O is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

The three fictional superstates of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four are Oceania (black), Eurasia (red) and Eastasia (yellow). Areas shown in grey are ‘disputed’.
Image Wikipedia

One

The map above depicts the three fictional superstates from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, along with disputed territories (in grey). The black-coloured state encompassing the Americas, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, is known by what name?

Answer: Oceania

In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the world is divided into three superstates—Oceania (black on map), Eurasia (red) and Eastasia (yellow)—engaged in a perpetual war. The origins of these states, which may not even exist, are unclear, emerging from nuclear warfare and civil unrest between 1945 and 1965. In this post-war world, totalitarian ideologies such as English Socialism, Neo-Bolshevism and Obliteration of the Self dominate.


Ogden Nash and Dagmar from the television game show Masquerade Party, 1955
Image Wikipedia

Two

Some tortures are physical and some are mental, but the one that is both is dental.

The above quote was originally made by which American humorist and poet?

Answer: Ogden Nash

Frederic Ogden Nash, an American humorist, wrote over 500 pieces of light verse, including 20 volumes of poetry and lyrics for musicals and children’s books.


Orienteering pictogram
Image Wikipedia

Three

A competitive sport in which runners have to find their way across rough country with the aid of a map and compass.
Oxford English Dictionary

What sport is being defined above?

Answer: Orienteering

Orienteering is a sport involving map and compass navigation through unfamiliar terrain. Participants use specially prepared maps to locate control points, with foot orienteering being the oldest and most popular variation. Orienteering features in the programs of global sporting events, such as the World Games and the World Police and Fire Games.


Oberammergau Passion Play 1860 Production.
Image Wikipedia

Four

A Passion Play, depicting the final phase of the life of Jesus Christ, has taken place in a Bavarian village once every ten years (barring a few exceptions) since the 17 century. What is the village name?

Answer: Oberammergau

The Oberammergauer Passionsspiele, a passion play performed by the inhabitants of Oberammergau, Germany, depicts Jesus’ final days from His visit to Jerusalem to His crucifixion. The play, composed by several individuals and the village inhabitants, is the earliest surviving continuous vernacular drama of the Christian era.


Librarian of the Unseen University, Ankh-Morpork.
Image Pinterest

Five

What one creature answers both the following
– In The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, the university librarian is accidentally turned into one of these
– One is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Answer: Orangutan (or orangutang)

In The Light Fantastic, the second instalment in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld fantasy novel series, the Librarian of the Unseen University undergoes an unexpected transformation into a sentient orangutan. This transformation persists throughout the series, and he actively resists any attempts to revert him to his original state.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue tell how a sailor’s orangutan, imitating him shaving, runs off with his straight razor and later kills a woman and her daughter. The sailor, attempting to catch it, was heard arguing with the animal. The orangutan fled, leaving the sailor to sell it and the police to release their suspect, Le Bon.

O is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions with answers beginning with ‘O’.


Image Wikipedia

One

The map above depicts the three fictional superstates from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, along with disputed territories (in grey). The black-coloured state encompassing the Americas, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others, is known by what name?

Two

Some tortures are physical and some are mental, but the one that is both is dental.

The above quote was originally made by which American humorist and poet?

Three

A competitive sport in which runners have to find their way across rough country with the aid of a map and compass.
Oxford English Dictionary

What sport is being defined above?

Four

A Passion Play, depicting the final phase of the life of Jesus Christ, has taken place in a Bavarian village once every ten years (barring a few exceptions) since the 17 century. What is the village name?

Five

What one creature answers both the following
– In The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, the university librarian is accidentally turned into one of these
– One is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

N is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond.
Image Madly Odd

One

The writer of You Don’t Brine Me Flowers had a hit duet with it alongside Barbra Streisand. Who is the songwriter?

Answer: Neil Diamond

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers was originally written for a TV sitcom but later expanded into a duet by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.


Fully defined compass rose displaying 32 points.
Image Wikipedia

Two

The compass point found at 22.5° from North is what?

Answer: NNE or north-northeast

The points of the compass are a set of horizontal directions used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose typically consists of four cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and four ordinal directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest). A fully defined compass has 32 points.


Nazgûl.
Image Pinterest

Three

In The Lord of the Rings how many Nazgûl were there?

Answer: Nine

The Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, are nine men corrupted by Sauron’s Rings of Power, becoming immortal wraiths bound to his will. Led by the Witch-king of Angmar, they serve as Sauron’s most terrifying servants, using terror and weapons like Morgul-knives to pursue the One Ring. They are also known as The Nine, Úlairi (in Quenya), Black Riders, Fell Riders, and Ringwraiths.


Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory in relation to New South Wales
Image Wikipedia

Four

Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are enclaves within which Australian state?

Answer: New South Wales

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is an internal territory of Australia, home to the capital city of Canberra. It was established in 1911 as the seat of the Australian government, hosting Parliament House, the High Court, and numerous government agencies. The ACT is governed by a locally elected legislative assembly, though the Commonwealth retains authority over certain areas, including the Parliamentary Triangle. The Jervis Bay Territory is an internal territory of Australia, established in 1915 to provide the federal government with a port near the ACT.


Portrait of Isaac Newton, 1689.
Image Wikipedia

Five

The SI unit of force. It is equal to the force that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second per second, and is equivalent to 100,000 dynes.
– Oxford English Dictionary

What word is being defined above?

Answer: Newton

The newton (symbol: N) is the unit of force in the International System of Units. It is defined as the force that accelerates a mass of one kilogram at one metre per second squared, expressed in terms of SI base units. The unit is named after Isaac Newton in recognition of his groundbreaking work in classical mechanics, particularly his second law of motion.

N is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘N’.

Barbra Streisand
Image Wikipedia

One

The writer of You Don’t Brine Me Flowers had a hit duet with it alongside Barbra Streisand. Who is the songwriter?

Two

The compass point found at 22.5° from North is what?

Three

In The Lord of the Rings how many Nazgûl were there?

Four

Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are enclaves within which Australian state?

Five

The SI unit of force. It is equal to the force that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second per second, and is equivalent to 100,000 dynes.
– Oxford English Dictionary

What word is being defined above?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

L is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are highlighted below.

Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad).
Image Wikipedia
Vladimir Putin, 2024.
Image Wikipedia

One

The politician pictured above was born in what city?

Leningrad

Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has served as President of Russia since 2012, with previous terms from 2000 to 2008. His rule has been marked by economic growth, conflicts in Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria, and authoritarian tendencies, including corruption, human rights abuses, and suppression of political opposition. Putin’s actions have led to international sanctions and an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.


Rydal Mount, near Ambleside in the English Lake District was the home of the poet William Wordsworth from 1813 to his death in 1850. It is currently a museum.
Image Wikipedia

Two

The poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey and William Wordsworth were collectivelyknown as the _ poets. What word is missing?

Lake

The Lake Poets, a group of English poets including Wordsworth, Coleridge[[[[]]]] and Southey, lived in the Lake District in the early 19th century. The name “Lake Poet School” was initially derogatory and a misnomer.

Three


Donald Sutherland as Homer Simpson in The Day of the Locust
Image NathanRabin.com

Homer Simpson, portrayed by Donald Sutherland, was a character in a 1975 American satirical film based on a 1939 Nathanael West novel of the same name. The title was The Day of the _

Locust

The Day of the Locust is a film set in Hollywood before World War II. The film depicts the alienation and desperation of a group of people whose dreams of success do not come true.


TE Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

Four

T.E. Lawrence is commonly known by what other name?

Lawrence of Arabia

Thomas Edward Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat, and writer. He is famous for his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, where he served as a liaison to Emir Faisal. After the war, he worked for the Foreign Office and later served in the Army and RAF, publishing his experiences in Seven Pillars of Wisdom.


Female and male ligers.
Image Wikipedia

Five

The hybrid cross of a male lion and a tigress is known as a…

Liger

Ligers, the offspring of male lions and female tigers, are larger than either parent due to the absence of growth-limiting genes from the tiger. Tigons, the offspring of male tigers and female lions, are smaller due to the presence of growth-limiting genes from both parents.

L is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘L’.

Image Wikipedia

One

The politician pictured above was born in what city?

Two

The poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey and William Wordsworth were collectivelyknown as the _ poets. What word is missing?

Three

Homer Simpson, portrayed by Donald Sutherland, was a character in a 1975 American satirical film based on a 1939 Nathanael West novel of the same name. The title was The Day of the _

Four

T.E. Lawrence is commonly known by what other name?

Five

The hybrid cross of a male lion and a tigress is known as a…


Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

K is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

Tourists at London King’s Cross Platform 9¾ in July 2016.
Image Wikipedia

One

Which London railway station has a marker indicating the location of Platform 9¾?

King’s Cross

King’s Cross is the starting point of the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter books. The film crew used the brick roof-support arches between platforms 4 and 5 to represent the fictional Platform 9¾.


Kuwaiti 20 Dinar note.
Image Left Over Currency

Two

In April 2024, Forbes named which country’s dinar as the highest valued currency in the world?

Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)

The Kuwaiti dinar, the strongest currency globally, is pegged to an undisclosed basket of currencies. Kuwait, a leading oil exporter, introduced the dinar in the 1960s.


North Island Brown Kiwi
Image Wikipedia

Three

What bird has the biggest egg of any bird species relative to its size?

Kiwi

The brown kiwi (Apteryx australis) of New Zealand lays the largest eggs relative to its body size. One female kiwi weighing 1.7 kg (3 lb 12 oz) laid an egg weighing 406 g (14 oz), which is almost one quarter of her total body mass, and weights of up to 510 g (1 lb) have been reliably reported for other kiwi eggs. — Guinness World Records https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/83111-largest-bird-egg-relative-to-body-size


Ken Rosewall, 1970.
Image Wikipedia

Four

Who is the oldest male tennis player to win a major singles title in the Open Era?

Ken Rosewall

The oldest tennis Grand Slam singles winner (male, open era) is Ken Rosewall (Australia, b. 2 November 1934), who was aged 37 years 62 days when he won the 1972 Australian Open at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on 3 January 1972. Rosewall defeated Malcolm Anderson 7–6, 6–3, 7–5 in the final match of the tournament.

Guinness World Records, 23 June 2025


Five

In the opening verse of Queen’s Killer Queen, both a United States President and a Soviet Premier are named. Please provide the surnames of these individuals?

Khrushchev and Kennedy

The lyrics are written below. Killer Queen is a song by Queen about a high-class call girl. It was written by Freddie Mercury and reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100.

Killer Queen

She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
“Let them eat cake,” she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh)
At anytime an invitation
You can’t decline (Ooh, ooh)

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah (Ooh, ooh)
(Killer, killer, she’s a killer queen)
Then again incidentally
If you’re that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris (Naturally)
For cars, she couldn’t care less
Fastidious and precise

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa)
Anytime

Drop of a hat she’s as willing as
Playful as a pussycat (Ooh)
Then momentarily out of action (Ooh)
Temporarily out of gas (Ta-taaa)
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She’s out to get you

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam (Pa-pa-pa-ra)
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try

AZ Lyrics, 23 June 2025.

K is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘K’.

Platform 9¾, Kings Cross Railway Station, London. Image https://www.pexels.com

One

Which London railway station has a marker indicating the location of Platform 9¾?

Two

In April 2024, Forbes named which country’s dinar as the highest valued currency in the world?

Three

What bird has the biggest egg of any bird species relative to its size?

Four

Who is the oldest male tennis player to win a major singles title in the Open Era?

Five

In the opening verse of Queen’s Killer Queen, both a United States President and a Soviet Premier are named. Please provide the surnames of these individuals?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

I is for… | Answers


The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

Cliff Richard, 2021.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Where was singer Cliff Richard born?
    • India—Sir Cliff Richard, a British singer and actor, was born in Lucknow, India where his father worked. He has sold over 250 million records worldwide. Richard dominated the British music scene in the late 1950s to early 1960s with his backing group, the Shadows, and has achieved numerous UK chart successes, including 14 No. 1 singles.
      Central starry pathway is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy is an elongated fuzzy patch, just right of centre. Photo copyright Mike Taylor of Taylor Photography.
      Image EarthSky
  2. What 13-letter word describes travelling between Earth and Andromeda?
    • Intergalactic—The Earth and the Solar System are situated within the Milky Way galaxy. Andromeda, on the other hand, is a distinct galaxy. Consequently, intergalactic travel would be necessary to traverse between these celestial bodies.
      Marty Feldman as Igor, in Young Frankenstein.
      Image Pinterest
  3. A forename links the following fictional characters: The Soviet spy who featured in the first issue of The Incredible Hulk comic book (1962); a servant played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein (1974); and Karkaroff from the Harry Potter series. What forename?
    • Igor—firstly, a Soviet spy who detonated the Gamma Bomb, creating the Hulk. After the Hulk’s first transformation, Igor was captured and imprisoned. Secondly, Marty Feldman was Igor, a hunchbacked servant of Frederick Frankenstein, and grandson of the original Igor who worked with Victor. Finally, in Harry Potter, Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, is a former Death Eater who favours Viktor Krum in the Triwizard Tournament. He is later found dead in a shack with the Dark Mark, suggesting he was killed by other Death Eaters.
      Elegantly Wasted
      by INXS
  4. Elegantly Wasted, released in 1997, was what band’s tenth studio album?
    • INXSElegantly Wasted, INXS’s tenth studio album, was released in 1997 and is the final album with lead singer Michael Hutchence. The album was dedicated to the Farriss brothers’ mother, Jill, who died in 1995.
      Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster.
      Image The Movie Database
  5. What was the full name of the second Indiana Jones film?
    • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom—is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film follows Indiana Jones as he is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult. The film was a financial success, grossing $333.1 million worldwide, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

I is for…

The alphabet theme continues with some questions where all the answers begin with ‘I’.

Cliff Richard and The Shadows, 1962.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Where was singer Cliff Richard born?
  2. What 13-letter word describes travelling between Earth and Andromeda?
  3. A forename links the following fictional characters: The Soviet spy who featured in the first issue of The Incredible Hulk comic book (1962); a servant played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein (1974); and Karkaroff from the Harry Potter series. What forename? Igor—firstly, a Soviet spy who detonated the Gamma Bomb, creating the Hulk. After the Hulk’s first transformation, Igor was captured and imprisoned. Marty Feldman was Igor, a hunchbacked servant of Frederick Frankenstein, and grandson of the original Igor who worked with Victor. In Harry Potter, Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, is a former Death Eater who favours Viktor Krum in the Triwizard Tournament. He is later found dead in a shack with the Dark Mark, suggesting he was killed by other Death Eaters.
  4. Elegantly Wasted, released in 1997, was what band’s tenth studio album?
  5. What was the full name of the second Indiana Jones film?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.