# Find the common theme **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598 "2007-06-19T16:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/1 "2007-06-19T16:04:46Z")
I’ve posted things like this before and somebody always gets the answer almost as soon as I post it, but I thought this one was tough enough to risk it again. The answer is a 5-letter word. It’s the common theme of these things: Tight Fit Base Runner Issue Lock Bridge Bid Smile I had to do a web search on combinations of these words/phrases before I could even get close. What’s you best guess? (I’ll use the source of this puzzle as the “definitive” answer.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/2 "2007-06-19T20:42:19Z")
With 51 views and no replies I can only assume this is as tough for you folks as it was for me. Hint: the answer is a 5-letter verb ---
**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:** [June 19, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/3 "2007-06-19T20:46:28Z")
force? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/4 "2007-06-19T20:47:19Z")
Squeeze? Uh, the Dutch version with only five letters. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/5 "2007-06-19T20:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] force? [/QUOTE] That’s the one. Tough one, right? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/6 "2007-06-19T20:54:03Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] force? [/QUOTE] :smack: Of course. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/7 "2007-06-19T20:55:28Z")
Gah. See, it’s one of those things where when you say it, I know it. That makes no sense. Stop throwing sticks at me! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/8 "2007-06-19T20:57:50Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] Squeeze? Uh, the Dutch version with only five letters. [/QUOTE] I thought of that and even “close” but they didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/9 "2007-06-19T21:01:29Z")
Say, **Robot Arm** , since you got the one from the OP, why not post a new one of your own? No point letting a good thread go to waste. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/10 "2007-06-19T21:06:45Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] That’s the one. Tough one, right? [/QUOTE] Well, I read this before you posted the hint and was pretty lost. But there wasn’t any context; was this in a Mensa test, a magazine, were there other, similar questions? Were you looking for a word that meant the same as each item in the list, or a word that could go with them to make another phrase, or what? Posted the way you did, it was kinda hard to know what sort of answer you were looking for. Try this one, though; it’s not nearly so difficult: nest sterile Mrs. Robinson On preview: I wrote that without seeing the previous post. Now that you’ve issued the challenge, I’ll try to come up with a better one. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/11 "2007-06-19T22:14:17Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Well, I read this before you posted the hint and was pretty lost. But there wasn’t any context; was this in a Mensa test, a magazine, were there other, similar questions? Were you looking for a word that meant the same as each item in the list, or a word that could go with them to make another phrase, or what? Posted the way you did, it was kinda hard to know what sort of answer you were looking for. Try this one, though; it’s not nearly so difficult: nest sterile Mrs. Robinson On preview: I wrote that without seeing the previous post. Now that you’ve issued the challenge, I’ll try to come up with a better one. [/QUOTE] Well, the idea for the thread came directly from today’s “Common Knowledge” puzzle at [Puzzability](http://www.puzzability.com/cgi-bin/commonknowledge.pl) which is one of my daily stops for puzzles and games. Most of the time they’re fairly easy, but now and then they throw in a real head-scratcher and it takes waiting a day to get the answer. As for your three-clue thing, all that jumps to mind is “cuckoo” with some doubt about the Mrs. Robinson connection. Is it the “coo coo coochoo” thing? Or am I totally off base? ---
**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:** [June 19, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/12 "2007-06-19T22:34:41Z")
Coo-coo-ca-choo, Zeldar; correct, of course. They do these kinds of puzzles sometimes on one of my favorite radio shows, _Says You!_ Not only does the panel usually get them right, they’re very funny while doing it. One that I remember: “Banjo, Bartok and Bloodsucker” “Those are my attorneys.” I’m better at Odd-Man-Out than Common-Threads; I’ve got a few good ones of those. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/13 "2007-06-19T22:41:06Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Coo-coo-ca-choo, Zeldar; correct, of course. They do these kinds of puzzles sometimes on one of my favorite radio shows, _Says You!_ Not only does the panel usually get them right, they’re very funny while doing it. One that I remember: “Banjo, Bartok and Bloodsucker” “Those are my attorneys.” I’m better at Odd-Man-Out than Common-Threads; I’ve got a few good ones of those. [/QUOTE] I keep meaning to listen to _Says You!_ but since I get _Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me_ online I just never remember to check the radio version of _Says You_. Maybe the Odd-Man-Out twist would be a good way to go. Give us an example one. Would it be something like: First Second Shortstop Eighth ---
**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:** [June 19, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/14 "2007-06-19T23:13:30Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] I keep meaning to listen to _Says You!_ but since I get _Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me_ online I just never remember to check the radio version of _Says You_. Maybe the Odd-Man-Out twist would be a good way to go. Give us an example one. Would it be something like: First Second Shortstop Eighth [/QUOTE] My favorite that I came up with is: Who’s the odd-man-out of… George Lazenby Pope Pius XII Hugh Downs Benjamin Harrison There is some trait shared by three of those people that’s not shared by the fourth. Five points for telling me who is the odd man out, an additional five for telling me why. (Channeling the host of _Says You!_ there.) It doesn’t have to be people either. Could be almost anything, for any reason. saw blue lemon fern [ul] [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/15 "2007-06-20T00:07:12Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] saw blue lemon fern [/QUOTE] That’d be fern - the others go with grass. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/16 "2007-06-20T00:24:19Z")
Yes. The other one is kinda tough. I’ll give a hint:Benjamin Harrison was not chosen at random. Among U.S. presidents, there’s something unique about him. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_of\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sock\_of\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_of_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/17 "2007-06-20T00:26:44Z")
deleted ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/18 "2007-06-20T15:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Yes. The other one is kinda tough. I’ll give a hint:Benjamin Harrison was not chosen at random. Among U.S. presidents, there’s something unique about him. [/QUOTE] Maybe another clue/hint? This one has me baffled since I know so little about any of these folks. Lazenby did one shot at James Bond, Hugh Downs was a sidekick for a long time before getting his own show, but I can’t think of anything about the other two guys. At first I thought bachelors, but Hugh has been married. ---
**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:** [June 20, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/19 "2007-06-20T15:20:49Z")
Go to Benjamin Harrison’s page at Wikipedia. Under his picture are some basic facts about him. One (or two) of them might be important. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598/20 "2007-06-20T16:44:53Z")
tea pizza heaven prophecy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-the-common-theme/408598.md?page=2)