Happy New Year to you. You probably spent New Year’s Day rather differently from the four of us here. For most of the day our TV was tuned in to a station called Challenge (46 on our multi-channel box) which was showing old editions of the ITV quiz show “The Chase”. The days either side… Continue reading 12 hours of “The Chase”
The shortest “Word of the Week” item so far on this Blog is this one about kakistocracy. I first heard the word on a quiz show back in March. As that earlier piece notes: “Some of these … pieces are about words that have come up in a few different contexts in the weeks beforehand… Continue reading Word of the week: taiga
Once again I am thinking of Trivia and quiz questions. All these years of watching quiz shows on TV, and occasionally attending quiz nights at schools and in bars, have taught me that you might as well have a guess. It’s worth having a guess as long as you’re not going to lose money or… Continue reading You might as well have a guess: 25 answers that are usually right
This month, while thinking about lyrics, I seem to be stuck in 1977. Last week it was “God Save the Queen” (the Sex Pistols version) and this week it’s something very different, “Yes sir I can boogie”, the global disco hit by Spanish duo Baccara. The song’s title featured in a recent edition of the… Continue reading “Yes sir I can boogie” and other self-referential lyrics
Back in September I wrote about the quiz show “Tenable” and set a challenge, to name the 10 items contained in various lists. For example: “Name the 10 elements in the Periodic Table that have fewer than 6 letters in their name.” The original piece containing those challenges is here, and the answers are here.… Continue reading “Tenable”, and people who could have made money using this Blog
Last week (“Things we might never do again”) I mentioned a Quiz Night at my daughter’s primary school. It took place in October and was the last such event that I am likely to attend. She is due to move to secondary school (senior school or High School if you prefer) next September, so our… Continue reading Played 3, Won 3
If pop trivia is not your thing then read no further. If pop trivia is your thing, here are a few facts and challenges for the weekend about songs that have made it to #1 in the UK charts. Same Artist and Song Name at #1 We’re not looking here for an artist releasing a… Continue reading More #1 Pop Trivia: Same artist and song name, same title different song
The word “Pass” has been a feature of quizzes and quiz shows since the 1970s at least, popularized by the BBC show “Mastermind”. There is a point to it in “Mastermind”. If a contestant doesn’t know the answer to a question they can say “Pass”. The show’s presenter (currently John Humphrys; it was Magnus Magnusson… Continue reading Word of the week: pass
“Alphabetical” is a weekday afternoon quiz show, another one we have added to the “series record” list on our multi-channel box. It sits alongside “The Chase”, “Pointless”, “Countdown”, “University Challenge”, “Mastermind” and “Only Connect”. Combined with episodes of “Have I Got News for You”, “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Upstart Crow”, and over 100 “Top of… Continue reading Word of the week: alphabetical
Here are the questions set as a challenge in this earlier post. The answers appear at the end of this page. Name the last 10 different teams to win the English FA Cup. Name the last 10 different teams to win the English League Cup. Name the last 10 cities to host the Summer Olympics.… Continue reading “Tenable” and a challenge: lists containing 10 items (the answers)
The Compartments 