Growing up in southwestern Ontario in the 1950s and '60s, it seemed that every year we were warned of a wolverine with rabies, somewhere in the bush near Lake Huron, or along the Bruce Peninsula. I never saw one, but the fear of rabies was implanted in my young brain. This was long before Hugh Jackman appeared as the character called Wolverine in the movies, of course.
Rabies is a viral infection spread through the bite of an infected animal, and can be deadly to humans as well as animals. Vaccination of domestic pets has made it less prominent than it was in my childhood, but it still exists. The wolverine so often said to have been infected is a sort of a large weasel, known to be fierce and best left alone, whether rabid or not!
2. It might explode.
Answer: Tallboy
The Tallboy, also known as Bomb, Medium Capacity, was one of the many fruits of the fertile mind of Sir Barnes Neville Wallis (1887-1979), who is perhaps best remembered as the inventor of the bouncing bomb used by 617 Squadron (Dam Busters) to destroy the Mohne and Eder Dams in 1943. The 12000 lb. Tallboy is described as an earthquake bomb, and it was used towards the end of World War II against targets such as V1 and V2 assembly sites, submarine pens and the battleship Tirpitz.
Barnes Wallis, who was portrayed in the movie "The Dam Busters" (1955) by Sir Michael Redgrave, also designed the Wellington bomber (acknowledged in the movie) and had a hand in other successful designs and inventions, including pre-war airships, other bombs, and post-war supersonic jets.
3. It's cursed.
Answer: Koh-i-Noor
Originally mined in India, the gem that eventually became known as the Koh-i-Noor diamond is one of the largest cut diamonds in existence. Its original ownership is disputed, but by the mid-nineteenth century it had become the property of Queen Victoria, and later became one of the most important elements of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The supposed curse on the gem is derived from a Hindu legend and affects only male owners of the diamond, who will suffer great misfortune. It is interesting to note that only female members of the UK royal family have worn the gem.
4. It's poisonous!
Answer: Yew
Although the name yew can refer to different types of evergreen trees and bushes, taxus baccata, the European (or English) yew is one of which to be especially wary. Its needles and berries are toxic, and eating the needles can be fatal, in large enough doses.
In her mystery novel "A Pocketful of Rye", Agatha Christie has the murderer use taxine, the poison obtained from yew berries, to commit the deed.
5. It's radioactive.
Answer: Curium
Named for pioneers in the field of radioactivity research, Marie and Pierre Curie, curium (Cm) is a radioactive element and has the atomic number 96. It was discovered in 1944 by a team that included Glenn T. Seaborg. It does not occur naturally, but was created by the team using methods that I don't fully understand.
Marie Curie, whose death was at least partially due to her exposure to radiation, would understand, of course, as would Pierre.
6. You could fall in.
Answer: Hudson
This could refer to the Hudson River, flowing from upstate New York to New York City, where it empties into Upper New York Bay, or to the much colder Hudson Bay, that big bite taken out of the map of Canada, surrounded by Manitoba, northern Ontario and Quebec. Falling into either of these would be unpleasant.
Both bodies of water were named for the British explorer Henry Hudson (c.1565-1611) who explored both the river and the bay in the early 1600s. He was set adrift by mutineers, along with his son and some loyal crewmen, in James Bay (just south of the larger Hudson Bay) in 1611, and never found.
7. You'll break it!
Answer: Spode
Spode is a brand of china dinnerware in various patterns, originally made in Stoke-on-Trent, England, where the company was founded in 1770 by Josiah Spode. Some of it can be quite pricy, but if you are anything like I am, breaking even a cheap saucer can be stressful!
Patterns include various scenes in blue and white; a woodland pattern; a Christmas pattern featuring a Christmas tree and others.
8. You'll burn your mouth.
Answer: Habanero
The habanero is a very hot variety of chili pepper, rated at 100,000-350,000 SHU on the Scoville scale that keeps track of such things. Although considered safe to eat, and used in Mexican cooking (for example), care should be taken not to damage your tongue or taste buds.
Even hotter than the habanero are the Carolina Reaper and the Ghost Pepper, whose Scoville ratings top one million!
9. You'll shoot your eye out!
Answer: Daisy
I had a Daisy air rifle when I was a kid, but due to good instructors at the local club, I never shot anything but targets, and certainly never wounded myself or anyone else!
"You'll shoot your eye out!" is a quote from the movie "A Christmas Story" (1983) which is said to young Ralphie by more than one person when he asks for a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun (air rifle) for Christmas.
10. You're driving too fast!
Answer: Minardi
Actually, as Minardi was a Formula 1 racing team, driving fast is what one was supposed to do in one of their cars. Given that the team scored only 38 points from 340 race starts, perhaps they weren't driving fast enough!
The Minardi team competed in F1 from 1985 until 2005, with their best finish in the constructor's championship being seventh in 1991. Their main drivers that year were Pierluigi Martini and Gianni Morbidelli. Their best race finish was fourth (just off the podium), achieved twice in 1991 by Martini, and once in 1993 by Christian Fittipaldi.
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Can't you 'C' the theme here? For this sixty-third Author's Lounge Quiz Commission, our authors were challenges with titles beginning with the letter C. This Commission commenced in August 2020!
