- Which fictitious parrot was given to repeating with great rapidity the words "Pieces of eight!", somewhat to the irritation of her audience?
- Which nine letter adjective contains the consecutive letters "ten" and means "occurring every eight years"?
- Which city is home to the Spanish Riding School?
- Which international sportsman, whose first name is an anagram of a part of the body, has a surname which contains all the letters of the sport he is famous for? (Please note that if the sport, say, is basketball, then the surname would need to include at least two "a"s, two "b"s, and two "l"s)
- Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize outright?
- Alter the first letter of a Shakespeare character and you should have the name of which horse who has won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp?
- In which year was born the most famous grandson of the man who founded a prestigious golfing event that is contested every two years between amateurs of Great Britain + Northern Ireland and the USA?
- And staying with golf, which player scored most points for the USA in the recent Ryder Cup?
- * The title of which famous novel, later a memorable film, was inspired by words from Julia Ward Howe's "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"?
- If he is "Kasket Karl" in Denmark, "Tuffa Viktor" in Sweden, "Willi Wakker" in Germany, and "Jan me de Pot" in Holland, then how is he known to the French?
- And which station on the Paris Metro shares its name with one on the London Underground?
- Which event in the Commonwealth Games provided Eric Liddell with a gold medal?
- Best known by a seven letter name, who was the intrepid flyer created by Capt. W E Johns who, in WWII novels, "Carries On", "Goes East" and is "On the Warpath"?
- * In Greek myth who created the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete?
- Allowing me a small amount of latitude which number concludes (in a particular context) this non mathematical sequence
13 10 15 11 12 23 6 1 ?
- 9/11 was a sad day for the world three years ago. In which year, in the UK, was it also a pretty poor day for the Football Association?
- Which Irish-born idol of the silent screen was married to the lady who became "America's Sweetheart" and was born with the first name Gladys?
- Which city had its Parliament Buildings designed by a person who was murdered in 1935?
- * With an avuncular sort of connection which four letter word links "Bear", "Fox", "Rabbit", "Tarrypin" and "Wolf"?
- Which nation followed next in this incomplete sequence: Sweden, France, Egypt, Venezuela, West Germany, Finland, South Africa, Holland, Argentina, ?
- Sean Connery got his big chance to play "James Bond" on the cinema screen when which enigmatic actor turned down the opportunity after being offered the part?
- In which context could a person choose to deliver a "bobble", a "boomerang", a "drop", a "giraffe" a "pique", or a "twist"?
- What was first seen in February 1930 and was allegedly used by the then Headmaster of Eton College to time his breakfast egg?
- * Who married Catherine of Aragon in 1501?
- A bit of arithmetic now! How many squares of 3 inches by 3 inches can be cut from a rectangular strip of paper (or cardboard) that is 2 yards wide by 14 2/3 feet long?
- Which great physicist and mathematician rather misguidedly stated in the late 19th century that "Radio has no future"?
- Until overtaken by "Oliver!", which had been the longest continuous running musical, in terms of performances given, on the London stage?
- In which city known as the "Venice of the East" can you visit the "Garden of the Master of the Nets", the "Garden of the Humble Administrator" and the "Garden of the Pavilion of Azure Waves"?
- * "I got great enjoyment seeing Jim ------- in action at the Oval" said Paul. "Me too" agreed Peter "but personally I preferred watching ------- at Sandown".
Which two words that are anagrams of each other should replace the blanks so that the above sentence reads logically?
- Which great sportsman gave his baby son the name Gil in honour of his trainer and mentor?
- For several years until the custom died out in the 19th century which popular song was traditionally played or sung by British sailors whilst being issued with their daily rum rations?
- And staying with ships as it were, in which Gilbert and Sullivan opera does "Captain Sir Edward Corcoran" sing (his words in bold) "We never run a ship ashore". "What, never?" "No, never" "What, never?" "Hardly ever!"
- In the context that Flute = Bird; Oboe = Duck; and Clarinet = Cat, what do French horns equate to?
- Which British publication was associated with a latin word for "headache" that was ultimately derived from greek?
- Which current Formula One racing driver shares his surname with a racehorse who won the St Leger?
- Whose enormous range of character names and pseudonyms included one which has tenuous links with Nathuram Godse, Jeffrey Archer, and 3A Berkeley Mansions?
- Who caused something of a stir among animal lovers in the 1960's when jestingly lifting Her, and then Him, upright by their ears in full view of the press?
- Take the first letter of this famous screenwriter's surname and add the initials of his forenames. You should now have a word with a telephonic connection whose letters can be rearranged to spell the surname of a 20th century artist. Again rearrange the letters and you have a common English word which is also a fairly common word in French. How does the French word translate into English? (Anything on the right lines will be fine!)
- Which word is used as a verb colloquially to mean to kick or pass a football between the legs of an opposing player?
- Who was the last of the so called Flavian emperors of Rome?
- Which is the longest unhyphenated word in the English language in which each letter is used exactly twice, eg "peep", "yoyo" etc? The word I am looking for is fairly commonly used and can certainly be found in any dictionary.
- Which monarch features in Sir Walter Scott's "Quentin Durward"?
- Take Roger Bannister's vest number when he ran the world's first sub four minute mile; add the number of Pirandello characters "in search of an author" in his 1920's play; multiply this total by the number of children who "Fall into Adventure", "Run Away Together", "Have a Wonderful Time" etc in the Enid Blyton series; and, finally, subtract the number of Geoffrey Boycott's test match centuries. What figure are you left with?
- This somewhat odd woman was born in the Channel Islands before WW1 and was later expelled from a school in Sussex for encouraging her classmates to dabble in spiritualism. At 17, after being left pregnant when her husband was killed in an accident, she earned a living for a few years as a dishwasher. She married again and for a time sold vacuum cleaners and managed a small dressmaking business.
In 1939 she met the man who was to become her third husband in the late 1970's and, while he served in the army, she had some financial success writing erotic novels under the pseudonym of Frances Dale and, as Philip Essex, penned a few articles about the lost city of Atlantis.
Becoming increasingly forgetful and temperamental as the years passed, she claimed at the registry office marriage referred to above that she was 55 when at the time her sons were 50 and 48, and regularly fell foul of the law due to dangerous driving, even running over a motorist (not fatally) when he chased her for 15 miles after she had crashed into his car. You may not know these particular facts about the lady in question but I think you will all have heard of her. Who was she?
Into Tantalising 30 with three more people for you to identify who have a very definite link. Two found fame in Hollywood and the third was a famous author.
And the link round itself next with, as last month, TWO separate themes. The answers to Q's 54-63, or part of them, whole words naturally, are connected in TWO different ways, with FIVE answers applying to each group.
- Danny, Donnie, Joey, Jonathan, and Jordan were the first names of the members of which successful American pop group of the 1980's and 1990's, this name becoming popular as a term signifying persons who have yet to fully prove themselves in a particular endeavour?
- * In which film did Will Hay portray a potty pedagogue who happened to be a dead ringer for a German general?
- Having won three gold medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics whose life then went steadily downhill with three failed marriages, and an unsuccessful career in films, nightclub entertaining, clerking, and nursing?
- Name the son of a great impressionist painter who enjoyed a distinguished career in French cinema, one of his best roles occurring in a celebrated film in which he shared his character name with the character surname of the enigmatic "hero" of a film made over 50 years later?
- Which four letter word describes a card or cards that in casinos, or in gambling games in general, is/are often peeled off the top of the pack before a hand is played so as to discourage sharp practice?
- Who was the wonder boy of Eagle comics who became endowed with great powers of strength and speed whenever he used his thumbs and index fingers to make a certain sign?
- * If Frank Merrill was 5; James Pierce 4; P Dempsey Tabler 3; and Gene Pollar 2; then, in the same context, who swung into action as 1?
- Name the distinguished Davis Cup player of his era who married the actress Phyllis Konstam.
- Born in Poland in the 1870's, one of eight children, she emigrated to Australia in her early 30's and started a business with her sister which, in due course, would make her fortune. She married in London before the War and made her way to the USA, via Paris, in 1914.
Business boomed but the marriage eventually foundered and she wedded a European prince many years her junior in the late 1930's. A philanthropic soul, she established a Foundation in the 1950's to assist organizations involved in medical research, and was particularly generous in support of Jewish causes until her death in the 1960's. Her name, please.
- What is the English title of the decidedly sombre 1970's Scandinavian film which examines the lives of three sisters, one of whom is terminally ill, and the family servant who cares for them?
- And for one point each what are the TWO links in your answers to Q's 54-63?
- * How was the American 5307th Composite Unit better known during WWII?
- Which same word, in the same general field, can precede "bar", "bush", "face", "grinder", "hub", "losses", "motor", "ring", "ripple", "segment", and "surface" to make two word phrases?
- Which (not very common) girl's name is a type of elasticated boot?
- In an uncharacteristic work of fiction by a famous author, who captured 15 Australian wickets while conceding just 92 runs when playing for England at Lords in his only test match?
- Who or what was "Gertrude" which was sold earlier this year in the USA for about £10,000 and had a connection of sorts with an earlier question in the quiz?
- * Which seven letter word, derived from Zulu, is used in South Africa to mean a witch doctor or spiritual leader?
Now for Competitors' Corner with five posers provocatively provided by your fellow GBQuizzers!
- Which club fielded a starting line-up with 11 different nationalities in a particular round during the 2003/4 FA Cup?
- What word replaces the blank in this late 19th century advertising slogan? "The ------- has the strength of Gibraltar".
- England cricket captain Ted Dexter was a noted amateur golfer but which other England cricket captain defeated him twice in one day, playing right-handed in the morning and left-handed in the afternoon?
- In a WWII comedy context which letter completed this sequence:
N L Y G D I T ?
- Which local resident attempted to halt the flow of the Atlantic Ocean with her mop during a violent storm in Devon in 1824?
Here I go again!
- The first performance in English of which German opera took place at a theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, during October 1904?
- Which rather worthless word that is certainly in "Chambers" and the "OED" is the longest one not to contain the letter "e"? (If you can't fit it in the space provided I will accept the first 10 letters!)
- In which 1960's tongue in cheek secret service/spy thriller film is a plot foiled to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh while he inspects an RAF guard of honour at an air base?
- Which German soldier was responsible for single-handedly shooting dead or wounding the greatest number of enemy in any 12 hour spell during WWII?
- * Proposed by Britain in 1990 and agreed by Commonwealth finance ministers in September that year, what two word term described the formula or agreement whereby the world's poorest countries were excused their debts (or a large part of them anyway) by the richer nations?
Into Tormenting 20 with your six to identify being in no particular order: a Yorkshire-born novelist whose surname sounded the same as that of a great musician; a jazz player, composer, and bandleader; a great Olympic athlete; a footballing legend whose forename's initials spelled JET; a celebrated writer of science fiction; and a piano playing Dame.
- Ernest, a Swiss-born composer; Felix, a Swiss-born physicist; Jean-Richard, a French novelist; Konrad, a German-born biochemist; Marc, a French historian; Martin, a German-born painter; and Herbert, an American cartoonist, all have similar sounding surnames. Which of them is the odd one out?
- Which sport links the acting careers of Ian Carmichael, Jonathan Cecil, Lyn Harding, Stacy Keach, Leslie Phillips, and Fernando Rey?
- A few centuries ago enemy ships were sometimes lured ashore and wrecked when a lantern was attached to a horse's neck and its hind legs tied together, the resultant bobbing motion giving the impression of a ship's light at sea. What was this cunning practice called, as in "to -------"?
- Staying with horses as it were, the elvish word for "friend", according to Tolkien, is the same as the surname of a former multimillionaire American businessman, art collector, and racehorse owner-breeder whose colours were carried by one of the greatest horses ever to race in Britain. What was its name?
- Which surname used in fiction by two very different authors can also be a 19th century machine for cleaning corn; a type of sandstone in German geology; and an obsolete word for a common woman?
- Three cryptic crossword clues now. One point for each.
- Turbulent land surrounded by reptiles and game (6, 3, 7)
- Planck's constant after Verdi's troubled whirling? (7)
- Cox at me (6, 3, 6)
- Which 1920's French novel was inspired by the trial in Bordeaux for attempted murder, some 20 years earlier, of Blanche-Henriette Canaby?
- In 1984 a Labour MP greatly amused the House of Commons when he stated "The Nigerians have kidnapped the wrong Minister of Transport". For one point each, who made this statement; who was the "wrong minister"; and who had recently been kidnapped in this context?
- In the early 1870's who painted a pastiche of Manet's "Olympia" of 1863 in which he portrayed himself and a dog gazing at a vision of a nude being unveiled by a coloured maidservant?
- Which former liquid measure in Scotland comprising some two English pints was also the surname of a famous composer?
- Which test match cricketer inspired the word "Chinaman" for a certain type of delivery by a left-handed bowler? (I suspect there is more than one "justification" for this cricketing term, but I shall only accept the one that fits the question!)
- According to its latin inscription, how long did it take to build a well-known pyramid in Italy which was completed a few years before the birth of Christ?
- Work out what you think these letters represent and say which letter follows next thus completing the series?
S W F W S Z K L J W S ?
- Back in the 1960's a young reporter was granted an appointment to interview a man I shall call "X" at the Savoy Hotel in London. He was met in his suite by the actor Christian Marquand who was, at the time, X's lover and his procurer of Asian girls and boys. X himself was friendly enough but stank of stale sweat and marijuana. During the interview X helped himself liberally to amyl nitrate poppers and champagne, and consumed vast amounts of junk food.
The reporter had felt obliged to partake of the champagne and joints for the sake of the work in hand but most of what X had to say about the likes of Chaplin, Loren, and Sinatra was clearly unpunishable. X then said he would be more forthcoming if he (the reporter) joined in a game of strip poker. X did indeed then begin to talk but the scribe was now past caring. After being being violently ill in the shower he made his escape and, several aspirins and black coffees later, wrote a sanitised account of his interview. His editor realised he was keeping a few things back, and asked to see the original notes. In due course it was decided not to run the article. Until quite recently that is. So, who was X?
