ROUND 1 - Chemical Elements

All the answers include the name of an element from the Periodic Table – often hidden

1.

In the years before the Trojan War, which band of 50 demigods and princes sailed on a quest from Iolcus, on the eastern coast of Greece, to Colchis, on the eastern shores of the Black Sea?

2.

In a business letter, the letters ‘cc’ before a colon and below the writer’s signature, are a formal indication of the distribution the letter to secondary recipients. What does ‘cc’ stand for?

3.

In astronomy and astrobiology, the Habitable Zone, or Circumstellar Habitable Zone, is the range of orbits around a star, within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. The Habitable Zone is also known by which nickname?

4.

Which non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by DEFRA, is based in Bristol? It is responsible for flood management, waste management, regulating land and water pollution, and conservation.

5.

Which American folk and blues singer was notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the 12-string guitar, for songs such as ‘Goodnight Irene’ in 1933 and ‘The Bourgeois Blues’ in 1937, and for his renditions of songs such as ‘Boll Weevil’?

6.

An 1833 ‘novel in verse’ by Pushkin, tells the story of an arrogant, selfish, and world-weary cynic from St. Petersburg. What is the name of the eponymous dandy of both the novel and 1879 opera by Tchaikovsky?

7.

A young astronomer, Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-La, is herald to the planet-eating Galactus. The Fantastic Four help him rediscover his nobility of spirit. Which Marvel Comics character then betrays Galactus, and saves Earth?

8.

Who was the main protagonist in 24 comic albums created by Georges Remi, published between 1929 and, posthumously, the last one in 2004?

Sp1

Which footballer started at Argentinos Juniors in 1969, and finished at Boca Juniors in 1997? He was the first player to set the world record transfer fee twice, when he went to Barcelona for £5 million in 1982, and then to Napoli for £6.9 million in 1984.

Sp2

‘I Don't Like Mondays’ by the Boomtown Rats is about 16yo Brenda Ann Spencer’s shooting spree at a San Diego school. It was No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in 1979. What are the opening 6 words?

Sp3

Bob Geldof, the Irish singer-songwriter and political activist, has two middle names. Frederick is the first, what is the second?

Sp4

What is the capital and, by population at least, the largest city of Botswana?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - Military Commanders

1.

Which military commander was defeated by Scipio Africanus in 202 BC at the Battle of Zama?

2.

In the early 18th Century, what name links the Dukes of Tallard, Villeroy, Burgundy and Villars?

3.

In 1917 he took over the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, defeated the Turks at Gaza, and captured Jerusalem. In 1918.  He won a victory at Megiddo, and capturing Damascus and Aleppo, ended Ottoman power in Syria.  Who was this commander, who was High Commissioner in Egypt in 1919–25?

4.

Which British Army officer was the founder of the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1941?

5.

Which British Army officer created the Long Range Penetration Groups, or Chindits, in 1942, to work behind Japanese lines in Burma?

6.

Commanding British forces on the Western Front from 1915, some see him as a hero, leading Britain to victory; others call him callous and incompetent, responsible for thousands of deaths in futile offensives.  Who helped found the British Legion in 1921, and was its President until he died in 1929?

7.

On June 27th 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, a French army commanded by the Duc de Noailles was defeated by an army of British, Hanoverian and Austrian troops.  While the Earl of Stair exercised operational control of the Allied army, who was nominally in command?

8.

Which military commander was defeated by Flavius Aetius and Theodoric I in 451 AD at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains?

Sp1

The King of Epirus suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Heraclea in 280 BC and in the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC.  What was the name of this king?

Sp2

The US commander in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968 used a war of attrition to drain enemy manpower; relentless bombing of the North, and US forces reached a peak of 535,000.  In the US, casualties, and the draft undermined public support, while casualties among non-combatants weakened South Vietnamese support.  In 1968, who was reassigned to Army Chief of Staff?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - Pot Pourri

1.

Which actor shaved his head for his role as Pontius Pilate in the film The Greatest Story Ever Told and kept it shaved for the rest of his life - which included playing Blofeld in the Bond film On His Majesty’s Secret Service and a much-loved TV cop?

2.

Hirsch, Aaron, Szmul and Jacob Wonskolaser really hit the big time in the US when a returning World War I soldier brought a dog called Rin Tin Tin back from France. How are the four Wonskolasers better known?

3.

Directed by Danny Boyle, which 1994 black comedy follows a group of flatmates who dismember and dispose of Hugo, their new flatmate, who has died from an apparent drug overdose but has left a large suitcase full of money?

4.

Starting life in 1985 as ChipTest, what was the final name of the chess-playing expert system that avenged its 1996 defeat by Garry Kasparov to triumph 3½ - ½ in a 1997 rematch?

5.

Regarded by many as probably the worst TV soap opera ever made what was the name of the 1980s BBC series based on a North Sea ferry that travelled from Felixstowe to Gothenburg, then to Amsterdam, and back again to Felixstowe?

6.

Which popular TV sitcom follows the life of suburban teenager Will (played by Simon Bird), and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive in West London?

7.

Which 15-a-side game involves smashing a sliotar around trying to get it between the opposition’s goalposts either above or below the bar?

8.

The last territorial expansion of the British Empire took place in 1955 when a Royal Navy helicopter deposited troops on which North Atlantic territory?

Sp.

In the 2007 Cricket Test Match between England and India at Trent Bridge what did the English fielders drop on the pitch to distract the Indian batsmen?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 -

1.

CANADA

Fries; Gravy; Cheese Curds
“It embodies the hearty and welcoming spirit of Canadian cuisine”

2.

FRANCE

Potatoes; Reblochon Cheese; Lardons
Often served as an apres-ski meal

3.

GREECE

Spinach; Feta Cheese; Filo Pastry
Called Savoury Spinach Pie

4.

INDONESIA

Rice; Caramelised Soy Sauce; Powdered Shrimp paste
Also well known across most of S E Asia (especially Malaysia)

5.

ITALY

Ricotta Cheese; Sugar; Vanilla
It's a Sicilian pastry

6.

MEXICO

Tomatoes; Onions; Jalapenos
Name means 'Beak of Rooster'

7.

TURKEY

Minced Beef; Onions; Filo Pastry
Ottoman cuisine eaten across the Balkans

8.

WALES

Cheese; Leeks; Breadcrumbs
Typically made with Caerphilly Cheese

Sp.

WEST AFRICA

Rice; Tomatoes; Onions
From an old African empire, the largest part of which was in Senegal

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Opsimaths Performance

All the answers in this round contain a word or phrase which might have been used to describe each of the Opsimaths’ first 12 league performances this season

1.

Possibly Britain's oldest shoemaker, dating from 1792, was granted a royal warrant in 1955 to supply footwear for Princess Anne and Princes Charles, Andrew, and Edward, and a second royal warrant in 1989 to supply footwear for Princes William and Harry.  Name this brand of children’s shoes.

2.

What term typically referred to stories published in weekly parts, focusing on the sensational exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities, printed on cheap wood pulp paper in the UK from the 1830s onwards?

3.

The original was equal parts champagne or sparkling wine, with stout.  A cheaper version, sometimes called ‘Mud and Blood’, uses cider instead of the champagne or wine.  By what four-word name is this cheaper drink more commonly known?

4.

What memorable event in America on October 26th 1881 lasted less than a minute, and left three people dead?

5.

On February 8th 2000, a humiliating 3-1 defeat in a Scottish third-round cup tie led to which famous headline?

6.

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" was written during a Californian heatwave in July 1945.  First recorded by Vaughan Monroe, other versions include Frank Sinatra in 1950, and Dean Martin in 1959.  What is the opening line of the song, used in the 1988 film Die Hard?

7.

Starting in 1547, who is missing from this list: Feodor the Blessed, Irina (disputed), Boris Godunov, Feodor II, and False Dmitry?

8.

This US term was originally applied to any restaurant or lunch counter serving cheap food quickly.  Since the 1940’s, it now denotes a sandwich consisting of minced beef or pork, onions, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun.  What is this two-word term?

Sp1

Which 1955 film noir neo-Western stars Spencer Tracy as a one-armed stranger, who comes to a small desert town and uncovers the evil secret of a murdered Japanese-American that has corrupted the entire community?

Sp2

At US carnival stalls in the 1920s, lucky children were rewarded with prizes such as stuffed toys.  If an adult contestant didn't do a good enough job, the game host would likely say what phrase?

Sp3

Complete this sentence from a November 1992 speech by Elizabeth II at the Guildhall, London:

"In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be .."

What?

Sp4

The Ode of Remembrance is regularly recited at memorial services commemorating WW1.  It is part of which poem by Laurence Binyon, first published in The Times in September 1914?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

To avoid simple guesswork, answers involving people’s names also require first name

1.

They have been about since the 9th century, but usage peaked in the early 1990s.  With modern processing methods, which financial items are now less common or completely phased out in some countries?

2.

Manufacturers of which cheese reported a 500% increase in demand, when Gromit used it to revive Wallace in the 2005 film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit?

3.

Between 1929 and 1971, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee wrote around forty novels and short story collections under what pseudonym?  It is also the name of their main character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murder cases.

4.

What is missing from this list: a 13-amp plug, saw tips, letter 'O's for a gate, three tins of peas, size 9 pumps, and half-inch washers?

5.

In engineering, solid cylindrical, solid tapered, groove, slotted spring, and spirally coiled are the most used types of what?  Other types include clevis, cotter, and split.

6.

With a weekly column in the Daily Express, ‘The First Lady of Fleet Street’ was the highest-paid woman on Fleet Street in the early 1970s.  After sharing two years of her experiences of breast cancer with her readers, who died in 1991?

7.

Which brand did Richard Branson launch in 1987, as a low-cost alternative to more expensive brands?  In November 1987, it aired the first ever British TV ad for this type of product.  In 1988, Branson sold the company to Ansell, who then sold it on in 2017 to Humanwell Healthcare Group and CITIC Capital.

8.

Which character’s death in 1933 was described in these terms:

"It wasn't the aeroplanes, it was beauty killed the beast"?

Sp1

Starring Robert Mitchum as a serial killer, which 1955 film noir was the only film directed by Charles Laughton?

Sp2

What do the order of mammals, ranging in range in size from Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, which weighs 1 oz, to the eastern gorilla, weighing over 440 lbs; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cotterall, all have in common?

Sp3

From 1972 until dying of lung cancer in 1994, he presented Record Breakers with the McWhirter twins.  He still holds the World record for the fastest tap dance, making one million taps in 23hrs 44mins in 1973.  With shops in Cheadle, Sale, and elsewhere, the only British charity dedicated solely to defeating lung cancer is named after him.  Who is he?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - A Music Round

1.

Which is the standard instrument used to tune an orchestra before a performance?

2.

Which instrument is unique among the standard brass instruments of an orchestra in that its valves are played by the left hand?

3.

On Desert Island Discs in 1979, the British pianist Dame Moura Lympany surpassed which Prussian-born Austro-British singer’s achievement of 1958?

4.

Over the first 60 years of Desert Island Discs, what was the most requested piece of music?

5.

This musical revue debuted Off-Broadway in 1969, and in the West End in 1970.  In the UK, one police officer had to see it three times before recommending a prosecution for obscenity, but the Director of Public Prosecutions’ panel – including two retired headmistresses – judged that it was not obscene, allowing its transfer to the West End.  What was this revue called?

6.

It was an album in 1970, had its Broadway stage debut in 1971, and West End debut in 1972.  Some Christians thought it blasphemous, some Jews antisemitic.  It was banned in South Africa as ‘irreligious’ and in Hungary for its ‘distribution of religious propaganda’.  What was this rock opera called?

7.

Oasis released Whatever in 1994.  What was the better-known B-side called?

8.

Reason to Believe by Rod Stewart is the less well known A-side of which single, that reached No. 1 in 1971?

Sp1

"A mulatto, an albino/A mosquito, my libido/Yeah/Hey/Yay" is a refrain from a 1991 song.  Name either the song or the group.

Sp2

Dreams of Children was the less well known half of which double A-side by Wings, that reached No. 1 in 1977?

(N.B. Dreams of Children should have read Girls' School - apologies from The Opsimaths)

Sp3

"Like a bang, a boome-boomerang/Dum-de-dum-dum de-dum-de-dum-dum/Oh bang, a boome-boomerang/Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum" is part of the chorus from a 1975 song, which failed to chart in the UK, although the B-side later got to No. 6.  Name either the song or the group.

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - A Kitchen Round

All the answers include the name of something you might find in a kitchen

1.

Most Greek gods are immortal, but, according to the historian Plutarch, which god died during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius?

2.

Boris Pasternak is best known as the author of Doctor Zhivago, but what does ‘Pasternak’ mean?

3.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin among his officials; the actor Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who, or as the Fool in Ian McKellen’s King Lear; the singer Duncan Campbell of UB40 as the only registered player of these in the UK Musicians’ Union.  What musical instrument are we talking about?

4.

In 1977, this Dutch player reached the Wimbledon finals of the ladies' singles, the ladies' doubles, and the mixed doubles, but was beaten in all three, notably by Virginia Wade in the singles.  Who is she?

5.

William Perry is a former American football defensive lineman.  He played for the Chicago Bears (1985-1993) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1993-1994).  He also played for the London Monarchs in 1996.  He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.  What was his nickname?

6.

As a double premiere with Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta, the first performance of which ballet was held in Saint Petersburg in December 1892?

7.

In 2010, the first known commercial transaction using bitcoin occurred, when programmer Lazlo Hanyecz bought what sort of fast-food product?

8.

From 1957 until the 4th of this month, as 49th Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīlī Shias, Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini held which title?

Sp1

Most people think this herb’s leaves have a tart, lemon/lime taste.  It is sometimes called Chinese parsley, and, in the US, cilantro.  What do we call it here?

Sp2

This herb is sometimes called Cerefolium or French Parsley.  It has a slightly aniseed flavour and it is said to have a similar aroma to myrrh.  What is it commonly called?

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - Chemical Elements

All the answers include the name of an element from the Periodic Table – often hidden

1.

In the years before the Trojan War, which band of 50 demigods and princes sailed on a quest from Iolcus, on the eastern coast of Greece, to Colchis, on the eastern shores of the Black Sea?

The Argonauts

(to fetch the Golden Fleece)

2.

In a business letter, the letters ‘cc’ before a colon and below the writer’s signature, are a formal indication of the distribution the letter to secondary recipients. What does ‘cc’ stand for?

Carbon Copy

3.

In astronomy and astrobiology, the Habitable Zone, or Circumstellar Habitable Zone, is the range of orbits around a star, within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure. The Habitable Zone is also known by which nickname?

The Goldilocks zone

4.

Which non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by DEFRA, is based in Bristol? It is responsible for flood management, waste management, regulating land and water pollution, and conservation.

The Environment Agency

5.

Which American folk and blues singer was notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the 12-string guitar, for songs such as ‘Goodnight Irene’ in 1933 and ‘The Bourgeois Blues’ in 1937, and for his renditions of songs such as ‘Boll Weevil’?

Lead Belly

(or Huddie Ledbetter)

6.

An 1833 ‘novel in verse’ by Pushkin, tells the story of an arrogant, selfish, and world-weary cynic from St. Petersburg. What is the name of the eponymous dandy of both the novel and 1879 opera by Tchaikovsky?

Eugene Onegin

7.

A young astronomer, Norrin Radd on the planet Zenn-La, is herald to the planet-eating Galactus. The Fantastic Four help him rediscover his nobility of spirit. Which Marvel Comics character then betrays Galactus, and saves Earth?

The Silver Surfer

8.

Who was the main protagonist in 24 comic albums created by Georges Remi, published between 1929 and, posthumously, the last one in 2004?

Tintin

(Georges Remi, better known as Hergé)

Sp1

Which footballer started at Argentinos Juniors in 1969, and finished at Boca Juniors in 1997? He was the first player to set the world record transfer fee twice, when he went to Barcelona for £5 million in 1982, and then to Napoli for £6.9 million in 1984.

Diego Maradona

Sp2

‘I Don't Like Mondays’ by the Boomtown Rats is about 16yo Brenda Ann Spencer’s shooting spree at a San Diego school. It was No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in 1979. What are the opening 6 words?

"The Silicon chip inside her head"

("...gets switched to overload")

Sp3

Bob Geldof, the Irish singer-songwriter and political activist, has two middle names. Frederick is the first, what is the second?

Zenon

(soundalike for Xenon)

Sp4

What is the capital and, by population at least, the largest city of Botswana?

Gaborone

ROUND 2 - Military Commanders

1.

Which military commander was defeated by Scipio Africanus in 202 BC at the Battle of Zama?

Hannibal

2.

In the early 18th Century, what name links the Dukes of Tallard, Villeroy, Burgundy and Villars?

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough

(accept just 'Churchill' or 'Marlborough')

(the names were those of the defeated commanders of French forces at the Battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet)

3.

In 1917 he took over the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, defeated the Turks at Gaza, and captured Jerusalem. In 1918.  He won a victory at Megiddo, and capturing Damascus and Aleppo, ended Ottoman power in Syria.  Who was this commander, who was High Commissioner in Egypt in 1919–25?

Allenby

(Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby)

4.

Which British Army officer was the founder of the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1941?

David Stirling

(Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, OBE)

5.

Which British Army officer created the Long Range Penetration Groups, or Chindits, in 1942, to work behind Japanese lines in Burma?

Orde Wingate

(Major General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO & Two Bars)

6.

Commanding British forces on the Western Front from 1915, some see him as a hero, leading Britain to victory; others call him callous and incompetent, responsible for thousands of deaths in futile offensives.  Who helped found the British Legion in 1921, and was its President until he died in 1929?

Douglas Haig

(Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig)

7.

On June 27th 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession, a French army commanded by the Duc de Noailles was defeated by an army of British, Hanoverian and Austrian troops.  While the Earl of Stair exercised operational control of the Allied army, who was nominally in command?

King George II

(at the Battle of Dettingen)

8.

Which military commander was defeated by Flavius Aetius and Theodoric I in 451 AD at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains?

Attila the Hun

Sp1

The King of Epirus suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Heraclea in 280 BC and in the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC.  What was the name of this king?

Pyrrhus

(hence ‘Pyrrhic victory’)

Sp2

The US commander in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968 used a war of attrition to drain enemy manpower; relentless bombing of the North, and US forces reached a peak of 535,000.  In the US, casualties, and the draft undermined public support, while casualties among non-combatants weakened South Vietnamese support.  In 1968, who was reassigned to Army Chief of Staff?

General William Westmoreland

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - Pot Pourri

1.

Which actor shaved his head for his role as Pontius Pilate in the film The Greatest Story Ever Told and kept it shaved for the rest of his life - which included playing Blofeld in the Bond film On His Majesty’s Secret Service and a much-loved TV cop?

Telly Savalas

2.

Hirsch, Aaron, Szmul and Jacob Wonskolaser really hit the big time in the US when a returning World War I soldier brought a dog called Rin Tin Tin back from France. How are the four Wonskolasers better known?

The Warner Brothers

3.

Directed by Danny Boyle, which 1994 black comedy follows a group of flatmates who dismember and dispose of Hugo, their new flatmate, who has died from an apparent drug overdose but has left a large suitcase full of money?

Shallow Grave

4.

Starting life in 1985 as ChipTest, what was the final name of the chess-playing expert system that avenged its 1996 defeat by Garry Kasparov to triumph 3½ - ½ in a 1997 rematch?

Deep Blue

(it was called Deep Thought for a short time before 1989)

5.

Regarded by many as probably the worst TV soap opera ever made what was the name of the 1980s BBC series based on a North Sea ferry that travelled from Felixstowe to Gothenburg, then to Amsterdam, and back again to Felixstowe?

Triangle

6.

Which popular TV sitcom follows the life of suburban teenager Will (played by Simon Bird), and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive in West London?

The Inbetweeners

7.

Which 15-a-side game involves smashing a sliotar around trying to get it between the opposition’s goalposts either above or below the bar?

Hurling

8.

The last territorial expansion of the British Empire took place in 1955 when a Royal Navy helicopter deposited troops on which North Atlantic territory?

Rockall

Sp.

In the 2007 Cricket Test Match between England and India at Trent Bridge what did the English fielders drop on the pitch to distract the Indian batsmen?

Jellybeans

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 -

1.

CANADA

Fries; Gravy; Cheese Curds
“It embodies the hearty and welcoming spirit of Canadian cuisine”

Poutine

2.

FRANCE

Potatoes; Reblochon Cheese; Lardons
Often served as an apres-ski meal

Tartiflette

3.

GREECE

Spinach; Feta Cheese; Filo Pastry
Called Savoury Spinach Pie

Spanokopita

4.

INDONESIA

Rice; Caramelised Soy Sauce; Powdered Shrimp paste
Also well known across most of S E Asia (especially Malaysia)

Nasi Goreng

5.

ITALY

Ricotta Cheese; Sugar; Vanilla
It's a Sicilian pastry

Cannoli

6.

MEXICO

Tomatoes; Onions; Jalapenos
Name means 'Beak of Rooster'

Pico de Gallo

7.

TURKEY

Minced Beef; Onions; Filo Pastry
Ottoman cuisine eaten across the Balkans

Borek

8.

WALES

Cheese; Leeks; Breadcrumbs
Typically made with Caerphilly Cheese

Selsig Morgannwg

(allow 'Glamorgan Sausages', but question why no other answers were given in English)

Sp.

WEST AFRICA

Rice; Tomatoes; Onions
From an old African empire, the largest part of which was in Senegal

Jollof

(Rice)

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Opsimaths Performance

All the answers in this round contain a word or phrase which might have been used to describe each of the Opsimaths’ first 12 league performances this season

1.

Possibly Britain's oldest shoemaker, dating from 1792, was granted a royal warrant in 1955 to supply footwear for Princess Anne and Princes Charles, Andrew, and Edward, and a second royal warrant in 1989 to supply footwear for Princes William and Harry.  Name this brand of children’s shoes.

Start-rite

2.

What term typically referred to stories published in weekly parts, focusing on the sensational exploits of detectives, criminals, or supernatural entities, printed on cheap wood pulp paper in the UK from the 1830s onwards?

Penny dreadful

(or penny horrible, penny awful or penny blood - although the last does not fit the theme)

3.

The original was equal parts champagne or sparkling wine, with stout.  A cheaper version, sometimes called ‘Mud and Blood’, uses cider instead of the champagne or wine.  By what four-word name is this cheaper drink more commonly known?

Poor Man’s Black Velvet

4.

What memorable event in America on October 26th 1881 lasted less than a minute, and left three people dead?

The Gunfight at the OK Corral

5.

On February 8th 2000, a humiliating 3-1 defeat in a Scottish third-round cup tie led to which famous headline?

"Super Caley go Ballistic, Celtic are Atrocious"

6.

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" was written during a Californian heatwave in July 1945.  First recorded by Vaughan Monroe, other versions include Frank Sinatra in 1950, and Dean Martin in 1959.  What is the opening line of the song, used in the 1988 film Die Hard?

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful”

7.

Starting in 1547, who is missing from this list: Feodor the Blessed, Irina (disputed), Boris Godunov, Feodor II, and False Dmitry?

Ivan the Terrible

(accept Ivan IV)

(first 7 Tsars of Russia - Ivan being the first)

8.

This US term was originally applied to any restaurant or lunch counter serving cheap food quickly.  Since the 1940’s, it now denotes a sandwich consisting of minced beef or pork, onions, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun.  What is this two-word term?

Sloppy Joe

Sp1

Which 1955 film noir neo-Western stars Spencer Tracy as a one-armed stranger, who comes to a small desert town and uncovers the evil secret of a murdered Japanese-American that has corrupted the entire community?

Bad Day at Black Rock

Sp2

At US carnival stalls in the 1920s, lucky children were rewarded with prizes such as stuffed toys.  If an adult contestant didn't do a good enough job, the game host would likely say what phrase?

"Close, but no cigar"

Sp3

Complete this sentence from a November 1992 speech by Elizabeth II at the Guildhall, London:

"In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be .."

What?

"An annus horribilis"

Sp4

The Ode of Remembrance is regularly recited at memorial services commemorating WW1.  It is part of which poem by Laurence Binyon, first published in The Times in September 1914?

For the Fallen

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Hidden theme

To avoid simple guesswork, answers involving people’s names also require first name

1.

They have been about since the 9th century, but usage peaked in the early 1990s.  With modern processing methods, which financial items are now less common or completely phased out in some countries?

Cheques

2.

Manufacturers of which cheese reported a 500% increase in demand, when Gromit used it to revive Wallace in the 2005 film The Curse of the Were-Rabbit?

Stinking Bishop

3.

Between 1929 and 1971, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee wrote around forty novels and short story collections under what pseudonym?  It is also the name of their main character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murder cases.

Ellery Queen

4.

What is missing from this list: a 13-amp plug, saw tips, letter 'O's for a gate, three tins of peas, size 9 pumps, and half-inch washers?

Fork handles

(from the Two Ronnies 4 Candles sketch)

5.

In engineering, solid cylindrical, solid tapered, groove, slotted spring, and spirally coiled are the most used types of what?  Other types include clevis, cotter, and split.

Pin

6.

With a weekly column in the Daily Express, ‘The First Lady of Fleet Street’ was the highest-paid woman on Fleet Street in the early 1970s.  After sharing two years of her experiences of breast cancer with her readers, who died in 1991?

Jean Rook

7.

Which brand did Richard Branson launch in 1987, as a low-cost alternative to more expensive brands?  In November 1987, it aired the first ever British TV ad for this type of product.  In 1988, Branson sold the company to Ansell, who then sold it on in 2017 to Humanwell Healthcare Group and CITIC Capital.

Mates condoms

8.

Which character’s death in 1933 was described in these terms:

"It wasn't the aeroplanes, it was beauty killed the beast"?

King Kong

Sp1

Starring Robert Mitchum as a serial killer, which 1955 film noir was the only film directed by Charles Laughton?

The Night of the Hunter

Sp2

What do the order of mammals, ranging in range in size from Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, which weighs 1 oz, to the eastern gorilla, weighing over 440 lbs; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby; and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cotterall, all have in common?

They are all Primates

Sp3

From 1972 until dying of lung cancer in 1994, he presented Record Breakers with the McWhirter twins.  He still holds the World record for the fastest tap dance, making one million taps in 23hrs 44mins in 1973.  With shops in Cheadle, Sale, and elsewhere, the only British charity dedicated solely to defeating lung cancer is named after him.  Who is he?

Roy Castle

Theme: Each answer contains a term used in the game of chess

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - A Music Round

1.

Which is the standard instrument used to tune an orchestra before a performance?

The oboe

(because it has a stable pitch, is easy to hear, has no moving parts that might alter the pitch, and is almost always present in an orchestra)

2.

Which instrument is unique among the standard brass instruments of an orchestra in that its valves are played by the left hand?

The horn or French horn

(around 1820, when valves were added to the horn, players still wanted to use their right hand to adjust pitch, so the valves were operated by the left hand)

3.

On Desert Island Discs in 1979, the British pianist Dame Moura Lympany surpassed which Prussian-born Austro-British singer’s achievement of 1958?

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf

(who selected seven of her own recordings - Lympany selected eight of her own)

4.

Over the first 60 years of Desert Island Discs, what was the most requested piece of music?

Ode to Joy

(accept the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony)

5.

This musical revue debuted Off-Broadway in 1969, and in the West End in 1970.  In the UK, one police officer had to see it three times before recommending a prosecution for obscenity, but the Director of Public Prosecutions’ panel – including two retired headmistresses – judged that it was not obscene, allowing its transfer to the West End.  What was this revue called?

Oh! Calcutta!

6.

It was an album in 1970, had its Broadway stage debut in 1971, and West End debut in 1972.  Some Christians thought it blasphemous, some Jews antisemitic.  It was banned in South Africa as ‘irreligious’ and in Hungary for its ‘distribution of religious propaganda’.  What was this rock opera called?

Jesus Christ Superstar

7.

Oasis released Whatever in 1994.  What was the better-known B-side called?

Half The World Away

(the theme tune to The Royle Family)

8.

Reason to Believe by Rod Stewart is the less well known A-side of which single, that reached No. 1 in 1971?

Maggie May

Sp1

"A mulatto, an albino/A mosquito, my libido/Yeah/Hey/Yay" is a refrain from a 1991 song.  Name either the song or the group.

Smells Like Teen Spirit or Nirvana

Sp2

Dreams of Children was the less well known half of which double A-side by Wings, that reached No. 1 in 1977?

(N.B. Dreams of Children should have read Girls' School - apologies from The Opsimaths)

Mull of Kintyre

Sp3

"Like a bang, a boome-boomerang/Dum-de-dum-dum de-dum-de-dum-dum/Oh bang, a boome-boomerang/Love is a tune you hum-de-hum-hum" is part of the chorus from a 1975 song, which failed to chart in the UK, although the B-side later got to No. 6.  Name either the song or the group.

Bang-a-Boomerang or ABBA

(the B-side was SOS)

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - A Kitchen Round

All the answers include the name of something you might find in a kitchen

1.

Most Greek gods are immortal, but, according to the historian Plutarch, which god died during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius?

Pan

2.

Boris Pasternak is best known as the author of Doctor Zhivago, but what does ‘Pasternak’ mean?

Parsnip

3.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin among his officials; the actor Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who, or as the Fool in Ian McKellen’s King Lear; the singer Duncan Campbell of UB40 as the only registered player of these in the UK Musicians’ Union.  What musical instrument are we talking about?

The Spoons

4.

In 1977, this Dutch player reached the Wimbledon finals of the ladies' singles, the ladies' doubles, and the mixed doubles, but was beaten in all three, notably by Virginia Wade in the singles.  Who is she?

Betty Stöve

5.

William Perry is a former American football defensive lineman.  He played for the Chicago Bears (1985-1993) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1993-1994).  He also played for the London Monarchs in 1996.  He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.  What was his nickname?

The Refrigerator or

The Fridge

(for his imposing size)

6.

As a double premiere with Tchaikovsky's last opera, Iolanta, the first performance of which ballet was held in Saint Petersburg in December 1892?

The Nutcracker

7.

In 2010, the first known commercial transaction using bitcoin occurred, when programmer Lazlo Hanyecz bought what sort of fast-food product?

Pizza

(specifically two Papa John’s pizzas for ₿10,000)

8.

From 1957 until the 4th of this month, as 49th Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīlī Shias, Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini held which title?

Aga Khan

Sp1

Most people think this herb’s leaves have a tart, lemon/lime taste.  It is sometimes called Chinese parsley, and, in the US, cilantro.  What do we call it here?

Coriander

Sp2

This herb is sometimes called Cerefolium or French Parsley.  It has a slightly aniseed flavour and it is said to have a similar aroma to myrrh.  What is it commonly called?

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers