Three of a Kind, Part 27 Trivia Quiz

Answer: bottle

The 2008 American comedy film "Bottle Shock" is based on a true event: the 1976 wine competition called "The Judgment of Paris" in which California wines defeated their French counterparts. The film received mixed reviews but developed cult status among oenophiles.

"Bottle blonde" is an American slang term for a person whose hair is chemically bleached. The phrase entered English in about 1898. Used interchangeably with "peroxide blonde," both terms are derogatory.

In addition to being the name of John Edmund Gardner's 1964 autobiography, "Spin the Bottle" is the name of a party game. It was likely invented in the early-20th-Century US. Several people sit on the floor in a circle. One spins an empty bottle and is required to kiss the player at whom the bottle's neck points when it comes to rest.

Answer: harp

A harp is a chordophone: a kind of musical instrument created when strings (of gut, wire or plastic) are stretched, tuned and plucked to produce different notes. Such instruments are very ancient; a 3300-year-old stone relief shows a man playing a Babylonian harp.

As the demand for a continental-style lager beer went up, the Guinness brewery (now Diageo) created Harp and sold it in England and Ireland. Its market gradually increased to include the USA. The original Harp brewery in Dundalk was closed. The Harp Lager sold in the UK is made at St. James's Gate, Dublin. That sold in the USA is made at the Moosehead Brewery in New Brunswick, Canada.

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major in the summer and autumn of 1809 while Austria was at war with France. The piece was delivered to its commissioner, Prince Franz Josef von Lobkowitz, in 1810. The publisher, not the composer, nicknamed this composition "the Harp" because of the pizzicato parts in the Allegro of the first movement, played by two instruments, which sound rather like the plucking of a harp.

Answer: honour

The National Honor Society was founded in Pittsburgh in 1921 and has since grown to every state in the US as well as Canada. It promotes learning, service, leadership and character. Its motto is "noblesse oblige"

When a dinner or other gathering is held for the purpose of recognizing and lauding a particular individual, that person is the guest of honour.

Most nations have a military honour guard (or several, e.g. one from each uniformed service) for ceremonial functions. Other organizations, -- police officers, firefighters, clergy -- may have honour guards for similar functions. Honour guards raise and lower flags, accompany caskets, stand in review for occasions, and stand guard.

Answer: Viking

The Vikings were Norsemen who were seafarers, warriors, and traders. They ranged from modern Scandinavia throughout Europe. The word "Viking" is similar in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic.

Since 1872, sewing machines have been produced in Huskvarna, Sweden. The company has been known variously as Viking, Husqvarna, VSM Group, and (most recently) SVP Worldwide. The other names have been retained as brands.

Filmed in Ireland, "Vikings" premiered on Canadian television on 3 March 2013. It has subsequently been shown in both Canada and the United States under the aegis of The History Channel. It is based (roughly) on the life of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, a Scandinavian king who conducted numerous raids into England.

Answer: amber

When tree sap is fossilized, the result is called amber (regardless of the colour). Willy Ley wrote a popularized science book entitled "Dragons in Amber: Further adventures of a romantic naturalist" (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1951). The title refers to insects caught in tree sap which are then fossilized in place.

The River Amber flows through the Amber Valley in Derbyshire. England. It drains the Derbyshire moors, turning numerous mill wheels along its way. The River Amber does not reach the sea but rather joins the River Derwent at Ambergate.

Poehler created Amber in 2002 as an amputee who constantly ate snack foods and passed gas. Amber thought herself to be sexy, but this impression was not shared by the men in the skits. Poehler teamed with Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update."

Answer: blossom

Mayim Bialik played "Blossom" on the eponymous NBC sitcom for five years. She then earned a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA and went on to play Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, a neuroscientist, on CBS' "The Big Bang Theory."

The Powerpuff Girls comprise Blossom (pink, the leader), Bubbles (blue, the sweet one) and Buttercup (green, the tough one). The series was released in 1998 and first ran until 2005. The three near-perfect daughters of Professor Utonium grow up and fight crime and monsters in Townsville, USA.

William Blake's poem "The Blossom" was published in "Songs of Innocence" in 1789. Subsequently, "Songs of Innocence" was published in a single volume with "Songs of Experience" under the title "Songs of Innocence and Experience" in 1794, illustrated by the author.

Answer: hound

The English word "hound" is a synonym for "dog" deriving from the Old English "hund" which is shared with the Old Saxon and the Old Frisian, and which are cognate with the Old German "hunt", the Old Norse "hundr" and the Gothic "hunds." Hound is also used more specifically to mean the sort of dog used to track or chase prey.

Francis Thompson (1859-1907) is probably better known for his 182-line poem "The Hound of Heaven" than for any other work. The metaphor of God seeking the sinner -- unrelenting, undiscouraged, unhurrying, unwearying -- is potent and striking.

Huckleberry Hound was introduced by Hanna Barbera in 1958 and was the first cartoon ever to win the Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming" (1960). Huck was tone deaf which impacted his singing of "Oh My Darling, Clementine."

Answer: Simon

Neil Simon (b. 1927) has more Oscars and Tonys for writing than any other screen/stage author. He learned his craft writing for Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows" and "The Phil Silvers Show" with authors liken Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Howie Morris, Selma Diamond and Woody Allen. The Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway wasn't named for somebody else.

According to the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Roman soldiers seized Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross, when Jesus struggled with its weight. A Gnostic myth held that Simon was actually the one crucified rather than Jesus.

In "Simon," a group of scientists persuade Prof. Simon Mendelssohn (Alan Arkin) that he is an alien. Madeline Kahn stars as Dr. Cynthia Mallory; Meryl Streep turned down the role. In the scene where the Space Shuttle launches, it turns immediately into a Saturn V ... oops.

Answer: crush

Orange Crush was introduced in 1916. It was invented by Neil C. Ward and marketed by his partner Clayton J. Howell. The "crush" referred to the manner of extracting oils from the oranges. Since then, other crushes have been added to the family: lemon, lime, grape, and cherry. Birch Beer Crush is distributed in a small area in Canada.

Bon Jovi released their studio album "Crush" in 2000 after five years without such a release. The album includes "It's My Life," "Say It Isn't So," "Thank You for Loving Me" and "One Wild Night." The album charted number one in Australia, Holland, Switzerland and the UK.

After an adventure with a bloom of jellyfish, Marlin passes out and wakes up on a 150-year-old green sea turtle named Crush. Andrew Stanton, the film's director, voiced Crush. Nemo ends up being friends with Crush's son Squirt.

Answer: chartreuse

Chartreuse liqueur has been produced by the Carthusians since 1737. The original 1605 recipe was for an elixir of long life. It is made by steeping distilled alcohol with 130 flowers, herbs and plants.

The classic Chartreuse liqueur is light green in colour; it lent its name to that shade of green in French in about 1884. There is also a yellow version of the liqueur which ought not be confused.

The original name for the liqueur was taking from the Grande Chartreuse Monastery which is located in the Chartreuse Mountains. Although disturbed by the French Revolution and World War II, the monastery stands where it has stood since 1084. It is closed to the public. It is the mother house of the Carthusian religious order.