ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Featured in the recent TV series The Bridge what is the name of the combined road and rail bridge linking Sweden with Denmark?

2.

Name the bridge across the Tagus River first opened in 1998 and at 17.2 km still the longest bridge in Europe.

3.

Thomas Hardy published the novel Under the Greenwood Tree anonymously.  What colour occurs in the title of his next novel, the first to be published under his own name and the first of his Wessex novels?

4.

DH Lawrence adopted the phoenix as a personal symbol.  What bird is named in the title of his first novel?

5.

What shape is described by the equation y=ax² + bx + c?

6.

What type of number can be defined as: 'Any number that can be made by dividing one integer by another'?

7.

Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries were the first to do what in 1785?

8.

Jaques Garnerin was the first to do what in Paris in 1797?

Sp.

Aboard which American warship did the surrender ceremonies take place that marked the formal ending of World War 2?

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

The Winter Olympics have twice been held in the Austrian city of Innsbruck in the last 50 years.  Name both years.

2.

The Winter Olympics have twice been held in Japan in the last 50 years, once at Sapporo and later at Nagano.  Name both years.

3.

The siamang, an arboreal creature native to the forests of South-East Asia, is the largest species of which type of animal?

4.

The bonobo, an arboreal creature native to the forests of Central Africa, is a smaller sub-species of which type of animal?

5.

Engrenages is the name of a French detective series shown on BBC4 last year.  What is its English translation?

6.

Which fictional Italian detective series shown last year on BBC 4 is set on the island of Sicily?

7.

From a recent examination of his remains, which monarch who died 1200 years ago last month, was confirmed to be about 6ft tall and lived to the age of about 70?

8.

The remains of which monarch, who died more than 1100 years ago, and assumed to have been lost, are thought to have been recently rediscovered in Winchester?

Sp1

In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, for what crime was Jean Valjean sent to prison?

Sp2

In Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, for which crime was Edmond Dantes sent to prison?

ROUND 3 - 'Does this bus stop in Ladybarn?'

Father Megson has been wandering again.  To gain a plenary indulgence simply tell him where he is.  Each answer is a Western European city

1.

I fly into the local Orio Al Serio airport courtesy of Ryanair (luckily we didn't crash as I refused to pay extra for the emergency oxygen supply option).  After nearby Milan this is Lombardy's most visited city.  The foothills of the Alps lie immediately to the North.  I go to watch local team Atalanta FC play a game in Serie A.

2.

I take a scenic Alpine train ride and soon I am wandering along the banks of the Limmat river.  After an expensive lunch in the cheapest cafe I can find I go to pay my respects at the grave of James Joyce.  In the evening I get chucked out of the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub, famous for its connections with Dadaism.

3.

I ask where I can get a train to the airport?  The locals laugh.  No train station and no airport.  “But isn't this a capital city”, I protest.  “Yes indeed,” they reply, “in fact since 1991 this is the only capital city on the river Rhine”.

4.

I'm back in Switzerland. I know it must be Geneva because I can see the iconic Jet d'Eau across the lake and I keep getting chucked out of restaurants because I look poor.  Despite French being the main lingo around here there are still quite a few German speakers.  One of the more pernickety ones beats me up because I can't spell Geneva the way he does.  So how do the Germans spell Geneva?

5.

I'm in France now, about 75 miles north of Paris in the regional capital of Picardy.  You would never guess that this city suffered severe damage in both World Wars.  Overlooking the Somme stands the magnificent cathedral, the tallest and the largest Gothic cathedral in France.

6.

I've crossed another border now and am standing on the banks of the Arga, a tributary of the Ebro.  The street festivities surrounding the festival of San Fermin look a tad rowdy for a coward like me so I seek shelter in the Reyno de Navarra stadium where FC Osasuna are playing a home game.  The home support is lacklustre – it's all bull-fighting and cycling around here.  Miguel Indurain is still fondly remembered as the local boy who done well.

7.

I'm trying to get home now but have become hopelessly lost.  I stop off at the largest city on the river Scheldt to ask for directions.  None of the inhabitants has ever heard of Ladybarn and I get beaten up again for not addressing them as Sinjoren, a quaint practice dating back to the 17th century.  The diamond industry is still big around here and it has a sizeable population of orthodox Jews.

8.

Can't be far from home now, surely. Lunch is pretty expensive here as well and the booze makes the Red Lion look cheap. Probably something to do with this city being a major off-shore centre for the North Sea oil industry. It's only the 3rd largest city of its country but back in 2008 it shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Liverpool.

Sp.

Despite a few diversions I did eventually make it home – well, pretty close anyway. I celebrated by stopping off at Thomond Park to experience the fanatical support given to the Munster Rugby Union team when it plays at home.

ROUNDS 4 & 5 - Pick Your Subject

Select your question based on one of the snippets of pop song lyrics which cryptically hint at the question topic

1.

"One more river to cross"

Through part of which European capital does the river Vantaa flow?

2.

 "One in ten"

Which Prime Minister is quoted as saying “If Harold Wilson ever went to school without any boots it was because he was too big for them”?

3.

"Food for thought"

Which event takes place annually at Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth?

4.

"The fool on the hill"

In which of Shakespeare’s plays would you find the fool, Touchstone?

5.

"Behind closed doors"

In which sport can you score a 'Behind'?

6.

"Across the universe"

Which is the most common element found in meteorites?

7.

"The scientist"

Born in 1856 in what is now Croatia, he moved to New York where he worked with Eddison before transferring to work with Westinghouse on developing alternating current.  Who was he?

8.

"Song sung blue"

From which song do these lyrics come:

"There’s four and twenty million doors,
down life’s endless corridor”?

9.

"Making movies"

With which director has George Clooney made 6 films and set up Section 8 Productions?           

10.

"Wild world"

What type of creature is a cookiecutter?

11.

"Wired for sound"

In which year did the walkman first go on sale?

12.

"I'm gonna be 500 miles"

Which 2013 film tells the story of two lads returning home from Afghanistan and their struggle to re-adjust?  It co- stars Peter Mullen and features the music of The Proclaimers, taking it’s title from one of their songs?

13.

"Wild thing"

What kind of creature is a bongo?

14.

"Heroes"

What is the real name of The Thing – a member of The Fantastic Four?

15.

"Paperback writer"

Which crime novel of 1939, set in Los Angeles, features the characters Carmen and Vivian Sternwood, Rusty Reagan and Joe Brady?

16.

"And your bird can sing"

Jynx Torquilla is a small woodpecker that doesn’t peck wood.  It gets its nickname from the way it can turn its head almost 360degrees.  How is it commonly known?

17.

"Sound and vision"

In which year were the following films among the top ten highest grossing: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Shrek, Oceans11 and The Mummy Returns?

18.

 "Sweet soul music"

Sharing its name with a Chinese Imperial Dynasty (206BC - 220AD), on which river does the South Korean capital, Seoul stand?

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

John Keats' poem, Ode to a Nightingale, provided the lines for the title of F Scott Fitzgerald's fourth novel, published in 1934. Name the novel.

2.

A passage from the the Book of Ecclesiastes provided the title for a 1926 novel by Ernest Hemingway, considered by some to be his greatest work.  Name the novel.

3.

Edward of Westminster, the son and heir of Henry VI, was a notable exception amongst all the men who have borne the title 'Prince of Wales'.  In what way?

4.

In addition to living longer, reigning longer and having more kids, in what other way was Queen Victoria the exception amongst the 6 women (not including the disputed Lady Jane Grey) who succeeded to the English throne?

5.

From which popular song, first released in 1958, do the following lines appear:

"Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind,

Just like birds of a feather, a rainbow together we'll find"?

6.

From which popular song, first released in 1966, do the following lines appear:

"Up to the moment when we said our first hello little did we know,

Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away"?

7.

Which tennis player, a first time finalist, unexpectedly beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to win the men's singles title at the 2014 Australian Open?

8.

Which tennis player, a 2-time losing finalist, finally won the women's singles title on her third attempt at the 2014 Australian Open?

Sp1

Who is Valerie Trierweiler and why has she been in the news recently?

Sp2

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, whose husband is Stephen Kinnock, the son of Neil Kinnock, is the current prime minister of which country?

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Bingo Blockbuster

Pick a question based on the initial letter(s) of the answer

1.

CG:

Veteran radio broadcaster who seamlessly transferred her sultry vocal skills from Radio 4 to Radio 5 Live in September 2013 with the opening words: “Aston Villa 3 Manchester City 2”.

2.

3.

MF:

Dutch novelist who has made his home in Scotland.  His first successful novel was Under The Skin about spooky things going on in the Highlands and this was followed in 2002 by his acclaimed The Crimson Petal and The White.

4.

5.

PS:

A £45 million contract was signed in January 2014 to export this product from Britain to China.  Though half of the world's natural producers of this substance are currently to be found in China, the deal might (in oxymoronic terms) be considered a snip for the Chinese because of the superior quality of the British end product.  Although it's good news for the British economy in general, sadly only one WithQuiz team will stand to benefit directly from this teasing exchange.

6.

P:

Defined by Dr Johnson as “an oblong form of medicine made to thrust up into the uterus upon some extraordinary occasions."

7.

FPN:

On which will you currently find the following two quotations:

8.

DDE:

Indie chart-topping single recorded by Half Man Half Biscuit in 1986.  It is a reworking of Bette Davis Eyes, a number one hit for Kim Carnes five years earlier.

9.

10.

MB:

Possibly the only Nobel winning physicist ever to have a granddaughter who came fourth while representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.

11.

TBR:

Band that took their name from that of the gang mentioned in Bound For Glory an autobiographical novel by singer/songwriter, Woody Guthrie.

12.

ITNOGG:

Words famously addressed to the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell and again 287 years later by MP Leo Amery to PM Neville Chamberlain.

13.

K:

Second largest city of its country.  It was founded during the Macedonian campaign against the Satrap of Bactria. Its modern name derives from a local version of the name 'Alexander'.

14.

TOTD:

Normally heard on Radio 4 at 5:58 am.  Not a boring social messaging slot but two minutes to ignore the alarm clock and wake up to the beauty of nature.

15.

V&A:

Pair with little in common except for the fact that both are commemorated by sculptures within a hundred yards or so of each other in Manchester.  The 'V' was first concocted at 19 Granby Row by John Nicholls in 1908 and the sculpture of 'A' shows him about to reveal his nakedness at the most revelatory moment of his life.

16.

SM:

Wigan-born writer, TV presenter and Radio DJ credited with starting the rumour that Bob Holness played the saxophone solo on the Gerry Rafferty hit Baker Street.

17.

A:

North West English town settled by Norsemen who fled to this area from Ireland.  The origins of its name lie in Old Scandinavian and Gaelic and it translates as 'the ash tree of St Patrick'.

18.

LM:

Hygiene enhancing product that saw a sharp increase in sales in the 1920s when it started using the advertising slogan: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'.

19.

RTBC:

Popular musical list drawn up and published in 1979.  The list is extremely comprehensive and includes such things as "curing smallpox, Buddy Holly, Bolshoi ballet, porridge oats, juice of a carrot and yellow socks".

20.

S:

Complete this quote from Ecclesiastes 1:18: "He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth …......".

ROUND 1 - Pairs

1.

Featured in the recent TV series The Bridge what is the name of the combined road and rail bridge linking Sweden with Denmark?

The Oresund Bridge

2.

Name the bridge across the Tagus River first opened in 1998 and at 17.2 km still the longest bridge in Europe.

The Vasco da Gama Bridge

3.

Thomas Hardy published the novel Under the Greenwood Tree anonymously.  What colour occurs in the title of his next novel, the first to be published under his own name and the first of his Wessex novels?

Blue

(A Pair of Blue Eyes, 1873)

4.

DH Lawrence adopted the phoenix as a personal symbol.  What bird is named in the title of his first novel?

The peacock

(The White Peacock, 1911)

5.

What shape is described by the equation y=ax² + bx + c?

A parabola

6.

What type of number can be defined as: 'Any number that can be made by dividing one integer by another'?

A rational number

7.

Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries were the first to do what in 1785?

Cross the Channel by air

(in a hydrogen balloon)

8.

Jaques Garnerin was the first to do what in Paris in 1797?

Make a parachute jump from the air

Sp.

Aboard which American warship did the surrender ceremonies take place that marked the formal ending of World War 2?

HMS Missouri

ROUND 2 - Pairs

1.

The Winter Olympics have twice been held in the Austrian city of Innsbruck in the last 50 years.  Name both years.

1964 and 1976

2.

The Winter Olympics have twice been held in Japan in the last 50 years, once at Sapporo and later at Nagano.  Name both years.

1972 and 1998

3.

The siamang, an arboreal creature native to the forests of South-East Asia, is the largest species of which type of animal?

Gibbon

4.

The bonobo, an arboreal creature native to the forests of Central Africa, is a smaller sub-species of which type of animal?

Chimpanzee

5.

Engrenages is the name of a French detective series shown on BBC4 last year.  What is its English translation?

Spiral

6.

Which fictional Italian detective series shown last year on BBC 4 is set on the island of Sicily?

Inspector Montalbano

7.

From a recent examination of his remains, which monarch who died 1200 years ago last month, was confirmed to be about 6ft tall and lived to the age of about 70?

Charlemagne

8.

The remains of which monarch, who died more than 1100 years ago, and assumed to have been lost, are thought to have been recently rediscovered in Winchester?

Alfred the Great

Sp1

In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, for what crime was Jean Valjean sent to prison?

Stealing a loaf of bread

Sp2

In Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, for which crime was Edmond Dantes sent to prison?

Being a spy for Napoleon Bonaparte

ROUND 3 - 'Does this bus stop in Ladybarn?'

Father Megson has been wandering again.  To gain a plenary indulgence simply tell him where he is.  Each answer is a Western European city

1.

I fly into the local Orio Al Serio airport courtesy of Ryanair (luckily we didn't crash as I refused to pay extra for the emergency oxygen supply option).  After nearby Milan this is Lombardy's most visited city.  The foothills of the Alps lie immediately to the North.  I go to watch local team Atalanta FC play a game in Serie A.

Bergamo

2.

I take a scenic Alpine train ride and soon I am wandering along the banks of the Limmat river.  After an expensive lunch in the cheapest cafe I can find I go to pay my respects at the grave of James Joyce.  In the evening I get chucked out of the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub, famous for its connections with Dadaism.

Zurich

3.

I ask where I can get a train to the airport?  The locals laugh.  No train station and no airport.  “But isn't this a capital city”, I protest.  “Yes indeed,” they reply, “in fact since 1991 this is the only capital city on the river Rhine”.

Vaduz

4.

I'm back in Switzerland. I know it must be Geneva because I can see the iconic Jet d'Eau across the lake and I keep getting chucked out of restaurants because I look poor.  Despite French being the main lingo around here there are still quite a few German speakers.  One of the more pernickety ones beats me up because I can't spell Geneva the way he does.  So how do the Germans spell Geneva?

G-E-N-F

5.

I'm in France now, about 75 miles north of Paris in the regional capital of Picardy.  You would never guess that this city suffered severe damage in both World Wars.  Overlooking the Somme stands the magnificent cathedral, the tallest and the largest Gothic cathedral in France.

Amiens

6.

I've crossed another border now and am standing on the banks of the Arga, a tributary of the Ebro.  The street festivities surrounding the festival of San Fermin look a tad rowdy for a coward like me so I seek shelter in the Reyno de Navarra stadium where FC Osasuna are playing a home game.  The home support is lacklustre – it's all bull-fighting and cycling around here.  Miguel Indurain is still fondly remembered as the local boy who done well.

Pamplona

7.

I'm trying to get home now but have become hopelessly lost.  I stop off at the largest city on the river Scheldt to ask for directions.  None of the inhabitants has ever heard of Ladybarn and I get beaten up again for not addressing them as Sinjoren, a quaint practice dating back to the 17th century.  The diamond industry is still big around here and it has a sizeable population of orthodox Jews.

Antwerp

8.

Can't be far from home now, surely. Lunch is pretty expensive here as well and the booze makes the Red Lion look cheap. Probably something to do with this city being a major off-shore centre for the North Sea oil industry. It's only the 3rd largest city of its country but back in 2008 it shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Liverpool.

Stavanger

Sp.

Despite a few diversions I did eventually make it home – well, pretty close anyway. I celebrated by stopping off at Thomond Park to experience the fanatical support given to the Munster Rugby Union team when it plays at home.

Limerick

ROUNDS 4 & 5 - Pick Your Subject

Select your question based on one of the snippets of pop song lyrics which cryptically hint at the question topic

1.

"One more river to cross"

Through part of which European capital does the river Vantaa flow?

Helsinki

2.

 "One in ten"

Which Prime Minister is quoted as saying “If Harold Wilson ever went to school without any boots it was because he was too big for them”?

Harold Macmillan

3.

"Food for thought"

Which event takes place annually at Cooper’s Hill, Brockworth?

Gloucester cheese rolling

4.

"The fool on the hill"

In which of Shakespeare’s plays would you find the fool, Touchstone?

As You Like It

5.

"Behind closed doors"

In which sport can you score a 'Behind'?

Australian Rules Football

6.

"Across the universe"

Which is the most common element found in meteorites?

Iron

7.

"The scientist"

Born in 1856 in what is now Croatia, he moved to New York where he worked with Eddison before transferring to work with Westinghouse on developing alternating current.  Who was he?

Nikola Tesla

8.

"Song sung blue"

From which song do these lyrics come:

"There’s four and twenty million doors,
down life’s endless corridor”?

The Masterplan

(by Oasis)

9.

"Making movies"

With which director has George Clooney made 6 films and set up Section 8 Productions?           

Steven Soderberg

10.

"Wild world"

What type of creature is a cookiecutter?

Shark

11.

"Wired for sound"

In which year did the walkman first go on sale?

1979

(allow a year either way)

12.

"I'm gonna be 500 miles"

Which 2013 film tells the story of two lads returning home from Afghanistan and their struggle to re-adjust?  It co- stars Peter Mullen and features the music of The Proclaimers, taking it’s title from one of their songs?

Sunshine on Leith

13.

"Wild thing"

What kind of creature is a bongo?

Antelope

14.

"Heroes"

What is the real name of The Thing – a member of The Fantastic Four?

Ben Grimm

15.

"Paperback writer"

Which crime novel of 1939, set in Los Angeles, features the characters Carmen and Vivian Sternwood, Rusty Reagan and Joe Brady?

The Big Sleep

16.

"And your bird can sing"

Jynx Torquilla is a small woodpecker that doesn’t peck wood.  It gets its nickname from the way it can turn its head almost 360degrees.  How is it commonly known?

Wryneck

17.

"Sound and vision"

In which year were the following films among the top ten highest grossing: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Shrek, Oceans11 and The Mummy Returns?

2001

18.

 "Sweet soul music"

Sharing its name with a Chinese Imperial Dynasty (206BC - 220AD), on which river does the South Korean capital, Seoul stand?

The Han

ROUND 6 - Pairs popularity of their stylish 1959 TV advert)

1.

John Keats' poem, Ode to a Nightingale, provided the lines for the title of F Scott Fitzgerald's fourth novel, published in 1934. Name the novel.

Tender is the Night

(Honorary bonus point if you can quote the exact lines from Verse 4:
"Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays")

2.

A passage from the the Book of Ecclesiastes provided the title for a 1926 novel by Ernest Hemingway, considered by some to be his greatest work.  Name the novel.

(Honorary bonus point if you can quote the exact lines from Chapter 1: Verses 3-11:
" One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.  The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.")

3.

Edward of Westminster, the son and heir of Henry VI, was a notable exception amongst all the men who have borne the title 'Prince of Wales'.  In what way?

He was the only one to die in battle

(at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471)

4.

In addition to living longer, reigning longer and having more kids, in what other way was Queen Victoria the exception amongst the 6 women (not including the disputed Lady Jane Grey) who succeeded to the English throne?

She is the only one who was not the daughter of a previous monarch

5.

From which popular song, first released in 1958, do the following lines appear:

"Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind,

Just like birds of a feather, a rainbow together we'll find"?

Volare

6.

From which popular song, first released in 1966, do the following lines appear:

"Up to the moment when we said our first hello little did we know,

Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away"?

Strangers in the Night

7.

Which tennis player, a first time finalist, unexpectedly beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to win the men's singles title at the 2014 Australian Open?

Stanislas Wawrinka

8.

Which tennis player, a 2-time losing finalist, finally won the women's singles title on her third attempt at the 2014 Australian Open?

Li Na

(or Na Li)

Sp1

Who is Valerie Trierweiler and why has she been in the news recently?

She was at at the centre of a love-cheat scandal concerning her former partner, French president Francois Hollande

Sp2

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, whose husband is Stephen Kinnock, the son of Neil Kinnock, is the current prime minister of which country?

Denmark

ROUNDS 7 & 8 - Bingo Blockbuster

Pick a question based on the initial letter(s) of the answer

1.

CG:

Veteran radio broadcaster who seamlessly transferred her sultry vocal skills from Radio 4 to Radio 5 Live in September 2013 with the opening words: “Aston Villa 3 Manchester City 2”.

Charlotte Green

2.

Addison's Disease

3.

MF:

Dutch novelist who has made his home in Scotland.  His first successful novel was Under The Skin about spooky things going on in the Highlands and this was followed in 2002 by his acclaimed The Crimson Petal and The White.

Michel Faber

4.

Whitelaw, Brittan, Hurd and Waddington

5.

PS:

A £45 million contract was signed in January 2014 to export this product from Britain to China.  Though half of the world's natural producers of this substance are currently to be found in China, the deal might (in oxymoronic terms) be considered a snip for the Chinese because of the superior quality of the British end product.  Although it's good news for the British economy in general, sadly only one WithQuiz team will stand to benefit directly from this teasing exchange.

Pig semen

6.

P:

Defined by Dr Johnson as “an oblong form of medicine made to thrust up into the uterus upon some extraordinary occasions."

Pessary

7.

FPN:

On which will you currently find the following two quotations:

Fifty Pound Note

(spoken by Matthew Boulton and James Watt)

8.

DDE:

Indie chart-topping single recorded by Half Man Half Biscuit in 1986.  It is a reworking of Bette Davis Eyes, a number one hit for Kim Carnes five years earlier.

Dickie Davies Eyes

9.

The Swabian Housewife

10.

MB:

Possibly the only Nobel winning physicist ever to have a granddaughter who came fourth while representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Max Born

(German born grandfather of Olivia Newton John)

11.

TBR:

Band that took their name from that of the gang mentioned in Bound For Glory an autobiographical novel by singer/songwriter, Woody Guthrie.

The Boomtown Rats

12.

ITNOGG:

Words famously addressed to the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell and again 287 years later by MP Leo Amery to PM Neville Chamberlain.

"In The Name of God, Go"

13.

K:

Second largest city of its country.  It was founded during the Macedonian campaign against the Satrap of Bactria. Its modern name derives from a local version of the name 'Alexander'.

Kandahar

(in Afghanistan)

14.

TOTD:

Normally heard on Radio 4 at 5:58 am.  Not a boring social messaging slot but two minutes to ignore the alarm clock and wake up to the beauty of nature.

Tweet Of The Day

15.

V&A:

Pair with little in common except for the fact that both are commemorated by sculptures within a hundred yards or so of each other in Manchester.  The 'V' was first concocted at 19 Granby Row by John Nicholls in 1908 and the sculpture of 'A' shows him about to reveal his nakedness at the most revelatory moment of his life.

Vimto & Archimedes

16.

SM:

Wigan-born writer, TV presenter and Radio DJ credited with starting the rumour that Bob Holness played the saxophone solo on the Gerry Rafferty hit Baker Street.

Stuart Maconie

17.

A:

North West English town settled by Norsemen who fled to this area from Ireland.  The origins of its name lie in Old Scandinavian and Gaelic and it translates as 'the ash tree of St Patrick'.

Aspatria

(Cumbria)

18.

LM:

Hygiene enhancing product that saw a sharp increase in sales in the 1920s when it started using the advertising slogan: 'Always the bridesmaid, never the bride'.

Listerine Mouthwash

19.

RTBC:

Popular musical list drawn up and published in 1979.  The list is extremely comprehensive and includes such things as "curing smallpox, Buddy Holly, Bolshoi ballet, porridge oats, juice of a carrot and yellow socks".

Reasons To Be Cheerful

(by Ian Dury)

20.

S:

Complete this quote from Ecclesiastes 1:18: "He that increaseth knowledge, increaseth …......".

"Sorrow"

(discuss – but drown your sorrows first!)