Krillion Answers #104

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

The 7 prompts from this daily dive, each with a hint. Open "Show answers" for the gem, some rare finds and the most common answers. Want to play them yourself instead? Every past prompt is in the Krillion Unlimited pool.

Highlights

Prompts and answers

  1. Prompt 1

    Name a bird that lives in or by water

    Hint: 1,467 accepted answers. The gem starts with “S” and is 1 word.

    Most players reach for pelican, seagull, flamingo and albatross first, the big showy birds seen on beaches and nature films. The phrase 'lives in or by water' covers freshwater marshes, reed beds, rivers and mangroves too, so secretive rails, reed-warblers and regional waders are where rarer answers hide.

    1,467 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    Sungrebe is a little-known tropical waterbird of Central and South America that skulks along forested rivers, so it plainly lives by water. Few players name it because this shy Neotropical species is rarely seen outside the Americas, and its strangest trait is hidden: males carry chicks in skin pockets under their wings, even while flying.

    1
    Sungrebe
    1,387
    Alder flycatcher, Northern jacana, Long-tailed Reed Finch
    64
    Great egret, Sandhill crane, Rail
    9
    Flamingo (7.2% of players), Puffin (5.4%), Albatross (4.6%)
    6
    Seagull (9.5% of players), Pelican (7.7%), Penguin (5.0%)

    • New Zealand storm petrel · Small seabird that spends its life at sea; it was presumed extinct for over a century until its 2003 rediscovery off northern New Zealand.
    • Anhinga · Often called snakebird, it swims with only its long neck above water and must spread its wings to dry because its feathers are not waterproof.

    Most players said seagull first, with about one in ten of guesses. Pelican and flamingo were close behind, joined by other familiar water birds like puffin and penguin. Blue-footed booby managed a top-ten spot despite its Rare tier; no Too clever trap here. The gem was Sungrebe.

  2. Prompt 2

    Name something with physical pages (named works don't count)

    Hint: 419 accepted answers. The gem starts with “S” and is 2 words.

    Most players say manual, phone book, book and textbook first, the everyday bound paper items they see around the house. Because named creative works are excluded, the prompt quietly opens to functional paper records, plans, certificates and corporate documents that still have physical pages.

    419 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    A summit register is a logbook kept at a mountain peak for climbers to sign, so it contains physical pages. Few players think of this niche mountaineering object because it lives in remote, exposed places, usually inside a weatherproof, animal-proof metal case.

    1
    Summit register
    259
    Laissez-passer, Accordion book, Call sheet
    101
    Transcript, Day book, Braille book
    52
    Manual (12.2% of players), Phone book (10.1%), Encyclopedia (2.8%)
    6
    Book (9.2% of players), Textbook (3.0%), Magazine (2.3%)

    • Fake book · In jazz, this is a physical book of lead sheets, each tune reduced to melody and chord symbols so musicians can play standards without full arrangements.
    • Approach plates · These printed airport instrument-approach charts, bound in paper booklets, give pilots precise lateral and vertical paths to runways.

    Manual was the most popular, with about one in ten of guesses, and phone book was close behind. Many players chose specific bound paper items like encyclopedia, dictionary, and cookbook rather than the obvious 'book'. No Too clever trap; the gem was Summit register.

  3. Prompt 3

    Name a type of ball outside of sports

    Hint: 357 accepted answers. The gem starts with “T” and is 2 words.

    Most players say ball bearing, exercise ball, medicine ball and stress ball first, the mechanical and fitness objects that immediately fit the phrase. Since 'type of ball' is not limited to sports equipment, the word stretches to decorative spheres, dance events, and specialised tools, which is where rarer answers live.

    357 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    A time ball is a large painted sphere on a mast that drops at a set time so ships could check their marine chronometers. Few players land on it because this Victorian navigation aid survives mainly at observatories, and Greenwich's, installed in 1833, still drops at 1 p.m.

    1
    Time ball
    236
    Test ball, Jolly Ball, Hundred days ball
    88
    Magnetic balls, Fish ball, Octopus ball
    27
    Ball bearing (15.1% of players), Exercise ball (5.3%), Eyeball (2.9%)
    5
    Stress ball (3.4% of players), Bouncy ball (2.7%), Disco ball (2.4%)

    • Bait ball · Small fish form a tight, sphere-like school called a bait ball when predators are near, shrinking each individual's chance of being eaten.
    • Kusudama · Japanese papercraft ball assembled from multiple folded units, originally used to hold incense or herbs and now a decorative gift.

    Ball bearing was the runaway top answer, grabbing roughly one in six guesses. Exercise ball and medicine ball followed, while other non-sport balls like stress ball, eyeball, and disco ball filled out the top ten. No Too clever trap; the gem was Time ball.

  4. Prompt 4

    Name a boy band or girl group with over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify

    Hint: 538 accepted answers. The gem starts with “M” and is 1 word.

    Most players say One Direction, KATSEYE, NSYNC and BTS first, the global pop acts with massive name recognition. The condition is about current monthly streaming, not past fame, so acts in Latin, East Asian, European and older R&B or dance scenes still streaming well are the real deep cuts.

    538 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    MoKenStef was a 1990s American R&B girl group, and the trio's name combines the members' first names: Monifa, Kenya and Stefanie. Few players give it because the group was short-lived and is mostly remembered by R&B nostalgia fans, not by casual listeners scanning today's Spotify charts.

    1
    MoKenStef
    392
    Corona, &TEAM, Patience & Prudence
    114
    f(x), Salt-N-Pepa, BABYMONSTER
    26
    KATSEYE (5.7% of players), NSYNC (5.7%), 5 Seconds of Summer (3.0%)
    5
    One Direction (10.7% of players), BTS (6.1%), Backstreet Boys (4.3%)

    • Baccara · Spanish disco duo from the late 1970s whose debut single 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie' topped the UK chart.
    • Salt-N-Pepa · Pioneering American female rap group formed in 1985, they became one of the first all-female rap acts to achieve mainstream pop success.

    One Direction led clearly, with about one in ten of guesses. BTS came next, and KATSEYE tied with NSYNC, which stood out because KATSEYE is much newer. No Too clever trap; the gem was MoKenStef.

  5. Prompt 5

    Name a part of the school year (events like prom count too)

    Hint: 580 accepted answers. The gem starts with “R” and is 2 words.

    Most players say homecoming, field day, spirit week and senior skip day first, the big American school events and traditions. The prompt includes both academic periods and one-off events, so stepping outside the U.S. calendar to national exams, cultural festivals and small school happenings opens up rarer picks.

    580 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    Raisin weekend is a November student tradition at the University of St Andrews, part of its academic year and capped by Raisin Monday's giant foam fight. Few players think of it because it exists at just one Scottish university, not in a standard school calendar of terms, holidays, or proms.

    1
    Raisin weekend
    422
    High Holidays break, TKA, Zhongkao
    123
    Teacher Appreciation Week, O-levels, Pajama day
    28
    Homecoming (6.1% of players), Midterms (3.9%), Field day (3.8%)
    6
    Prom (2.6% of players), Spring break (2.0%), Finals (1.8%)

    • Juwenalia · Polish students' festival held in late spring, with parades and concerts in university towns before exam season.
    • Buwan ng Wika · Philippine schools mark August as Buwan ng Wika, a month of Filipino language contests and cultural performances.

    Homecoming led, but no answer ran away with it; the top share was only about one in sixteen. Field day, spirit week, and exam week were close behind midterms. Prom was named in the prompt yet landed only eighth, showing players looked beyond the obvious examples. No Too clever trap; the gem was Raisin weekend.

  6. Prompt 6

    Name a country whose flag has a white stripe through the centre (horizontal or vertical).

    Hint: 42 accepted answers. The gem starts with “L” and is 1 word.

    42 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    1
    Lesotho
    14
    Nicaragua, Tajikistan, Sierra Leone
    17
    Syria, Peru, Guatemala
    6
    Ireland (6.0% of players), India (4.6%), Argentina (4.6%)
    4
    France (12.8% of players), Italy (7.3%), Mexico (5.0%)

    France was the top response, with about one in eight of guesses. Italy followed, and Denmark's Rare-tier flag entry surprisingly made the top three. No Too clever trap; the gem was Lesotho.

  7. Prompt 7

    Name a one-word food or drink that starts with Ch

    Hint: 761 accepted answers. The gem starts with “C” and is 1 word.

    Most players say chai, chimichanga, chorizo and churro first, the familiar Ch-starting menu staples. Since the only requirement is a one-word name starting with 'Ch', dig into less common cuisines and regional dishes outside Mexican and English staples for rare entries.

    761 accepted answers, showing 13 examples by rarity.

    Chhurpi is a Himalayan dried cheese made from yak or cow milk, and the hard version is chewed like gum, so it is a one-word Ch food. Few players give it because this Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian mountain snack is rarely seen outside Himalayan communities, and a single hard block can last up to five hours.

    1
    Chhurpi
    692
    Charquicán, Chub, Chorchori
    37
    Choux, Cherimoya, Chuck
    25
    Chai (10.8% of players), Churro (4.7%), Chorizo (4.5%)
    6
    Chili (3.4% of players), Chocolate (3.3%), Cheese (3.1%)

    • Chlorella · A green freshwater alga dried into powder or tablets; it counts as food and is sold as a high-protein supplement.
    • Chapati · Cooked on a flat griddle, this unleavened whole-wheat bread is a staple across the Indian subcontinent and parts of East Africa.

    Chai was the clear favorite, with about one in ten of guesses. Churro and chorizo came next, while the most obvious picks like chocolate and cheese were further down than expected. No Too clever trap; the gem was Chhurpi.