c4countdown

Perhaps this is a well-known bit of trivia, perhaps not; but if you've never come across it before it's worth having a think about. The actual answer tends to surprise people.

Question: In which states of the USA would you find the country's most northerly, southerly, easterly and westerly points?

Without looking, I imagine that Hawaii and Alaska feature, and the former more than once....

Kevin Thurlow wrote:Without looking, I imagine that Hawaii and Alaska feature, and the former more than once....

You'd be at least partially wrong.

My guess would be Alaska as the most northerly and westerly, New Hampshire easterly, and Texas southerly.

Charlie Reams wrote:My guess would be Alaska as the most northerly and westerly, New Hampshire easterly, and Texas southerly.

You'd be wrong on two out of four counts.

My guess is Alaska northerly, Hawaii Westerly, Hawaii Southerly, Main Easterly.

Errr, Maine.

Alaska north and west, Hawaii south, Maine east.

Jon O'Neill wrote:My guess is Alaska northerly, Hawaii Westerly, Hawaii Southerly, Main[e] Easterly.

Again, wrong on two out of four.

Ben Wilson wrote:Alaska north and west, Hawaii south, Maine east.

Getting nearer - only one wrong. Try some lateral thinking...

I'll say Alaska North, Hawaii West, either Texas or New Mexico South, I'll say Florida though! and Delaware East

Dinos Sfyris wrote:I'll say Alaska North, Hawaii West, either Texas or New Mexico South, I'll say Florida though! and Delaware East

Hopelessly wrong.

(Helped by a map) Alaska furthest N,W & E, Hawaii furthest S. Baseb on the Greenwich meridian.

This is like a game of Mastermind!

David Roe wrote:(Helped by a map) Alaska furthest N,W & E, Hawaii furthest S. Baseb on the Greenwich meridian.

Correct! Alaska extends so far west that it crosses the 180 degree meridian and therefore becomes east, not west. If you base the answer purely on which state extends furthest right on the map, then the easternmost point would be in Maine, as Jono and Ben suggested.

Many people think the southernmost point is in Florida, since there is a large bollard marking the spot (the more, er, flamboyant locals call it "the giant butt plug") in Key West. However, this is the southernmost point of the continental USA, which does not include Hawaii.

On the topic of US states which are the best for anagramming? ie yield high scoring Countdown words (certainly not IOWA or OHIO) or are exact anagrams of Countdown words of any length. There's one niner for the latter criteria.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:On the topic of US states which are the best for anagramming? ie yield high scoring Countdown words (certainly not IOWA or OHIO) or are exact anagrams of Countdown words of any length. There's one niner for the latter criteria.

got it! MINNESOTA = NOMINATES

This is good trivia.

Kentucky has the most amusing abbreviation.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:On the topic of US states which are the best for anagramming? ie yield high scoring Countdown words (certainly not IOWA or OHIO) or are exact anagrams of Countdown words of any length. There's one niner for the latter criteria.

Oregon = ORGONE
New York = YWROKEN

Eoin.V.Monaghan wrote:New York = YWROKEN

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Eoin.V.Monaghan wrote:New York = YWROKEN

I checked in the SOED and ywroken means avenged, take vengeance on; punished

Eoin.V.Monaghan wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Eoin.V.Monaghan wrote:New York = YWROKEN

I checked in the SOED and ywroken means avenged, take vengeance on; punished

Putting Y- at the front of words was a Middle English way of forming the past participle, leading to some words which look pretty weird by modern standards. YCLEPT sticks in my mind for some reason.

Charlie Reams wrote:Putting Y- at the front of words was a Middle English way of forming the past participle, leading to some words which look pretty weird by modern standards. YCLEPT sticks in my mind for some reason.

Regardless of all that, it isn't valid in Countdown and therefore fails to fulfil Phil's criteria.

Jon Corby wrote:

Charlie Reams wrote:Putting Y- at the front of words was a Middle English way of forming the past participle, leading to some words which look pretty weird by modern standards. YCLEPT sticks in my mind for some reason.

Regardless of all that, it isn't valid in Countdown and therefore fails to fulfil Phil's criteria.

it was worth a try

Jon Corby wrote:Regardless of all that, [YWROKEN] isn't valid in Countdown and therefore fails to fulfil Phil's criteria.

Dinos set the criteria for this bit of the thread, I think you'll find.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Regardless of all that, [YWROKEN] isn't valid in Countdown and therefore fails to fulfil Phil's criteria.

Dinos set the criteria for this bit of the thread, I think you'll find.

Yeah, but that doesn't work so well with the alliteration.

Jon Corby wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Regardless of all that, [YWROKEN] isn't valid in Countdown and therefore fails to fulfil Phil's criteria.

Dinos set the criteria for this bit of the thread, I think you'll find.

Yeah, but that doesn't work so well with the alliteration.

True. I was quite impressed by your assonance as well.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:Yeah, but that doesn't work so well with the alliteration.

True. I was quite impressed by your assonance as well.

You just can't help yourself from flirting can you Phil?

Matt Morrison wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:I was quite impressed by your assonance as well.

You just can't help yourself from flirting can you Phil?

Actually, the word "assonance" is at the forefront of my vocabulary at the moment as I'm directing a production of Educating Rita in which the word is used as the basis for a running gag.

Can anyone think of an amusing two word anagram of New York, USA? Some would say that it sums up the state's population!

Chris Philpot wrote:Can anyone think of an amusing two word anagram of New York, USA? Some would say that it sums up the state's population!

Wou Yankers? No....