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Questions and Answers, 1-30 |
1. Swallowed up in the fog
Q: Please provide the appropriate entries at the
beginning and ending of
this list: ????
A: Sun and Ray. The entries are the names of the
noble gases (helium,
neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon) translated into to English. If this is too easy, we can just give three and ask for three more.
2. Camel Jockey
Q: This colorful character of WWI-era aviation is
also known to have
spent some time in Francophone Sahara with his flying friends searching for a particular military installation. What is the name of the desert outpost associated with that part of his
A: Fort Zinderneuf (Snoopy vs. The Red Baron)
3. Listener's Digest
Q: A scant 86 years after the line in the London
tube system whose
colour is silver was opened was an interesting year in music on both sides of the pond. We have taken the introductions from five top songs from that year and pasted them together into an eight second MP3 file (141Kb)! Please listen to this sound file http://www.totally-official.com/SDC2003/../sdc2003/sdcMusic.mp3 and tell us [1] the year; [2] the titles of the songs.
A: 1966
Wild Thing Summer in the City You Keep Me Hanging On You Don't Have to Say You Love Me Little Red Riding Hood
4. Alfa, Toyota, and ...
Q: Add another item in such a way that this list
remains meaningful and
consistent: Juliet, Cleopatra, Cressida, ??
A: Ronicus. Each item is the part of the title of a
Shakespeare play
after "and": Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Troilus and Cressida, Titus Andronicus. (Could "Lancaster" also be a valid answer to this question? "The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster" is the original title of 2 Henry VI.)
5. How many parts?
Q: Consider the eight classical parts of speech:
noun, pronoun,
adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Name two words that are each listed as at least five of these parts of speech (and provide the appropriate citation to a reputable dictionary, unless http://www.m-w.com suffices).
A:
The words 'up' and 'down' are each listed as: noun, adjective, verb,
Notes: The requirement to name two words is a half-hearted hint to think
I have not found a way to make m-w.com do wildcard hunting for multiple
There may be others having five. Six, anyone?
6. Silence in the desert
Q: I was born (in a city whose name means "Street
Fortress") in the same
year that England declared war on Spain. My surname means something like "Large Trees", or something like that. But of course, I changed my name when I married an engineer in Paris, and took his last name, which some say means, "Keeping Silent in the Desert" (although others would dispute this etymology). I had a profession whereby I enjoyed access to high society. One year after the English fleet destroyed the Danish fleet in the harbour of Copenhagen, my husband and I moved to London. I died in the year that Prussia and Austria-Hungary received their constitutions "from above". A photograph of me is at http://www.londonelegance.com/aue/who.jpg Who am I? (Flonker's note - at one point during the actual competition the above URL appeared to be dead, so an alternative URL was provided: http://www.totally-official.com/SDC2003/../sdc2003/MysteryWoman.jpg )
A: Of course this could only be Madam Tussaud, nee
Grosholtz.
7. Institutional Building
Q: See the picture at
http://www.totally-official.com/SDC2003/../sdc2003/TallBuilding.jpg
Doubtless you have seen this building on televsion. Can you identify it (either by address or in terms of its occupiers)
A: Number 10 Broadway, SW1, London. Home of The
Metropolitan Police
Service, aka New Scotland Yard. See: http://www.met.police.uk/history/new_scotland_yard.htm
8. The winds are gone!
Q: This is a three-part-many-sheep question.
Please examine the photo
that may be seen by clicking here http://www.totally-official.com/SDC2003/../sdc2003/nationality_woman.jpg, and provide the following: 1. where was the photo taken? 2. what is the exact height of this person in centimetres? 3. (extreme toughie) believe it or not, our very own aue archives contain a link to *another* photograph of this subject (taken at a prominent wax museum in London) in a thread having to do with naming various nationalities. What is the nationality of this woman? 4. why is she unhappy?
A: Windsor Castle, *EXACTLY* 160 centimetres,
Kazakh/Cossack, because
she cannot see over the wall into the garden of the castle. Long Url
9. Marching Orders
Q: I began my journey at the base of a steep
hill. I proceeded
south-east on a street whose name commemorates a notable battle. I turned right and proceeded south along a street whose name commemorates a notable battle. I then made another right and proceeded on a street whose name commemorates a notable battle. After several moments, I turned left on a street whose name commemorates the ending of a war. I turned right again and proceeded until I found myself on a small street whose name commemorates a notable battle. Before me was a street whose name ultimately comes from a Viking warlord. I saw a memorial there, but it did not commemorate those who died there. Who died here? Please support your answer by retracing my route.
A: Princess Diana of Wales et al. Montmartre,
Magenta, Sebastopol,
Rivoli, Concorde, Alma, and Avenue d' New York.
10. Knickers in a twist?
Q: A dignified and serious attendant transforms
into a somewhat louche
artiste. A past exponent of her art might have provided an exotic cup of tea. Please explain why, these days, you would probably find her among Scandinavian simpletons, with Eastern European field-dwellers adding special appeal to her performance.
A: An ecdysiast (anagram of staid+syce) is a
stripper and Gipsy Rose Lee
(Rosie Lee = cup of tea) is the past exponent. Lapps (from a word meaning simpleton) and Poles (from a word meaning field-dweller) (lap dancing, pole dancing)
11. Jiggery-pokery
Q: Compose a double dactyl about an aue poster.
Rhyme and meter must be
exact.
A: There was no Totally Official Answer provided
of course.
So contributions are reproduced below. Mike Oliver offered: -------------------------------------------------- Mike Oliver then added I see on Googling that I forgot a rule. Try: Brooklynus Fooklinus-------------------------------------------------- Ben Zimmer chimed in with Higgledy Piggledy http://alt-usage-english.org/I_before_E.html -------------------------------------------------- "Humor is not a valid excuse for posting false and
defamatory Ingeles Angeles-------------------------------------------------- A discussion about permissibility of double dactyls then broke out to which Ben Zimmer put the kibosh by quoting John Hollander's use of "the classic double dactyl", e.g.: Twilight's Last Gleaming--John Hollander More here: http://www.stinky.com/dactyl/dactyl.html ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- rzed then retorted: Who's'e confusey-------------------------------------------------- pinguid at pongid then blasted: Donna Richoux-------------------------------------------------- David56 came back snappily with Higgledy Piggledy,-------------------------------------------------- Gary Vass then risked severe retribution with: Outfielder, infielder-------------------------------------------------- To which Toady Lickspittle came right back with Niminy - Piminy-------------------------------------------------- Jerry Friedman, a panelist, just couldn't resist with: Panelist attempt:-------------------------------------------------- Laura Spira then settled the argument by pointing out
12. Surprisingly PC Q: What's been running in Broadway for 36 years?
A: The Metropolitan Police Service, aka New
Scotland Yard.
See: http://www.met.police.uk/history/new_scotland_yard.htm
13. Mystery Person
Q: I was born in a place associated with a doctor
with poor eyesight. My
academic work led me into public life and, among others, an association with a man with an oddly puzzling name who led a famously unpopular (and unexpected) group. In my early sixties, I took on a high-profile job for which my nationality and name make me unusual. Sadly, I died soon after. Ives' speculation about the fate of an elderly acquaintance has something in common with legends about the cause of my death. Who am I?
A: Pope Adrian VI. Born in Utrecht (Dr
Strabismus(whom God preserve)of
Utrecht is a character from the work of H. B. Morton, "Beachcomber".) Professor of Theology. Associated with Ximenes, leader of Spanish Inquisition (Monty Python: No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition"; puzzle connection: UK crossword setter called Ximenes) Became pope when aged 62/63 (sources vary). Was not required to change name and was last non-Italian pope until 1970s. Reputed to have died after swallowing a fly (Burl Ives "I know an old woman who swallowed a fly.")
14. Four Corners?
Q: What is the fourth element of this set?
Los Angeles, Calif. Seattle, Wash. Newton, Mass.????
A: Jacksonville, Fla.
These cities are the intersections of Interstates 5 and 10, 5 and 90, 95 and 90, and 95 and 10. (If the inclusion of Newton in the data makes it too easy, switch Newton and Jacksonville.)
15. Intoxication of sweetness
Q: How does night unfurl its splendour? Please
punctuate correctly.
A: Slowly, gently. (Phantom of The Opera)
16. ISO Certified Communications Protocol
Q: What piece of communications equipment works
equally well everywhere
in the world?
A: A transponder. (Transpondial?)
17. Plus ca change, the more it's the same thing
Q: Name two words--call them A and B--that have
the following property:
The English word A is translated (in one sense) by the French word B, the English word B is translated by the French word A, and another sense of the English word A is also A in French. Of course we're talking about spelling, not pronunciation, but B is pronounced in English about the same as A is pronounced in French.
A: A = mine, B = mien
18. Iowa's missing too
Q: Mary, Laura, Caroline, Grace--who's missing?
A: Charles, or Freddie. (Laura Ingalls Wilder's
baby brother Charles
Frederick, who died in Iowa. Both Freddie and the family's stay in Iowa are omitted from the Little House books.)
19. Famous musical type
Q: My first name is derived from my mother's
maiden name, and of course
my last name I got from my Dad. I am still popular today - known for both my lyrics and my tunes - even though I died somewhere around the mid-1960's. (But I did have a long and productive life - I nearly made it to 100). Anybody hearing my name for the first time might assume it had something
A: Cole Porter. (As opposed to a coal porter or a
colporteur)
20. We're not making this any easier
Q: In the original language, to what does God
measure the wind?
A: Brebis tondue (sheared ewe). From the French
proverb "A brebis tondue
Dieu mesure le vent," God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.
21. Diminutive royal leg
Q: Who won the "Bluebird", and how did it become
more famous?
A: Boris Spassky (defeating David Bronstein at
Leningrad in 1960). The
final position of this chess game was shown in the movie of _From Russia with Love_.
22. Butter at the Deux Magots
Q: My poetry has been published in France, but
not in my native land and
not in my native language. My first name is that of an Apostle. My last name means "I have suffered" in Icelandic. Who am I?
A: Paul Gascoigne
23. Artichoke!
Q: What is the Latin sentence, and what was the
name of the underage
restaurateur's daughter?
A: Latin sentence: non sum qualis eram bonae sub
regno Cynarae.
Underage daughter: Adelaide Foltinowicz (known as "Missie"). Ernest
24. But not Jerusalem artichokes
Q: What connects The Synagogue, a professor of
Hebrew in Strasbourg, and
artichokes?
A: _The Synagogue_ or _The Collection_ is the name
of a mathematical
compendium by Pappus (early 4th century B.C.?), Johannes Pappus (1549-1610) was a Lutheran theologian and professor of Hebrew, and the seed of an artichoke has a pappus. The "choke" consists of the developing pappi. (Jerusalem artichokes are in the sunflower genus, _Helianthus_, one of the minority of Asteraceae genera in which the seeds don't have pappi.)
25. What colour? (Toughie)
Q: Scenario: Please assume that you are making a
quick wine run to
Calais on the Dover ferry. As you aimlessly roam (bored to tears) about the passenger deck, you notice a flurry of heated activity, and drawn from boredom you approach the fracas. Suddenly, a crew member recognises you as an alt.usage.english regular and announces in a broad French accent, "Ah ha! We have someone to solve our problem!" As the gathering crowd stares at you in admiration, the crew member
He repeats the following in broken English: "...I essentially with
What colour?
A: Gray!
Explanation: Dobie Gray, 1965, "The In Crowd". The text is a Babelfish
Contributor comment: What a hoot! If it's square, we ain't there...
26. Tree to get ready Q: Please name a tree that was blown down in a
storm in 1820.
A: The Fairlop Oak, Hainault Forest, Essex
27. All in the family
Q: My great-grandfather was ennobled in the 17th
century, and
immediately commissioned a fictitious family tree tracing him back to the first lord great chamberlain of England. My grandfather invited 100 young people to a house party with the intent of marrying them off to each other, but he died during the party leaving 54 wills. My father had the peculiar habit of arising very early in the morning to pick fruit from the garden and hiding it throughout the house. When the Crimean War broke out, I decided to build the largest hot-air balloon in the world, fly it across Europe, and shoot at the Russian army from above. Sadly, this plan never materialised. So I moved to Spain and became a recluse in a hotel. I had my meals delivered to my room, but never let anyone collect the crockery - when the room filled up with dirty plates, I simply took a new room! When I died, my earldom became extinct. Oddly enough, I am remembered as a great balloonist. Who am I?
A: Benjamin Stratford, 6th earl of Aldborough
28. 15 minutes
Q: My 15 minutes of fame came in the early 1970s
at a senior citizens
talent contest in Bognor Regis. I was 80 years old at the time. As a contestant, I recited the following verse: A robin redbreast on my sill, Unfortunately, the judges disqualified me. Who was I?
A: Bert Hodges.
29. Cooperage Toughie Q: See the picture at click here.
http://www.totally-official.com/SDC2003/../sdc2003/cooper_flame.jpg Where was this picture taken? If someone who was mentioned in the answer to one of this year's teasers
A: Ottery St. Mary
30. Hidden connection Q: What is the connection among abuelos cracking
whips, the bearer of
the Claw, and gay rights? Please give full details.
A: One or more characters called "abuelos"
(grandfathers), who crack
whips, are among the masked dancers in the Matachines dances of Hispanic America, at least in the northern Mexican and southwestern U.S. versions. The bearer of the Claw is Severian, the hero of Gene Wolfe's superb tetralogy _The Book of the New Sun_. Starting life as a torturer in a science-fictional Commonwealth, he grew up in the Matachin Tower, probably so named because the torturers wore masks. The Mattachine or Matachine Society was a gay-rights group founded in Los Angeles in 1950 and influential till the mid '60s. It was named after the Societe Mattachine in medieval and renaissance France, which presented masques, with reference to the hidden lives of gay men at the time.
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