Let's take a whack at this urban legend

[snopes]

Q: Is the name of the carnival game Whac-a-Mole derived from the word "guacamole"?

http://www.charlotte.com/214/story/133434.html

[Eddylizard]

Susan Wright of Champaign Ill., please report for a brain implant.

[The Masked Doodler]

I think I knew this person. Or at least went to school with their relatives. Oy.

Let's see, the -e is silent in the English version, yet pronounced in the Spanish version...

The stress is on different parts of the words in the two languages: WHACK - a - mole (English) and gua - ca - MO - le (Spanish)

The reason for this name, Lane says, is that pronunciation in Spanish is very similar for Whac-a-Mole and Guaca-Mole.

Uh...no it's not...

[ganzfeld]

Actually, it's the other way around. Guacamole was named after the game when preparers attempted to smash avocados that flitted in and out of holes.

Originally Posted by ganzfeld

Actually, it's the other way around. Guacamole was named after the game when preparers attempted to smash avocados that flitted in and out of holes.

LOL, that's the way I heard it.

[Dr. Dave]

So, snopes, was the basketball "strategy" known as "Hack-a-Shaq" invented in Hackensack or was it named for that beanbag kicking game? Please do a page on this ASAP. Thanks.