Answers to Monday, July 18, 2022
1. The “Compromise of 1790” granted Alexander Hamilton’s wish for the federal government to cover state debts from the Revolutionary War. In return, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson got to choose the location of… what?
The Capital
(Washington, D.C.)
2. What freshwater fish, found mostly in Canada and the northern U.S., gets its name from an Ojibwe word meaning either “great pike” or “ugly pike,” filtered through a French folk etymology that parsed it as “elongated mask”?
Muskellunge
(or muskie)
3. Nielsen, the TV ratings agency, considers Nickelodeon and Nick at Night to be two separate networks that share a single channel. There is one other pair of networks on basic cable that share a single channel in a similar way. Name them.
Cartoon Network, Adult Swim
4. An Olympic gold medal contains just six grams of gold. The other 92.5 percent is made of what other metal?
Silver
5. Math! If you add together the value of the interior angles of any hexagon, you get the same number. What number is it?
720
Questions for Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. What city, one of the first to have gas lamps installed throughout all neighborhoods in the 19th century, still bears the nickname “the City of Light”?
2. Which lowercase letter is used to represent the square root of negative one?
3. An early draft of a 1990s Superman film had the superhero fight a giant spider. The movie was never made, but the producer loved the spider so much that he made sure Will Smith fought it in what 1999 movie, also starring Salma Hayek?
4. Two U.S. presidents have been assassinated during their first term in office. Name both of them.
5. E.B. White wrote three children’s books with animal protagonists. Name two of them.
1. Paris, France?
4. McKinley and Kennedy
Tact is the ability to step on a man's toes without messing up the shine on his shoes - Harry S Truman
3. Wild, Wild West
2. i
5. Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet and the Swan
As for #3, Kevin Smith (of Clerks fame) has a great dissertation on a conversation with that director, about said spider, among other things. It's on youtube somewhere on his Q&A tour from many years ago. It's hilarious what this director wanted for the Superman movie.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Answers to Tuesday, July 19, 2022
1. What city, one of the first to have gas lamps installed throughout all neighborhoods in the 19th century, still bears the nickname “the City of Light”?
Paris
2. Which lowercase letter is used to represent the square root of negative one?
i
3. An early draft of a 1990s Superman film had the superhero fight a giant spider. The movie was never made, but the producer loved the spider so much that he made sure Will Smith fought it in what 1999 movie, also starring Salma Hayek?
“Wild Wild West”
4. Two U.S. presidents have been assassinated during their first term in office. Name both of them.
John F. Kennedy, James A. Garfield
5. E.B. White wrote three children’s books with animal protagonists. Name two of them.
“Stuart Little,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “The Trumpet of the Swan”
Questions for Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. In 1777, British colonist James Cook visited Tonga, and noted all of the foods on the island that its inhabitants refused to eat. What word, which Cook brought to the English language, did the Tongans use for these forbidden foods?
2. Which NFL team has a name that begins with the same three letters as its home city?
3. Which is longer: the Erie Canal or the Panama Canal?
4. What 2001 David Spade movie contained a cameo by Kid Rock, who ended up loving the movie so much that he offered to finance the sequel?
5. What 37-word sentence, which is read out loud at least once every four years, is the only part of the U.S. Constitution that's inside quotation marks?
1. Taboo
4. Joe Dirt
2. Indian- nope. Seattle
5. The Preamble
3: Erie Canal (it's HUGE)
5: Presidential Oath of Office
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
2. Does Minneapolis/Minnesota Vikings count?
Answers to Wednesday, July 20, 2022
1. In 1777, British colonist James Cook visited Tonga, and noted all of the foods on the island that its inhabitants refused to eat. What word, which Cook brought to the English language, did the Tongans use for these forbidden foods?
Taboo
2. Which NFL team has a name that begins with the same three letters as its home city?
Seattle Seahawks
3. Which is longer: the Erie Canal or the Panama Canal?
The Erie Canal
(353 miles vs 50 miles)
4. What 2001 David Spade movie contained a cameo by Kid Rock, who ended up loving the movie so much that he offered to finance the sequel?
“Joe Dirt”
5. What 37-word sentence, which is read out loud at least once every four years, is the only part of the U.S. Constitution that's inside quotation marks?
The Presidential Oath of Office
Questions for Theme Thursday, July 21, 2022
Penny for Your Thoughts about Pennies: Five one-cent questions.
Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. Between 1793 and 1857, U.S. pennies were made entirely of copper. Now pennies are only 2.5 percent copper. What is the other 97.5 percent?
2. Cree Summer and Michelle Trachtenberg have both played a character named Penny, who appears as the primary relative of what titular detective?
3. What type of exonumia, which you can procure today at museums, amusement parks, and other landmarks, was first debuted at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair?
4. What is the first name of the Batman character whose last name is “Pennyworth”?
5. If you’re in England, and someone says, “I’m gonna go spend a penny,” knowledge of local slang would tell you that they are going to do… what?
1. Zinc
Tact is the ability to step on a man's toes without messing up the shine on his shoes - Harry S Truman
4. Alfred
5. Use a restroom.
3. Token?
2) Inspector Gadget
Answers to Thursday, July 21, 2022
1. Between 1793 and 1857, U.S. pennies were made entirely of copper. Now pennies are only 2.5 percent copper. What is the other 97.5 percent?
Zinc
2. Cree Summer and Michelle Trachtenberg have both played a character named Penny, who appears as the primary relative of what titular detective?
Inspector Gadget
3. What type of exonumia, which you can procure today at museums, amusement parks, and other landmarks, was first debuted at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair?
Pressed penny (elongated coin – “exonumia” is a term for currency other than spendable coins and bills)
4. What is the first name of the Batman character whose last name is “Pennyworth”?
Alfred
5. If you’re in England, and someone says, “I’m gonna go spend a penny,” knowledge of local slang would tell you that they are going to do… what?
Go to the bathroom (public toilets in England used to cost 1 cent)
Questions for Friday, July 22, 2022
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email.
1. Quit While You’re Ahead: Of all the countries in the world with more than 5 million people, six have names ending in “Y.” Name as many of those countries as you can for one point each. Zero total if you get any wrong.
2. Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant wrote 54 young adult novels between 1996 and 2001 under the pseudonym “K.A. Applegate.” They originally planned to call the series “The Changelings,” but later settled on what title instead?
3. The “7 Series” is the flagship car of what automobile manufacturer?
4. The final animated film Walt Disney personally oversaw was released in 1967. It was based on a collection of children's stories, and added a kingly character voiced by Louis Prima. What movie was it?
5. Today is July 22. Happy 30th birthday to the fourth-most-followed Instagram user, after Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner, and Lionel Messi. Name that Texas native and “Only Murders in the Building” star.
- Germany, Turkey, Uruguay, Paraguay, ?, ?
3: BMW
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
4. Jungle Book I think
1. Norway & Hungary gotta be up there.
5. Selena Gomez
- Turns out there are 8 countries that end in ‘y’. Uruguay is not in the top 5. Can’t believe I didn’t get the other ones.
In my head I thought I had that one figured out. How I forgot about Italy is beyond me.
In my head I had Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy and Germany only.
4. I really thought that was Fantasia.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Answers to Friday, July 22, 2022
1. Quit While You’re Ahead: Of all the countries in the world with more than 5 million people, six have names ending in “Y.” Name as many of those countries as you can for one point each. Zero total if you get any wrong.
Turkey (85 million), Germany (84 million), Italy (59 million), Hungary (10 million), Paraguay (7.4 million), Norway (5.4 million)
2. Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant wrote 54 young adult novels between 1996 and 2001 under the pseudonym “K.A. Applegate.” They originally planned to call the series “The Changelings,” but later settled on what title instead?
“Animorphs”
3. The “7 Series” is the flagship car of what automobile manufacturer?
BMW
4. The final animated film Walt Disney personally oversaw was released in 1967. It was based on a collection of children's stories, and added a kingly character voiced by Louis Prima. What movie was it?
“The Jungle Book”
5. Today is July 22. Happy 30th birthday to the fourth-most-followed Instagram user, after Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylie Jenner, and Lionel Messi. Name that Texas native and “Only Murders in the Building” star.
Selena Gomez
Questions for Monday, July 25, 2022
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. There are two movies in Brett Favre's IMDb filmography. One is called “Reggie’s Prayer,” which nobody has ever seen. A lot of people have seen the one that came out in 1998, though. Name it!
2. Lakshmi Singh, Nina Totenberg, and Ailsa Chang are all journalists currently employed by what news outlet?
3. It started in World War I among French soldiers, where it was played with pencil and paper and called “L’Attaque.” The first commercial version was called “Salvo,” published in 1931. The most popular version today uses plastic, as produced by Milton Bradley starting in 1967, under what name?
4. What river, which has also been known by a Portuguese adaptation of a local word “nzere,” meaning river, is the deepest river in the world, and is the only major river to cross the Equator twice?
5. What Tex-Mex dish was invented by a man named Ignacio Anaya in 1940, and originally had an apostrophe in its name?
3. Battleship
Tact is the ability to step on a man's toes without messing up the shine on his shoes - Harry S Truman
- There’s Something About Mary
4. The Congo
5. Nachos
2: NPR
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Answers to Monday, July 25, 2022
1. There are two movies in Brett Favre's IMDb filmography. One is called “Reggie’s Prayer,” which nobody has ever seen. A lot of people have seen the one that came out in 1998, though. Name it!
“There's Something About Mary”
2. Lakshmi Singh, Nina Totenberg, and Ailsa Chang are all journalists currently employed by what news outlet?
National Public Radio (NPR)
3. It started in World War I among French soldiers, where it was played with pencil and paper and called “L’Attaque.” The first commercial version was called “Salvo,” published in 1931. The most popular version today uses plastic, as produced by Milton Bradley starting in 1967, under what name?
“Battleship”
4. What river, which has also been known by a Portuguese adaptation of a local word “nzere,” meaning river, is the deepest river in the world, and is the only major river to cross the Equator twice?
Congo River
(also has been called the “Zaire River,” from the Kikongo “nzere”)
5. What Tex-Mex dish was invented by a man named Ignacio Anaya in 1940, and originally had an apostrophe in its name?
Nachos
(“Nacho” is short for “Ignacio”—they were originally called “Nacho’s Special”)
Questions for Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. Answers
1. What company, best known for its extensive line of toy cars and trucks, takes its name from a Dakota word meaning “big”?
2. What five-letter word describes the bottom portion of a boat that sits below the waterline, as well as the noxious water that often collects there?
3. What is the title of the Broadway jukebox musical that celebrates Billy Joel’s song catalog?
4. As of 2017 data, Marlboro is the best-selling cigarette brand in the United States, by a long shot. Camel is number three. What brand comes second?
5. Shakespeare wrote three plays that begin with shipwrecks. Name one of them.
2 Bilge
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
- Tonka
3. Moving Out
5 - The Tempest
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Newport?
5. The Comedy of Errors
4 has to be Newport, they are the most popular menthols, IIRC. Mostly a minority crowd, as for ethnicity.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Answers to Tuesday, July 26, 2022
1. What company, best known for its extensive line of toy cars and trucks, takes its name from a Dakota word meaning “big”?
Tonka
2. What five-letter word describes the bottom portion of a boat that sits below the waterline, as well as the noxious water that often collects there?
Bilge
3. What is the title of the Broadway jukebox musical that celebrates Billy Joel’s song catalog?
“Movin’ Out”
4. As of 2017 data, Marlboro is the best-selling cigarette brand in the United States, by a long shot. Camel is number three. What brand comes second?
Newport
5. Shakespeare wrote three plays that begin with shipwrecks. Name one of them.
“The Tempest,” “Twelfth Night (or, What You Will),” “The Comedy of Errors”