ROUND 1 - 'Decidedly December’

Every answer contains the consecutive letters ‘D-E-C’

1.

What’s the name of BBC Breakfast’s business news front man?

2.

What is the name of Israel’s ‘nuclear secrets’ spy who was jailed for 18 years in 1986?

3.

What was the name of the 1980s Esmonde/Larbey BBC sitcom featuring Penelope Wilton, Richard Briers and Peter Egan?

4.

Who made a big mistake in 1962 by going instead for Brian Poole and the Tremeloes?

5.

Which Wilfred Owen poem ends with the line: “Pro patria mori”?

6.

What type of cocktail consists of brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice?

7.

What was the name of Boccaccio’s book of 100 tales that was supposed to be told in ten days?

8.

Napier in New Zealand was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931.  It was promptly rebuilt and remains one of the world’s best examples of what style of architecture?

ROUND 2

1.

Both a football league team and a Premiership rugby team play their matches at Vicarage Road.  Name both.

2.

What makes the Worcestershire village of Hanbury well known?

3.

Which classic Jerome Kern song contains the line: “You’re just as hard to land as the Ile de France”?

4.

What word links a Lou Adler/Michael White show and the Brockton Blockbuster?

5.

What’s the name of the gusty wind that blows from North Africa towards the North Mediterranean coast?

6.

Which famous work of fiction starts with the lines: “Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-house for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes.”?

7.

What did Chad Varah set up in 1953?

8.

What job did L S Lowry have other than painter?

ROUND 3 - Pictures

1.

Identify the dance step shown below.

2.

Identify the dance step shown below.

3.

Identify the chess move shown below.

4.

Identify the chess move shown below.

5.

Identify the sport from the pitch diagram shown below.

6.

Identify the sport from the pitch diagram shown below.

7.

Identify the game in the picture below.

8.

Identify the game in the picture below.

ROUND 4

1.

Which is the southernmost city in New Zealand?

2.

Which 3-letter word has the longest entry in the Oxford English Dictionary with over 430 senses for its use as a verb alone?

3.

On the rail route south from Stockport to Stoke what particular railway features are Prestbury, Hibel Road and Harecastle?

4.

What type of creature is a nilgai?

5.

In Greek mythology who was father to Iphigenia?

6.

Who said: “Women should be obscene and not heard.”?

7.

Four species of Auk breed in the British Isles: Common Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Puffin and what?

8.

Bath, Blenheim Palace and Ironbridge Gorge are three of the 22 in the UK. What?

ROUND 5 - 'Full Technicolor'

Each of the questions is about films and contains a colour somewhere in the answer

1.

Who won an Oscar in 1972 for playing the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret?

2.

Which 1980 film comedy recently won a BBC6 Music poll to find the best movie soundtrack?

3.

In which 1949 film did Dirk Bogarde kill Dixon of Dock Green?

4.

Which 1973 sci-fi film starred Charlton Heston and, in his last film, Edward G. Robinson?

5.

Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar for best original dramatic score with a 1952 film in which he directed and starred.  What was the film called?

6.

In which film did Bill Halley sing Rock Around the Clock?

7.

Who won an Oscar for his directorial debut on Ordinary People in 1980?

8.

He directed his first feature film The Draughtsman’s Contract in 1982 and subsequent films include Drowning by Numbers (1987) and The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover (1989).  Who is he?

ROUND 6

1.

Both a league football team and a Premiership rugby team play their matches at the Madejski Stadium.  Name both

2.

The Scottish town of Callander was used as the basis for which fictional town?

3.

Which classic Jerome Kern song contains the line: “Nothing’s impossible I have found/ for when my chin is on the ground…”?

4.

What word links Pitkin and third molars?

5.

What name is given to a warm dry wind that blows in the Rocky Mountain region of North America?

6.

Which famous work of fiction starts with the lines: “When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”?

7.

For what was Tubby Clayton famous?

8.

L S Lowry painted a famous picture called: Going to the Match, but which local football ground was he depicting?

ROUND 7 – 'On your metal'

Each of the answers contains a reference to a metal

1.

The Platters had a 1956 hit with The Great Pretender.  Whose cover version was a hit in 1987?

2.

Which band’s hits include Run to the Hills, The Evil that Men Do, Infinite Dreams, and Holy Smoke?

3.

What was Joseph Heller’s next book after Catch 22 and Something Happened?

4.

Which 80’s television detective series starred Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist?

5.

By what nickname was the area of New York on 28th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway, known as in the early part of the 20th century?

6.

Which folk group had their first hit single in November 1973, with Gaudete, which reached No. 14 in the charts?

7.

An insect of the Lepisma family, the adult insect is about a ½ inch long.  It lives in cool damp places, and eats a wide variety of things, including glue and wallpaper paste.  What is this insect commonly known as?

8.

The herb, Foeniculum vulgare, grows 3-4 feet tall, is graceful and aromatic, is edible and medicinal. What is this herb commonly known as?

1.

Which is the most northerly inhabited island of the United Kingdom?

2.

What theatrical term derives from the Latin word for ‘when’?

3.

Travelling south by train from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport you pass Slade Lane, Heaton Norris and Edgeley.  In railway terms what particular features are these?

4.

What type of creature is a taipan?

5.

The Greek monster, the Chimera, had a lion’s head and a serpent’s tail – but what type of body did it have?

6.

Who said: “What you said hurt me very much – I cried all the way to the bank.”?

7.

Four species of Falcon breed in the British Isles: Peregrine, Kestrel, Merlin and what?

8.

Haverigg, Wymott, Rudgate and Acklington are all what?

1.

How is Mr McPartlin’s constant companion widely known?

2.

In 1971, the BBC television series Dad’s Army was made into a film.  Who is the only member of the regular cast who is still alive and what part did he play?

3.

The German Gònter Grass published his first novel in 1959.  What is it called?

4.

In 1964 who was the first person other than royalty to appear on a UK stamp?

5.

Which country issued the world’s first triangular stamps?

6.

If you find the exact half way point of the Chambers English Dictionary which letter’s words will you find being defined there?

7.

Which sovereign state is officially known in its own language as Al-Mamlaka Al-Maghribiyya?

8.

Which sovereign state is officially known in its own language as Chosun Minchu-chui Inmin Kongwa-guk?

ROUND 1 - 'Decidedly December’

Every answer contains the consecutive letters ‘D-E-C’

1.

What’s the name of BBC Breakfast’s business news front man?

Declan Curry

2.

What is the name of Israel’s ‘nuclear secrets’ spy who was jailed for 18 years in 1986?

Mordecai Vanunu

3.

What was the name of the 1980s Esmonde/Larbey BBC sitcom featuring Penelope Wilton, Richard Briers and Peter Egan?

Ever Decreasing Circles

4.

Who made a big mistake in 1962 by going instead for Brian Poole and the Tremeloes?

Decca Records (when they turned down the Beatles)

5.

Which Wilfred Owen poem ends with the line: “Pro patria mori”?

Dulce et Decorum est

6.

What type of cocktail consists of brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice?

Sidecar

7.

What was the name of Boccaccio’s book of 100 tales that was supposed to be told in ten days?

Decameron

8.

Napier in New Zealand was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931.  It was promptly rebuilt and remains one of the world’s best examples of what style of architecture?

Art deco

ROUND 2

1.

Both a football league team and a Premiership rugby team play their matches at Vicarage Road.  Name both.

Watford and Saracens

2.

What makes the Worcestershire village of Hanbury well known?

It is the village on which the original creators of The Archers based Ambridge

3.

Which classic Jerome Kern song contains the line: “You’re just as hard to land as the Ile de France”?

A Fine Romance

4.

What word links a Lou Adler/Michael White show and the Brockton Blockbuster?

Rocky

(writers of The Rocky Horror Show and nickname for Rocky Marciano, the boxer)

5.

What’s the name of the gusty wind that blows from North Africa towards the North Mediterranean coast?

Sirocco

6.

Which famous work of fiction starts with the lines: “Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-house for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes.”?

Animal Farm

7.

What did Chad Varah set up in 1953?

The Samaritans

8.

What job did L S Lowry have other than painter?

Rent Collector

ROUND 3 - Pictures

1.

Identify the dance step shown below.

Foxtrot

2.

Identify the dance step shown below.

Tango

3.

Identify the chess move shown below.

En passant

(pawn capture)

4.

Identify the chess move shown below.

Castling

5.

Identify the sport from the pitch diagram shown below.

Curling

6.

Identify the sport from the pitch diagram shown below.

Water Polo

7.

Identify the game in the picture below.

Connect 4

8.

Identify the game in the picture below.

Mahjongg

ROUND 4

1.

Which is the southernmost city in New Zealand?

Invercargill

2.

Which 3-letter word has the longest entry in the Oxford English Dictionary with over 430 senses for its use as a verb alone?

Set

3.

On the rail route south from Stockport to Stoke what particular railway features are Prestbury, Hibel Road and Harecastle?

Tunnels

4.

What type of creature is a nilgai?

An antelope

(an Indian one)

5.

In Greek mythology who was father to Iphigenia?

Agamemnon

6.

Who said: “Women should be obscene and not heard.”?

John Lennon

7.

Four species of Auk breed in the British Isles: Common Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Puffin and what?

Razorbill

8.

Bath, Blenheim Palace and Ironbridge Gorge are three of the 22 in the UK. What?

World Heritage sites

ROUND 5 - 'Full Technicolor'

Each of the questions is about films and contains a colour somewhere in the answer

1

Who won an Oscar in 1972 for playing the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret?

Joel Grey

2.

Which 1980 film comedy recently won a BBC6 Music poll to find the best movie soundtrack?

The Blues Brothers

3.

In which 1949 film did Dirk Bogarde kill Dixon of Dock Green?

The Blue Lamp

4.

Which 1973 sci-fi film starred Charlton Heston and, in his last film, Edward G. Robinson?

Solyent Green

5.

Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar for best original dramatic score with a 1952 film in which he directed and starred.  What was the film called?

Limelight

6.

In which film did Bill Halley sing Rock Around the Clock?

The Blackboard Jungle

7.

Who won an Oscar for his directorial debut on Ordinary People in 1980?

Robert Redford

8.

He directed his first feature film The Draughtsman’s Contract in 1982 and subsequent films include Drowning by Numbers (1987) and The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover (1989).  Who is he?

Peter Greenaway

ROUND 6

1

Both a league football team and a Premiership rugby team play their matches at the Madejski Stadium.  Name both

Reading & London Irish

2.

The Scottish town of Callander was used as the basis for which fictional town?

Tannochbrae

(from A J Cronin’s Dr Finlay’s Casebook series)

3.

Which classic Jerome Kern song contains the line: “Nothing’s impossible I have found/ for when my chin is on the ground…”?

Pick Yourself Up

4.

What word links Pitkin and third molars?

Wisdom

(Norman Wisdom film character Norman Pitkin and wisdom teeth)

5.

What name is given to a warm dry wind that blows in the Rocky Mountain region of North America?

Chinook

6.

Which famous work of fiction starts with the lines: “When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.”?

To Kill a Mockingbird

7.

For what was Tubby Clayton famous?

Setting up TOC H

8.

L S Lowry painted a famous picture called: Going to the Match, but which local football ground was he depicting?

Burnden Park

(once the home of Bolton Wanderers)

ROUND 7 - 'On your metal'

Each of the answers contains a reference to a metal

1.

The Platters had a 1956 hit with The Great Pretender.  Whose cover version was a hit in 1987?

Freddie Mercury

2.

Which band’s hits include Run to the Hills, The Evil that Men Do, Infinite Dreams, and Holy Smoke?

Iron Maiden

3.

What was Joseph Heller’s next book after Catch 22 and Something Happened?

Good as Gold

4.

Which 80’s television detective series starred Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist?

Remington Steele

5.

By what nickname was the area of New York on 28th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway, known as in the early part of the 20th century?

Tin Pan Alley

6.

Which folk group had their first hit single in November 1973, with Gaudete, which reached No. 14 in the charts?

Steeleye Span

7.

An insect of the Lepisma family, the adult insect is about a ½ inch long.  It lives in cool damp places, and eats a wide variety of things, including glue and wallpaper paste.  What is this insect commonly known as?

Silverfish

8.

The herb, Foeniculum vulgare, grows 3-4 feet tall, is graceful and aromatic, is edible and medicinal. What is this herb commonly known as?

Bronze Fennel

1.

Which is the most northerly inhabited island of the United Kingdom?

Unst

(in the Shetland Islands)

2.

What theatrical term derives from the Latin word for ‘when’?

Cue

(from quando - i.e. ‘when’ the actor should begin)

3.

Travelling south by train from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport you pass Slade Lane, Heaton Norris and Edgeley.  In railway terms what particular features are these?

Junctions

4.

What type of creature is a taipan?

A snake

(a very poisonous one)

5.

The Greek monster, the Chimera, had a lion’s head and a serpent’s tail – but what type of body did it have?

A goat’s body

6.

Who said: “What you said hurt me very much – I cried all the way to the bank.”?

Liberace

7.

Four species of Falcon breed in the British Isles: Peregrine, Kestrel, Merlin and what?

Hobby

8.

Haverigg, Wymott, Rudgate and Acklington are all what?

Prisons

The first 3 spares relate respectively to the themed rounds 1, 5 and 7

1.

How is Mr McPartlin’s constant companion widely known?

Dec

(in fact Declan Donelly of Ant & Dec fame)

2.

In 1971, the BBC television series Dad’s Army was made into a film.  Who is the only member of the regular cast who is still alive and what part did he play?

Ian Lavender, Private Pike

3.

The German Gònter Grass published his first novel in 1959.  What is it called?

The Tin Drum

4.

In 1964 who was the first person other than royalty to appear on a UK stamp?

William Shakespeare

5.

Which country issued the world’s first triangular stamps?

South Africa

6.

If you find the exact half way point of the Chambers English Dictionary which letter’s words will you find being defined there?

M

7.

Which sovereign state is officially known in its own language as Al-Mamlaka Al-Maghribiyya?

Morocco

8.

Which sovereign state is officially known in its own language as Chosun Minchu-chui Inmin Kongwa-guk?

North Korea

(do not accept just Korea)

Go back to Spare questions without answers