Thematic Alphabet Fun Trivia

1. Which iconic Irish rock band released the hybrid studio/live album "Rattle and Hum" in 1988?

From Quiz A RAsh of RAndom Facts

Answer: U2

Produced by Jimmy Iovine, "Rattle and Hum" was U2's sixth studio album, released in October 1988 - one and a half years after their breakthrough album, "The Joshua Tree". Phil Joanou directed the companion rockumentary film, released a few weeks after the album. Originally a double LP, "Rattle and Hum" includes live performances recorded during U2's hugely successful "The Joshua Tree Tour" (1987), and a number of new studio tracks, some of which feature prestigious guests, such as B.B. King (on the single "When Love Come to Town"), Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, and the gospel choir The New Voices of Freedom. The music on "Rattle and Hum" is influenced by traditional American music genres such as folk, blues, and gospel. As the album was also meant to be a tribute to rock legends, the track list includes cover versions of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". Critical reception of both album and film was somewhat mixed: in spite of that, the album was a commercial success, reaching number one on the charts in the US, UK, and Australia.

From Quiz As it Begins, so it Ends

Answer: Fireproof

Asbestos is a class of silicate minerals with a fibrous structure. It was, in various forms, added to gypsum and concrete to improve the resistance of buildings to fire. Unfortunately, tiny fragments of asbestos breaking off the material cause a very high risk of lung cancers, so the material had to be phased out. In many cases, safe asbestos removal has proven to be very difficult.

From Quiz You BET-cha!

Answer: abet

"Abet" comes to us from Frankish. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it means "to incite" or "to urge to do evil (or good)". Even earlier, its roots lay in Old French- "to harass with dogs, to bite".

From Quiz Waltz Without Schmaltz

Answer: Rendered fat from a chicken or goose, used as a spread on bread

"Schmaltz" has a few definitions, but one of the first was as a spread for bread something like butter...Nowadays it commonly connotes maudlin sentimentality. It's difficult to see the link between the two disparate definitions, but some sources suggest that the dripping of the fat morphed into the dripping of tears..

From Quiz Much Ado About Something

Answer: Corrado

Played by Dominic Chianese, a veteran actor, singer and musician, Chianese has appeared in more than 30 films. Born in the Bronx, NY in 1931, he went on to appear in Broadway plays, sing and play guitar. He is an accomplished tenor, and has recorded, among others, the CD "Ungrateful Heart" (a collection of Neapolitan folk songs). Chianese appeared in "The Godfather, Part II" in 1974 as Johnny Ola, and in 1975 in "Dog Day Afternoon". He has won many awards. As "Uncle Junior" he played the man thought to be the head of the Soprano clan, but it was Tony Soprano's mother who was the guiding force; she appeared a cold and heartless woman, and even in her nursing home room she stashed illegal gains in her closet. She was quite expert at playing the role, of "I'm just a poor old lady who doesn't know what's going on."

From Quiz Wow! Palindromes!

Answer: Teddy Roosevelt

Although Theodore Roosevelt provided the political will, motivation and vision to take on the monumental task of building a canal across Panama after a French firm failed in the 1880s, and it never would have happened without him, the true man with the plan was John Stephens, who replaced original chief engineer John Findley Wallace in 1904, and got the project on track primarily by first building a thorough and sanitary working environment in the jungle, which essentially eradicated the malaria and yellow fever which plagued earlier efforts. After nine long years, much sweat, and considerable loss of life, the job was finished in May, 1914, and the first tugboat successfully went through on September 26th. (thanks to PBS.org "The American Experience")

From Quiz Pass the Buckwheat for Breakfast

Answer: Swashbuckler

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "swashbuckler" comes from early modern English words "swash" - which means "to dash or strike something violently" - and "buckler" - which refers to "a small, round shield carried by a handle at the back"; so a swashbuckler struts around making a lot of noise, laughing and lunging in the face of danger, showing off his fighting prowess in an extravagant manner. While my default swashbuckler is Jack Sparrow and his ilk, not all swashbucklers are buccaneers (that word has a different, French origin, applied in the Caribbean to hunters of wild oxen and boars, then extended to pirates). Robin Hood, Zorro, and other charismatic heroes are examples of swashbucklers, who may be more attractive fellows in films and fiction than we would find them to be in real life.

From Quiz The Gushiest, Gustiest Quiz Ever

Answer: A bogeyman

"Fungus the Bogeyman" first saw the light of day in a book by Raymond Briggs. Published in 1977 it looks at a day in his life, including him pondering the reasons why he scares people as it seems rather pointless. It was later adapted into a three part television series by the BBC, with Mark Wilson as Fungus and Martin Clunes as his father. Question by Christinap

From Quiz All's Well That Ends Well

Answer: Patricia Cornwell

Patricia was born in Miami, FL in 1956. She is a descendant of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and a prolific writer herself, having sold over 100 million books. Her own studies in forensics and related sciences helped her create Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Medical Examiner. Cromwell was the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia during the 1980s, and also volunteered with the Richmond Police Department. Her first novel, "Postmortem", was published in 1990. She has also written a non-fiction account of her conclusions as to the identity of Jack the Ripper, which has drawn praise and criticism from 'Ripperians'. Series such as "CSI" and other forensics related shows have benefited from her work.

From Quiz Semaphore Language

Answer: B

K is LH up, RH low. D is LH up, RH down or RH up and LH down. E is LH high, RH down. Semaphore code is usually conveyed through flags or wands.

From Quiz Sham on you!

Answer: Both

It is both, and technically the name 'Champagne' is prohibited from being used for any but the wines grown in that region in France. Although it is often used as a generic term, the Treaty of Madrid in 1891 prohibits improper use, and wine makers around the world concur, as they are against illegal copying. The making of Champagne is a regulated process, and requires certain grapes, usually Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and possibly others. A secondary fermentation period is required to create the fizz, and a new type of bottle stopper was created to prevent the wine from blowing its cork in the process. Originally, Champagne was associated only with royalty or the wealthy, but it is now affordable to most people wanting a special beverage for celebrations such as weddings. This is all complicated by the fact that that treaty that originally laid all this out was not ratified by the US, and by later treaties that allow some usage to be grandfathered in.

From Quiz X Marks The Spot

Answer: Pirates/treasure hunters

Urban Dictionary notes the phrase was "Derived from an X on pirate treasure maps. The phrase was put into common usage by the British army, who performed executions by marking a piece of paper with a black x and positioning it on the heart of someone sentenced to death." In the 1963 movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", the location of the buried treasure was indicated by an X shape created by two palm trees leaning towards and past each other.

From Quiz With GUSto!

Answer: T.S. Eliot

'Gus' is one of T.S. Eliot's creations in 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'. The stage musical, 'Cats', was based on this book and created with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. 'Gus is the cat at the Theatre Door. His name, as I ought to have told you before Is really 'Asparagus'.That's such a fuss To pronounce that we usually call him just Gus.'

From Quiz Twenty CCs of Trivia

Answer: North America

The word "raccoon" is borrowed from the language of the Powhatan people of Virginia, where English speakers first encountered this beast. With its bandit's-mask face coloring and the remarkable dexterity of its front paws, the raccoon has earned a reputation as a trickster, both in ancient myths and in modern stories. In the twentieth century, these omnivores adapted well to urban life, and are particularly infamous for breaking into garbage cans and carrying rabies - but this didn't stop raccoon-lovers from releasing them into the wild in Japan and in several parts of Europe. The motives varied from the sentimental (the release of a pet) to the sartorial (raccoons have pretty fur).

From Quiz 20 CATegories!

Answer: Maine

The Maine Coon is Maine's official State Cat and is native to the state itself. No one quite knows the breed's origins, though it is widely thought that the cats have descended from the long-haired cats that travelled with the Vikings - Norwegian Forest Cats are also thought to have descended from the Vikings' cats and indeed they strongly resemble Maine Coons.

From Quiz The Wonderful Wizard of 'Zo'

Answer: Zorro

Zorro is actually a South American fox related more closely to a dog than a true fox. Sometimes the Zorro is called a "false fox". The genus name is Pseudalopex griseus and one of the more common types is the Argentine Grey Fox. Zorro the sword wizard is based upon the character created by Johnston McCulley in 1919. The secret identity of the masked swordsman is Don Diego de la Vega and is a cool super-hero with a black mask and a cape. Hmm... sounds a little like a Spanish Colonial Batman.

From Quiz Dem Bums

Answer: Bumble

Mr. Bumble is the beadle in 'Oliver Twist'. He's the man who sells Oliver to Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker. He also has one of literature's truly great lines: accused of stealing jewellery belonging to Oliver's mother, Mr. Bumble claims that it was his wife who was the thief. When Mr. Brownlow, his accuser, remarks that makes no difference because, in the eyes of the law, Mrs. Bumble is under Mr. Bumble's control, Mr. Bumble responds with "If the law supposes that,the law is a ass - a idiot. If that's the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience - by experience."

From Quiz It's as Easy as Alpha Beta Gamma

Answer: Pi

This mathematical constant is probably the most famous use of the letter Pi. Since Pi is an irrational number, i.e. it cannot be represented as a simple fraction, its decimal representation can be expanded indefinitely. The current record stands at 5 trillion digits.

From Quiz Om Nom Nom

Answer: Mass of Pope Paul VI

The Mass was defined following the Second Vatican Council, which was held from 1962 - 1965. The Mass is sometimes simply known as Ordinary Mass.

From Quiz Hey Ya!

Answer: Southern United States

True Creole cuisine, jambalaya is a thick dish made in Louisiana consisting of meat, vegetables, and (usually) rice. While similar to a Spanish paella, jambalaya has a great Cajun zing characteristic of New Orleans fare. While the meat in a jambalaya can be chicken or ham, it's hardly uncommon to find seafood (as one would normally find on the Louisiana Coast) in the dish. Despite a mish-mash of different ingredients, a jambalaya is a delicious, filling meal with a multitude of textures and flavours.

From Quiz Block Your Nose!

Answer: Barack Obama

Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States of America in November 2008. Not only is he America's first African-American President, he is the first President to have been born in Hawaii. He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School before running for the Illinois Senate.

From Quiz Radio Ga Ga

Answer: Dik-dik

A dik-dik is a small antelope that lives in the bush of East Africa. It makes a noise, when scared, that sounds like "dik-dik", thus its name. The dik-dik is so small, it is not only hunted by lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs, but also by caracals, monitor lizards, pythons, and eagles. An aye-aye is a small type of lemur. A tse-tse is a type of fly, which can also be called a tik-tik.

From Quiz WWE Questions

Answer: Dumbo

The story of Dumbo, the flying elephant, was released as an animated motion picture in 1941. Dumbo has no actual wings, but instead uses his oversized ears to fly. After the complex production "Fantasia" the year before which turned out to be a major financial loss, Disney reverted to a purposefully simple style of animation and managed to recoup Fantasia's losses with the success of this production. The title character, Dumbo, actually has no dialogue in the film, but is portrayed speaking (voiced by Katie Leigh) in the later television series "Dumbo's Circus".

From Quiz What Am I (Part Two)?

Answer: Half

From Quiz What Am I (Part One)?

Answer: Pew

In Britain we often say 'take a pew' which means have a seat, take a rest.

From Quiz Spelled the Same Either Way You Look At It!

Answer: Detartrated

Detannated refers to plant extracts; Deleveled is a term coined for usage in fantasy role playing games which refers to a dropped level; and, Derotored is widely used in palindromic lists but doesn't seem to really mean anything!

From Quiz Secret Message in Semaphore

Answer: A

I is RH up low; LH across. M is RH low; LH out. C is RH high; LH down.

From Quiz A Pit of This and That

Answer: The Pit and the Pendulum

"The Pit and the Pendulum", is a gothic terror story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842, by Carey & Hart in "The Gift" (an annual gift book), which tells the story of a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, in a trial that intends to extract confessions through torture. "The Pit and the Pendulum", 1961, is a horror film directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price and others, loosely inspired by Poe's short story of the same name. It was set in the 16th century, in which a young man visits a haunted castle to investigate his sister's death. "The Pit and the Pendulum", 1991, (released in the USA on DVD as "The Inquisitor") is based on Poe's story and on "The Cask of the Amontillado". It was directed by Stuart Gordon and had the actor Lance Henriksen playing the role of Torquemada.

From Quiz Dum, Dumb, Dumber

Answer: Cricket

Better known just by his initials, JP Duminy played for South Africa between 2004 and 2019. He was a free scoring batsman, playing left-handed, and spin bowler, using his right hand. Duminy played in all forms of cricket - test matches, one day internationals and the short form Twenty20.

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