Introducing today’s contestants:
- Dave, a field applications scientist, raced against the clock when his son was born;
- Emily, a consultant, did the NYT crossword puzzle in eight minutes; and
- Lori, a fiction and part-time science writer, has been to the Shaolin Temple twice. Lori is a one-day champ with winnings of $18,801.
Dave extended his advantage on DD3 and secured the runaway on the last clue of DJ, entering FJ at $25,800 vs. $11,600 for Lori and $8,200 for Emily.
DD1 – $800 – IT’S ALL ONIONS – When you chop them, onions make your eyes water because they contain compounds of this element also found in gunpowder (Emily lost $1,000 from her score of $5,400 vs. $4,600 for Dave.)
DD2 – $1,200 – RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES – Eid al-Fitr, Arabic for “Festival of Breaking Fast”, marks the end of this holy month (Lori won $2,000 from her total of $4,400 to move into second place behind Dave at $8,600.)
DD3 – $2,000 – THE “OVER”/”UNDER” – One of few words with the letter sequence “rwr”, it means to excited or agitated (Dave won $3,200 from his score of $10,200 vs. $6,400 for Lori.)
FJ – FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS – Representing its outspoken tone, this newspaper founded in the 19th century has the name of a free-spirited opera character
Only Dave was correct on FJ, adding $2,500 to win with $28,300. The newspaper that’s the subject of this clue has been referenced on the show a number of times, most recently in January of last year.
Wagering strategy: If Lori had wagered her entire $4,400 from third position on DD2 instead of $2,000, she likely would have had enough to keep the game alive into FJ, although it would not have changed the outcome.
Triple Stumper of the day: No one knew the atmospheric region where jets cruise is the stratosphere.
Correct Qs: DD1 – What is sulfur? DD2 – What is Ramadan? DD3 – What is overwrought? FJ – What is Le Figaro?