The All New All New Groundspeak UK Pub Quiz

[+hal-an-tow]

No, and no !

This particular bit of the Great War seems to have slipped into relative obscurity ...

[+me N u]

What was then known as Mesopotamia?

[+hal-an-tow]

Nope !

[+speakers-corner]

I think this is the time where the Anzacs with the British Army were fighting against the Turkisch and German armies in the middle east, but I am not sure where.

[+hal-an-tow]

Still nope !

Here's a photo of the soldier in question, no helpful clues though, photo was taken in the backyard in Brum before he went off to war.

 

[dodgydaved]

Palestine?

[+hal-an-tow]

No, not Palestine.

Here's a little extra info to focus the educated guesses: the regiment didn't leave Europe  (insert your own brexit joke here)

[+me N u]

Russia?

After the revolution, sent to support the White Russians.

[+hal-an-tow]

Nope.

[Sharpeset]

Not sure if the timing is right but I know my Grandfather was sent off overseas around the time of the Easter Uprising so I'll guess your Grandad was with mine in Ireland... 

[+hal-an-tow]

Sorry, another no for Ireland !

[+colleda]

Pakistan?

[+hal-an-tow]

Not Pakistan , as I said yesterday, they didn't leave Europe.

[+Boggin's Dad]

How about Finland. Not much mud, but plenty of ice!

[+hal-an-tow]

Finland ... I like the idea (plus it reminds me of a Monty Python song ) and I imagine frozen mud would be easier to negotiate than that mire so deep  that men and horses could drown in it on the Somme, , but afraid not ...

Plenty of European countries left to choose between

[+RJx2]

Greece?

[+hal-an-tow]

Not Greece.

[+searcherdog]

Italy?

[+hal-an-tow]

Bingo.! (or whatever the Italian is for bingo ) ding to searcherdog

(With an honourable mention to speakers-corner who sent me the answer by e-mail yesterday, but had researched part of it so would not falsely claim the ding here.)

Italy was on our side in WW1 (unlike the next time ... ) Apparently Haig was not happy to take any men away from the Western Front, but Lloyd George insisted. The Italians had joined the war somewhat late, and got battered by the opposing Austro-Hungarian armies, especially when the German armr reinforced them (over 1.5 million lives lost from both sides in several battles) so French and British troops were sent to back them up.

Some first hand info about the logistics of the long, slow train journey for anyone interested here

They set off from the Western Front on the 23rd November, by today, 28th,  the records say:

"28th NOVEMBER 1917–1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion  - IN THE TRAIN. En route to ITALY. NO 1 TRAIN Route for Day: PIACENZA arr 10.45am PARMA arr 12.15pm REGGIO arr 3.30pm MODENA arr 6.45pm BOLOGNA arr 8.40pm Spent greater part of night in BOLOGNA Station: full advantage could not be taken of it by giving men and horses exercise owing to our never knowing when we might start.   NO 2 TRAIN Route for the Day ST PIERRE D’ARENA – ARQUATA – NOVI – TORTONE – VOGHERA – STRADELLA – PIACENZA –PARMA No incidents of importance during the day. 2 men of B Coy missed the train at STRADELLA, and did not rejoin during the journey. Coys had teas at PIACENZA."   From mud to limestone mountains. On his 21st birthday in January 1918 grandad was marching up one of those mountains to help protect a water source . Apparently as a gift, the officer carried his rifle all day for him.

[+searcherdog]

I'm not sure what the Italian is for Bingo but here's the next question......

Connect Plain Bob, Grandsire, Stedman and Whittington and tell me what I would be doing.

[+Boggin's Dad]

Ringing (church) bells.

[+searcherdog]

Ding or perhaps ding dong!   

These are some of the different tunes or methods which can be rung on bells.

[+Boggin's Dad]

As we are entering the festive season. How many legs are there in the twelve days of Christmas?

 

[+searcherdog]

Shall we start with 648?

[+speakers-corner]

No idea, now I cant get the song out of my head.

[+speakers-corner]

After singing the song over and over again and using Excel to count everything up I come up with 808 legs.

Edited December 8, 2017 by speakers-corner

[+Optimist on the run]

On 12/8/2017 at 3:22 AM, speakers-corner said:

After singing the song over and over again and using Excel to count everything up I come up with 808 legs.

I also came up with 808 (assuming the eight maids are a-milking one four-legged beast each), but I'll add me and my true love and say 812.

[+searcherdog]

I've been trying to get rid of this earworm but it's been reinforced at every seasonal event I have attended.

So, let's try again with 976.

 

[+hal-an-tow]

880 . You didn' t say the legs had to be animate, and I'm assuming the maids 'milking stools were 3 legged ones.

[+hal-an-tow]

OK, sometimes you have a boring wait to occupy, and I've reached an impasse withh the puzzle cache I'm banging my head against, so I went through and revised my calculations for this, having realised I'd only added in the milking stools the once. So, as my grammar school training always insisted in exams you must 'show your working'  here goes : best read from the bottom to top
day 12 = 182+24 = 206   (day 11 plus twelve lords a leaping)
day 11 = 160+22 = 182   (day 10 plus eleven ladies)
day 10 = 140+20 = 160   (day 9 plus 20 for ten pipers)
day  9 = 122+18 = 140   (day 8 plus 18 for  nine drummers)
day  8 = 50+72   = 122   (day 7 plus 8 maid/cow/milking stool combos, 9 legs per)= 72)
day  7 = 36+14    =  50   (day 6 plus 14 for seven swans)
day  6 = 24+12    =  36   (day 5 plus 12 for Six geese)

day  5 =                  24    gold rings,same legs as day 4
day  4 =   16+8  =   24    (day 3 plus 8 for four colly birds)
day  3 =   10+6  =  16    (day 2 plus 6 for three fench hens)
day  2 =   6+4   =   10    (day 1 plus 4 for two turtle doves)
Day  1 = 2+2+2   =  6    (me,my true love + one partridge)

                   Total = 976

So, my new answer is 976.

[+hal-an-tow]

 Or. if inanimate legs are disallowed ( and assuming none of the lords a leaping are drunk as lords, i.e. legless )

day 12 = 158+24=  182 (day 11 plus twelve lords a leaping)
day 11 = 136+22 = 158 (day 10 plus eleven ladies)
day 10 = 116+20 = 136   (day 9 plus 20 for ten pipers)
day  9 =  98+18 = 116 (day 8 plus 18 for  nine drummers)
day  8 = 50+48  =  98   (day 7 plus 8 maid/cow combos,6 legs per)=48)
      Giving a  total without milking stools = 856

I think I need a lie down now.

[+Optimist on the run]

Hal-an-tow, the problem with your method is that it adds me and my true love on every day of Christmas. Although they (we?) are mentioned 12 times, I think it is safe to assume that there is only one true love, and certainly only one of me.

So revising your incremental method gives

Day 1 = 2

Day 2 = 2+(2x2) = 2+4 = 6

Day 3 = 6+(3x2) = 6+6 = 12

Day 4 = 12+(4x2) = 12+8 = 20

Day 5 = 20+(5x0) = 20+0 = 20

Day 6 = 20+(6x2) = 20+12 = 32

Day 7 = 32+(7x2) = 32+14 = 46

Day 8 = 46+(8x9) = 46+72 = 118 (assuming 8 milkmaids, 8 cows and 8 three-legged stools)

Day 9 = 118+(9x2) = 118 + 18 = 136

Day 10 = 136+(10x2) = 136+20 = 156

Day 11 = 156+(11x2) = 156+22 = 178

Day 12 = 178+(12x2) = 178+24 = 202

Total = 928, plus me and my true love = 932.

 

If you ignore the milking stools, the last five days becomes

Day 8 = 46+(8x6) = 46+48 = 94

Day 9 = 94+(9x2) = 94+18 = 112

Day 10 = 112+(10x2) = 112+20 = 132

Day 11 = 132+(11x2) = 132+22 = 154

Day 12 = 154+(12x2) = 154+24 = 178

Total = 808, plus me and my true love = 812 as stated earlier.

 

Boggin's Dad, have any of us hit the target yet?

[+hal-an-tow]

Ah, a debate on semantics, that could easily run to a dozen pages of intemperate shouting if this wasn't a civilised area ...

If the " first person plus beloved" characters appear in each verse, and we assume they are the same individuals each day, how can we say the same french hens etc etc are not also re-deployed each day ? I can't tell chickens apart*, you could easily fool me by claiming these were entirely different to yesterdays fowl ...same for the other birds, none of which has the distinctive individually varied plumage which identifies budgies for instance  ...

Also, the initial question said ' How many legs ' , not how many different legs, so same beloved, same legs, different day = 2 more legs in the song 

I rest my case, (while suggesting that the problem lies with the phrasing of the question) and await the final authoritative verdict of the questioner (who is probably weeping softly over a calculator as I type) .

 

 

^ As an afterthought, I have farmer friends who have some rescued battery hens clucking round their yard, one of who (inevitably named 'Stumpy' ) I can distinguish from the rest,  but only because she would ruin the leg count with 1 .5 to her name  ... pretty sure she is not French though ....

[+Boggin's Dad]

I am going to have to give this one to searcherdog, but a close second and congratulations to Hal-an-tow for getting full marks, as he showed all his working

My intitial sum led me to 928 - I was including the milking stool, but then had not added in me, and my true love....

So the answer I am going to judge as right is 976 which includes those extra 48 legs.

Well done searcherdog A very festive ding for you - Over to you

 

[+hal-an-tow]

She showed all her working actually

[+Boggin's Dad]

20 hours ago, hal-an-tow said:

She showed all her working actually

I think I have fallen foul of that one before..... 

[+searcherdog]

Thanks Boggin's Dad.

Thomas (also known as Tom) Smith was a confectioner and baker.

Around 1845-1850 he invented something seasonal.

What was it?

 

[+Optimist on the run]

I got a feeling of deja-vu when I read this, and looking back I asked the same question last year. I shall therefore refrain from answering!

[dodgydaved]

11 hours ago, Optimist on the run said:

I got a feeling of deja-vu when I read this, and looking back I asked the same question last year. I shall therefore refrain from answering!

Its a right cracker of a question though!

[+searcherdog]

OK, I didn't have hindsight but well remembered to Optimist on the run who refrained from answering.

The BANG DING goes to dodgydaved for winning the cracker. He can now tell us the joke, wear the hat and set the next question. 

[dodgydaved]

I tore the hat putting it on!

How does Santa like his Pizzas?    Deep pan crisp and even!

 

Which country has the tradition of a Christmas Witch dropping presents for children down the chimney? 

[+Boggin's Dad]

Finland

 

[dodgydaved]

Nope!

[+hal-an-tow]

Arrgh, I know I've heard of this folktale - it's similar to the Russian Baboushka  story* ... so it's not Russian, and I know the German and Austrian festive scare figures are male, so I'll have a guess at Swiss maybe ?

* Woman invited to accompany kings to visit baby Jesus thinks she is too busy with housework, turns down chance, thereafter roams earth for eternity trying to  make up for her choice. The moral of the story: ALWAYS abandon housework at the slightest pretext.  Works for me ...

[dodgydaved]

Lovely thought there, but not Switzerland.

[+colleda]

- Italy?

[dodgydaved]

10 hours ago, colleda said:

- Italy?

Si, bene!!  Over to you.............

[+colleda]

Grazie.

Name the Benny Hill Show theme tune.

[+Optimist on the run]

I think it's called Yackety Sax, or something similar.

[+colleda]

totally correct.

 

Ding.