# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 311
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6204 "2023-08-17T01:29:33Z")
I made the poll about spoilers. Probably could have added a lot more choices. Nobody ever talked about spoilers until the 90s and that whole Bruce Willis thing. At least, no adult would admit to caring much if the surprise was revealed. But now it’s endlessly debated. Funny thing is, once you’ve either been spoiled, or seen the movie/ read the book, you inevitably move on. You joined the in-crowd, and it’s not really a big deal. So to me, it’s just a part of life. Sometimes you get spoiled, sometimes you don’t, but don’t be a baby about it okay? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6205 "2023-08-17T01:42:14Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Nobody ever talked about spoilers until the 90s and that whole Bruce Willis thing. At least, no adult would admit to caring much if the surprise was revealed. Maybe that’s when the word “spoilers” started being used in that context, but I’m sure people were talking about “spoiling the surprise” or “spoiling the ending” of movies and books long before that. We’ve had a whole thread recently discussing how people feel about spoilers and why, so we probably don’t need to hash it out here. > [@In defense of spoilers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-defense-of-spoilers/986899): > > Probably just me, but i never minded spoilers. Knowing the plot ahead of time, even knowing plot twists, is no big deal. Sometimes i might prefer to be shocked but normally no. I prefer it because i enjoy paying attention to the details of a film or a novel, the dialog or the acting, for example. I wish my college courses had spoiled the plots for me more so i could have concentrated better on the details. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6206 "2023-08-17T02:46:31Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Nobody ever talked about spoilers until the 90s and that whole Bruce Willis thing. At least, no adult would admit to caring much if the surprise was revealed. 1956’s THE BAD SEED Would like a word with you. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/ZDWd7KV.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/ZDWd7KV) ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6207 "2023-08-17T02:54:48Z")
To me, the only spoilers that should never be revealed are twists or surprise ending. I was at the video store looking for a Friday night movie, and a lady suggested The Usual Suspects. “You’ll never guess the surprise ending,” she said while her husband shushed her. “But I didn’t tell him what it was,” she replied to him. That spoiled the ending for me. A couple of years later, I ran into them while she was thinking about getting The Sixth Sense. “Bruce Willis is a ghost,” I told her. She started to get angry with me when her husband told her that payback was fair. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6208 "2023-08-17T09:57:40Z")
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has been running since 1952 … > A whodunit, the play has a twist ending, which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre. > **[The Mousetrap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousetrap)** > > The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic. It then re-opened on 17 May 2021. The longest-running West End show, it has by far the longest run of any play in the world, with its 28,915th performance having taken place as of November 2022. Attendees at St Martin's Theatre often get their photo tak... ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6209 "2023-08-17T13:47:33Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > The Sixth Sense. “Bruce Willis is a ghost,” I told her. Dude! Blur that next time. Haven’t seen that movie yet. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6210 "2023-08-17T14:39:13Z")
There’s a place called Hereford? Is it pronounced the same as the cow? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6211 "2023-08-17T15:14:56Z")
How the f\*\*\* should I know? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6212 "2023-08-17T15:18:13Z")
The UK version is pronounced with three syllables, so I suppose it depends on how you pronounce the cow name. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6213 "2023-08-17T15:49:19Z")
“In 'ereford, 'artford and 'ampshire, 'urricaines 'ardly 'appen”. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6214 "2023-08-17T15:58:57Z")
Oh I’m well aware twists, surprises, shocks, reveals, bombshells, jolts and similar eureka moments have been around for a long time. Whining about spoilers is more recent, in a media-drenched world, where spoiler and spoilee are often strangers, and more likely to encounter each other. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6215 "2023-08-17T16:17:51Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > “In 'ereford, 'artford and 'ampshire, 'urricaines 'ardly 'appen”. Nitpick: “In 'ereford, 'artford, and 'ampshire, 'urricaines 'ardly hhhhhhever 'appen.” ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6216 "2023-08-17T16:22:40Z")
> [@Hatchie](#): > > Whining about spoilers is more recent, in a media-drenched world, where spoiler and spoilee are often strangers, and more likely to encounter each other. Sometimes spoilers can ruin things but I’ve seen films where I knew the ending (_The Babadook_) and enjoyed them just fine. Research indicates people don’t mind spoilers as much as they think they do: > **[Spoiler alert: spoilers make you enjoy stories more](https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more)** > > Did someone spoil the next episode of "Game of Thrones"? They might have done you a favor. Sometimes, for me, the spoiler is the reason I decided to see the film. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6217 "2023-08-17T16:40:35Z")
My school was split – freshmen and most sophomores at the new building, a hundred or so sophomores and the juniors and seniors at the old building (the latter was really two buildings – the old one and the really old one). The oldest and newest buildings had dedicated auditoriums but I don’t remember there being one at the middle one. We had an introduction to tennis in 9th-grade PE, but we went to a nearby public park for that. I had to ride a school bus up until the middle of seventh grade, when we moved to the big city. After that I walked. I still don’t ride buses unless I have no other options. > [@DCnDC](#): > > We did have a rifle range for some reason, though. Most students didn’t even know about it, it was in the basement of a building that was almost entirely used by the Math & Science Magnet program. I’m not entirely sure why it was there, but that was the oldest building in the school’s complex (there were 5 separate buildings, and a gym, of various ages connected by hallways and breezeways). It opened in the 1930s at that location. > > By the time I finally saw _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ I’d had people quoting the best parts at me for almost twenty years, so the movie was somewhat “meh” for me – I got a kick out of actually seeing things, but didn’t laugh as much as I would have if I’d seen it when it first came out. We had a rifle range in the basement of the middle building, used by the school rifle team for practice. Army JROTC was still mandatory for boys when I finished high school (either two years of ROTC or three years of marching band), and the rifles and ammo were – and still are – kept locked up in the ROTC office. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6218 "2023-08-17T16:52:18Z")
I finally picked honey-mustard dressing for the poll, but if multiple answers had been allowed I would also have chosen bleu or balsamic. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6219 "2023-08-17T16:55:35Z")
I chose balsamic for that particular salad. For the croutony American cheesy kind of salad, I prefer ranch. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6220 "2023-08-17T17:55:10Z")
deCLARative declaRAtion ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6221 "2023-08-17T18:03:29Z")
I’ve always pronounced the cow name as three syllables, but maybe I’m promising it wrong. Also, i didn’t vote for any of the options for first syllable, but I’m not sure how to spell what i say. It’s not like the word “her”, but like the first syllable of “herring”. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6222 "2023-08-17T18:14:57Z")
To me, the first syllable of _herring_ is pronounced the same as _hair_. If you don’t have the full marry-merry-Mary merger, as I do, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6223 "2023-08-17T18:20:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There’s a place called Hereford? Is it pronounced the same as the cow? Random House says three syllables for the city and the shire, two for the town in Texas, and either way for the cattle and hogs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=310) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=312)