Secret Spot · Puzzle #6 · Monday, October 5
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 famous ship from history
Each ship counts once, with or without its prefix (HMS Victory is the Victory); a ship and its modern replica count as one.
Most common
- Titanic
- Mayflower
- Santa María
Rarest
- Duyfken: The Dutch ship Duyfken's name means Little Dove. Source: Wikipedia, “Duyfken” (CC BY-SA)
- Gjøa: Gjøa was the first ship to sail through the Northwest Passage, with Roald Amundsen and a crew of six. Source: Wikipedia, “Gjøa” (CC BY-SA)
- Tally Ho: The little yacht Tally Ho won the 1927 Fastnet Race. Source: Wikipedia, “Tally Ho (yacht)” (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 video game console
Each console counts once, by model: a PS2 and a PS5 are different, but a slimmer or later revision counts as its console (a DSi is a DS). Typing just PlayStation, Xbox or Atari means the first one.
Most common
- PlayStation 5
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation
Rarest
- Vectrex: The Vectrex is the only home console ever sold with a built-in vector display. Source: Wikipedia, “Vectrex” (CC BY-SA)
- Sega Pico: The Sega Pico was a learning console made for kids aged 3 to 7. Source: Wikipedia, “Sega Pico” (CC BY-SA)
- Fairchild Channel F: Channel F is short for Channel Fun, and it was the first console to use game cartridges. Source: Wikipedia, “Fairchild Channel F” (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 dog breed
Sizes and coat types count as their breed (a toy poodle is a poodle, a Pembroke corgi is a corgi). Crossbreeds like the Labradoodle count on their own.
Most common
- Chihuahua
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
Rarest
- Norwegian Lundehund: Lundehund is Norwegian for 'puffin dog'. Source: Wikipedia, “Norwegian Lundehund” (CC BY-SA)
- Puli dog: The Puli's tightly curled coat hangs in cords that look like dreadlocks. Source: Wikipedia, “Puli dog” (CC BY-SA)
- Komondor: With its long, corded white coat, the Komondor is sometimes called a 'mop dog'. Source: Wikipedia, “Komondor” (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 vegetable
Each vegetable counts once, by any of its names (eggplant is aubergine, zucchini is courgette). A variety sold under its own name counts on its own (jalapeño, butternut squash, romaine).
Most common
- Broccoli
- Carrot
- Corn
Rarest
- Kalette: Kalettes are a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts. Source: Wikipedia, “Kalette” (CC BY-SA)
- Celtuce: Celtuce is a lettuce grown mainly for its thick stem. Source: Wikipedia, “Celtuce” (CC BY-SA)
- Fiddlehead: Fiddleheads are curled-up young ferns: left on the plant, each would unroll into a new frond. Source: Wikipedia, “Fiddlehead” (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 an island
Any island. A one-island country counts as its island (Iceland, Jamaica), but a country of many islands doesn't (Japan, the Philippines): name one of its islands. Each Hawaiian island counts on its own. Islands that share a name count once.
Most common
- Cuba
- Greenland
- Hawaiʻi
Rarest
- Ball's Pyramid: Ball's Pyramid, 572 metres high, is the tallest volcanic stack in the world. Source: Wikipedia, “Ball's Pyramid” (CC BY-SA)
- Surtsey: Surtsey is a brand-new island: it rose out of the sea off Iceland in an eruption in 1963. Source: Wikipedia, “Surtsey” (CC BY-SA)
- Kahoʻolawe: Kahoʻolawe is the smallest of Hawaii's eight main islands, about seven miles off Maui. Source: Wikipedia, “Kahoʻolawe” (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.