# Without Googling, do you know this Final Jeopardy question? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052 "2010-04-23T00:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/21 "2010-04-23T03:20:57Z")
We’re finally getting an overlay up here next year in the 705 (Central, NE Ontario). It’ll be area code 249. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/22 "2010-04-23T03:30:58Z")
I missed it. I was guessing overlap code, which is just a nomenclature error. We’ve been able to avoid it so far in the 805. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/23 "2010-04-23T04:15:22Z")
You know, I even lived in Atlanta when they went ten digit and I never once heard “overlay”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/24 "2010-04-23T06:29:37Z")
I would have missed it. I actually was living in NYC at the time, but I don’t recall the word “overlay.” ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/25 "2010-04-23T10:27:19Z")
I’ve lived in two cities that had 10 digit dialing installed for the first time and I never heard it called overlay area codes. I would have answered the Final Jeopardy “What is a second area code?” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/26 "2010-04-23T10:38:21Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’ve never heard of an overlay before. I always just thought it was an area code for NYC cellphones. Ditto. I’ve never heard the term before. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/27 "2010-04-23T12:05:53Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I’ve lived in two cities that had 10 digit dialing installed for the first time and I never heard it called overlay area codes. I would have answered the Final Jeopardy “What is a second area code?” Don’t know if they would have accepted that for an answer, but it is ambiguous. In the past, districts were always split to get a second area code. With overlays, they aren’t. Either way, the geographic area now has a second area code. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/28 "2010-04-23T12:10:36Z")
I knew what they wanted, but not the terminology. So I would have missed it. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/29 "2010-04-23T12:12:35Z")
I work in the telecom field and I would not have guessed “overlay”. I thought Jeopardy was supposed to be general knowledge trivia. When I’m at work I use the term “overlay” but not in exactly that context, but when answering Jeopardy questions (or, more accurately, when questioning the answers), I automatically go into “regular person, non-industry jargon” mode. The term would not have occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/30 "2010-04-23T12:23:07Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I’ve lived in two cities that had 10 digit dialing installed for the first time and I never heard it called overlay area codes. I would have answered the Final Jeopardy “What is a second area code?” My husband and I debated what it would be called. We both understood the concept and new 917 to be a secondary, or split, or second, or added, or…area code for New York city. He decided he would have written _split area code_ and I landed on _added_. No money for us… ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/31 "2010-04-23T12:28:06Z")
We have 10 digit dialing here; I’ve never heard the term “overlay” before. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/32 "2010-04-23T12:37:49Z")
Never heard the term. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/33 "2010-04-23T12:40:20Z")
fusoya: > [@](#): > > 917 is not just for cellphones. My landlord’s house line is a 917 #. And my cell phone is a 646. Huh…I did hear of 646 cell phones, but I had always thought 917 was dedicated for mobile use. > [@](#): > > NYC also got 347 added a couple years ago. Get one of those, and you’ll be REALLY unpopular here. That’s for the 718-ers. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/34 "2010-04-23T12:42:05Z")
What exactly did the three contestants answer? I’m pretty much like everyone else: I’d seen the Seindfeld episode, knew it had something to do with area codes, but I didn’t recall them using the term overlay. So I figured maybe it was the first use of a specific area code for cell phones. What did the contestants think? Did any of them guess cell phone area code, but not use the term overlay? Did they get angry and shout at Alex and the camera like Cliff Clavin? Have there been any other good sitcom episodes involving area codes and/or Jeopardy? ---
**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:** [April 23, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/35 "2010-04-23T12:58:46Z")
I would have guessed something like “second area code” or “added area code”—would I have gotten credit for that? Like others here, I am unfamiliar with the term “overlay.” ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/36 "2010-04-23T13:10:08Z")
> [@choie](#): > > The Seinfeld episode was about 646, BTW. It’s the same as 212, they just multiplied everything by three …and added one to the middle number. ---
**Author:** ![KittenKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kittenkat/32/306_2.png) [@KittenKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KittenKat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/37 "2010-04-23T13:14:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I would have guessed something like “second area code” or “added area code”—would I have gotten credit for that? Like others here, I am unfamiliar with the term “overlay.” “Second area code” is what occurred to me, but since the category was _Telecommunications Terminology_, I don’t think anything but “overlay” would be acceptable (unless there’s some other peice of jargon with a similar meaning). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/38 "2010-04-23T13:22:47Z")
Isn’t Alex even more condescending when he happens to know the answer himself? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/39 "2010-04-23T13:23:26Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > In today’s (4/22/10) Final Jeopardy, I thought this was super easy and can’t believe all three blew it. > > **Category:** Telecommunications Technology > > **Answer:** In 1992, New York City received the first one of these, 917. > > **Question:** > > [spoiler]What is overlay area code? > > There was an entire Seinfeld episode about it! It’s happened in nearly every slightly large-sized metro area! How did all three blow it?[/spoiler] Not only did I not get it, I still don’t get it. What’s an overlay area code? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052/40 "2010-04-23T13:24:33Z")
> [@Lunar\_Saltlick](#): > > What exactly did the three contestants answer? They all put “area code” in desperation; they all knew it was wrong but couldn’t come up with anything else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-googling-do-you-know-this-final-jeopardy-question/537052.md?page=3)