Esquire's Hardest Quiz Ever

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow. Just started reading this thread a few minutes ago. Missed out on some fun. I'm impressed but not surprised at how quickly FOFC solved most of these.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

I'm with DD. All you have to do is find one point in an odd shaped country where "every point on the circle itself is outside that country." The point doesn't have to be in the center of the country, does it?

Some point in that circle will cross over the country, even if it's only connected by the tiniest sliver of land.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Then I fail to understand why you're still bringing up "odd shaped" countries that are far larger than the entire circle mentioned. Unless it's a country that happens to have a separated part (like south Argentine above) how could a country like Italy or anything else anywhere near its size possibly fit this description?

I would draw you a picture, but I don't have the computer skills to do it.
if, say, Italy's boot was at a different angle, it would be possible that you could find a point at the tip and travel 300km in a straight line in any direction and end up in the ocean.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

I'm with DD. All you have to do is find one point in an odd shaped country where "every point on the circle itself is outside that country." The point doesn't have to be in the center of the country, does it?

No. Look at the Argentina example. If that point in the extreme corner was not an island, that would probably make it.

I looked at Turkey (the piece is too small) and consider Denmark, I don't know.

Nicaragua is the smallest we need to go, I agree.

[TRO]

Uruguay also is very close. I can only find a spot 590km wide. Certainly not dead on balls accurate of course.

[dacman]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I would draw you a picture, but I don't have the computer skills to do it.
if, say, Italy's boot was at a different angle, it would be possible that you could find a point at the tip and travel 300km in a straight line in any direction and end up in the ocean.

Only if you're on an island

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

No. Look at the Argentina example. If that point in the extreme corner was not an island, that would probably make it.

I looked at Turkey (the piece is too small) and consider Denmark, I don't know.

Nicaragua is the smallest we need to go, I agree.

I tried to make a country like Greece work since a lot of its area is in islands, but the mainland portion is too big to work.

I don't think just an odd shap is going to do it since even if you leave the country on your 300km journey, you always seem to cross back into the country. The discussion of drawing a circle with no part of the circle touching the country is a good one.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I would draw you a picture, but I don't have the computer skills to do it.
if, say, Italy's boot was at a different angle, it would be possible that you could find a point at the tip and travel 300km in a straight line in any direction and end up in the ocean.

No amount of narrow twisting, turning, or narrowness would matter. If the segment of the country that we're in is connected to the mainland, the circle will intersect it somewheere.

[Buccaneer]

I can't leave the "isolated" land. Does any of the large countries (Russia, Canada, etc.) claim a non-island piece somewhere that is distant from the mainland?

[TRO]

21 is Russia.

Look at Kaliningrad off to the left.

[BrianD]

Is Taiwan independent, or is it considered part of China?

[TRO]

Finally took a look at a color coded map and it just popped. What a waste of time that one was

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

No amount of narrow twisting, turning, or narrowness would matter. If the segment of the country that we're in is connected to the mainland, the circle will intersect it somewheere.

ok, I am seeing this now. took me a while to
I still think this is going to be something less straightforward. if you guys aren't going to let me create my own geometry rules, I'm going to go for the disconnected thing.

are we sure that the Argentina thing is an island?

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by TRO

21 is Russia.

Look at Kaliningrad off to the left.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/c...or/rularge.gif

That's what I was talking about! Good eye.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by TRO

21 is Russia.

Look at Kaliningrad off to the left.

Looks good to me.

[dacman]

Well, if Kalaningrad, works, case closed.

[Draft Dodger]

nice!

[TazFTW]

Copied the answers from Mckerney's post on page 3 and bolded what answers we have gotten since then (I think I got all of them).

1. Anne Rice
2. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch
3. mind your business
4. Hop on Pop
5. 60. Euler's Formula says that with a simply connected polyhedron, the sum of the vertices and the faces is always the number of edges plus two (F - E + V = 2).
6. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
7. Monty Python
8. Skim Milk
9. Jackie Robinson
10 b (Canada). Each country on the list has a red and white flag.
11. Gilligan's Island (The Minnow was named after Newton Minnow)
12. Jerry Garcia
13. Bill Robinson
14. Raft
16. Vance DeGeneres
17. William Ewart Gladstone
18. Sharp
20. 25
21. Russia
22. Theremin
23. Heddy Lamar
24. gladiolus
25. NE Flanders St
26. Romeo
28. The Ohio Express
29. Cincinnati Reds (changed name to Redlegs for 5-6 years in the 50's)
30. The Ace. The cards are in alphabetical order, but the ace needs to be moved to the front.
32. Harp
33. Wally Cox
34. Sissy Spacek
35. Sonic Hedgehog
36. Peter Weir
38. Ogden Nash
39. Vatican City
41. Pennsylvania
42. Joe Frazier sang the National Anthem that night.
43. d) shout
44. a) Pierce
48. d) song
49. C. Jolt
50. ABC FGHI KL P

[TredWel]

My wife was shocked that nobody got 40 yet. It's Nestle.

[TredWel]

47 is b. Only one vowel used in both name and movie title. Again, my wife takes credit.

[dacman]

15, 19, 27, 31, 37, 45, 46 left.

[wade moore]

2) Kid Rock - G) Dick York
4) Paul O'Neill - B) Lou Piniella
6) Noah Wyle - C) John Elway
7) Scott Weiland - A) Clint Eastwood

Maybe we need to start Identifying the other folks, then figure out how they scramble?

So we need to fill-in:
1.
3.
5.
D.
E.
F.

[Butter]

15 3. looks like Hilary Swank to me.

[TRO]

15.5 has been established as Blythe Danner

I also considered Swank for 15.3 but I'm not sure.

[dacman]

#45) Memory:Italy::family:Canada?

All four words have 3 syllables, none of the other options do. I'm not sold on that one.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by dacman

#45) Memory:Italy::family:Canada?

All four words have 3 syllables, none of the other options do. I'm not sold on that one.

I'm not sold either.

[Butter]

I believe 15. F is Brenda Blethyn, which would go with Blythe Danner.

[Joe Canadian]

15.3 is Jules Asner from E!... c'mon guys get with it.

[Joe Canadian]

15.1 is Ehud Barak...

[Joe Canadian]

15.E is Erykah Badu which goes with Ehud Barak...

[Butter]

That would make 15. E Erykah Badu.

[rkmsuf]

so it's not really the hardest quiz ever then

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

so it's not really the hardest quiz ever then

I agree. I had thought it would be enigma or deep research type puzzles. But consider the source. If it was Scientific American or Games or something similar that did it, I think we would have something better than what many of you can come up here at FOFC.

[Maple Leafs]

24. gladiolus

Was this one ever explained?

[dacman]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Was this one ever explained?

Yes -- winning words of the National Spelling Bee.

[digamma]

Are we still missing the e from 31?

I'm pretty sure it's from American Idol.

My wife also thought 15.3 was Jules Asner, but wasn't positive.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I agree. I had thought it would be enigma or deep research type puzzles. But consider the source. If it was Scientific American or Games or something similar that did it, I think we would have something better than what many of you can come up here at FOFC.

Games magazine frequently runs contest puzzles that are staggeringly tough. Usually not of the "right answer" variety, but rather ones that allow you to complete some tasks, and achieve a score for your efforts. (Lots of word games, which I generally dislike) If there is this much interest in this, I'd be game for postong one of those here, and we'll see if we can make a decent go of it. Often they don't seem to lend themselves all that well to group efforts, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

Howeveer, I'd also step up to defend some of the puzzles that have been created here, both in the enigma framework and otherwise. While not every one is a rare gem (which holds true for any source, of course), I think we have had some very clever and solid puzzles created from scratch from among our membership.

[gstelmack]

Boy, and I thought I was actually going to participate in this. Between leaving work last night and arriving at work this morning, most of it has been solved.

Good work everyone. If there is something specific you'd like a fresh view on, let me know.

[Maple Leafs]

45 = Peru

Captial city can be found, reversed, in the first word.

[Joe Canadian]

Originally Posted by digamma

Are we still missing the e from 31?

I'm pretty sure it's from American Idol.

No, it's from Unsolved Mysteries...

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

If there is this much interest in this, I'd be game for postong one of those here, and we'll see if we can make a decent go of it. Often they don't seem to lend themselves all that well to group efforts, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

as long as there's no geography questions, I guess we'll be ok.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Joe Canadian

No, it's from Unsolved Mysteries...

Unless they've changed the font on Unsolved Mysteries, the e looks a bit too "thin" to fit that logo.

[Joe Canadian]

If we're planning on submitting this we may as well get the questions right...

#16 isn't Vance Degeneres... the question asks, what celebrity's brother played Mr. Hands... so that would mean Ellen is the answer.

[Joe Canadian]

Originally Posted by digamma

Unless they've changed the font on Unsolved Mysteries, the e looks a bit to "thin" to fit that logo.

Yeah after further inspection the Idol logo seems to fit more with the "e"...

[jackyl]

Originally Posted by Joe Canadian

If we're planning on submitting this we may as well get the questions right...

#16 isn't Vance Degeneres... the question asks, what celebrity's brother played Mr. Hands... so that would mean Ellen is the answer.

And #23 is spelled "Hedy Lamarr".

[Joe Canadian]

And shouldn't #35 be Sonic the Hedgehog? That was the character's name in the video game wasn't it?

[gottimd]

Originally Posted by digamma

Unless they've changed the font on Unsolved Mysteries, the e looks a bit too "thin" to fit that logo.

[jackyl]

I think I'd go with the American Idol "e" judging from the outline of the letter as well as the thickness.

[Maple Leafs]

37. Miscue = 55

(Each word is an anagram of an element, with the number representing the atomic number. Miscue is Cesium, although it's apparently only spelled that way in the US.)

[jackyl]

The "T" from #31 is from "That 70's Show".