The All New Groundspeak Uk Pub Quiz!

[+Eckington]

OK It would seem that no one out there remembers the (probably) first BBC sci-fi adventure .

 

Originally on Radio and then on TV in the '50s.

 

Angus McVivar's "Voyage to the lost planet" and "Return to the lost planet".

 

The planet was.....Hesikos.

 

Let's try again...........What, precisely, is a "Yarborough"?

[+Simply Paul]

My knowledge of the Beeb in the 50's is limited to Quatermass (the writer of which has just died, I see on Ceefax) so I'll say is it the planet visited by a 'spaceman' in the original series? (Long shot!)

 

The answer was given as I was typing! But I was dadgum close!

 

Yarborough...? Do I need to find my Book of Liff?

Edited November 1, 2006 by Simply Paul

[+The Bongtwashes]

From memory I think it's a hand in a game of cards, but I can't remember which one. I think it is a hand without any court cards, and I'll have a stab at Bridge. (But I'm probably miles out)

[+Eckington]

A "pointless" hand in bridge, but close enough for me......

 

 

DING

 

 

.....and sorry SP, close, but not close enough

[+The Bongtwashes]

I could never remember what to bid at Bridge if you had so many points in your hand, so for me they were all pretty pointless. .

 

Which is the only country that has news broadcasts in Latin?

[+The Golem]

The Vatican?

[+The Bongtwashes]

The Vatican?

Surprisingly not.

[Helen in Mustardland]

Ooh, I know, I know it was on Radio4 the other day. Along with someone crooning Elvis songs in latin...

 

It's Finland.

 

 

(Heus! Ubi est ista cache?)

[+The Bongtwashes]

Ooh, I know, I know it was on Radio4 the other day. Along with someone crooning Elvis songs in latin...

 

It's Finland.

 

 

(Heus! Ubi est ista cache?)

DING

That's right, and I learnt about it on Ceefax at the weekend.

[Helen in Mustardland]

Ok then, beginning in that country...

 

Finland has 2, so does Japan. The UK and Germany each have 3, United Arab Emirates 4 and Seychelles 5!

 

Which country only has 1?

[+2202]

So is it to do with the colours on their national flags?

Edited November 2, 2006 by 2202

[Helen in Mustardland]

So is it to do with the colours on their national flags?

 

Indeed so. Which country seems not to have made much effort and stuck to one plain colour?

[Nediam]

So is it to do with the colours on their national flags?

 

If it is flags, is the answer Libya (who has a plain green flag)?

[Helen in Mustardland]

So is it to do with the colours on their national flags?

 

If it is flags, is the answer Libya (who has a plain green flag)?

 

Ding! as I believe it goes.

[Nediam]

OK here's another question....

 

What is the highest possible break in snooker?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hint....It is NOT 147

Edited November 2, 2006 by Nediam

[Helen in Mustardland]

OK here's another question....

 

What is the highest possible break in snooker?

 

Argh, not a clue. But I WILL now have an earworm of "Snooker Loopy" going round and round my head for the rest of the day. That's unless someone manages to replace it with Magical Trevor.

[Nediam]

......That's unless someone manages to replace it with Magical Trevor.....

 

Here you go...

Edited November 2, 2006 by Nediam

[+2202]

Its something like a foul followed by a max break, which must be a nominated black ball and therefore 155?

[Nediam]

Its something like a foul followed by a max break, which must be a nominated black ball and therefore 155?

 

Ding!!!

 

"if a player commits a foul stroke with all 15 reds still on the table, and snookers the opponent, the opponent may choose to hit any coloured ball as a free ball which is scored as a red. A break in excess of 147 will be achieved by potting that free ball and a colour, then all of the reds followed by blacks, then all colours. In this case, the highest possible break is 155 (16 "reds", 16 blacks)."

[+2202]

One for the girls!

 

What links an American baseball coach with the house of the double C

[+MartyBartfast]

One for the girls!

 

What links an American baseball coach with the house of the double C

 

Looks like the questions are getting too difficult, anyhow I'll have a WILD guess.

 

The only baseball coach I've ever come across was "Coach" in Cheers, and I've no idea what double C is but it sounds like a bra size , so I'll guess Shelly Long (SP?) who had a small boobs, and was in Cheers with Coach.

[+2202]

This is about haute couture, and not every Tom, Dick and Harry labels that the plebs believe to be fashionable these days.

[+The Blorenges]

A guess then: There's a baseball coach called Chanel? Double C being the trademark for the Chanel fashion empire also?

 

MrsB

[+2202]

The double C does indeed refer to Chanel as the initials of Coco Chanel, but where does the baseball coach come in?

(I thought that the questions so far were very blokey, hence a slightly more refined subject)

Edited November 5, 2006 by 2202

[+The Blorenges]

I suggested that there's a basebell coach called Chanel (I bet he smells lovely )...if it's not that, then I can go no further with my deductions, Dr Watson.*

 

MrsB

 

*edited to add, "... unless he's called Charles/Christopher/Columbus/Clive/Crispian Chanel"**

 

**delete as appropriate

Edited November 5, 2006 by The Blorenges

[+2202]

It is a bit of a hard question so the answer is that one of the classic Chanel outfits uses the Houndstooth patten. Karl Lagerfeld the current 'Artistic Director' even used it in the houses recent show.

The legendary former University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant made this pattern popular by wearing his trademark Houndstooth hat on the sidelines of every game he coached.

[+2202]

Ok, an easy one.

What is 'a Didcot'?

[+pirate_matt]

Isn't it a town in Oxfordshire!!!!

Edited November 5, 2006 by pirate_matt

[+2202]

Didcot is a town in Oxfordshire.

But, what is 'a Didcot'?

[+The Forester]

Chad. (the snipped-out bit of a ticket, not the country)

 

I asked a neighbouring farmer who used to be a nuclear physicist at Harwell as I wondered whether any piece of nuclear research equipment invented at Harwell has been named after the town. He said that chad is called Didcots by Douglas Adams in Hitchhiker's Guide.

[+Simply Paul]

...He said that chad is called Didcots by Douglas Adams in Hitchhiker's Guide.

More likely from The Meaning of Liff, or The Deeper Meaning of Liff - books he wrote in the 80s based on place names. Having lived in Tingewick, it was one of my favourites

[+The Forester]

Is that a ding then?

 

If so, here's my question.

 

Some words in the English language have two opposite and contradictory meanings. For example: the word "sanction" can mean to permit something and it can also mean to prohobit something.

 

Name three other words which also have two opposite meanings.

[+rutson]

consult: to both request and give advice

custom: can mean 'normal' and 'made to measure'

buckle: can mean to fix together or to bend irreparably

 

My favourite if only because I remember the confusion when I first read the latter form:

 

raise, raze

 

(though this is of course a pair of homophones, not a single word)

Edited November 5, 2006 by rutson

[+The Forester]

Excellent, Rutson. I hadn't thought of "consult".

 

Others which I had thought of were:

"oversight": which can mean either attention or inattention.

"fast": which can mean either moving quickly or not at all.

"downhill": which can mean either getting easier or getting worse.

"dust": which can mean either adding dust or taking dust away.

 

Good ding.

Edited to add:

I've just thought of another one while rounding up some of my sheep which had gone on an unauthorised walkabout on the wrong side of a local river.

 

In Scotland a small river, what would be called a brook or a beck in England, is called a burn. So, in Jockanese English at least, the word "burn" can mean either fire or water.

Edited November 5, 2006 by The Forester

[+rutson]

Sticking on the word theme and using 'g' for geocaching:

 

What is the ENGLISH word with the most 'g's in it?

 

'Countdown' rules apply, no proper names, no hyphenated words.

[+The Blorenges]

giggling

 

MrsB

[+rutson]

That's nice 'cilla, something tickled you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh yeah, the answer is one of my favourite words: "GIGGLING" :-D

[+The Blorenges]

What will you not find until you get to one thousand?

 

MrsB

 

PS "and" doesn't count, but you'll have to...

Edited November 5, 2006 by The Blorenges

[+The Forester]

A comma?

[+The Bongtwashes]

An 'A' (as you say, ignoring 'and')

[+The Blorenges]

A Ding !

for the Bongtwashes

[+2202]

...He said that chad is called Didcots by Douglas Adams in Hitchhiker's Guide.

More likely from The Meaning of Liff, or The Deeper Meaning of Liff - books he wrote in the 80s based on place names. Having lived in Tingewick, it was one of my favourites

 

Back to what is a Didcot.

I understand that it originates from the railways, as its the piece of card that is snipped by the ticket inspector when he punches your ticket....I see they use a date stamp now.

 

Apparently Princess Margaret was showered with Didcots by members of NUR (as confetti) when she got married to Anthony Armstrong Jones in Feb 1960 at Westminster Abbey (source Qi)

[+The Bongtwashes]

A Ding !

for the Bongtwashes

What would you be interested in if you studied vexillology?

[+pirate_matt]

Flags

 

I just realised that i am not sure if i will be able to log on tommorrow morning as i will be working so in case i got it right heres my question.

 

(sticking with my answer) Pirates didn't often fly the jolly roger so what doid they fly instead?

 

if of course i got the answer wrong then feel free to ignore me!!!

Edited November 5, 2006 by pirate_matt

[+Simply Paul]

Worth a stab in the dark. Is it puzzles?

 

Edit. You wait two hours for a reply and then a pair come along at once...

Edited November 5, 2006 by Simply Paul

[+The Bongtwashes]

Good guess at a 'vexing' question, SP. Sorry though,

 

Flags

 

I just realised that i am not sure if i will be able to log on tommorrow morning as i will be working so in case i got it right heres my question.

 

(sticking with my answer) Pirates didn't often fly the jolly roger so what doid they fly instead?

 

if of course i got the answer wrong then feel free to ignore me!!!

That's a Ding! for Pirate Matt.

 

So what did pirates fly? The Spanish flag (so they could get nearer to the ships carrying the Spanish gold)

Edited November 6, 2006 by The Bongtwashes

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

Flags

 

(sticking with my answer) Pirates didn't often fly the jolly roger so what doid they fly instead?

Well of course they did fly the Jolly Roger or more properly Jolie Rouge, which was a red pennant (long thin triangular flag) which was the sign that they were a Privateer, along with the national flag of the country from which they took their commision. The black "square" flag (with or without bones) was a signal flag but was only hoisted after a pursued ship was engaged it that ship put up resistance and carried the message that no quarter would be given if resistance continued (kind of surender or else).

[+pirate_matt]

Flags

 

(sticking with my answer) Pirates didn't often fly the jolly roger so what doid they fly instead?

Well of course they did fly the Jolly Roger or more properly Jolie Rouge, which was a red pennant (long thin triangular flag) which was the sign that they were a Privateer, along with the national flag of the country from which they took their commision. The black "square" flag (with or without bones) was a signal flag but was only hoisted after a pursued ship was engaged it that ship put up resistance and carried the message that no quarter would be given if resistance continued (kind of surender or else).

 

Ding!!

 

That sounds good enough for me!

Edited November 7, 2006 by pirate_matt

[+pirate_matt]

Flags

 

(sticking with my answer) Pirates didn't often fly the jolly roger so what doid they fly instead?

Well of course they did fly the Jolly Roger or more properly Jolie Rouge,

 

Sorry i should have made that clearer i meant the jolly roger as it is known today (i.e. the skull and cross bones!)

Edited November 7, 2006 by pirate_matt

[+Jango & Boba Fett]

Ding!!

 

That sounds good enough for me!

Which English town was the first to replace traditional metal dustbins with black bin bags?

 

(Hint - it also served King Offa as his capital)