S answers, day 1

4/6 today.  1 and 3 took no time, and I might even get extra points on 1 because I generally suck at geography, so my opponent will likely score me high.  Didn't get the "32" clue on 3, but just thought it was the kind of variety that would have been (ghost)written for him at various times.

2 was tricky, but I was pretty sure of it.

Took a while trying to get the phone acronym in 5, came up with some-three-letters-TALK, which apparently is what it is, which I find dumb.  But my guess was right.  I'll take it.

Fell into the "Great" trap with 4, I bet it will be MCWA.  No clue on 6, never heard of it, didn't answer SAFTA (which I'm even more sure will be MCWA) but had ASEAN knocking around in my head (that's SE Asian nations) and it influenced me to somehow make up "ANSA" which I decided was "asociacio'n de naciones sud americanas."  I like that even better than the right answer, except it's wrong.

Brian I LL76 Day 1

​Brian I is the genius who both talked himself out of Mosquito Coast and forgot to include his name on his opening day post. 

LL76 Day 1

It's good to be back.   4/6 to start, talked myself out of a 5th.     I feel like Thorsten has gone out of his way to make sure terms in the question are not in the answer, causing me much confusion today. 

1) Cicada.  First thought, "must be Mosquito Coast, I've heard of that movie." Second thought, "The word coast was mentioned in the question, there's no way it's in the answer. Think of another pest."  And to make things worse, I D2ed it. 

2) English horn. Knew it immediately (high school band geek), but similar to Mosquito Coast, almost talked myself out of it and into oboe.   Instead I said, this is def English horn, if he's putting a term from the answer in the question for this one, he certainly didn't do it twice today, so stick with Cicada. D2

3) Johnson. Sports gimme. D0

4) Terrible.  Figured to Terrible or Great.  D1

5) Suicide prevention. Couldn't make the numbers work, but figured it was either harassment- or abuse-related or suicide prevention.  Seemed the date was important, which made it too early for Weinstein, but might have been good for 13 Reasons Why.  D1

6) SAFTA.  Even though the words 'free trade' were in the question.  D3

Jesse Day 1

4/6 Good start, I think

1. What area, which sits along the eastern coast of Nicaragua and Honduras, is not named after an annoying pest (though they are abundant in the region), but rather for the indigenous people who have inhabited the area for centuries?
Correct Answer: MOSQUITO COAST
Your Answer: Mosquito Coast
Points Assigned: 0

I've been to Nicaragua and Honduras, but steered clear of the Mosquito Coast. I think the movie title will make this easy, as that is probably why it was cemented in my head. 

2. While the term is used loosely to refer to just about any brass instrument (cornet, trumpet, trombone, etc.), the word horn is also used in the name of what common modern woodwind instrument, whose plaintive and mournful sound is featured prominently in Wagner's Tristan and Isolde and Sibelius's The Swan of Tuonela?
Correct Answer: COR ANGLAIS/ENGLISH HORN
Your Answer: Clarinet
Points Assigned: 2

I had no idea.

3. My Life, 32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business, and What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS are all books authored by what athlete?
Correct Answer: EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON
Your Answer: Magic Johnson
Points Assigned: 1

Seems pretty easy.

4. The Russian nickname grozny (as in the Chechen capital) translates literally to "awe-inspiring" or "formidable," but when applied in its best known historical reference, it is more commonly rendered in English as what?
Correct Answer: TERRIBLE
Your Answer: Fortress
Points Assigned: 2

I thought fortress was a good guess. So I guess Ivan the Terrible was Grozny Ivan?

5. 1-800-273-8255, a hit single by Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid released in April 2017, is also the phone number for a hotline created for what purpose?
Correct Answer: SUICIDE PREVENTION
Your Answer: Suicide prevention
Points Assigned: 3

This was a complete guess, but seemed like a strong possibility. Probably gave it too many points. 

6. 1991's Treaty of Asunción created a free trade bloc whose full members today are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and that goes by what name?
Correct Answer: MERCOSUR
Your Answer: Mercosur
Points Assigned: 1

I know this from years of reading of the Economist. My opponent is strong in Biz and current events so I scored it low. 

M Mann - Day 1

2/6 today.

1. What else could it be?
Correct Answer: MOSQUITO COAST
Your Answer: Mosquito Coast
Points Assigned: 1

2. Wrong nationality.
Correct Answer: COR ANGLAIS/ENGLISH HORN
Your Answer: French horn
Points Assigned: 3

3. Sports gimme. My favorite.
Correct Answer: EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON
Your Answer: Magic Johnson
Points Assigned: 0

4. I was in the right ballpark.
Correct Answer: TERRIBLE
Your Answer: swamp
Points Assigned: 1

5. I assumed this was the inevitable #Metoo question.
Correct Answer: SUICIDE PREVENTION
Your Answer: reporting sexual abusr
Points Assigned: 2

6. Of course. Wait, what?
Correct Answer: MERCOSUR
Your Answer: SAFTA
Points Assigned: 2

Ben day 1

Played a lot of LL user-submitted quizzes in the offseason. Nothing compares to the real thing though. I think 14 e rundlers are in our branch, though I only know half of them! My quest to return to my ancestral d rundle begins today!

3/6 on opening day. Opponent is great at classical music so unlucky that we hit 1 of those questions today.

1 :) mosquito coast. This feels eminently guessable. D1

2 :( French horn. I thought it was brass but couldn't think of another horn other than alpine. D0

3 :) magic. If I'm getting a US sport question, then I assume my opponent is too. 32 and aids. D1

4 :( Cosmonaut. I didn't think of Ivan. Went through about a dozen possibilities, all associated with soviet era Russia or later. D3

5 :) suicide prevention. I initially assumed I was looking for domestic abuse, but when I converted the numbers to letters I saw the last 4 spelled 'talk' so worked it out. Couldn't make sense of the 273 though. D2

6 :( I guessed Safta. Never heard of it. Surprised seif hadn't too.d2

David S Day 1

Welcome back to all! Disappointing 2/6 to lead it off today. 

1. Mosquito Coast :), D1. I knew the name but not the history, so I learned something here. 

2. Clarinet :(, D0. I thought this was easier than it was and wasted my D0.

3. Lance Armstrong :(, D2. I can't believe I didn't pick up the clue here. 

4. City of Light :(, D3. Took a shot...

5. Suicide Prevention :), D1. Seemed likely, but was a total guess. 

6. South American Free Trade Agreement :(, D2. This is the sort of thing I should know, but I couldn't think of it.