Being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth means being born into wealth and privilege. The saying dates back to the 16th century, when cutlery for the wealthy was made from actual silver. In the 18th century, diners were expected to bring their own cutlery to meals and wealthier guests would bring silver cutlery with them - otherwise known as silverware - to distinguish themselves from their poorer fellow guests.
Silver Spoon is also the name of a sugar company owned by British Sugar.
2. Anniversary
Answer: 'Silver' things
When a couple have been married for twenty-five years, it is their silver wedding anniversary. Silver gifts can include jewellery, cutlery, tableware, photo frames or even special coins. When a monarch has been on a throne for the same amount of time, it is a silver jubilee; Queen Elizabeth II celebrated hers in 1977, while King Juan Carlos of Spain celebrated his in 2000.
3. Brumby
Answer: 'Silver' things
A brumby is a feral horse that lives in Australia, and 'The Silver Brumby' is the first in a series of books by Elyne Mitchell about Thowra, the titular brumby, who lives with his herd in southern Australia. His white coat and silvery mane and tail make him a target for hunters and rival horses, such as The Brolga, a grey stallion who kills his father.
A film version, 'The Silver Stallion', was made in 1993 and starred Caroline Goodall and Russell Crowe. An animated series based on the books was also made between 1996 and 1998.
4. Haru
Answer: Fictional rabbits
Haru is a character in the Paru Itagaki manga 'Beastars', a shounen manga about anthropomorphic animals. Haru is a white dwarf rabbit who is a member of the gardening club, and has a reputation for being promiscuous. She is bullied by Mizuchi, a harlequin rabbit who looks down on Haru, and her hangers-on, a black cat and a raccoon.
She falls in love with Legoshi, a grey wolf and the main character, despite him being a carnivore because he respects her and treats her like a person, not a sex object. Legoshi also rescues her from a gang of lions who are about to eat her.
5. Bunnicula
Answer: Fictional rabbits
Bunnicula is a vampire with a difference - he's a rabbit, and he's vegetarian! Instead of sucking blood, he sucks juice out of vegetables. The 'Bunnicula' books were written by Deborah and James Howe, and began with 'Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery', in which the Monroe family buy a pet rabbit with fangs and a cape-like pattern on his back.
They call him 'Bunnicula' after having seen 'Dracula'. Chester, the family cat, is the only one who suspects there is anything odd about Bunnicula. A cartoon series loosely based on the books was made in 2016.
6. Fiver
Answer: Fictional rabbits
Fiver is a character in Richard Adams' 'Watership Down'. The younger brother of the main character Hazel, he is a prophet who has a vision of their warren, Sandleford, being destroyed. Fiver, Hazel and a small group of rabbits flee the warren and later discover that Fiver's premonition came true when Captain Holly, a former member of the Sandleford Owsla (military) and his friend Bluebell join them, and tell the story of the destruction of the warren. On their journey, the rabbits visit a warren led by the charismatic Cowslip, and Fiver has a premonition that it is dangerous; it later turns out to be full of snares.
At the end of the book, Fiver settles down with Vilthuril, a doe from the militaristic warren of Efrafa.
7. Parklife
Answer: Blur albums
'Parklife' is Blur's third album (and my favourite), released in 1994. It spawned the singles 'Parklife' (featuring Ray Winstone), 'To the End' (featuring Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier), 'End of a Century' and 'Girls & Boys'. American fans also got 'Tracy Jacks' as a single. Dave Balfe, the owner of their label Food, thought the album was a 'mistake', but the fans disagreed. Certified platinum four times, it is considered to be one of the quintessential Britpop albums, especially as their soon-to-be-rivals Oasis had released 'Definitely Maybe' around the same time.
8. Leisure
Answer: Blur albums
'Leisure' is Blur's debut album, released in 1991. It spawned the singles 'She's So High', 'Bang' and 'There's No Other Way' ('Popscene' was a standalone single). The US version had a slightly different tracklisting, featuring the B-side 'I Know' instead of 'Sing'.
The album was certified gold. Frontman Damon Albarn later dubbed the album a 'mistake' and one of the only bad albums Blur had ever done, and admitted they were deliberately capitalising on the 'baggy' sound popularised by the Stone Roses.
9. 13
Answer: Blur albums
'13' is Blur's sixth album, released in 1999, and like its predecessor, it marked a more experimental direction for the band. It was heavily influenced by Damon Albarn's break-up with his girlfriend, Elastica singer Justine Frischmann, and spawned three singles: 'Tender' (which went to Number 1 on the UK singles chart), 'Coffee & TV' and 'No Distance Left to Run'. 'Coffee & TV' was notable for being the first Blur single to be sung by guitarist Graham Coxon, and '13' was the last Blur album to feature him before he left.
The album topped the UK album chart on its release and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
10. Tulip
Answer: The Netherlands
Tulip season in the Netherlands begins in the spring, and Amsterdam is home to the Keukenhof, a massive tulip garden. Over 7 million bulbs are planted there every spring, and the Keukenhof houses around 800 different tulip variants. The tulip was introduced to the Netherlands by Carolus Clusius, a Flemish botanist and head of the Hortus Botanicus botanical garden, in the 16th century. In the 17th century, the Dutch went crazy for tulips; at the height of 'tulip mania', a single bulb cost as much as a canal house in Amsterdam!
Tulips are also the national symbol of the Iranian Green Movement, and are used as table decorations at the spring festival of Nowruz.
11. Keeshond
Answer: The Netherlands
The keeshond is a small, fluffy grey and black dog of the spitz type, descended from sled dogs. It has pointy ears, a thick double coat and a curled tail. It was once known as the Dutch Barge Dog as it was used as a ratter on barges. It got its name from Cornelis 'Kees' de Gijselaar, a rebel against the House of Orange, who owned such a dog; when the House of Orange (whose symbol was a pug) regained power in the Netherlands, the breed became rarer.
In the Netherlands, 'keeshond' is a generic name for German spitz dogs and the keeshond itself is called the 'wolfspitz'.
12. Orange
Answer: The Netherlands
Orange is the signature colour of the Dutch national football team, and they are nicknamed 'Oranje'. The distinctive orange kits are inspired by the royal House of Orange-Nassau, founded by William the Silent in 1544. William III of Orange led the Glorious Revolution in England, which led to the overthrow of James II (James VII in Scotland); he was married to James' daughter Mary, and Parliament appointed them King and Queen in 1689. On the national holiday of Koningsdag/Koniginnedage (King's/Queen's Day), on 27th April, it is customary to wear orange.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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