Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, and Iván Rodríguez are among the baseball stars who donned the “tools of ignorance.” That's slang for the equipment used by players at what position?
2. What two letters can represent audio presets on a radio, a psychological test for assessing empathy, or a 1999 multiplayer online roleplaying game with expansions such as “Empires of Kunark” and “Dragons of Norrath”?
3. The edible head of the cauliflower is sometimes given the same name as what dairy product, made from a mix of pasteurized milk, starter culture, and rennet?
4. Yuri is the given name of what titular physician and poet in a 1957 Boris Pasternak novel?
5. What fibrous, organic matter, common in the bogs of Scotland, is used to give some whiskeys their signature smoky flavor?
1. Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, and Iván Rodríguez are among the baseball stars who donned the “tools of ignorance.” That's slang for the equipment used by players at what position?
Catcher
2. What two letters can represent audio presets on a radio, a psychological test for assessing empathy, or a 1999 multiplayer online roleplaying game with expansions such as “Empires of Kunark” and “Dragons of Norrath”?
EQ (equalizer, empathy quotient, “EverQuest”)
3. The edible head of the cauliflower is sometimes given the same name as what dairy product, made from a mix of pasteurized milk, starter culture, and rennet?
Curd
4. Yuri is the given name of what titular physician and poet in a 1957 Boris Pasternak novel?
Doctor Zhivago
5. What fibrous, organic matter, common in the bogs of Scotland, is used to give some whiskeys their signature smoky flavor?
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. In 2019, U.S. parents reported that their toddlers were learning to speak with British accents, saying things like “toh-MAH-toh” and “can I have a go?” It was dubbed “The BLANK Effect,” after a popular show that was hogging all the kids' screen time. Fill in that blank!
2. Nathan Lane has won Tony Awards for his roles in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Producers.” Both of the roles he played were originated by what actor?
3. A 1968 animated film follows an undersea voyage to the country of Pepperland, where villains known as Blue Meanies have outlawed music. Pepperland is eventually saved by what real-life foursome?
4. Which Supreme Court justice was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2026 for reading the audiobook version of her 2024 memoir, “Lovely One”?
5. In jewelry, an oval or pear-shaped gemstone that is cut all over in tiny triangular facets for extra sparkle is called what nine-letter word, an adaptation of a French term for “little dried plum”?
“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
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I compete in an online trivia league (Learned League) and today they had a question that was just rude:
With the Indiana Hoosiers' recent ascent to the upper echelon of college football, what state's flagship university now sits alone with the longest period since its last Big Ten football championship, a drought that is approaching six decades?
I compete in an online trivia league (Learned League) and today they had a question that was just rude:
With the Indiana Hoosiers' recent ascent to the upper echelon of college football, what state's flagship university now sits alone with the longest period since its last Big Ten football championship, a drought that is approaching six decades?
“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
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1. In 2019, U.S. parents reported that their toddlers were learning to speak with British accents, saying things like “toh-MAH-toh” and “can I have a go?” It was dubbed “The BLANK Effect,” after a popular show that was hogging all the kids' screen time. Fill in that blank!
Peppa (or Peppa Pig)
2. Nathan Lane has won Tony Awards for his roles in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Producers.” Both of the roles he played were originated by what actor?
Zero Mostel
3. A 1968 animated film follows an undersea voyage to the country of Pepperland, where villains known as Blue Meanies have outlawed music. Pepperland is eventually saved by what real-life foursome?
The Beatles (“Yellow Submarine”)
4. Which Supreme Court justice was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2026 for reading the audiobook version of her 2024 memoir, “Lovely One”?
Ketanji Brown Jackson
5. In jewelry, an oval or pear-shaped gemstone that is cut all over in tiny triangular facets for extra sparkle is called what nine-letter word, an adaptation of a French term for “little dried plum”?
Elemental: All the answers to this round will also be an element from the periodic table. For example: When a record has sold a million copies, it is given what designation by the Recording Industry Association of America? Answer: Platinum.
Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. What form of currency can be found in the names of a children’s cable channel launched in 1979 and a 2019 novel by Colson Whitehead?
2. The fifth track on Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” also happens to be a medication used to treat some mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder. Name that song.
3. What is the stage surname of singer Farrokh Bulsara?
4. Despite its name, a compact Chevy first produced for the 2005 model year was sold in more than just shades of blue. What’s that metallic-sounding car, discontinued in the U.S. five years later?
5. What historic theater is located on Argyll Street, in the Soho district of London?
Elemental: All the answers to this round will also be an element from the periodic table. For example: When a record has sold a million copies, it is given what designation by the Recording Industry Association of America? Answer: Platinum.
1. What form of currency can be found in the names of a children’s cable channel launched in 1979 and a 2019 novel by Colson Whitehead?
Nickel (Nickelodeon, “The Nickel Boys”)
2. The fifth track on Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” also happens to be a medication used to treat some mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder. Name that song.
“Lithium”
3. What is the stage surname of singer Farrokh Bulsara?
Mercury (Freddie Mercury)
4. Despite its name, a compact Chevy first produced for the 2005 model year was sold in more than just shades of blue. What’s that metallic-sounding car, discontinued in the U.S. five years later?
Cobalt
5. What historic theater is located on Argyll Street, in the Soho district of London?
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email.
1. Quit While You’re Ahead: The International Standard of ballroom dancing features five types of dance. Name as many of those styles of dance as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.
2. An article with the subheadline, “The hyper-viral squishies and the TikTok race for stock” outlines the recent popularity of what line of pliable and often bulbous sensory fidget toys manufactured by Schylling?
3. Which South American capital city is notable for its airplane-shaped master plan that went from blueprint to built in just 41 months between 1956 and 1960?
4. Seneca Union officer Ely Parker drew up the terms of surrender signed in what Virginia village in 1865?
5. Today is August 21. The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a single game in March, second in the NBA record books only to what legendary center, who would have celebrated his 90th birthday on this day?
“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
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1. Quit While You’re Ahead: The International Standard of ballroom dancing features five types of dance. Name as many of those styles of dance as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.
2. An article with the subheadline, “The hyper-viral squishies and the TikTok race for stock” outlines the recent popularity of what line of pliable and often bulbous sensory fidget toys manufactured by Schylling?
NeeDoh
3. Which South American capital city is notable for its airplane-shaped master plan that went from blueprint to built in just 41 months between 1956 and 1960?
Brasília
4. Seneca Union officer Ely Parker drew up the terms of surrender signed in what Virginia village in 1865?
Appomattox Court House
5. Today is August 21. The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a single game in March, second in the NBA record books only to what legendary center, who would have celebrated his 90th birthday on this day?
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. The United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is better known by what colorful moniker?
2. What watch company introduced the concept of a “second watch” — something fun and less formal than your regular watch — when it launched in 1983?
3. Spell it with a “U” in the middle, and it’s a mystery series produced from 1968 to 2003. Spell it with an “O” in the same spot, and it’s the most populous city in Sri Lanka. What is it?
4. A famous duke who came to prominence in the 1800s is the likely namesake of what luxurious meat, mushroom, and pastry dish that gained popularity in the 1960s after Julia Child featured it on her television show?
5. What five-letter word — commonly used in politics — comes from the Greek word for “time,” because it describes someone you’ve known a long time?
“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
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“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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is better known by what colorful moniker?
Blue Angels
2. What watch company introduced the concept of a “second watch” — something fun and less formal than your regular watch — when it launched in 1983?
Swatch (its name is a contraction of “second watch”)
3. Spell it with a “U” in the middle, and it’s a mystery series produced from 1968 to 2003. Spell it with an “O” in the same spot, and it’s the most populous city in Sri Lanka. What is it?
“Columbo”/Colombo
4. A famous duke who came to prominence in the 1800s is the likely namesake of what luxurious meat, mushroom, and pastry dish that gained popularity in the 1960s after Julia Child featured it on her television show?
Beef Wellington
5. What five-letter word — commonly used in politics — comes from the Greek word for “time,” because it describes someone you’ve known a long time?
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. The last province to join Canada in 1949 is made up of an island and part of a peninsula — both of which share their name with dog breeds. Name that province!
2. When viewed from above, which direction do carousels typically spin in North America: clockwise or counter-clockwise?
3. The first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, the first woman to host her own variety sketch TV show, and the first actor to play the titular role in “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway all share what name?
4. Baltimore’s airport and the University of Maryland’s law library are named in honor of what legal figure, who was portrayed on film by Chadwick Boseman in 2017?
5, In the late 1970s, the Department of Justice challenged the Ad Council to come up with a campaign to help reduce crime in America. In response, the Ad Council created what character?
“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
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1. The last province to join Canada in 1949 is made up of an island and part of a peninsula — both of which share their name with dog breeds. Name that province!
Newfoundland and Labrador
2. When viewed from above, which direction do carousels typically spin in North America: clockwise or counter-clockwise?
Counter-clockwise (in Europe and Asia they usually turn clockwise)
3. The first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, the first woman to host her own variety sketch TV show, and the first actor to play the titular role in “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway all share what name?
Carol (Carol Moseley Braun, Carol Burnett, Carol Channing)
4. Baltimore’s airport and the University of Maryland’s law library are named in honor of what legal figure, who was portrayed on film by Chadwick Boseman in 2017?
Thurgood Marshall
5. In the late 1970s, the Department of Justice challenged the Ad Council to come up with a campaign to help reduce crime in America. In response, the Ad Council created what character?
Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. True or false: 10 is the highest ranking on the Richter scale.
2. What kit was first sold in the 1950s under the marketing slogan “Every man a Rembrandt”?
3. “Leave the Driving to Us” is a motto used by what company, founded 112 years ago in Hibbing, Minnesota?
4. What 10-letter word, often heard on “Antiques Roadshow,” has French origins, and refers to a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity?
5. “Suitable attire that is almost entirely white.” That’s from the official dress code for athletes competing in what annual tournament in London?
“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
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1. True or false: 10 is the highest ranking on the Richter scale.
False (there is no upper limit)
2. What kit was first sold in the 1950s under the marketing slogan “Every man a Rembrandt”?
Paint by Numbers
3. “Leave the Driving to Us” is a motto used by what company, founded 112 years ago in Hibbing, Minnesota?
Greyhound
4. What 10-letter word, often heard on “Antiques Roadshow,” has French origins, and refers to a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity?
Provenance
5. “Suitable attire that is almost entirely white.” That’s from the official dress code for athletes competing in what annual tournament in London?
Round the Radio Dial: Tune in to a round of trivia dedicated to all things on the radio.
Answers in tomorrow’s email.
1. What long-running radio show hosted by Tom and Ray Magliozzi was known as the “Home of Click & Clack,” and encouraged listeners to call the toll-free number 888-227-8255 with questions?
2. What Peabody-award winning radio show, co-founded in 2002 by Jad Abumrad, is described as the place “where deep-dive journalism, storytelling and sound design meet”?
3. Channel 34 on SiriusXM, the radio station for grunge rock and '90s alternative, is named after which element on the periodic table?
4. What fictional Texas lawman — played by Clayton Moore, John Hart, and Chad Michael Murray — debuted on a radio program at Detroit’s WXYZ in 1933?
5. What nonprofit organization’s radio jingle, written in 1999, is so universally reviled that it was chosen as the theme song to hell in the TV show “The Good Place”?
“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
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