, by any of its names (flan is crème caramel, Jell-O is gelatin dessert). A named kind counts on its own: pie, apple pie and pecan pie are three answers. Candy doesn't count.
Most common
- Cake
- Chocolate brownie
- Cookie
Rarest
- Baumkuchen: Baumkuchen means 'tree cake': its slices show rings like a tree's. Source: Wikipedia, “Baumkuchen” (CC BY-SA)
- Croquembouche: A croquembouche is a cone of cream puffs held together with threads of caramel. Source: Wikipedia, “Croquembouche” (CC BY-SA)
- Eton mess: At Harrow School, Eton's old rival, the same dessert is called Harrow mess. Source: Wikipedia, “Eton mess” (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 bird
Species count as their bird: a bald eagle is an eagle, a mallard is a duck, and pigeons and doves are one bird.
Most common
- Eagle
- Owl
- Penguin
Rarest
- Hamerkop: Hamerkop is Afrikaans for "hammerhead", after the shape of the bird's head and crest. Source: Wikipedia, “Hamerkop” (CC BY-SA)
- Oilbird: Oilbirds find their way around dark caves by echolocation, clicking like bats do. Source: Wikipedia, “Oilbird” (CC BY-SA)
- Lyrebird: Lyrebirds are star mimics, copying all sorts of natural and human-made sounds around them. Source: Wikipedia, “Lyrebird” (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 animated movie
Each feature film counts once, by its title, with or without a leading "The". Sequels are their own answers (Toy Story 2); films that share a title count as one answer. Short films and TV series don't count.
Most common
- Finding Nemo
- Frozen
- The Lion King
Rarest
- The Thief and the Cobbler: The Thief and the Cobbler was in and out of production for almost three decades. Source: Wikipedia, “The Thief and the Cobbler” (CC BY-SA)
- Porco Rosso: Porco Rosso’s Japanese title literally means Crimson Pig. Source: Wikipedia, “Porco Rosso” (CC BY-SA)
- The Secret of NIMH: The Secret of NIMH was Don Bluth’s first film as a director. Source: Wikipedia, “The Secret of NIMH” (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 hobby
Each hobby counts once; other names are the same (bird watching is birding), and kinds of one hobby count as it (fly fishing is fishing, crewel work is embroidery).
Most common
- Cooking
- Fishing
- Gardening
Rarest
- Deltiology: Deltiology is the study and collection of postcards. Source: Wikipedia, “Deltiology” (CC BY-SA)
- Tyrosemiophilia: Tyrosemiophilia is collecting cheese labels; the biggest collection had over 250,000 designs. Source: Wikipedia, “Tyrosemiophilia” (CC BY-SA)
- Phillumeny: Phillumeny is the hobby of collecting matchboxes and other match items. Source: Wikipedia, “Phillumeny” (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 famous landmark
Any famous building, monument, statue, bridge, ancient site or natural wonder, by any of its names (Big Ben is the Elizabeth Tower). Landmarks that share a name count once. Whole cities and countries don't count.
Most common
- Eiffel Tower
- Great Wall of China
- Statue of Liberty
Rarest
- Carhenge: Nebraska's Carhenge is a copy of Stonehenge built from vintage American cars. Source: Wikipedia, “Carhenge” (CC BY-SA)
- Corn Palace: South Dakota's Corn Palace is covered in murals made of corn and grain, with a new design every year. Source: Wikipedia, “Corn Palace” (CC BY-SA)
- Cadillac Ranch: Texas's Cadillac Ranch is a row of ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. Source: Wikipedia, “Cadillac Ranch” (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.