Secret Spot · Puzzle #7 · Tuesday, October 6
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 wild cat
Each species counts once, and its kinds count as it: a Bengal tiger is a tiger, a Florida panther is a cougar, any lynx but the bobcat is a lynx. Hybrids like the liger and extinct cats count.
Most common
- Tiger
- Lion
- Leopard
Rarest
- Miracinonyx: Miracinonyx, a prehistoric cat of North America, is nicknamed the American cheetah. Source: Wikipedia, “Miracinonyx” (CC BY-SA)
- Tigon: A tigon's father is a tiger and its mother a lion, so it can have both spots and stripes. Source: Wikipedia, “Tigon” (CC BY-SA)
- American lion: The prehistoric American lion was about 25% bigger than today's lion. Source: Wikipedia, “American lion” (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 painter
Each painter counts once, by full name or by surname alone when only one famous painter has it (Monet, van Gogh). Painters with an article only; artists famous mostly for other work don't count.
Most common
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Vincent van Gogh
- Claude Monet
Rarest
- Rachel Ruysch: Rachel Ruysch painted flowers in a style all her own and was famous across Europe in her lifetime. Source: Wikipedia, “Rachel Ruysch” (CC BY-SA)
- LeRoy Neiman: LeRoy Neiman was famous for brightly colored paintings of athletes, musicians and big sporting events. Source: Wikipedia, “LeRoy Neiman” (CC BY-SA)
- Maxfield Parrish: Maxfield Parrish's Daybreak (1922) has been called the most successful art print of the 20th century. Source: Wikipedia, “Maxfield Parrish” (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 US national park
The 63 national parks of the National Park Service. National monuments, forests and state parks don't count; Sequoia and Kings Canyon count separately.
Most common
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
Rarest
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Guadalupe Mountains holds Guadalupe Peak, at 8,751 feet the highest point in Texas. Source: Wikipedia, “Guadalupe Mountains National Park” (CC BY-SA)
- Kobuk Valley National Park: Kobuk Valley protects the 100-foot Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Source: Wikipedia, “Kobuk Valley National Park” (CC BY-SA)
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve: Lake Clark, southwest of Anchorage, holds two volcanoes: Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna. Source: Wikipedia, “Lake Clark National Park and Preserve” (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 breakfast food
Each breakfast food counts once, by any of its names. Each egg style counts on its own (scrambled, fried, poached); a brand of cereal counts as cereal.
Most common
- Bacon
- Breakfast cereal
- Eggs
Rarest
- Jianbing: Jianbing has been hailed as one of China's most popular street breakfasts. Source: Wikipedia, “Jianbing” (CC BY-SA)
- McMuffin: The Egg McMuffin was invented in 1972 to look like eggs Benedict. Source: Wikipedia, “McMuffin” (CC BY-SA)
- Bubble and squeak: Bubble and squeak is leftover potatoes and cabbage, mixed together and fried. Source: Wikipedia, “Bubble and squeak” (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 Marvel character
Each character counts once, by hero name or real name (Tony Stark is Iron Man, Peter Parker is Spider-Man); characters who share a name count once (every Captain Marvel). Film and comic versions are the same character.
Most common
- Spider-Man
- Captain America
- Hulk
Rarest
- Forbush Man: Forbush Man was the mascot of Marvel's own parody comic, Not Brand Echh. Source: Wikipedia, “Forbush Man” (CC BY-SA)
- Frog-Man: Frog-Man borrowed his costume from an older character called Leap-Frog. Source: Wikipedia, “Frog-Man” (CC BY-SA)
- Zabu: Zabu is the last known living saber-toothed cat, and Ka-Zar's loyal friend. Source: Wikipedia, “Zabu” (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.