1. In his classic movie La Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini named a particularly irritating character after the sound made by a buzzing mosquito. Name the character.
Paparazzo. He was a press photographer.
2. In horse-racing history, what distinction do the following horses – Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk, Godolphin Arabian – hold?
All ‘thoroughbred’ horses descend from one of these three.
3. What is variously known as the gammadion, the fylfot and the hakenkreusz?
The swastika.
4. In legal parlance, what is the Portsmouth Defence?
When defending a charge of assault, claim that you were provoked into the act by a homosexual advance. (Portsmouth = Royal Navy port, hence).
5. A certain US surface-to-air missile is named after this Greek goddess, the daughter of Pallas and Styx. Name her.
Nike.
6. What contribution to technology was made by the German director Fritz Lang in his 1930 movie Frau im Mond?
He invented the countdown.
7. Aesculapius was a legendary physician, later deified as the God of Healing. Name his daughter.
Panacea.
8. What qualification would you have to have to join the Caterpillar Club?
Abandon a plane and survive. Parachutes are made of silk, hence caterpillar.
9. Complete this rhyme:
We don’t want to fight
But _____________
We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men,
We’ve got the money too.
“By Jingo if we do”. Hence jingoism.
10. During the Spanish Civil War, 4 divisions of General Franco’s Nationalist army marched on Madrid, upon which his colleague General Emilio Mola said… what?
A fifth column of our supporters will rise within the city.
11. In 1873, a group of sports enthusiasts met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Manhattan to establish a set of rules governing intercollegiate sports, especially football. What resulted?
The Ivy League.
12. In the southern US states, politicians would hire musicians to go through the streets to raise support prior to elections. Phrase origin?
Bandwagon.
13. Which word usage is derived from the proverb “Don’t sell the skin before you’ve caught the bear”?
Bear trading (on the stock market).
14. What, apart from the obvious, is common to the words Bishop, Cardinal and Pope? (nothing to do with religion)
They’re all drinks, made by pouring various kinds of wine (red, white and tokay respectively) over ripe bitter oranges.
15. How do we better know the organization called ‘The Fists of Righteous Harmony’?
The Boxers.
16. A congressman was once asked why he had made such a long, flowery and uncalled-for speech. He replied, “I was not speaking to the House, but to my constituency”. Name his constituency.
Buncombe, North Carolina. Hence Bunkum.
17. What would you call a person appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to rigorously oppose the claims of a candidate for canonization?
Devil’s Advocate.
18. What was made in Cremona in the early 18th century by Nicolo and Andrea A___, and their apprentice Antonio S_____ ?
Violins. Amato and Stradivarius.
19. The following verses by Swinburne are an example of amphigouri.
From the depth of the dreamy decline of the dawn
Through a notable nimbus of nebulous noonshine,
Pallid and pink as the palm of the flag-flower
That flickers with fear of the flies as they float.
So, what are amphigouri?
Intentionally meaningless verses.
20. Complete this quote by Mussolini: “An ____ around which all European states animated by the will to collaboration and peace can assemble.”
Axis.
21. Old Testament Hebrew ritual: two goats are brought to the temple. One is sacrificed. The sins of the people are transferred to the other, and it’s allowed to go free. What was the second goat called?
Scapegoat (contraction of Escape).
22. Before the coming of jazz, a particular type of dance competition was very popular among southern Negroes. What was it called / what prize did the winning couple get?
The cakewalk / a cake.
23. Fill in the blanks in this, the first maxim of the Roman law of sale: “____ _____, quia ignorare non debuit quod ius alienum emit”.
Caveat Emptor.
24. What was invented by the immigrant West Indian cricketer Ellis Achong?
The Chinaman (left-arm wrist-spin that turns into a right-handed batsman).
25. According to Aristotle, the ‘sixth sense’ has nothing to do with the supernatural, but is instead an internal ability that links the other five senses together. What did Aristotle call this sixth sense?
Common sense.
26. What would you call a drink with, canonically, the following five components: spirit, spice, sugar, water and fruit nectar. ? (Hint: British Raj)
Punch (from Hindi paanch for five).
27. The answer is “Venio Romam, iterum crucifigi”. What is the question?
Domine, Quo Vadis? (trans: Lord, where goest thou? To Rome, to be crucified again)
28. It was invented by Thomas Drummond in 1826, and first used in a lighthouse; its main subsequent use was in the theatre. It was produced by burning hydrogen on the surface of a catalyst. Name the catalyst or the invention.
Calcium oxide, Limelight. (This question featured in the 2009 edition as well).
29. Between 1935 and 1945, the Dutch painter Han van Meegeren sold 14 fake paintings (mostly imitation Vermeers) for a total of over 7 million guilders (about 30 million of today’s dollars), and was never once suspected of forgery. Nonetheless he confessed to his crime in 1945. Why?
Meegeren sold one of his paintings to Goering. Treason (selling a national treasure like a Vermeer) was a much worse crime than forgery. Hence.
30. Which place name, usually taken to refer to New York, was coined by Washington Irving in his literary magazine ‘Salmagundi’?
Gotham.
31. What was first cultivated by Maria Ann Smith of Eastwood, NSW, a farmer’s wife?
Granny Smith apples.
32. In the Wild West, how was the start of a formal duel signaled by the arbitrator?
The participants would fight 'at the drop of a hat'.
33. Greek myth: The nymph Salmacis fell in love with the son of Aphrodite and Hermes, and prayed that she be united with him forever. Name the son.
Hermaphroditus.
34. The phrase “stick ‘em up” is supposedly a contraction of a longer phrase. Give the full original phrase.
Stick ‘em up high, Jack. Hence hijack. (Other theories abound).
35. In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous witnessed a supernatural event. Where?
Lourdes.
36. His sword was Calibeorn, his shield was Pridwen, his spear was Ron. Who are we talking about?
Arthur (in the original Welsh legend).
37. Victor Hartmann was a somewhat obscure artist whose paintings include The Gnome, Tuileries, The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks, Two Jews: Rich and Poor, Catacombs, The Hut on Fowl’s Legs, The Great Gate of Kiev. What did he inspire?
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
38. The herald of the Greek army besieging Troy had a very loud voice. Name him.
Stentor, hence stentorian.
39. Where would you come across Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde?
Pac-man.
40. If you were summoned to the Court of Neptune, where your punishment was to roughly shaved and forced to swallow soap pills, what ‘crime’ would you have committed?
Crossing the equator for the first time on shipboard.
41. Sappho was a Greek poet, famous for her love lyrics, who lived in the 6th century BC. Where did she live?
Lesbos, hence lesbian.
42. What would you call a group of unicorns?
A blessing.
43. What is the best-known symptom of Tourette’s disease?
The uncontrollable urge to spout obscenities.
44. Complete: Pythian, Isthmian, Nemean, ___
Olympic (four sets of games of ancient Greece).
45. He changed his name from the original Greek form, Theophilus, to its Latin equivalent, for reasons of fashion. Posterity knows him as… who?
(Wolfgang) Amadeus (Mozart).
46. He wrote three books: The School for Adults; The Golden Mean; The Book of Maxims. Who?
Confucius.
47. Gheert Cremer’s father was a merchant. This governed Cremer’s choice of pseudonym. What did Cremer publish?
A map. Merchant in Latin is ‘Mercator’.
48. It was established in 1814 at St John’s Wood in London, by Thomas ____ of the White Conduit Club. What?
Lord’s.
49. Who or what has the blood group T- ?
Spock.
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