# Common denominators **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486 "2008-12-17T00:33:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/161 "2008-12-25T23:39:23Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > seals > rhinos > cattle Adult males are all called bulls. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/162 "2008-12-25T23:41:23Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Adult males are all called bulls. Yes! Though it’s funny that I was thinking of all the adult females being called cows. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/163 "2008-12-25T23:49:05Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Yes! Though it’s funny that I was thinking of all the adult females being called cows. 😃 Heh. Figured that was also the case, though I couldn’t remember for sure (I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard anyone refer to a seal or rhinoceros cow), and since I knew baby seals are pups, not calves, I figured it was best not to assume. \>\_\> ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/164 "2008-12-26T14:10:29Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I’m still brooding about this one. Should we infer that there’s some trick involved in your only giving surnames? (Though I guess Lewis could be a first name as well.) (Carl) Lewis and (Jesse) Owens are both Olympic runners … should I be looking for a Barker who was as well? > [@jsgoddess](#): > > Yes! Yes on the surnames – may I infer my “Olympic runner” feint was no good? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/165 "2008-12-26T15:41:40Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yes on the surnames – may I infer my “Olympic runner” feint was no good? Right. Nothing to do with the Olympics or athletics at all. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/166 "2008-12-26T16:20:20Z")
Okay – it turns out the “C” in “C.S. Lewis” is for Clive – so is it that they are all famous men with the same first name, Clive? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/167 "2008-12-27T01:47:19Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Okay – it turns out the “C” in “C.S. Lewis” is for Clive – so is it that they are all famous men with the same first name, Clive? Yes! It’s funny in this game. The ones I think are easy when I think of them aren’t the ones that end up being the easiest. I think this reveals how idiosyncratic all of our brains are. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/168 "2008-12-27T02:20:20Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > It’s funny in this game. The ones I think are easy when I think of them aren’t the ones that end up being the easiest. I think this reveals how idiosyncratic all of our brains are. Very true. And sometimes it’s just a matter of knowing something about at least one, preferably two of the entries, so you can be looking for a specific fact on the third. We still have a bunch left, most of them from that cluster that **astorian** dropped: > [@astorian](#): > > 1. Actor Matt Damon > 2. Software mogul Bill Gates > 3. Poet Robert Frost > [@astorian](#): > > 1. Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg > 2. Western gunfighter Doc Holliday > 3. Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe on “Petticoat Junction.” > [@astorian](#): > > 1. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin > 2. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli > 3. Chemist Louis Pasteur > [@astorian](#): > > 1. Movie director Steven Spielberg > 2. President Gerald Ford > 3. Sex researcher Alfred Kinsey > [@astorian](#): > > 1. [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) founder Jeff Bezos > 2. England’s Queen Elizabeth II > 3. New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani > [@astorian](#): > > 1. Comedian Ernie Kovacs > 2. Oscar-winning actor Jose Ferrer > 3. Home run hitter/Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Victory > Constitution > Mikasa > [@jsgoddess](#): > > And, inspired by astorian’s three above: > > Ernie Kovacs > Jose Ferrer > AA Milne ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/169 "2008-12-27T02:24:45Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 1. Actor Matt Damon > 2. Software mogul Bill Gates > 3. Poet Robert Frost Harvard dropouts. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/170 "2008-12-28T05:17:49Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Harvard dropouts. Yes! Bill Gates, Matt Damon and Robert Frost were all Harvard dropouts. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/171 "2008-12-28T05:34:49Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Victory > Constitution > Mikasa They were all battleships, and all served as flagships. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/172 "2008-12-28T05:37:07Z")
To make things a BIT easier, I’ll expand my lists. 1. Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg 2. Western gunfighter Doc Holliday 3. Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe on “Petticoat Junction.” 4. Yankees manager Casey Stengel 5. Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon 6. Western novelist Zane Grey 7. Jarvik’s artificial heart recipient, Barney Clark 8. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin 9. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli 10. Chemist Louis Pasteur 11. Novelist Truman Capote 12. Boxer Jake LaMotta 13. Saint Thomas More 14. Songwriter George M. Cohan 15. [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) founder Jeff Bezos 16. England’s Queen Elizabeth II 17. New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani 18. King Edward the 8th’s lover/wife, Wallis Simpson 19. U2 singer Bono 20. Aviator Charles Lindbergh 21. Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner 22. Comedian Ernie Kovacs 23. Oscar-winning actor Jose Ferrer 24. Home run hitter/Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt 25. Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro 26. “L.A. Law” co-star Jimmy Smits 27. “Streetcar Named Desire” villain Stanley Kowalski 28. National League Rookie of the Year Jim Lefebvre ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/173 "2008-12-28T08:09:18Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > All named for noblemen. > > Julius Caesar > Fyodor Dostoyevsky > Hugo Weaving Eh? Don’t think so. Salisbury steak was named after American physician James Salisbury. ETA: Whoa. I totally didn’t realize this was a 4-page thread. I’m sure someone’s already corrected that. I feel sheepish. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/174 "2008-12-28T09:04:06Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > 1. Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg > 2. Western gunfighter Doc Holliday > 3. Edgar Buchanan, who played Uncle Joe on "Petticoat Junction. > 4. Yankees manager Casey Stengel > 5. Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon > 6. Western novelist Zane Grey > 7. Jarvik’s artificial heart recipient, Barney Clark Famous dentists! 1. Western gunfighter Doc Holliday 2. Pulp author Dashiell Hammet 3. Lexicographer Samuel Johnson ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/175 "2008-12-28T13:31:12Z")
> [@Electronic\_Chaos](#): > > Eh? Don’t think so. Salisbury steak was named after American physician James Salisbury. > > ETA: Whoa. I totally didn’t realize this was a 4-page thread. I’m sure someone’s already corrected that. I feel sheepish. Well, whaddya expect, with a username like that? We’ve still got a bunch of groups pending, if you want to jump in now … ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/176 "2008-12-28T20:26:22Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > Famous dentists! YEs- Lonborg, Holliday et al. were dentists, either before or after becoming famous. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/177 "2008-12-30T12:36:47Z")
Since people seem to be losing interest in this thread entirely, I’ll just give the answers, on the off chance that somebody still cares: 1. Ugandan dictator Idi Amin 2. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli 3. Chemist Louis Pasteur 4. Novelist Truman Capote 5. Boxer Jake LaMotta 6. Saint Thomas More 7. Songwriter George M. Cohan **Common bond: All roles for which someone won the Oscar as Best Actor** 1. [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) founder Jeff Bezos 2. England’s Queen Elizabeth II 3. New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani 4. King Edward the 8th’s lover/wife, Wallis Simpson 5. U2 singer Bono 6. Aviator Charles Lindbergh 7. Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner \*\* Common bond: All were Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year”\*\* 1. Comedian Ernie Kovacs 2. Oscar-winning actor Jose Ferrer 3. Home run hitter/Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt 4. Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro 5. “L.A. Law” co-star Jimmy Smits 6. “Streetcar Named Desire” villain Stanley Kowalski 7. National League Rookie of the Year Jim Lefebvre \*\* Common bond: All have last names that, translated, mean “Smith”\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/178 "2008-12-30T14:01:32Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > They were all battleships, and all served as flagships. No, not quite. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/179 "2008-12-30T14:53:06Z")
**astorian** – those are all excellent. Well, the first and the third are, the second is merely good 😃 I was actually looking at the movie bio list thinking vague thoughts along those lines – well, that Amin and LaMotta both had movies about them, at least – but hadn’t gone the extra two or three steps to get to your category. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486/180 "2008-12-30T18:40:07Z")
Okay, here’s a new one: 1. Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin 2. William Butler Yeats and Ezra Pound 3. Marlon Brando and Wally Cox 4. Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-denominators/477486.md?page=10)