Tag: words

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.

D is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

Devils Tower, Wyoming.
Image US National Parks Service
  1. What is the pictured US National Monument and in what US state is it located?
    • Devils Tower, Wyoming—Devils Tower, a 1,267-foot igneous rock butte in Wyoming, was established as the first US national monument in 1906. Originally named ‘Bear’s House’ by indigenous peoples, it was renamed “Devils Tower” in 1875 and remains unchanged despite proposals to recognise indigenous ties.
      Tenzin Gyatso – 14th Dalai Lama
      Image Wikipedia
  2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
    • Dalai Lama—The Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, with the title bestowed upon Sonam Gyatso in 1578. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has symbolised Tibetan unity, serving as both a religious and secular leader. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, lives in exile in India and has advocated for Tibetan autonomy while rejecting calls for independence.
      Dacha in Yekaterinburg, Russia
      Image Wikipedia
  3. What is defined as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
    • Dacha—A dacha is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the outskirts of post-Soviet countries. Originating as small country estates gifted by the tsar, dachas have been popular among the Russian upper and middle classes. During the Soviet era, many dachas were state-owned and given to the people, and today, about 62% of Russians visit dachas in the summer.
      Marvin the Paranoid Android.
      Costume used in the TV series, on display at Gunnersbury Park Museum.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was created by which science fiction writer?
    • Douglas Adams—writer of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy created Marvin as the ship’s robot aboard the Heart of Gold. Marvin is a failed prototype of Sirius Cybernetics Corporation’s GPP technology who, despite his vast intellect, is underutilised, leading to severe depression and boredom.
      David Coulthard.
      Champions for Charity 2022.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?
    • David Coulthard—nicknamed ‘DC’, is a former British Formula One driver who competed from 1994 to 2008. He won 13 Grands Prix, finished second in the Drivers’ Championship in 2001, and retired from Formula One in 2008. After retirement, he became a broadcaster and commentator for Formula One.

D is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘D’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

Devils Tower, Wyoming.
Image US National Parks Service
  1. What is the pictured US National Monument, and in which US state is it located?
  2. The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people is known by what title?
  3. What is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a ‘country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or holiday home’?
  4. Marvin the Paranoid Android was originally created for a radio series by which science fiction writer?
  5. A Scottish driver won 13 Formula One Grands Prix across his 15-season career, which began in 1994. Despite this, he didn’t secure the World Drivers’ Championship, although he came in second place in 2001. Can you identify him?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

C is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

The Vale of Dedham
Image Wikipedia
Constables, London
Image Wikipedia
  1. What word connects the painter of the first image with the content of the second image?
    • Constable—John Constable, artist, is the painter of The Vale of Dedham , pictured, and Police Constable, three of whom are shown in London.
      A 21-foot bronze statue of Shakira erected in 2023 in Barranquilla, Colombia.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. In what country was the singer Shakira born?
    • Colombia—Shakira, a Colombian singer, songwriter, musician, and dancer achieved success in both Spanish- and English-speaking markets. Her early career included songwriting, talent competitions, and acting in a Colombian telenovela before releasing her breakthrough album, Pies descalzos, in 1995.
      Roadrunner
      Image Wikipedia
  3. To which family does the roadrunner belong? (Hint, the answer is one word which features in the title of a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey which was adapted into a 1975 Academy Award winning film of the same name.)
    • Cuckoo—Roadrunners (genus Geococcyx), or chaparral birds, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos found in the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America. They are capable of flight but typically flee predators on the ground, reaching speeds of up to 32 km/h. Ken Kesey’s book and subsequent film were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
      One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest poster.
  4. Only one of the countries that border Mongolia fits this theme. Can you name it?
    • China—Mongolia, a landlocked country in north-central Asia, is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It has a continental climate with long, cold winters and short, cool-to-hot summers, featuring a variety of landscapes including steppes, semi-deserts, deserts and mountain ranges.
      Madonna, The Celebration Tour
      Image Wikipedia
  5. The lyric shown below is from a 2009 Madonna single. Which one?

    I guess I just don’t recognise you with your clothes on

    • Celebration—is a dance pop party song by Madonna, released in 2009 as the lead single from her compilation album of the same name. The song received mixed reviews, with some praising its dance nature and others finding it forgettable. It peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached the top spot in several European countries.

C is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘C’. As you know the starting letter, there are no multiple-choice options.

Image Wikipedia
Image Wikipedia
  1. What word connects the painter of the first image with the content of the second image?
  2. In what country was the singer Shakira born?
  3. To which family does the roadrunner belong? (Hint, the answer is one word which features in the title of a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey, which was adapted into a 1975 Academy Award winning film of the same name.)
  4. Only one of the countries that border Mongolia fits this theme. Can you name it?
  5. The lyric shown below is from a 2009 Madonna single. Which one?

    I guess I just don’t recognise you with your clothes on

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

B is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the questions simply for your information.

Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Image Wikipedia
  1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
    • Baby Jane—Davis was nomininated for an Academy Award for her performance as the title character in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Baby Jane, by Dr Feelgood first appeared on Be Seeing You, a Dr. Feelgood album released in 1977 and was later a single. A track with the same name was the lead single from Rod Stewart’s twelfth studio album Body Wishes (1983).
      A bearded Jeremy Paxman.
      Image BBC
  2.  Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
    • Beards—Pogonophobia, derived from Greek words for “beard” and “fear”, is a fear of beards. The term is often used jokingly, but it has been studied in psychological experiments and has been associated with cultural norms, religious beliefs and societal perceptions. Jeremy Paxman accused the BBC of pogonophobia after facing criticism for presenting Newsnight with a beard.
      Charles Dickens.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was it?
    • Bleak House—Charles Dickens’s Bleak House, published serially from 1852 to 1853, satirises a long-running legal case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, inspired by real-life precedents. The novel, set in London, is credited with introducing urban fog to Gothic fiction and helped support judicial reform.
      City of Puno, Peru the largest urban area on Lake Titicaca.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
    • Bolivia—Lake Titicaca, located in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru, is the largest lake in South America. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres. The lake consists of two sub-basins, Lago Grande and Wiñaymarka, connected by the Strait of Tiquina.
      European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
      Image Wikipedia
  5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?
    • Beech—Beech trees, native to Eurasia and North America, are deciduous trees with 14 accepted species. The European beech, Fagus sylvatica, is commonly cultivated for its timber, used in furniture, flooring, engineering, and brewing.

– ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘beech’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

– Oxford English Dictionary

B is for…

A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘B’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

Amantaní viewed from Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
Image Wikipedia
  1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
  2. Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
  3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was the title?
  4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
  5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?

– ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘…’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

– Oxford English Dictionary

Good luck! As usual, I will post the answers later today.

An initial hello | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Hawaiian pizza.
Image Wikipedia
  1. What ‘H’ is an eight-letter word which can go before guitar, islands and pizza?
    • Hawaiian—relating to Hawaii, its people, or their language. Hence Hawaiian guitar, Hawaiian Islands and Hawaiian pizza.
      Ripostes by Ezra Ound.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. What ‘E’ is an American poet who published Ripostes, a collection of 25 poems, in 1912? (First & second name please)
    • Ezra Pound—Ezra Pound was an American poet and critic, a major figure in early modernist poetry. He was a collaborator in Fascist Italy during World War II, recording propaganda broadcasts attacking the US, Britain and Jews. After the war, he was held in a US military detention camp and later incarcerated for over 12 years in a psychiatric hospital.
  3. What ‘L’ is an 8-letter word meaning the same as port and the opposite of starboard?
    • Larboard—Middle English ladebord, referring to the side on which cargo was put aboard. The change to lar- in the 16th century was due to association with starboard. (Oxford English Dictionary)
      The Librarian, Unseen University.
      Image Pinterest
  4. What ‘L’, a facility the fictional Unseen University, is tended by a faculty member who is a pongo
    • Library—In Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series The Librarian of the Unseen University’s library, originally Dr. Horace Worblehat, was transformed into an orang-utan and chose to remain that way due to the advantages it offered for his job. He communicates using the word “ook” and is fiercely protective of his anonymity, as revealing his true name could reverse the transformation. The Librarian is known for his love of music, his role in the City Watch, and his membership in an elite group of librarians who can travel through L-Space.
      Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
      Image tseliot.com
  5. What ‘O’ is “a collection of whimsical light poems about feline psychology and sociology” which became the basis of the musical Cats?
    • Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats—a collection of light poems about cats by TS Eliot, was published in 1939 and later adapted into Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. Eliot wrote the poems in the 1930s and included them in letters to his godchildren.

An initial hello

  1. What ‘H’ is an eight-letter word which can go before guitar, islands and pizza?
  2. What ‘E’ is an American poet who published Ripostes, a collection of 25 poems, in 1912? (First & second name please)
  3. What ‘L’ is an 8-letter word meaning the same as port and the opposite of starboard?
  4. What ‘L’, a facility the fictional Unseen University, is tended by a faculty member who is a pongo?
  5. What ‘O’ is “a collection of whimsical light poems about feline psychology and sociology” which became the basis of the musical Cats? (Six words in the answer)

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

WYSIWYG part deux | Answers

“Swalk” written on envelope in 1942.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Often found written on the black of an envelope, what does S.W.A.L.K. mean? Sealed With A Loving Kiss—During World War II, postal acronyms were first used to convey messages between servicemen and their loved ones back home. These acronyms were often written on the back of envelopes.
    Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) Logo.
    Image CND
  2. The initialism CND refers to which British peace organisation? Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament—The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament advocates for unilateral nuclear disarmament by the UK, international disarmament and stricter arms regulations. It opposes military action involving nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and the construction of nuclear power stations in the UK.
    NATO Logo.
    Image Wikipedia
  3. The acronym NATO refers in full to the… North Atlantic Treaty Organisation—NATO is a military alliance of 32 member states, implementing the North Atlantic Treaty. It operates as a collective security system, defending member states against attacks.
    The original Qantas Office, Longreach, Queensland.
    Vintage photographic print, Sir Hudson Fysh papers, ca.1817-1974.
    Image NSW Gov Archives / Wikipedia
  4. The acronym Qantas derives from the name of a company founded in 1920. What was the company name that Qantas spells out? Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services—’Limited’, which was the final word in that original company name, does not form part of the acronym. Qantas is the flag carrier, the International airline of Australia, and the largest airline in Australia and Oceania; serving all seven continents from its hubs in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. Founded in 1920, it is the oldest airline in the English-speaking world and operates over 60 domestic destinations.
    A U.S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King helicopter from Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 15 (HS-15) Red Lions lowers its AN/AQS-13 sonar.
    Image Wikipedia
  5. The acronym SONAR means what? SOund Navigation And Ranging—Sonar, or sound navigation and ranging, uses sound waves to navigate, measure distances and detect objects underwater. It can be passive, listening for sounds, or active, emitting pulses and listening for echoes. The technique has a long history, dating back to Leonardo da Vinci in 1490.

“If you cause your ship to stop and place the head of a long tube in the water and place the outer extremity to your ear, you will hear ships at a great distance from you.”

— Leonardo da Vinci, 1490.
From Sonar in the Sea Services By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired), April 2020. U.S. Naval Institute.