The Brentwood Gazette Weekly Teaser — 9/1/2013

You know, it’s got to be said: I’ve actually been out, earlier.

And frankly … ?   For all that’s it’s a touch nippy, it’s actually modestly warm — and sunny — for January.

Of course, that DOESN’T mean we not going to be covered in enough snow to create headlines, at some point.

Just that we’re not, now.

At ANY rate … ?   At any rate, right at the moment, I’m just going to enjoy the  sunshine and fresh air, out there: by opening my windows a crack.

And tell both you, and my regular Gazette readers that this week sees the first Weekly Teaser of the New Year.

So … ?

Without much further ado, here it is, along with the usual ‘How To’ and License …

Q1) New England Telephone & Telegraph installed the first battery powered telephone exchange on 9th January, 1894.   But in which Massachusetts town: Lexington, Manchester or New Braintree … ?

Q2) More to the point, in which Massachusetts county is that town: Essex, Middlesex or Sussex … ?

Q3) New England Telephone & Telegraph was formed by investors from Massachusetts, and which other US State?

Q4) Who’s generally accepted as the inventor of the telephone … ?

Q5) More to the point, he originally designed the ‘phone whilst working on educating whom: the deaf, blind or mute … ?

Q6) Who else has a claim for patenting the first telephone: Elijah Wood, Elisha Gray or Elliot Smith … ?

Q7) Moving on, slightly.   BT is Britain’s main landline provider: but what does BT stand for … ?

Q8) What’s the American term for a mobile phone … ?

Q9) What’s the traditional Cockney Rhyming slang term for a phone … ?

Q10) And FINALLY … what was the original term for a phone hacker: phone phunker, phone phan or phone phreak … ?

And here’s last week’s questions and answers …

Questions.

Q1) 26th December is Boxing Day: it’s ALSO St Stephen’s Day.   Which king — according to the old carol — looked out on the Feast of Stephen … ?

Q2) That king was ACTUALLY a Duke of which European region: Transylvania, Bohemia or Moldova … ?

Q3) Was he the first, second or third ruler of that name … ?  

Q4) Moving on … In which country of the British Isles is Saint Stephen’s Day ALSO known as the ‘Day of the Wren’ … ?

Q5) Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia all have Saint Stephen as their patron saint.   Which Communist country were they once all a part of … ?

Q6) Two Spanish regions also have Saint Stephen as a Patron saint: name either … 

Q7) In horse racing, the King George 6th Chase is held on Boxing Day, at Kempton Park.   In which English county is Kempton Park: Surrey, Sussex or Kent … ?

Q8) Which one hit wonder’s had a hit with ‘BoxerBeat’ … ?

Q9) Which former Brentwood resident had the catchphrase, “Know what I mean, ’Arry” … ?

Q10) And FINALLY … In Martin Scorsese film, ‘Raging Bull’, who played boxer, Jake LaMotta … ?

Answers.

A1) Good King Wenceslas.

A2) Bohemia.   (It’s one of those region we can rhapsodize about.   Rhapsodize … Bohemia … ?  No … ?   Please yourselves!)

A3) He was Wenceslaus 1st.

A4) The Republic of Ireland.

A5) Yugoslavia.

A6) Catalonia and the Balearic_Islands: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera, in other words.

A7) Surrey.

A8) JoBoxers.   (Sorry, sorry, that’s this week’s mandatory ‘Evil’ question.   Although, it is a nice tune, though.)

A9) Boxer, Frank Bruno.

A10) Robert DeNiro.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll leave you the world’s most irritating song about telephones …