Important Lists: Part I

I don't know if you've been sucked into the craze lately, but I have...sort of. That craze is the World-wide Trivia game, HQ. I started out fairly well. Unfortunately, I have been beaten down like the out of touch dinosaur that I have become. 12 questions. Get them all correct. You win a share of a prize that, at this writing, is $2,500.00. It starts easy for the first two to three questions. Then it becomes more challenging. Mostly, it's trivia questions about pop culture, but some of it has to do with just about every subject under the sun, as the expression goes. My best was to make it to Question 8 before choosing the incorrect answer. You have three choices. So guessing is an option. But guess wrong, and you're out. You can sit and watch the rest of the game if you have nothing better to do or if you want to torture yourself especially if you get the remaining questions correct and you're already eliminated. No soup for you! One of the recent games I got eliminated on was this question:

[Paraphrased] Which of these is not the correct name for the resident of that state:

• Wisconsiner
• Utahn
• Connecticuter

I'll let you see the answers for all the states inhabitants (Demonyms) below and you can see which one I did not choose. I'll tell you what I chose at the end of this blog. The following list was compiled by someone who posted it to Wikipedia. Click the link above to go to it directly. Right click on any state and open into a new tab or window to read about that state.

Wikipedia is a very good source for information. So, the next time they come around requesting donations, throw them a few bucks. I do every year. 

State, District or territory	Official (recommended by U.S. GPO)[1]	Official, unofficial, or informal alternatives
Alabama	Alabamian	Alabaman[2][3], Bammer[4]
Alaska	Alaskan	Ice Chipper[5]
American Samoa†		American Samoan
Arizona	Arizonan	Sand Cutter[6], Arizonian[7]
Arkansas	Arkansan	Arkansawyer,[8] Arkie[9]
California	Californian	Californio (archaic)
Colorado	Coloradan	Coloradoan (archaic)[10][11]
Connecticut	Connecticuter	Connecticotian,[12] Connecticutensian,[12] Nutmeg,[12] Nutmegger[12]
Delaware	Delawarean	Blue Hen's Chicken,[13] Muskrat[13][14]
District of Columbia†		Washingtonian
Florida	Floridian	Alligator,[15] Cracker,[16] Fly-Up-the-Creek[15]
Georgia	Georgian	Buzzard, Cracker, Goober-grabber[17]
Guam†		Guamanian
Hawaii	Hawaiian	Islander,[18] Kama'aina. The Associated Press Stylebook restricts use of "Hawaiian" to people of Native Hawaiian descent.[19]
Idaho	Idahoan	Fortune Seekers[20]
Illinois	Illinoisan	Illinoisian, Illinoian, Flatlander,[21] Sucker, Sand-hiller, Egyptian[22]
Indiana	Hoosier	Indianan (former GPO demonym replaced by Hoosier in 2016)[1]
Iowa	Iowan	Hawkeye[23]
Kansas	Kansan	Sunflower, Jayhawker, Grasshopper[24]
Kentucky	Kentuckian	Corncracker[25]
Louisiana	Louisianian	Cajun
Maine	Mainer	Down Easter or Downeaster,[26] Mainiac,[27] Pine Tree, Fox[citation needed]
Maryland	Marylander
Massachusetts	Massachusettsan	Bay Stater (official term used by state government),[28] Massachusettsian,[29] Massachusite,[30][31] Masshole (derogatory[32] as an exonym; however, it can be affectionate when applied as an endonym[33])
Michigan	Michiganian	Michigander,[34] Wolverine,[35][36] Michiganite, Yooper/Troll (for residents of the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula, respectively),[37]Michigoose (used specifically for female residents, as a play on "Michigander")[37]
Minnesota	Minnesotan	Gopher
Mississippi	Mississippian
Missouri	Missourian
Montana	Montanan
Nebraska	Nebraskan	Cornhusker[38]
Nevada	Nevadan
New Hampshire	New Hampshirite	New Hampshireman or New Hampshirewoman[39], Granite Stater[40], Granite Boy (Civil War era)[41]
New Jersey	New Jerseyan	Jerseyite, New Jerseyite
New Mexico	New Mexican
New York	New Yorker	Knickerbocker[42][43], Empire Stater[44],
North Carolina	North Carolinian	Tar Heel, Tar Boiler,[45]
North Dakota	North Dakotan	NoDak[46]
Northern Mariana Islands†		Mariana Islander
Ohio	Ohioan	Buckeye[47], Ohian (obsolete)[48]
Oklahoma	Oklahoman	Okie,[49] Sooner[50]
Oregon	Oregonian	Oregoner[51], Beaver[52]
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvanian	Pennamite[53], Keystoner
Puerto Rico†	Puerto Rican	Boricua[54]
Rhode Island	Rhode Islander	Rhodean, Swamp Yankee[55]
South Carolina	South Carolinian	Sandlapper[56]
South Dakota	South Dakotan
Tennessee	Tennessean	Volunteer, Big Bender, Butternut[57]
Texas	Texan	Texian (Anglo-Texan - historical),[58] Tejano (Hispano-Texan), Texican (archaic)
Utah	Utahn	Utahan
Vermont	Vermonter
Virginia	Virginian
Virgin Islands†		Virgin Islander
Washington	Washingtonian	Toner[59]
West Virginia	West Virginian	Mountaineer[60]
Wisconsin	Wisconsinite	Badger[61], Cheesehead[62][63]
Wyoming	Wyomingite	Wyomese [64], Wyomingian[65]

† - Not officially a U.S. state, rather a U.S. territory or district.

The quiz used the second column for the game. The third column is more an internal or popular culture, mostly unofficial. My personal favorite is Massholes. I know a lot of Massholes. Just about all of them are Patriots and Red Sox fans. Eagles won SB LII. E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!

After perusing the list, you know the correct answer was Wisconsiner. Wrong. No such name. Wisconsinite. And one of the states I hope to cross off my "been to" list this spring. I have been to Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, all around it, but not Illinois or Wisconsin. Going to hit both of them in May. Woo-hoo!!! Long-ass weekend vacay. I need a break. Believe me. 

So, my answer? Utahn. I swear, I thought that was a made-up word. Why is the University of Utah's nickname the Utes then? Oh, the Ute Native American Indian tribe. Yeah, I guess, they would not have appreciated the state stealing their name. Not sure if they like the University using their name as nickname or mascot. I'm such an idiot.

Look at this video. I should have taken a hint from Fred Gwynne, (of The Munsters and Car 54 Where Are You? fame) that Ute was not the correct nickname for a native of Utah or a word that is on the radar of a southern Judge. I know this is a stretch, but Joe Pesci is the best. Fast forward to 1 minute 49 seconds for the payoff. 

Recap: So, this was a fun list. HQ is a frustrating but sometimes a fun game where if you're trivia smart you can win some dough. The average winning is nominal. It's as low as Two dollars and change to about maybe $30-40. I believe a few people have made some serious moolah, but they also probably don't have a social life. There's almost always over a million players worldwide. By the 5th or 6th question, the remaining player count can be below 1,000. It is harder than you think. Of course, if you are new to the game, download the app for iPhone, sign-up, mention my name, Tom6904, where it asks who told you about the game, and I get a free life that can help me get past Question 3. Tonight I got beat on Q3. I'm a maroon (Bugs Bunny reference). Check it out. 

Hope you found this fun. Until the next List, TTFN.