+mellers Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Paul? Are you there matey? You got the last question right. Quote Link to comment
+eusty Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 This needs rescuing! A current affairs type question... What are the names of the two pandas given/lent/hired by China? Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Jock and Scotty? Quote Link to comment
+paulemma Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Tiang Tiand and Yaung Guang? Quote Link to comment
+eusty Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Not been said for a while but.... DING! Over to you Quote Link to comment
+paulemma Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 As its Christmas... How many presents would you have from your true love if you totalled them all up? Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 As its Christmas... How many presents would you have from your true love if you totalled them all up? 364 Quote Link to comment
+eusty Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 78 That is what I worked out Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 I'm afraid I'd have to agree with the 364. Mainly due to the wording of the question AND the wording of the song. If you think about it carefully, it says for example that you get the seven swans a swimming on the seventh day, but also get more of them again on the eighth day (after the maids a milking) AND another load on the ninth day, AND more swans on the 10th day AND on the 11th & 12th days. So just in swans, for example you'd end up with 6 days when you get 7 swans every day (on top of everything else) making 42 swans just for a start. Extrapolate that for every gift item (12 partridges in a pear tree - one every day) (11x2=22 turtle doves) and you get 364 for everything. If we're going to be REALLY pedantic, we'd have to check that the partridge IN the pear tree counted as one gift NOT 2. The wording of the question is ambiguous to suggest that the answer could indeed be as high as 364 plus another 12 gifts which is 376. Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 This website concurs with 364 (complete with calculations): http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/the-twelve-days-of-christmas-how-many-presents/1686 Quote Link to comment
+Pharisee Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hmmm... As has already been said, that pre-supposes that a "Partridge in a Pear Tree" counts as just one item. Just for a moment lets suppose it's two items, then the total may well be 376. However... if you're going down that route, what about all the 'Maids a-Milking"? They have to have something to milk so how about adding 40 cows to the list? The total is now up to 416. Then, of course, you'll have to add the 22 Piper's pipes and the 12 Drummer's drums. Total now stands at 450; which is a whole lot of wrapping paper and Selotape in anyone's book! Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I'm not sure I'd survive the first batch of Maids-a-milking..... Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hmmm... However... if you're going down that route, what about all the 'Maids a-Milking"? They have to have something to milk so how about adding 40 cows to the list? The total is now up to 416. Then, of course, you'll have to add the 22 Piper's pipes and the 12 Drummer's drums. Well they wouldn't necessarily need one cow each, given that cows' udders have 4 teats, so you could hypothetically get 4 maids per cow, which could then be as few as only 10 cows. Or indeed, they wouldn't necessarily have to milking cows - it might be goats or indeed any other mammal. If it's a mammal with more than 4 teats, that's even fewer animals. Or they might even be employees of the milking company able to do their job without a specific animal present (although I agree that one is a bit of a stretch). The song also doesn't specify that the drummers have one drum each. I mean, it would be a bit of a squash, but they could technically all play the same really big drum - which means only one addition "drum" gift. Can't see the pipers being able to share the pipe, though... ... I need to get out more. Quote Link to comment
+Pajaholic Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 On the subject of pedantry, the thing that everyone's missing is that the question doesn't ask, "According to the Christmas song, ..."! It asks, "How many presents would you have from your true love if you totalled them all up?" The answer thus depends on who you are and what your own true love gave you. Unless your own true love was particularly perverse, I doubt there'd be a partridge or a pear tree among your presents, and maids or cows are as unlikely. Of course, the question could only be answered by those who've found true love, which is a little unfair to those who have not! On the subject of the song, I did once see a series of letters from the recipient in the song as she slowly disappeared beneath the steadily growing pile of gifts. Season's greetings to all and I hope you enjoy the link! Geoff Quote Link to comment
+paulemma Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 The correct answer is 364 so it goes to Dodgydaved Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 The correct answer is 364 so it goes to Dodgydaved I know Christmas has gone now, but: What did Santa Claus win in 1964? Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I think I know what he was but I don't know which one he won. Quote Link to comment
+The Blorenges Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 OK, I'll start guessing... The Derby? MrsB Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 OK, I'll start guessing... The Derby? MrsB That's a bright orange future DING for Mrs B!! Quote Link to comment
+The Blorenges Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Oh... Thanks... Lucky guess! Literary connections: Refrigerator... tennis... hit... What's the fourth one? MrsB Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Is it "Round Ireland...", "Playing the ...." can't remember his name or what the third book was, let alone the fourth one which is what you're looking for! Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Oh... Thanks... Lucky guess! Literary connections: Refrigerator... tennis... hit... What's the fourth one? MrsB Piano Quote Link to comment
+The Blorenges Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Oh... Thanks... Lucky guess! Literary connections: Refrigerator... tennis... hit... What's the fourth one? MrsB Piano Ding! They refer to books by Tony Hawks, the fourth one being "A piano in the Pyrenees". MrsB Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Who was the only British prime minister to have been assassinated? Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Who was the only British prime minister to have been assassinated? Spencer Percival I think. Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Who was the only British prime minister to have been assassinated? Spencer Percival I think. DING!... over to you Marty. Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Here's one for people of a certain age (or anyone who can grab the TV remote in the next 20 minutes). What train does Mr. Brown catch into town in Dad's Army? Quote Link to comment
+The God of Biscuits Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 The 8.21. Im only 33, but its still by far the best thing on TV on a saturday night Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 The 8.21. Im only 33, but its still by far the best thing on TV on a saturday night DING Quote Link to comment
+The God of Biscuits Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 What is the name 'Amstrad' short for??? Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 What is the name 'Amstrad' short for??? Seem to remember hearing it was something like "Alan Michael Sugar Trading".... (presumably as) Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 What is the name 'Amstrad' short for??? Alan Michael Sugar Trading Regards, Martin Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 DING who's the DING for? Myself or Mellers as we appear to have posted our answers at the same time? Regards, Martin Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 DING who's the DING for? Myself or Mellers as we appear to have posted our answers at the same time? Regards, Martin Well jut in case his biscuitiness has logged off for the evening, I'm more than happy to concede given that I've only just set a question... and I'm also not in any way, bready... or even slightly curranty! Anyone want any toast? Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Well jut in case his biscuitiness has logged off for the evening, I'm more than happy to concede given that I've only just set a question... and I'm also not in any way, bready... or even slightly curranty! Anyone want any toast? Thanks, in that case, here's my question (and it has nothing to do with bread products []) Where would you use a Prusik and why? Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Well jut in case his biscuitiness has logged off for the evening, I'm more than happy to concede given that I've only just set a question... and I'm also not in any way, bready... or even slightly curranty! Anyone want any toast? Thanks, in that case, here's my question (and it has nothing to do with bread products []) Where would you use a Prusik and why? It's a knot, it is used for securing a cord to a rope such that it can be moved along the rope but will hold tight under strain, therefore it's good for tieing ascenders to a climbing rope among other things. Quote Link to comment
+talkytoaster Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 It's a knot, it is used for securing a cord to a rope such that it can be moved along the rope but will hold tight under strain, therefore it's good for tieing ascenders to a climbing rope among other things. That was quick and spot on! DING! Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 How many pennies were there in a (pre decimalization) Guinea ? Quote Link to comment
+Pajaholic Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 A guinea is 21s 0d, and there are 12d per shilling. So 252 Quote Link to comment
+mellers Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 How many pennies were there in a (pre decimalization) Guinea ? 252 (240 +12) Quote Link to comment
+MartyBartfast Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Quick off the mark both of you, but it seems Pajaholic beat Mellers by a matter of seconds. So DING to Pajaholic Quote Link to comment
+Pajaholic Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks. Keeping to the subject of pre-decimilisation coinage, how many florins were there to a sovereign? Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Thanks. Keeping to the subject of pre-decimilisation coinage, how many florins were there to a sovereign? 10 whole ones and theoreticaly a half Quote Link to comment
+Pajaholic Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 10 whole ones and theoreticaly a half No. There are no fractions involved as there are an exact number of florins to a sovereign. Although sovereigns have been produced on and off as bullion after decimalisation, the values needed here are their 'face values' - i.e. those they had as legal tender. FWIW, there are coins with the same face values in circulation today. Quote Link to comment
+The Patrician Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 (edited) A florin was 2 bob, so there were 10 in a quid or sovereign (an early exercise in decimalisation if I recall correctly). Edited January 4, 2012 by The Patrician Quote Link to comment
+Pajaholic Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 DING to The Patrician! As you wrote, a florin was two shillings and a sovereign was a pound, or twenty shillings. Quote Link to comment
dodgydaved Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 DING to The Patrician! As you wrote, a florin was two shillings and a sovereign was a pound, or twenty shillings. DOH!! Sov and Guinea mixed up Quote Link to comment
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