Pauls Quiz 89
1. What does the following London locution from the 18th century mean?
"to piss when you cant whistle on a horse foaled by an acorn"
2. When an animal practices THANATOSIS, what is it doing?
3. Which houseboat's name stems from the Chinese words for "three" and "plank"? Six letters
4. Which sport is the only official sport that George W. Bush participated in whilst at college? (Clue: it is the most dangerous sport amongst girls in the USA)
5. "Several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and groovin with a pict" is the longest song title from which cult band?
6. Which country's "great black fleet" sailed 16,000 miles around the world to battle the Japanese navy in 1905?
7. In World War II, what were "foo fighters"?
8. Which European country has never lost a football match agianst Brazil?
9. What is
a: the longest animal in the world (up to 180ft.) and
b: the longest Beatles song (8m 15s)?
10. January 20th 1788, Botany Bay. The first recorded words spoken by Aborigines to the new white "visitors" were "warra" "warra". What did this mean?
ANSWERS
1. To die on the gallows. Public hangings attracted the largest crowds in the 18th century. Up to 80,000 by one execution in Moorefields in 1767. Other locutions included; "one danced the Paddington frisk" and "to have a hearty choke (artichoke) and caper sauce for breakfast".
2. Playing dead Interesting info: In Greek mythology, Thanatos (a word meaning "death") was the personification of death (Roman equivalent: Mors), and a minor figure in Greek mythology. According to Sigmund Freud, humans have a life instinct (eros) and a death instinct, which he called thanatos. This death instinct compels humans to engage in risky and destructive behaviors that could lead to their own death. Behaviors such as thrill seeking, aggression, and risk taking can be considered actions stemming from thanatos. The Thanatron, built by Doctor Jack Kervorkian, was a device used to aid in the suicide of his patients by euthanasia.
Thanatosis (from Greek adjective θαν?τωσιs meaning "putting to death") is the process by which an animal feigns death in order to evade predation.
3. SAMPAN A sampan is a relatively flat bottomed Chinese wooden boat from 3.5 to 4.5 meteres (approximately twelve to fifteen feet) long. Some sampans include a small shelter on board, and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. Sampans are generally used for fishing or transportation, in coastal areas or rivers. It is unusual for a sampan to sail far from land as they do not have the means to survive rough weather. The term sampan literally means three planks in Cantonese language, it is derived from the words Sam (three) and pan (plank).
4. CheerleadingThe American Medical Association reported that in 2005 over 200,000 injuries were sustained whilst cheerleading. America's most famous cheerleader is George W. Bush. This was the only official sporting activity that Bush got credit for whilst at college. His famous chant, unbelievably, was "Go NADS", NADS being his high school. More info HERE
5. Pink Floyd
6. The czar's Russian fleet. Before the massive fleet reached Japan they sunk a British fishing fleet off the Dogger Banks one night believing it to be Japanese torpedo boats.
7. UFO's or unusual lights seen by pilots The term foo fighter was used by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II to describe various UFOs or mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over Europe and the Pacific theatre. Contemporary witnesses often assumed that the foo fighters were secret weapons employed by the enemy, and it was not until after the war that it was discovered neither side had anything to do with them. Despite these fears, foo fighters (whatever they might have been) were apparently never reported to have harmed or tried to harm anyone. To this day the case remains unexplained. Though usually thought of as blobs of light or fire, several different types of reported phenomena were classified as "foo fighters".
8. Norway!!!
9. Two Answers;
a: the ribbon worm
b: Revolution number 9
10. Go away At Botany Bay, Arthur Phillip and his officers first encountered the native Aboriginals. The first ever recorded spoken words between the two were "warra warra" which meant "go away". Spears were thrown at the invaders, but before long a gunshot rang out and the Aborigines ran back to the bush. Soon the Englishmen were handing out presents of ribbons and beads to the natives in order to pacify them. Phillip had told his officers that no matter what they were not to hurt the natives, he did not wish to have to contend with ambushes from the native population as well as the problems he already was encountering with settling this new colony.