Introducing Name Drop: a Daily Trivia Game from The New Yorker

In an age when almost any song lyric, Olympic record, and Linnaean plant name can be uncovered with the tap of a thumb, trivia games could have gone the way of the embossed encyclopedia set. Instead, trivia has thrived in the Internet era. Its anachronism may even be part of the appeal: there’s an analog rush in proving that, after years of reflexive Googling, you still actually know things.

So here’s another opportunity to prove it: Name Drop, a trivia game that tests your knowledge of fascinating people. The goal is to deduce the identity of a notable person—contemporary or historical—based on a series of six clues. The clues are challenging at first, and get easier as you go. The fewer you need to guess correctly, the higher your score will be: if you can guess the person after just one clue, you’ll get six points; after two clues, you’ll get five; and so on. Answers with minor spelling mistakes will still be accepted. But you have only a hundred seconds to guess, so keep an eye on the timer.

Name Drop’s subjects hail from a variety of disciplines: writers, musicians, actors, directors, visual artists, athletes, activists, scientists, philosophers, and the occasional Jack-of-all-trades. Many of them have been profiled or interviewed by The New Yorker, so—fair warning—loyal readers may have an advantage. Bragging is encouraged.

You can play a new quiz every weekday, Monday through Friday, by visiting the Puzzles & Games Dept. hub, or by bookmarking www.newyorker.com/namedrop; subscribers can also play in the New Yorker app. To stay up to date on all of the New Yorker’s puzzle-and-games offerings, including our crossword puzzles and cryptics, sign up for our newsletter. We hope that Name Drop lets you prove that you still know a thing or two, even when Siri isn’t around.

Monday, July 26, 2021
Friday, July 23, 2021
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Wednesday, July 21, 2021