Y is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Tibetan Yak or Sarlyk, as they say in Altai.
Image Wikipedia

One

Remembering the theme, the animal pictured is a…

Answer: Yak

The yak, a long-haired domesticated cattle species, inhabits the Himalayan region, Tibetan Plateau, and parts of Central Asia. It is descended from the wild yak.


Yokohama, Japan.
Image Wikipedia

Two

Located on the island of Honshu, what is Japan’s second-largest city in terms of population?

Answer: Yokohama

Yokohama, the second-largest city in Japan, is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and a major economic, cultural, and commercial hub. It is home to many of Japan’s firsts, including the first foreign trading port and Chinatown, and is a prominent port city.


Image Wikipedia

Three

The lyrics of this 1972 song by Carly Simon describe a self-absorbed lover, whose identity has long been a matter of speculation. What is the song?

Answer: You’re So Vain

In 2015, the Los Angeles Times published some more information about Carly Simon’s 1972 hit You’re So Vain

Carly Simon has confirmed the answer — at least in part — to one of the most puzzling questions in recent history: Who is the song “You’re So Vain” really about?

“I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren,” the 70-year-old told People magazine. That’d be Warren Beatty, long suspected of being the vain one. The other verses (“You walked into the party … “ and “I hear you went up to Saratoga …”) are about other men, she said.
Los Angeles Times


Susanna Clarke, 2006. Image Wikipedia

Four

Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins,

‘Some years ago there was in the city of … a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and read each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic.’

What city is missing from this quote?

Answer: York

In 1806, during the Napoleonic Wars, the reclusive magician Mr Norrell emerges, captivating England with his displays of magic. However, his cautious nature is challenged by the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange, leading to a dangerous battle between the two magicians.


Flag of Sweden.
Image Wikipedia

Five

What colour links these?
– Cross on the flag of Sweden
– A ball with a value of two points snooker

Answer: Yellow

The Swedish flag features a yellow Nordic cross on a light blue field, inspired by the 1442 coat of arms. Blue and yellow have been used in Swedish heraldry since 1275. The yellow ball has a value of two points in the game of snooker.

A snooker table, drawn exactly to scale.
Image Wikipedia

Y is for…

Continuing the alphabet theme with all of today’s answers beginning with the letter ‘Y’.

This is known as a Sarlyk in Altai, see question one.
Image Wikipedia

One

Remembering the theme, the animal pictured is a…

Two

Located on the island of Honshu, what is Japan’s second-largest city in terms of population?

Three

The lyrics of this 1972 song by Carly Simon describe a self-absorbed lover, whose identity has long been a matter of speculation. What is the song?

Four

Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell begins,

‘Some years ago there was in the city of … a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and read each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic.’

What city is missing from this quote?

Five

What colour links these?
– The cross on the flag of Sweden
– A ball with a value of two points snooker

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

X is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Unstriped ground squirrel.
Image Wikipedia

One

The unstriped ground squirrel is which of these?
Xandra Neramanius
Xerus rutilus
Xantia citroenus

Answer: Xerus rutilus

The unstriped ground squirrel is a rodent species found in dry savannas and shrublands across East Africa. The distractors provided were made-up terms: Xandra Neramani (us) is a character in Marvel comics, while Xantia citroen (us) refers to the Citroën Xantia, a French car manufactured between 1992 and 2001.


Xerox Tower, Rochester, New York.
Image Wikipedia

Two

Founded in Rochester, New York in 1906 the Haloid Photographic Company is better known today as…

Answer: Xerox

Xerox, founded in 1906 as Haloid Photographic Company, commercialised Chester Carlson’s xerography process in 1951. Joseph C. Wilson, who took over Haloid, led the company’s development of xerography and renamed it Xerox Corporation in 1961. In 2019, it became Xerox Holdings Corporation.


Cover of the first edition of The Thirty-nine Steps.
Image Wikipedia

Three

Calculate the sum of the number of steps from the title of John Buchan’s 1915 novel plus the title of the 1979 Blake Edwards romantic comedy film starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews and Bo Derek. Please express your answer in Roman numerals.

Answer: XLIX

John Buchan’s steps are The Thirty-nine Steps and Blake Edward’s film is 10. Therefore, 39 + 10 = 49, which is written as XLIX in Roman numerals.


Charles Xavier—Professor X.
Image Pinterest

Four

What surname links these?

  • A Catholic missionary who was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, and
  • The fictional Professor X from the Marvel universe.

Answer: Xavier

Francis Xavier, a cleric and missionary, co-founded the Society of Jesus and led the first Christian mission to Japan. He is venerated as a saint and known as the ‘Apostle of the Indies’ for his extensive missionary work in Asia, particularly in India and Japan.

In the Marvel universe, Professor Charles Francis Xavier, known as Professor X, is a powerful telepath and mutant. As the founder of the X-Men, Professor X runs a school for mutants in New York. The character has been portrayed by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy in the X-Men film series.


Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, January 1967.
From left: John Dymond (Beaky), Ian Amey (Tich), Trevor Ward-Davies (Dozy), Mick Wilson (Mick) and Dave Dee.
Image Wikipedia

Five

One word links the following?

  • A word in the first line of an 1816 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem
  • A 1968 by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
  • A 1980 song by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra

Answer: Xanadu

The poem is Kubla Khan, shown in full below. The Legend of Xanadu was by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and Olivia Newton-John and ELO’s song was Xanadu.

Kubla Khan

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ‘twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

X is for…

Continuing the alphabet theme and all today’s answers begin with the letter ‘X’.

Unstriped ground squirrel.
Image Wikipedia

One

The unstriped ground squirrel is which of these?
Xandra Neramanius
Xerus rutilus
Xantia citroenus

Two

Founded in Rochester, New York in 1906 the Haloid Photographic Company is better known today as…

Three

Calculate the sum of the number of steps from the title of John Buchan’s 1915 novel, plus the title of the 1979 Blake Edwards romantic comedy film starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews and Bo Derek. Please express your answer in Roman numerals.

Four

What surname links these?

  • A Catholic missionary who was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus, and
  • The fictional Professor X from the Marvel universe.

Five

One word links the following

  • A word found in the first line of an 1816 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem
  • A 1968 song by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
  • A 1980 song by Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra
    What is the word that links the above?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

P is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Pixie Lott, 2019.
Image Wikipedia

One

Could you please identify the English singer-songwriter and actress?

Answer: Pixie Lott

Pixie Lott is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her debut album, Turn It Up, reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and spawned six consecutive top twenty singles.


Fa’side Castle, East Lothian.
Image Wikipedia

Two

Which of the following was a 16th-century Scottish battle: Perkie, Pinkie, or Porkie?

Answer: Pinkie

The Battle of Pinkie (aka Battle of Pinkie Cleugh), fought on 10 September 1547 near Musselburgh, Scotland, was the last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns. The battle, part of the Rough Wooing conflict, resulted in a catastrophic defeat for Scotland, known as “Black Saturday”.


Heather Moyse, multi-sport athlete and Olympic Gold Medalist, serves as Brand Ambassador for Prince Edward Island Potatoes.
Image Wikipedia

Three

Which crop is Prince Edward Island the largest producer of in Canada?

Answer: Potato

Prince Edward Island is the largest potato-producing province in Canada, with the industry contributing over a billion dollars annually. The potatoes are grown for three markets: table, processing, and seed, with 60% destined for processing. Varieties include russets, whites, reds, and yellows, each with unique characteristics and uses.


A Shot in the Dark, 1964.
Image Bored and dangerous blog

Four

The 1964 films Dr Strangelove and A Shot in the Dark starred the same actor. Who was it?

Answer: Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers, born Richard Henry Sellers, was an English actor and comedian known for his roles in The Goon Show and films like The Pink Panther series, including A Shot in the Dark. He showcased his versatility in films like Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, and Being There, often portraying multiple characters. Despite his success, Sellers struggled with depression and erratic behaviour, dying from a heart attack at 54.


Edgar Allan Poe, 1849.
Image Wikipedia

Five

Was The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe a poem or a play?

Answer: Poem

The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe is a heavily onomatopoeic poem that uses the word “bells” to evoke different emotions. The poem, divided into four parts, progresses from light-hearted to dark, reflecting the changing sounds and meanings of bells.


The Bells

Edgar Allan Poe

I.

Hear the sledges with the bells—
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars, that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With  a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort if Runic rhyme,
To the tintinabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells,—
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.


II.

Hear the mellow wedding bells,
Golden bells!
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
Through the balmy air of night
How they ring out their delight!
From the molten golden-notes,
And all in tune,
What a liquid ditty floats
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
On the moon!
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
How it swells!
How it dwells
On the Future! how it tells
Of the rapture that impels
To the swinging and the ringing
Of the bells, bells, bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells—
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!


The Bells


III.

Hear the loud alarum bells—
Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavour.
Now—now to sit or never,
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of Despair!
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging,
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows:
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling,
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells—
Of the bells—
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells—
In the clamour and the clangour of the bells!


IV.

Hear the tolling of the bells—
Iron bells!
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
In the silence of the night,
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats
Is a groan.
And the people—ah, the people—
They that dwell up in the steeple,
All alone,
And who, tolling, tolling, tolling,
In that muffled monotone,
Feel a glory in so rolling
On the human heart a stone—
They are neither man nor woman—
They are neither brute nor human—
They are Ghouls:
And their king it is who tolls;
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
Rolls
A paean from the bells!
And his merry bosom swells
With the paean of the bells!
And he dances, and he yells;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the paean of the bells—
Of the bells:
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells
Of the bells, bells, bells—
To the sobbing of the bells;
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells—
Of the bells, bells, bells:
To the tolling of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells—
Bells, bells, bells—
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.

The Bells, and Other Poems Project Gutenberg

P is for…

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

Image Wikipedia

One

Could you please identify the English singer-songwriter and actress who is pictured above?

Two

Which of the following was a 16th-century Scottish battle: Perkie, Pinkie or Porkie?

Three

Which crop is Prince Edward Island the largest producer of in Canada?

Four

The 1964 films Dr Strangelove and A Shot in the Dark starred the same actor. Who was it?

Five

Was The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe a poem or a play?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

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.

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.