Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1st September 2026.

1st September, 2026.

It’s official: or, at least, it’s official according to the reminders we’ve had from the BBC’s weather broadcasts.

1st September is the start of meteorological autumn.

Which means … well … not a lot, to be honest.

Except that, at some point, I’m going to be forced to eat pumpkin coloured boiled sweets by people marking Halloween.

The mind boggles!

~≈🍭≈~

I’ve worked up with a phrase banging around my head: and I don’t know if there’s a phrase similar to earworm that can describe the phenomenon.

An earworm, so you know, is a song or musical phrase, that’s wandering around your head.

Tupac Shakur’s “California Love”, if you were asking.

But I’ve also had the phrase ‘Interchangeable Emmas’ banging around my head.

It’s a Terry Pratchett reference, from Men at Arms: they’re the group of posh young women who work at the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Dragons, and have obsessions with ponies and swamp dragons.

The main character, Sam Vimes … ?

Finds it incredibly hard to tell the difference between any two given Emmas.

The reason I have the phrase in my mind?

Is that I suddenly thought of one of the regulars at a pub I worked in: who was called Emma, and posh … and had a thing about Big Brother, rather than ponies or dragons.

Why her name cropped up in my head?

I really don’t know!

~≈🐴≈~

Let’s move on.


Yesterday’s Teaser saw Mum* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and video.

Q1)        1st September is Wattle Day.   In other words, it’s the first day of spring, where: Australia, the UK or Japan?

Q2)        1st September is Knowledge Day.   In what used to be what: the Soviet Union, the USA or the pre-Brexit EU?

Q3)        1st September is the feast day of Saint Giles.   He’s the patron saint of where: Glasgow, Edinburgh or Dunfermline?

Q4)        1st September is Independence Day in Uzbekistan.   It marks the country’s independence from where: the USSR, Turkmenistan or Angola?

Q5)        Finally … ?   Richard Farnsworth was born on 1st September, 1920.   His last film appearance was in a film called The Straight Story.   Who directed Farnsworth in The Straight Story?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        Mohammad bin Salman was born on 31st August, 1985.   He’s Crown prince of where: Yemen, Saudi Arabia or Egypt?

A1)        Saudi Arabia.

Q2)        More to the point, he’s a member of the House of what: Al Thania, Al Saud or Al Maktoum?

A2)        Al Saud.

Q3)        Rolando was born on 31st August, 1985.   He played international football for which side: Spain, Portugal or France?

A3)        Portugal.

Q4)        31st August is the feast day of Saint Wala of Corbie.   Where is Corbie: France, Germany or Belgium … ?

A4)        France.

Q5)        Finally … ?   31st August is Departure Day.   Where: Azerbaijan, Afghanistan or Kurgistan?

A5) Afghanistan.

Here’s a thought …

“No, I didn’t audition, I didn’t even know [The Straight Story’s director] until the week before I started the film.”

Richard Farnsworth, September 1, 1920 – October 6, 2000.

And a Natalie Bassingthwaighte song …

The next 10 question sets are on 5th, 7th and 11th September: they’re about the Muppet Show, Boston and the Nine-Eleven attacks.

There’s a twelve question set on 8th September: about Star Trek.

Your comments, and today’s answers, will be published in tomorrow’s Teaser.

AI is avoided when writing these questions.

Answers are as accurate as possible: at the time of writing.

Decisions about scores are final.

Thank you for coming: have a good day.

*        Hello, Mum.  (Five out of five, again!)

†        As I recall, Debbi … ?   MI9 has long since gone: it was the organisation that got escaped POWs out of Europe, during WW2, and closed down in 1945.   Did you ever see a British show called Secret Army?   MI9 would have been organising the British end of the Lifeline routes.

        I think the Beatles had stopped using the ‘Quarrymen’ name well before they played at the Cavern!   If I’ve done the Google search, correctly, they changed their name in mid 1960: and only started playing the Cavern in 1961.

        I don’t know that much about the Who, beyond the story about the guitar smashing: that started as an accident.

        Oh, this might appeal … 

        Good luck on set!