ROUND 1 - 'A Round of Baubles'

1.

Michael Ball won his first Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2008 for his laundry business-running drag role in what?

2.

Alan Ball, the youngest member of England’s victorious World Cup team, was one of three England players who had less than ten caps going into the final.  Who were the other two?

3.

The joint between our femur and pelvis (thigh and hip) is an example of a ball and socket joint.  What type of joint links our thumb and wrist?

4.

The 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Kroto, Curl and Smalley for their roles in the discovery of what type of carbon molecule, which resembles a football?

5.

The 2006 song Coup de Boule was a major hit in France, with the lyrics describing their national football team’s behaviour in the 2006 World Cup final.  What is the meaning of 'coupe de boule'?  (N.B. It does not translate word-for-word, but as a phrase)

6.

Un bal is the second movement of an 1830 symphony, scored for over 90 instrumentalists.  It is said to have been written to express the composer’s unrequited love for the actress Harriet Smithson, whom he would eventually marry.  Who is the composer?

7.

In which play would you find Regan and her husband the Duke of Cornwall plucking out the eyeballs of the Earl of Gloucester?

8.

In which 1856 novel does a ball make the eponymous heroine realise how disillusioned she is with married life, leading to her having several adulterous affairs and living beyond her means?

Sp.

Ed Balls is best known for being a Labour MP but, before entering the political limelight, he was a lead economic writer for which newspaper?

1.

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, there are 5 Bennett sisters.  Three are called Elizabeth, Lydia and Kitty.  What are the names of the other 2 sisters?  (both names must be given to get the points)

2.

Which 1796 gothic novel caused much sensation at the time of its publication for its scandalous plot and is frequently referenced in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey?

3.

Which machine was invented by Samuel Crompton in the 1770s?  At its peak, there were 50,000,000 of them operating in Lancashire alone.

4.

Both Audrey Hepburn and Rachel de Thame studied to be what as teenagers?  Weak constitutions following ill health meant they were both forced to abandon this career path.

5.

In which BAFTA award winning reality television show would you find Stevie Johnson, Stephanie Pratt and Oliver Proudlock?

6.

Which novel by Winifred Holtby, published posthumously in 1936, is set in a fictional area of Yorkshire and features the idealistic yet feisty headmistress Sarah Burton?

7.

Which American political philosopher is best known for his critique of John Rawls in his celebrated book Liberalism and the Limits of Justice?  He has also presented The Public Philosopher on BBC Radio 4 and gave the 2008 Reith Lectures.

8.

During the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, Great Britain was represented by three delegates; firstly, by Viscount Castlereagh, and thirdly by the Earl of Clancarty in the final few weeks of the congress.  Who was the second delegate who represented Britain after Castlereagh’s return to England?

Sp.

Known for her appearance on reality television shows and being the face of Iceland, which pop group did Kerry Katona start her career with?  She re-joined it following their 2012 reunion.

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

This term describes the process of making protein from RNA.  It also links a geometrical function that moves every point the same distance in a given direction.  Finally it is the subject of David Bellos’s popular linguistics book Is That a Fish in Your Ear?  What is the term?

2.

How many chromosomes are there in a normal human sex cell?

3.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, which EU member-state has the longest coastline?

4.

What country’s most northerly point is the furthest south?

5.

Which aquatic animal has the densest fur in the animal kingdom and is the heaviest member of the weasel family?

6.

Which aquatic animal is called the 'canary of the sea' due to its high-pitched calls?

7.

In Greek mythology, what insect was Tithonus transformed into after being granted immortality?

8.

In Norse mythology, what type of animal pulled the chariot of Thor?

ROUND 4 - 'At Sixes and Sevens'

1.

With all that in mind, name the person who holds an Erdős-Bacon number of 6.  Surprisingly his Bacon number of 2, achieved through appearances on Star Trek alongside Patrick Stewart, and on other science fiction programmes, is significantly lower than his Erdős number of 4, achieved through a 1993 paper on the implications of the boundary conditions of the universe.

2.

Similarly, name the British actor, born in 1960, who holds an Erdős-Bacon number of 7.  Appearing with Kevin Bacon in Where the Truth Lies gained him a Bacon number of 1, but it was his formal accreditation as co-author on neuro-science paper Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults, after suggesting it on Radio 4, that gives him his Erdős number of 6.

3.

Name this 1960s television series whose protagonist was the otherwise unnamed Number Six, who declaims over the opening credits of each episode that he is not a number, he is a free man!

4.

Name the vessel that Seven of Nine serves upon under Captain Kathryn Janeway in the late 1990s television series of the same name.

5.

If three standard 6-sided dice are rolled, what is the probability that all three land showing sixes?

6.

If two standard 6-sided dice are rolled, what is the probability that the total shown is seven?

7.

The seventh circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno contains the violent, and is guarded by which creature from Greek mythology whom Dante’s guide Virgil taunts for his death at the hands of the Duke of Athens?

8.

This star system in the constellation Taurus is among the most obvious features to the naked eye and is prominent in the winter skies above Manchester.  It takes its name from the Seven Sisters, daughters of the Titan Atlas and born on Mount Cyllene, who were turned into stars by Zeus to protect them from Orion’s advances. Name the star system.

Sp1

Prior to the Julian reforms, Sextilis was the Latin name for the 6th month in the calendar. What do we know it as?

Sp2

The pop group S Club 7’s second album reached number 1 in December 2000 and went triple platinum.  What was it called?

ROUND 5 - 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'

Please select one of the twelve gifts to get your question

1.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Which English county has three pears on its coat of arms and flag, and so has a county cricket club affectionately known as The Pears?

2.

Two Turtle Doves

Great A’Tuin (species chelys galactica) is a Giant Star Turtle, which travels through space bearing four giant elephants, which in turn carry what fictional world through the cosmos?

3.

Three French Hens

What is the name of the predominantly French-speaking region of southern Belgium, accounting for 55% of country’s land area?

4.

Four Calling Birds

In 1979, The Clash released the album London Calling.  What was the name of its follow-up, released in 1980?

5.

FIVE GOLD RINGS

In Wagner’s Ring Cycle, his interpretation of the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs), a Nibelung is a member of what mythological race?

6.

Six Geese-a-Laying

A group of geese is a gaggle when not in flight.  What is the collective noun for airborne geese, flying in their typical wedge formation?         

7.

Seven Swans-a-Swimming

The Swan of Tuonela is an 1895 tone poem by which composer?

8.

Eight Maids-a-Milking

In 1286, the seven-year-old granddaughter of the late Alexander III of Scotland, known as the 'Maid of Norway', was killed whilst travelling to press her claim to the Scottish throne, igniting the Scottish Wars of Independence.  What was her name? 

9.

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ladies Night is a single from the album of the same name by which New Jersey group?

10.

Ten Lords-a-Leaping

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the current Lord’s Cricket Ground, a 50 over exhibition match was played between a Marylebone Cricket Club XI and a Rest-of-the-World XI in July this year.  Who were the two captains?

11.

Eleven Pipers Piping

Piper Chapman is the name of the protagonist of which Netflix original series that began in July 2013, based on a memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman?

12.

Twelve Drummers Drumming

John 'Stumpy' Pepys was the first of a long line of cursed drummers for a certain heavy metal band, all notable for their premature deaths.  How did John  'Stumpy' Pepys die?

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Canadian-American silent film actress was, along with Charlie Chaplin, D W Griffith and her husband Douglas Fairbanks, a co-founder of the production company United Artists?

2.

What band’s debut single was 1978’s Rock Lobster?

3.

Which 1971 film about heroin smuggling was adapted from a book by Robin Moore?

4.

Ghosts known by which name are reputed to haunt a cemetery in Darwen, Glamis Castle and a road near Beeford in Yorkshire?

5.

The Italian renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna was the brother-in-law of which pair of Venetian painters, commonly associated with early renaissance art from the city?

6.

Which British Field Marshal led Allied Forces in Italy and the Mediterranean during 1943-1945?

7.

In 1626, Peter Minuit bought which island for 60 Guilders worth of goods, a sum now worth around $1050?

8.

Which Spanish princess, daughter of Philip IV and later married to Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, was the central figure of several Velazquez paintings, including Las Meninas?

Sp.

What two-word phrase completes the title of this Eartha Kitt song: Just An ___  _____ Girl?

ROUND 7 - 'Christmas Music'

Rachael writes...."I know that a musical round from me usually goes down about as well as an overrated rock band with unimaginative album titles.  However, I have tried to write a Christmas music round in which at least half the questions are outside my usual music comfort zone.  I'm sure you will be able to guess which ones these are!"

1.

Which English indie pop band, named after a French football club, released the single I Was Born on Christmas Day in 1993, and an entire album of Christmas songs entitled A Glimpse of Stocking in 2010?

2.

Which American band, formed in 1982 by John Flansburg and John Linnell, and best known for songs such as Birdhouse in Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople), released a festive EP called Holidayland in 2001?

3.

Which legendary American performer reached number 38 in the UK charts in 1958 with his characteristic 12-bar blues version of Run, Rudolph, Run?

4.

Which prog rock band recorded the festive single Ring Out The Solstice Bells?

5.

Which veteran American rock star recorded a version of the Christmas standard Santa Claus is Coming to Town as a B-side to his 1985 single My Hometown?

6.

Which classic new wave band recorded the poignant festive single 2000 Miles, first released in 1983?

7.

This perennial festive favourite became the best-selling number 2 single in UK chart history when it was kept off the top spot by the original Band Aid recording of Do They Know It’s Christmas?  Can you name the single, and the band who recorded it?

8.

This Welsh pop star had originally intended to release his Christmas single in December 1984, but realised that any attempt to reach the coveted Christmas number 1 would be futile against the unstoppable force that was Band Aid.  He consequently released his Christmas single the following year, and it became 1985’s Christmas number 1.  Please name this song and the artist.

ROUND 8 - 'Pick Your Own Reindeer' Round

Rachael writes...."Each of these questions is (very loosely) related to the names of one of Father Christmas' reindeer from the original eight first introduced in the poem 'A Visit From St Nicholas' or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' as it's better known - plus, of course, the newcomer Rudolph!.  Beware of 'sound-alikes.'

I apologise to any quiz league members who feel that this is a little early for Christmas rounds but our Christmas decorations have been up since November 1st"

1.

Dasher

In Greek mythology, the legendary huntress Atalanta had refused to marry any suitor unless they could defeat her in a foot race; the penalty for any man who lost the race was death.  Which man eventually managed to win a race against Atalanta by blatantly cheating with the help of enchanted golden apples provided by Aphrodite?

2.

Dancer

Which pop duo release the 1988 single Domino Dancing, from the album Introspective?

3.

Prancer

Which acclaimed, multi award winning director and choreographer, born in London in 1960, has been the director of the dance companies Adventure in Motion Pictures and New Adventures, but is probably best know for his reworking of classic ballets such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and his own hit ballets based on Edward Scissorhands and The Picture of Dorian Gray?

4.

Vixen

What is the name of the kleptomaniac fox who causes lots of problems for the cartoon character Dora the Explorer in the kids’ TV show?

5.

Comet

There was much excitement in November of this year when the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission made history by successfully landing a robotic spacecraft on the snappily named comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.  What is the name of this dishwasher-sized space probe?

6.

Cupid

Which singer had a number 1 hit in 1958 with the Neil Sedaka penned single Stupid Cupid?

7.

Donner

Donna Matthews played lead guitar for which Britpop band, fronted by Justine Frischman, whose chart hits included Waking Up and Connection, the theme used for Trigger Happy TV?

8.

Blitzen

Which memoir, written by Karen von Blixen Finecke and published in 1937, tells the story of her experiences running a coffee plantation in what is now Kenya, and was made into a 1985 Oscar-winning film of the same name?

9.

Rudolph

Rudolf I was the first of which European noble house to be elected King of the Romans, effectively King of Germany?

ROUND 1 - 'A Round of Baubles'

1.

Michael Ball won his first Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2008 for his laundry business-running drag role in what?

Hairspray

2.

Alan Ball, the youngest member of England’s victorious World Cup team, was one of three England players who had less than ten caps going into the final.  Who were the other two?

Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters

3.

The joint between our femur and pelvis (thigh and hip) is an example of a ball and socket joint.  What type of joint links our thumb and wrist?

Saddle joint

4.

The 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Kroto, Curl and Smalley for their roles in the discovery of what type of carbon molecule, which resembles a football?

Buckyballs

(accept Buckminsterfullerene)

5.

The 2006 song Coup de Boule was a major hit in France, with the lyrics describing their national football team’s behaviour in the 2006 World Cup final.  What is the meaning of 'coupe de boule'?  (N.B. It does not translate word-for-word, but as a phrase)

Head-butt

(referencing Zinedine Zidane’s head-butting of Marco Materazzi)

6.

Un bal is the second movement of an 1830 symphony, scored for over 90 instrumentalists.  It is said to have been written to express the composer’s unrequited love for the actress Harriet Smithson, whom he would eventually marry.  Who is the composer?

Hector Berlioz

(the symphony is Symphonie Fantastique)

7.

In which play would you find Regan and her husband the Duke of Cornwall plucking out the eyeballs of the Earl of Gloucester?

King Lear

8.

In which 1856 novel does a ball make the eponymous heroine realise how disillusioned she is with married life, leading to her having several adulterous affairs and living beyond her means?

Madame Bovary

Sp.

Ed Balls is best known for being a Labour MP but, before entering the political limelight, he was a lead economic writer for which newspaper?

Financial Times

1.

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, there are 5 Bennett sisters.  Three are called Elizabeth, Lydia and Kitty.  What are the names of the other 2 sisters?  (both names must be given to get the points)

Mary and Jane

2.

Which 1796 gothic novel caused much sensation at the time of its publication for its scandalous plot and is frequently referenced in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey?

The Monk 

3.

Which machine was invented by Samuel Crompton in the 1770s?  At its peak, there were 50,000,000 of them operating in Lancashire alone.

Spinning Mule

4.

Both Audrey Hepburn and Rachel de Thame studied to be what as teenagers?  Weak constitutions following ill health meant they were both forced to abandon this career path.

Ballet dancers 

5.

In which BAFTA award winning reality television show would you find Stevie Johnson, Stephanie Pratt and Oliver Proudlock?

Made In Chelsea 

6.

Which novel by Winifred Holtby, published posthumously in 1936, is set in a fictional area of Yorkshire and features the idealistic yet feisty headmistress Sarah Burton?

South Riding

7.

Which American political philosopher is best known for his critique of John Rawls in his celebrated book Liberalism and the Limits of Justice?  He has also presented The Public Philosopher on BBC Radio 4 and gave the 2008 Reith Lectures.

Michael J Sandel

8.

During the Congress of Vienna of 1814-1815, Great Britain was represented by three delegates; firstly, by Viscount Castlereagh, and thirdly by the Earl of Clancarty in the final few weeks of the congress.  Who was the second delegate who represented Britain after Castlereagh’s return to England?

Arthur Wellesley/Duke of Wellington

Sp.

Known for her appearance on reality television shows and being the face of Iceland, which pop group did Kerry Katona start her career with?  She re-joined it following their 2012 reunion.

Atomic Kitten 

ROUND 3 - Pairs

1.

This term describes the process of making protein from RNA.  It also links a geometrical function that moves every point the same distance in a given direction.  Finally it is the subject of David Bellos’s popular linguistics book Is That a Fish in Your Ear?  What is the term?

Translation

2.

How many chromosomes are there in a normal human sex cell?

23

3.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, which EU member-state has the longest coastline?

Greece

4.

What country’s most northerly point is the furthest south?

Uruguay

5.

Which aquatic animal has the densest fur in the animal kingdom and is the heaviest member of the weasel family?

Sea otter

6.

Which aquatic animal is called the 'canary of the sea' due to its high-pitched calls?

Beluga whale

7.

In Greek mythology, what insect was Tithonus transformed into after being granted immortality?

Grasshopper

(accept cicada)

8.

In Norse mythology, what type of animal pulled the chariot of Thor?

Goat

ROUND 4 - 'At Sixes and Sevens'

1.

With all that in mind, name the person who holds an Erdős-Bacon number of 6.  Surprisingly his Bacon number of 2, achieved through appearances on Star Trek alongside Patrick Stewart, and on other science fiction programmes, is significantly lower than his Erdős number of 4, achieved through a 1993 paper on the implications of the boundary conditions of the universe.

Stephen Hawking

2.

Similarly, name the British actor, born in 1960, who holds an Erdős-Bacon number of 7.  Appearing with Kevin Bacon in Where the Truth Lies gained him a Bacon number of 1, but it was his formal accreditation as co-author on neuro-science paper Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults, after suggesting it on Radio 4, that gives him his Erdős number of 6.

Colin Firth

3.

Name this 1960s television series whose protagonist was the otherwise unnamed Number Six, who declaims over the opening credits of each episode that he is not a number, he is a free man!

The Prisoner

4.

Name the vessel that Seven of Nine serves upon under Captain Kathryn Janeway in the late 1990s television series of the same name.

USS Voyager

5.

If three standard 6-sided dice are rolled, what is the probability that all three land showing sixes?

1 in 216

6.

If two standard 6-sided dice are rolled, what is the probability that the total shown is seven?

1 in 6

7.

The seventh circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno contains the violent, and is guarded by which creature from Greek mythology whom Dante’s guide Virgil taunts for his death at the hands of the Duke of Athens?

The Minotaur

8.

This star system in the constellation Taurus is among the most obvious features to the naked eye and is prominent in the winter skies above Manchester.  It takes its name from the Seven Sisters, daughters of the Titan Atlas and born on Mount Cyllene, who were turned into stars by Zeus to protect them from Orion’s advances. Name the star system.

The Pleiades

Sp1

Prior to the Julian reforms, Sextilis was the Latin name for the 6th month in the calendar. What do we know it as?

August

(Note that 'September' comes from the Latin word septum meaning 7)

Sp2

The pop group S Club 7’s second album reached number 1 in December 2000 and went triple platinum.  What was it called?

7

ROUND 5 - 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'

Please select one of the twelve gifts to get your question

1.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Which English county has three pears on its coat of arms and flag, and so has a county cricket club affectionately known as The Pears?

Worcestershire

2.

Two Turtle Doves

Great A’Tuin (species chelys galactica) is a Giant Star Turtle, which travels through space bearing four giant elephants, which in turn carry what fictional world through the cosmos?

Discworld

(from the series of fantasy books by Terry Pratchett)

3.

Three French Hens

What is the name of the predominantly French-speaking region of southern Belgium, accounting for 55% of country’s land area?

Wallonia

(or the Walloon Region)

4.

Four Calling Birds

In 1979, The Clash released the album London Calling.  What was the name of its follow-up, released in 1980?

Sandinista!

5.

FIVE GOLD RINGS

In Wagner’s Ring Cycle, his interpretation of the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs), a Nibelung is a member of what mythological race?

Dwarves

6.

Six Geese-a-Laying

A group of geese is a gaggle when not in flight.  What is the collective noun for airborne geese, flying in their typical wedge formation?         

Skein

7.

Seven Swans-a-Swimming

The Swan of Tuonela is an 1895 tone poem by which composer?

Jean Sibelius

8.

Eight Maids-a-Milking

In 1286, the seven-year-old granddaughter of the late Alexander III of Scotland, known as the 'Maid of Norway', was killed whilst travelling to press her claim to the Scottish throne, igniting the Scottish Wars of Independence.  What was her name? 

Margaret

9.

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ladies Night is a single from the album of the same name by which New Jersey group?

Kool and the Gang

10.

Ten Lords-a-Leaping

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the current Lord’s Cricket Ground, a 50 over exhibition match was played between a Marylebone Cricket Club XI and a Rest-of-the-World XI in July this year.  Who were the two captains?

Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne

11.

Eleven Pipers Piping

Piper Chapman is the name of the protagonist of which Netflix original series that began in July 2013, based on a memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman?

Orange Is The New Black

12.

Twelve Drummers Drumming

John 'Stumpy' Pepys was the first of a long line of cursed drummers for a certain heavy metal band, all notable for their premature deaths.  How did John  'Stumpy' Pepys die?

In a bizarre gardening accident

(he was Spinal Tap’s first drummer)

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

1.

Which Canadian-American silent film actress was, along with Charlie Chaplin, D W Griffith and her husband Douglas Fairbanks, a co-founder of the production company United Artists?

Mary Pickford

2.

What band’s debut single was 1978’s Rock Lobster?

The B-52’s

3.

Which 1971 film about heroin smuggling was adapted from a book by Robin Moore?

The French Connection

4.

Ghosts known by which name are reputed to haunt a cemetery in Darwen, Glamis Castle and a road near Beeford in Yorkshire?

The White Lady

5.

The Italian renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna was the brother-in-law of which pair of Venetian painters, commonly associated with early renaissance art from the city?

Giovanni and Gentile Bellini

(accept Bellini Brothers)

6.

Which British Field Marshal led Allied Forces in Italy and the Mediterranean during 1943-1945?

Harold Alexander

7.

In 1626, Peter Minuit bought which island for 60 Guilders worth of goods, a sum now worth around $1050?

Manhattan

8.

Which Spanish princess, daughter of Philip IV and later married to Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, was the central figure of several Velazquez paintings, including Las Meninas?

Margarita Teresa

(accept Margaret Theresa, but Margarita is needed for the theme)

Sp.

What two-word phrase completes the title of this Eartha Kitt song: Just An ___  _____ Girl?

'Old Fashioned'

ROUND 7 - 'Christmas Music'

Rachael writes...."I know that a musical round from me usually goes down about as well as an overrated rock band with unimaginative album titles.  However, I have tried to write a Christmas music round in which at least half the questions are outside my usual music comfort zone.  I'm sure you will be able to guess which ones these are!"

1.

Which English indie pop band, named after a French football club, released the single I Was Born on Christmas Day in 1993, and an entire album of Christmas songs entitled A Glimpse of Stocking in 2010?

Saint Etienne

2.

Which American band, formed in 1982 by John Flansburg and John Linnell, and best known for songs such as Birdhouse in Your Soul and Istanbul (Not Constantinople), released a festive EP called Holidayland in 2001?

They Might Be Giants

3.

Which legendary American performer reached number 38 in the UK charts in 1958 with his characteristic 12-bar blues version of Run, Rudolph, Run?

Chuck Berry

4.

Which prog rock band recorded the festive single Ring Out The Solstice Bells?

Jethro Tull

5.

Which veteran American rock star recorded a version of the Christmas standard Santa Claus is Coming to Town as a B-side to his 1985 single My Hometown?

Bruce Springsteen

6.

Which classic new wave band recorded the poignant festive single 2000 Miles, first released in 1983?

The Pretenders

7.

This perennial festive favourite became the best-selling number 2 single in UK chart history when it was kept off the top spot by the original Band Aid recording of Do They Know It’s Christmas?  Can you name the single, and the band who recorded it?

Last Christmas by Wham

8.

This Welsh pop star had originally intended to release his Christmas single in December 1984, but realised that any attempt to reach the coveted Christmas number 1 would be futile against the unstoppable force that was Band Aid.  He consequently released his Christmas single the following year, and it became 1985’s Christmas number 1.  Please name this song and the artist.

Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin’ Stevens

ROUND 8 - 'Pick Your Own Reindeer' Round

Rachael writes...."Each of these questions is (very loosely) related to the names of one of Father Christmas' reindeer from the original eight first introduced in the poem 'A Visit From St Nicholas' or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' as it's better known - plus, of course, the newcomer Rudolph!.  Beware of 'sound-alikes.'

I apologise to any quiz league members who feel that this is a little early for Christmas rounds but our Christmas decorations have been up since November 1st"

1.

Dasher

In Greek mythology, the legendary huntress Atalanta had refused to marry any suitor unless they could defeat her in a foot race; the penalty for any man who lost the race was death.  Which man eventually managed to win a race against Atalanta by blatantly cheating with the help of enchanted golden apples provided by Aphrodite?

Hippomenes

2.

Dancer

Which pop duo release the 1988 single Domino Dancing, from the album Introspective?

The Pet Shop Boys

3.

Prancer

Which acclaimed, multi award winning director and choreographer, born in London in 1960, has been the director of the dance companies Adventure in Motion Pictures and New Adventures, but is probably best know for his reworking of classic ballets such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, and his own hit ballets based on Edward Scissorhands and The Picture of Dorian Gray?

Matthew Bourne

4.

Vixen

What is the name of the kleptomaniac fox who causes lots of problems for the cartoon character Dora the Explorer in the kids’ TV show?

Swiper

5.

Comet

There was much excitement in November of this year when the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission made history by successfully landing a robotic spacecraft on the snappily named comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko.  What is the name of this dishwasher-sized space probe?

Philae

6.

Cupid

Which singer had a number 1 hit in 1958 with the Neil Sedaka penned single Stupid Cupid?

Connie Francis

7.

Donner

Donna Matthews played lead guitar for which Britpop band, fronted by Justine Frischman, whose chart hits included Waking Up and Connection, the theme used for Trigger Happy TV?

Elastica

8.

Blitzen

Which memoir, written by Karen von Blixen Finecke and published in 1937, tells the story of her experiences running a coffee plantation in what is now Kenya, and was made into a 1985 Oscar-winning film of the same name?

Out of Africa

9.

Rudolph

Rudolf I was the first of which European noble house to be elected King of the Romans, effectively King of Germany?

The House of Habsburg