The Daily Teaser and Friday Question Set: 15-6-11

You know, I’ve got to admit a couple of thing’s, I think.

First off … ?

I actually managed to forget to put my patch on, on Tuesday. Which actually didn’t go as badly as I though it would, believe it or not.

After all I had both gum, and extremely chewy floorboard to help.

And secondly … ?

Ye gods but that tea’s helpful, waking me up!

Basically … ?

I had something of a late night, watching the opening episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Which was definitely good, by the way. Going on last night’s opening episode, Miracle Day isn’t Children of Earth. Few things are that good.

But it was a rock solid opener, and very well done piece of work.

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Shall we … ?

Yes, lets … !

»»·««

Yesterday’s Bastille Day Teaser saw both Debbi and Mr Strict putting in their answers: with both Mr S and Debbi bagging 5 out of 6, it also saw Mr S showing us a few extra details about both Louis 13th, and the town of Franschhœkº, and Debbi being rather flattering about the colour scheme*.

Lets see how they — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) Today is — of course — Saint Swithin’s Day: according to the old superstition, how long will it rain for, if it rains todays?

Q2) Saint Swithin is the patron saint of Winchester … and which South London district … ?

Q3) 15th July, 2003, saw Time Warner disband Netscape Communications Corporation: which charitable foundation replaced it … ?

Q4) 15th July 1799, saw the Rosetta Stone found in Egypt: name any of the three scripts found on the Rosetta Stone.

Q5) More to the point, which country’s expeditionary force found that stone, whilst in Egypt … ?

Q6) And finally … 15th July, 1815, saw the end of the Napoleonic Wars: when the Emperor Napoleon surrendered on board which ship … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 14th July is Bastille Day, in France. One French name for the day is La Fête Nationale: what does La Fête Nationale translate into English as … ?

A1) The National Celebration.

Q2) The Bastille itself was earlier known — during the Hundred Years War — as what … ?

Q2) La Bastille Saint-Antoine.

Q3) Who was the first French king to send prisoners to the Bastille … ?

A3) Louis 13th.

Q4) The French President traditionally pardons prisoners on Bastille Day, under Article 17 of the French Constitution: who’s the current President of France?

A4) Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa: more simply known as Nicolas Sarközy.

Q5) As a quirk of French history, the President of France is also the world’s only elected monarch: he’s Co-Prince of where … ?

A5) Andorra. (Trouble is, of course, is that he — along with the Bishop of Urgell, the other Co-Prince — doesn’t actually get elected by the people of Andorra …)

Q6) And finally … for roughly the past 15 years, Bastille Day has been celebrated in which small South African town … ?

A6) Franschhœk.

And here’s the usual Friday 60-question-set for struggling pub-quiz-masters: covered — as ever — by the Creative Commons License …

Online 112.

ROUND ONE. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) Gossima was a bat and ball game that eventually turned into which sport?

A1) Table tennis.

Q2) What green object gets given to the winner of the US Masters Golf tournament?

Q2) Green Jacket.

Q3) What’s the surname of Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

A3) Spellman.

Q4) Which Temperance campaigner gave her name to a type of ladies underwear?

A4) Amelia Jenks Bloomer: although just Bloomer will do.

Q5) How many letters of the European alphabet can be written with just one straight line?

A5) One; - the letter I.

Q6) On a keyboard, what’s the next white note, above G?

A6) A

Q7) What’s the biggest planet in our solar system?

A7) Jupiter.

Q8) What changes, when something metamorphoses: its shape, its colour or its hairdo?

A8) Its shape.

Q9) The Norse goddess of Love gives her name to which day of the week? (Bonus point for her name!)

A9) Friday. (Freya.)

Q10) If you’re suffering from halitosis, what have you got?

A10) Bad breath.

ROUND TWO. AT THE MOVIES.

Q11) In which movie does does Robert De Niro utter the immortal line, “Are you talkin’ to me”?

A11) Taxi Driver.

Q12) In the original movie version of The Day Of the Jackal, who is the Jackal trying to assassinate?

A12) Charles De Gaulle.

Q13) Who won an Oscar for their appearance in 1988 film, The Accused?

A13) Jodie Foster.

Q14) In All The President‘s Men which controversial president is being talked about?

A14) Richard Nixon.

Q15) Which sci-fi film was the first film collaboration between Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg?

A15) Minority Report.

Q16) In the original Hitchcock version of Psycho, what did he use as fake blood: chocolate sauce, tomato sauce or soy sauce?

A16) Chocolate Sauce.

Q17) What sort of power station was the setting for the film, The China Syndrome?

A17) A nuclear power station.

Q18) Which Apollo mission was turned into a Tom Hanks film?

A18) Apollo 13.

Q19) Which Gabriel Byrne film had the tag line, “Five Suspects. One Line. No coincidence”?

A19) The Usual Suspects.

Q20) Sissy Spacek film, Carrie is based on a book by which horror writer?

A20) Stephen King.

ROUND THREE. MUSIC AND LIGHTS.

Q21) The Shadows’ first single went straight to № 1: was it Apache, Sioux or Cheyenne?

A21) Apache.

Q22) Which French musician’s first hit album was called Oxygène?

A22) Jean Michel Jarré’s

Q23) Brian Robson Rankin is the real name of which guitarist: Brian May, Hank Marvin or Eric Clapton?

A23) Hank Marvin.

Q24) Which dance-floor hit was Kylie Minogue’s first UK million seller?

A24) Can’t get You Out of My Head.

Q25) Who recorded the No. 1 album, Come With Us: the Chemical Brothers, the Righteous Brothers or Cliff Richard?

A25) The Chemical Brothers.

Q26) Which Brotherhood had a British Eurovision win, in 1976?

A26) The Brotherhood of Man.

Q27) Which long running British prog-rock band shared its name with the first book of the Bible?

A27) Genesis.

Q28) Who, during the 1980s, released the single, Bark At The Moon?

A28) Ozzy Osborne.

Q29) Steve Harris, one of the founder’s of Iron Maiden, plays what instrument?

A29) Bass Guitar.

Q30) Rick Allen, the drummer for Def Leopard, famously lost his what, in a car accident?

A30) Arm.

ROUND FOUR. THE WRITTEN WORD.

Q31) Which novelist is the sister of Joan Collins?

A31) Jackie Collins.

Q32) Which Ruth created Inspector Wexford?

A32) Ruth Rendell.

Q33) Which Peter took the Darling children to Neverland?

A33) Peter Pan.

Q34) Who wrote the travel book, Himalaya, and made the TV series of the same name?

A34) Michael Palin.

Q35) Leo Tolstoy wrote about War and … what?

A35) Peace.

Q36) Which bird of prey … Has Landed, in the novel by Jack Higgins?

A36) The Eagle.

Q37) What was on the Island that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote about?

A37) Treasure.

Q38) What was the surname of the classic Charles Dickens character, Oliver?

A38) Twist.

Q39) What was the first name of romantic novelist, Miss Cookson?

A39) Catherine.

Q40) J. R. R. Tolkien famously wrote The Lord Of The Rings: what did the J stand for?

A40) John.

ROUND FIVE. FOOD AND DRINK.

Q41) Who wrote Jamie’s Italy?

A41) Jamie Oliver.

Q42) Which celebrity chef presents The F Word?

A42) Gordon Ramsay.

Q43) A crown roast would be made from which meat?

A43) Lamb.

Q44) Large stuffed tubes of pasta are usually known as what?

A44) Cannelloni.

Q45) Mozzarella cheese is traditionally made from Buffalo milk: what take-away favourite does it usually go on?

A45) The Pizza.

Q46) What is a crouton usually made from?

A46) Fried bread.

Q47) What nuts go into marzipan?

A47) Almonds.

Q48) What colour is Demerara sugar?

A48) Brown.

Q49) Would a three star brandy be very good, average or cheap and nasty?

A49) Very good.

Q50) Is green bacon smoked or unsmoked?

A50) Unsmoked.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL IGNORANCE.

Q51) Michael Eavis, the man behind the Glastonbury Festival, announced in May, 2007, that each festival goer was to get a free … what?

A51) Loo roll. (Recycled loo roll, at that.)

Q52) What body part is examined with an otoscope?

A52) Your Ear.

Q53) What kind of food is a macademia?

A53) A nut.

Q54) What was Glenn Miller’s main instrument?

A54) The Trombone.

Q55) How many sides of a scalene triangle are equal?

A55) None of them.

Q56) Which communist leader was excommunicated in 1962?

A56) Fidel Castro.

Q57) Kylie Minogue appeared in the film, Moulin Rouge: as what character?

A57) The Absinthe Fairy.

Q58) What was the Stock Exchange called, when it first opened: the Royal Exchange, the Corn Exchange or the Pork Futures Warehouse?

A58) The Royal Exchange.

Q59) Who was the first First Lady, despite the term not then having been coined?

A59) Martha Washington.

Q60) Which religious movement was founded by Mary Baker Eddy?

A60) Christian Science.

Enjoy those, everyone. Now, if you’ll excuse me … ? I’m going to try and recover from Miracle Day …

* That was good, that, wasn’t it … ? Blue, white and red … ? Rather clever, I thought, but that’s me …

º I don’t know if Franschhœk’s near Mr S’s home town: but he was able to confirm that the name translate’s as French Corner.