Tag: words

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.

WYSIWYG part deux


Here are a few more questions about acronyms and initialisms. You don’t have multiple choices today; you need to provide your own answer. What words decipher these groups of initials?

“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?
  2. The initialism CND refers to which British peace organisation?
  3. The acronym NATO refers in full to the…
  4. The acronym Qantas derives from the name of a company founded in 1920. What was the company name that Qantas spells out?
  5. The acronym SONAR means what?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

WYSIWYG | Answers

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

FLOTUS— First Lady Melania Trump’s Official White House Portrait.
Image Wikipedia
  1. What seven words in computing does the post title WYSIWYG stand for?
    • What You Sde Is What You Get—the Oxford English Dictionary defines WYSIWYG as “denoting the representation of text on-screen in a form exactly corresponding to its appearance on a printout.”
  2. FLOTUS, seven letters which mean…
    • First Lady of the United States, traditionally the president’s wife, serves as the White House hostess and has evolved to influence politics, social causes, and public opinion. Melania Trump is the current First Lady.
  3. AWOL means…
    • Absent without leave—With regard to military personnel, being absent from where one should be; missing from ones post but with no intention of deserting.
      NASA, official logo.
      Image NASA
  4. NASA is the…
    • National Aeronautics and Space Administration—NASA, established in 1958, is a US federal agency responsible for the country’s civil space programme, aeronautics research and space research. It has led numerous space exploration programmes, including the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle, and currently supports the International Space Station and the Artemis programme.
  5. SCUBA means…
    • Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus—Scuba, originally SCUBA, is any self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. It’s a source of breathing gas used for underwater diving, which the diver carries with them.
Scuba driver.
Image Wikipedia

WYSIWYG

Image Pinterest


Here are a few questions about acronyms and initialisms. You don’t have multiple choices today; you need to provide your own answer. What words decipher these groups of initials?

  1. What seven words in computing does the post title WYSIWYG stand for?
  2. FLOTUS, seven letters which mean…
  3. AWOL means…
  4. NASA is the…
  5. SCUBA means…

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Miscellany II | Answers

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Image Wikipedia
Peanuts.
Image Wikipedia
  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Peanut—Jimmy Carter, the first US president born in a hospital, grew up in Plains, Georgia, and later Archery. He attended the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1946, and served in the Navy until 1953, including a stint in the nuclear submarine programme. After his father’s death, Carter returned to Georgia to take over the family peanut business, facing challenges but eventually becoming successful.
      Amazon, which has the greatest discharge of any river, discharging into the Atlantic Ocean.
      Image NASA/Wikipedia
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges—is second at 43,950 m$^3$/s following the Amazon’s 224,000| m$^3$/s. The Yangtze comes fifth with 31,900 m$^3$/s and the Mississippi tenth at 21,300 m$^3$/s.
      Tomb of Merlin, Forest of Paimpont (Brocéliande).
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Merlin—The forest of Brocéliande, first mentioned in Chrétien de Troyes’s Arthurian romance, is associated with Merlin and Morgan le Fay in later works. Its exact location is debated, with theories placing it in Brittany, specifically near Quintin or in Paimpont forest, with the latter being considered most likely.
      Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, on Lunar Surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Omega—Buzz Aldrin became the first person to wear a watch on the Moon, wearing the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph. Although Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the Moon, he left his 105.012 Speedmaster inside the Lunar Module Eagle as a backup because the LM’s electronic timer had malfunctioned. Aldrin wore his Speedmaster, making it the first watch ever worn on the Moon.
      Marionette, is a puppet worked by strings.
      Image Pinterest.
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quockerwodger—which is best described as follows:

      The term quockerwodger, although referring to a wooden toy figure which jerks its limbs about when pulled by a string, has been supplemented with a political meaning. A pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else, is now often termed a quockerwodger.
      — John Camden Hotten. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859)

Miscellany II

Full Moon
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which have no connections they are simply miscellany.

  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Avocado
    • Peanut
    • Zucchini
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges
    • Mississippi
    • Yangtze
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Circe
    • Merlin
    • Witch of Endor
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Bulova
    • Omega
    • Rolex
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quaalude
    • Quillaja
    • Quockerwodger
Ancient Greek Terracotta dolls.
National Archaeological Museum in Athens/Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Miscellany | Answers

Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier today. The answers are shown in bold below.

Bikini Atoll.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands—Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States for atomic bomb testing from 1946 to 1958, contaminating the atoll and forcing the relocation of its 166 native inhabitants. Despite cleanup efforts, radiation levels remain too high for resettlement, though tourism is permitted.
      Bluetooth logo
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Bluetooth—ruled Denmark from c. 958 to c. 986, during which time he unified the various tribes, introduced Christianity and consolidated his power. His rule in Norway was brief, likely lasting only a few years in the 970s. The Bluetooth wireless specification would unite devices and so was named after Harald, who united the tribes of Denmark. The Bluetooth logo incorporates his initials, H and B, in Younger Futhark bind runes.
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Sanskrit—A pundit is an expert who offers authoritative opinions on a particular subject area, typically through the mass media. The term originates from the Sanskrit word “pandit,” meaning “learned man,” and has historical roots in India, referring to scholars and advisors to the king.
      One of Princess Anne’s Reliant Scimitar GTE’s— she had eight apparently!
      Classicyorkshire.co.uk
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer launched this model in 1968?
    • Reliant—a British company commonly known for their three-wheeled Robin produced this sports car from 1964 to 1986, during which time it evolved from a coupe to a sports estate and convertible. It featured a fibreglass body on a steel chassis and Ford engines. The Reliant Scimitar SE5, a sports estate hatchback, was designed in under a year and featured a new chassis, suspension, and fuel system. It was powered by a 3.0-litre Ford Essex engine and could reach over 120 mph. The SE5 was a success, with 4,311 units produced, and Princess Anne received one as a birthday present and reportedly owned eight or nine in total.
      Pipe-weed.
      Image lots.fandom.com
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed—is a fictional strain of tobacco from JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with varieties such as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star and Southlinch. In contrast, Polecat weed, also known as Symplocarpus foetidus or skunk cabbage, is a real low-growing plant found in eastern North American wetlands, characterised by its bruised leaves that emit a skunk-like odour. Additionally, Colic weed encompasses species like Aletris, Corydalis flavula and Dicentra.
Merry and Pippin smoking pipe-weed.
Image Pinterest

Miscellany

Here are some questions with no link to anything other than general miscellany.

Scimitar GTE.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands
    • Solomon Islands
    • Wallis and Futuna Islands
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Greycloak
    • Harald Bluetooth
    • Sweyn Forkbeard
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Mesopotamian
    • Egyptian
    • Sanskrit
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer had launched this model in 1968 ?
    • Jaguar
    • Lotus
    • Reliant
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed
    • Colic weed
    • Polecat weed

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part IV | Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

Portrait of Samuel Pepys by John Hayls. Wikipedia
See #3.

  1. Q) Question mark—The question mark, used to indicate questions in many languages, has a history dating back to the 5th century. Its modern form, a curved mark, emerged in the 13th century and was standardised in the 15th century. The term “question mark” was first used in the 1850s.
    Rebecca book cover. Wikipedia
  2. (R) Rebecca—Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier about a young woman who marries a wealthy widower haunted by his late first wife. The novel, a bestseller, has been adapted for stage, screen and as a musical.
  3. (S) Samuel Peyps—Eleanor Gwyn, also known as Nell Gwyn, was an English actress and mistress of King Charles II, celebrated for her comic performances and as a folk heroine of Restoration England. She had two sons with the King, Charles and James Beauclerk. Known for her frank recklessness, generosity and good temper, Nell rose from humble beginnings as an orange-girl to become a leading comedienne in the King’s Company, performing in plays by John Dryden and James Howard. After becoming Charles II’s mistress in 1669, she retired from the stage, lived extravagantly, entertained the king and his friends and secured titles for her sons.
    Inland Taipan aka Fierce snake. Wikipedia
  4. (T) Taipan—Taipans are large, fast-moving, highly venomous snakes endemic to Australia and New Guinea. There are three recognised species, with the coastal taipan having two subspecies. Taipan refers to foreign-born senior business executives or entrepreneurs operating in China or Hong Kong. The term also refers to influential business families in the Philippines. Tai-Pan, a 1966 novel by James Clavell, is the second book in his Asian Saga and introduces the Struan family.
  5. (U) Uranus—Gustav Holst’s The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suite depicting the planets as astrological symbols. The suite premiered in 1918 and quickly became popular.
Uranus on 1986-01-23 formula NASA’s Voyager 2 probe. Wikipedia