Trick Questions

[Polycarp]

This is a thread for those little pieces of trivia you run into which don't quite conform to what you expect. If you know (or can find out) the right answer to a question, you get to pose the next one. The point, of course, is that the "obvious" answer is wrong.

Two questions to start us off. Answer either correctly and pose the next question; that way we have two sequences going at once, in order to prevent "stalling" when nobody can come up with the answer to the one current question.


1. What animal were the Canary Islands named after?

2. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in a city whose name is part of the racetrack's name. What city is it located in?

[LifeOnWry]

This is a thread for those little pieces of trivia you run into which don't quite conform to what you expect. If you know (or can find out) the right answer to a question, you get to pose the next one. The point, of course, is that the "obvious" answer is wrong.

Two questions to start us off. Answer either correctly and pose the next question; that way we have two sequences going at once, in order to prevent "stalling" when nobody can come up with the answer to the one current question.


1. What animal were the Canary Islands named after?

2. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in a city whose name is part of the racetrack's name. What city is it located in?
1. Canary Tortoise? That's just a guess.
2. Speedway, IN

[Askance]

1. Dog, from "canares", from which we also get canine.

2. No idea but I'll guess Anapolis (or maybe Diana?).



3. From what is a camel hair coat made?

4. From what are Moleskin trousers made?

[Scarlett67]

1. What animal were the Canary Islands named after?
Dogs.

What's Michael J. Fox's middle initial?

[LifeOnWry]

Dogs.

What's Michael J. Fox's middle initial?

A, for Andrew.

[LifeOnWry]

:smack:

I was supposed to come up with some questions, wasn't I?

Ummm.


Crap. I'll get back to you.

[Richard Parker]

From what is a camel hair coat made?

Many "camel hair coats" are made from real camel hair. Am I missing something with this question?


My favorite "trick" question is: who won the French and Indian war?

[Duke]

The British, or at least the British colonials.

How long was the Hundred Years' War? How long was the Thirty Years' War?

[Askance]

Many "camel hair coats" are made from real camel hair. Am I missing something with this question?

How did "coat" get in there? Of course I meant "camel hair brush" !

[Polycarp]

Life on Wry got #2; Askance and Scarlett67 simulposted #1. (And Life on Wry got the Michael J. Fox one too; I happened to have run into the answer on that earlier today.

Answers:

3. Rabbit fur?

4. Tightly woven brushed cotton


6*. What was Buffalo, New York named after?




* I'm attributing #5 to the Michael J. Fox question, which wasn't numbered.

[Anaamika]

T

How long was the Hundred Years' War?
I think it was either 112 years or 118 years. Can't remember though.

[Cunctator]

From memory, 115 years for the Hundred Years' War?

[Askance]

How long was the Hundred Years' War? How long was the Thirty Years' War?

116 years. 30 years.

Where did Panama hats come from originally?

[Askance]

From memory, 115 years for the Hundred Years' War?

From memory? You're older than you look.

[iampunha]

From memory? You're older than you look.

He's the bastard child of Paul Newman and Dick Clark.

(No way am I doing an hour's worth of research on Buffalo, NY) 7. What is the answer to the -gry riddle as it is originally posed? [Bonus points: what three -gry words does Cecil give?]

[picunurse]

Where did Panama hats come from originally?
Ecuador?

[danceswithcats]

3. Squirrel hair.

9. (I think) With what words was MTV launched?

[matt_mcl]

What colonies came together to form Canada in 1867?

[danceswithcats]

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada, the latter being divided into Ontario and Quebec. (My Grammie was from Sydney Mines) ;)

[matt_mcl]

Right. (Most people forget that Upper and Lower Canada had been fused into the Province of Canada some time beforehand.)

[Nightwatch Trailer]

7. What is the answer to the -gry riddle as it is originally posed? [Bonus points: what three -gry words does Cecil give?]
I'm not sure what the "original" is, but the answer to the version I remember is "language."
9. (I think) With what words was MTV launched?
The first video was "Video Killed the Radio Star"...is that what you're aiming at?

I guess this would be...
11. Twice, Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to John Kennedy. What books were they for?

[iampunha]

I'm not sure what the "original" is, but the answer to the version I remember is "language."

I'm going with "original" as in "originally appearing in The Straight Dope Column". Your answer matches what I remember, FWIW.

11. Twice, Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to John Kennedy. What books were they for?

One of 'em is Profiles in Courage (without Google). Unless there's a book written about Kennedy, and it earned a Pulitzer, I have to say Google is completely stumped;)

[danceswithcats]

The first video was "Video Killed the Radio Star"...is that what you're aiming at?


Nope. Before the Buggles video (incidentally-from the 'Age of Plastic' album) there was a brief intro. What was it?

[Nightwatch Trailer]

One of 'em is Profiles in Courage (without Google). Unless there's a book written about Kennedy, and it earned a Pulitzer, I have to say Google is completely stumped;)
:D Maybe you should add an indefinite article before the name "John Kennedy" in my original question.

[pulykamell]

:D Maybe you should add an indefinite article before the name "John Kennedy" in my original question.

"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

What state contains the US's easternmost point? (I actually don't like the answer to this question, but it's the only trick question I could think of.)

[Robot Arm]

Alaska

Traveling south from Detroit, what's the first foreign country you come to?

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Alaska

Traveling south from Detroit, what's the first foreign country you come to?
Canada.

We still have open:

Where did Panama hats come from originally? (Answered but not confirmed.)

With what words was MTV launched?

What was Buffalo, New York named after?

[vetbridge]

What was Buffalo, New York named after?

A river or stream (not sure which).

[vetbridge]

Ooops...forgot the question...

Who played slide guitar for Derek and the Dominos Layla?

[E-Sabbath]

Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll!

I saw it.

Mmm, okay, okay. Who was the first Marvel comics Mutant?
Who was the first Comic Book Mutant?

Hm... no, all too easy and also focused. Aha!
Who invented the hydroplane?

[Neurotik]

Where did Panama hats come from originally? (Answered but not confirmed.)
I'll confirm, it's Ecuador.

[Colibri]

Canada.

Where did Panama hats come from originally? (Answered but not confirmed.)

The previously given answer "Ecuador" is correct. (I should know.)

What was Buffalo, New York named after?

[b]vetbridge[/i] seems to be correct: It was named after Buffalo Creek.

[brianjedi]

Ooops...forgot the question...

Who played slide guitar for Derek and the Dominos Layla?

Duane Allman.

My question: What sport has the University of Kentucky won the most national championships in?

[Polycarp]

[b]vetbridge[/i] seems to be correct: It was named after Buffalo Creek.

Confirmed. I believe it's still debatable whether or not it's true that Buffalo Creek (AKA Buffalo River) as a placename had its origins in a voyageur describing it as a beau (or bon) fleuve.

[stargazer]

The previously given answer "Ecuador" is correct. (I should know.)



[b]vetbridge[/i] seems to be correct: It was named after Buffalo Creek.


I'm still looking for a cite, but I was given to believe that the word "buffalo" (and therefore the name of the town) came from the French, "beau fleuve", meaning beautiful river.

I'll get back to you on that, though.

[stargazer]

D'oh! That's what I get for previewing, answering the phone, then posting. Drat.

[E-Sabbath]

To clarify, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll!" was how MTV was introduced. Martha Quinn was from my home town, so we had this big watching party at a rich kid's house. It was a big thing back then.

[Ephemera]

Mmm, okay, okay. Who was the first Marvel comics Mutant?

By appearance or origin? I'm guessing Namor for the first and Apocalypse for the other.

[ParentalAdvisory]

This is more visual, but still a trick question:

Lay a penny, a nickel, and a quarter down (then tell the story).

Bobs Mom has three kids. The penny is named 'penny', and the nickel is named 'nickel'. What is the name of the last coin?

[caphis]

This is more visual, but still a trick question:

Lay a penny, a nickel, and a quarter down (then tell the story).

Bobs Mom has three kids. The penny is named 'penny', and the nickel is named 'nickel'. What is the name of the last coin?

Did you type that right? The last coin is called a "quarter," regardless. Perhaps you meant:

Lay a penny, a nickel, and a quarter down (then tell the story).

Bobs Mom has three kids. The first child is named 'penny', and the second child is named 'nickel'. What is the name of the last child?

[ParentalAdvisory]

You're probably right. But either would work, maybe more so of my example because you're pointing to the 'coin' while asking them to name it. In their head, they're thinking the coins name must be 'quarter'. I don't know, I give up.

[Punoqllads]

Bob's Mom's third child is named "Bob".

If I flip a coin 10 times, and each time it comes up heads, what are the odds that that just happened?

[ouryL]

This is a thread for those little pieces of trivia you run into which don't quite conform to what you expect. If you know (or can find out) the right answer to a question, you get to pose the next one. The point, of course, is that the "obvious" answer is wrong.

Two questions to start us off. Answer either correctly and pose the next question; that way we have two sequences going at once, in order to prevent "stalling" when nobody can come up with the answer to the one current question.


1. What animal were the Canary Islands named after?

2. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in a city whose name is part of the racetrack's name. What city is it located in?

Dogs, canaries were named after the islands.

[Shagnasty]

He's the bastard child of Paul Newman and Dick Clark.

(No way am I doing an hour's worth of research on Buffalo, NY) 7. What is the answer to the -gry riddle as it is originally posed? [Bonus points: what three -gry words does Cecil give?]

I don't know what others said but "gry" itself is a word as is "aggry". So that means that there are at least four. After "hungry" and "angry" most people get stumped.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=gry

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=aggry

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Duane Allman.

My question: What sport has the University of Kentucky won the most national championships in?

Cheerleading, right? Fifteen or so?

[Garfield226]

If I flip a coin 10 times, and each time it comes up heads, what are the odds that that just happened?
1.

[ianzin]

Some of these are just trivia qs, not ones to which the answer is intrinsically counter-intuitive, which is what I think the OP was after.

One for my fellow Brits: approximately how many kings have been crowned in England since the Norman Conquest?

[Tripler]

My favorite "trick" question is: who won the French and Indian war?

The British.

Tripler
I'm still working on my trick question.

[Colibri]

Confirmed. I believe it's still debatable whether or not it's true that Buffalo Creek (AKA Buffalo River) as a placename had its origins in a voyageur describing it as a beau (or bon) fleuve.


This site (http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:wdDI5G8KEFwJ:ah.phpwebhosting.com/h/bflo/origin.html+buffalo+name+origin&hl=en&start=1) (only the cache seems to be available) has a lot of theories. They prefer the one that says the creek was named after an Indian named Buffalo.

[brianjedi]

Cheerleading, right? Fifteen or so?

Yup, including 8 in a row (a streak broken in 2003, or else the count would be 10.)

[danceswithcats]

What's in water that puts out fires?

[Cunctator]

Yup, including 8 in a row (a streak broken in 2003, or else the count would be 10.)

Cheerleading is a sport? :confused:

[Cunctator]

One for my fellow Brits: approximately how many kings have been crowned in England since the Norman Conquest?

I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be a trick question or not, but I'll say approximately 35.

[Ellis Dee]

Cheerleading is a sport? :confused:No moreso than playing video games is a sport.

[E-Sabbath]

By appearance or origin? I'm guessing Namor for the first and Apocalypse for the other.
By appearance. It's not Namor. Namor was not a mutant until Magneto met him and they retconned him in. Who is the first mutant to appear in Marvel comics?
Who was the first mutant to appear in comics?

And don't forget, who invented the hydroplane?

[Polycarp]

"Who invented the hydroplane? Some Macedonian teenager coming down out of the hills racing his chariot on a rain-slick dirt road." :)

[E-Sabbath]

I dunno, horses don't hydroplane so well. Fine, the aileron. That's the flaps on the wings of airplanes.

[ianzin]

I'm not sure whether this is supposed to be a trick question or not, but I'll say approximately 35. It is a sorta trick question, and 35 isn't the answer. It isn't even close. I'll not post the 'correct' answer just yet, in case anyone else wants to have a stab.

[LifeOnWry]

Some of these are just trivia qs, not ones to which the answer is intrinsically counter-intuitive, which is what I think the OP was after.

One for my fellow Brits: approximately how many kings have been crowned in England since the Norman Conquest?

I'm not British, and I suck at history, but being that this IS a trick question thread... WAS there a Norman Conquest? I've heard Norman Invasion, but I don't think I've heard "conquest."

[Cunctator]

It is a sorta trick question, and 35 isn't the answer. It isn't even close. I'll not post the 'correct' answer just yet, in case anyone else wants to have a stab.

I hope it's not some silly argument that since the question asked how many kings have been crowned, rather than how many men have been crowned king there's only been one - James I, who at the time of his coronation as King of England had already been crowned as King James VI of Scotland. In fact it might be two by that interpretation, since I think Charles II may also have been crowned separately in Scotland too. If that's the argument, I don't think it holds any water.

[E-Sabbath]

I'm not British, and I suck at history, but being that this IS a trick question thread... WAS there a Norman Conquest? I've heard Norman Invasion, but I don't think I've heard "conquest."
Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all English monarchs (except Jane Grey, Edward V and Edward VIII, who were not coronated) have been crowned in the Abbey. All but one of those, Queen Mary, were crowned on King Edward's Chair. The chair sits on the Stone of Scone, which is scottish, but I don't know if it is technically in Scotland at the time.
So... what, 31 were in Scotland, and 1 in England?

[SandyHook]

One for my fellow Brits: approximately how many kings have been crowned in England since the Norman Conquest?

None.


Just a shot. I'll hold off on a poser of my own until my brilliance in this area is generally accepted.

[Polycarp]

I hope it's not some silly argument that since the question asked how many kings have been crowned, rather than how many men have been crowned king there's only been one - James I, who at the time of his coronation as King of England had already been crowned as King James VI of Scotland. In fact it might be two by that interpretation, since I think Charles II may also have been crowned separately in Scotland too. If that's the argument, I don't think it holds any water.

Good insight into a catch, if that's what ianzin was up to with the question. However, there's a big problem with it, and also a detail you missed.

William III was also Stadtholder of the United Provinces (effectively King of the Netherlands) when he became King, so it would be two (or three with Charles II). That's the detail.

But also, remember "The King is dead; long live the King!" A monarch accedes to the throne immediately on the death of his/her predecessor; the Coronation is a formal ceremonial recognizing that fact and marking the exchange of oaths between monarch and subjects, not the "making" of a king. So therefore all Kings, of England, England-and-Scotland, Great Britain, and the U.K., were already kings at their coronations.

It'll be interesting to see in what way ianzin's question is a trick, presuming it was.

[danceswithcats]

Hmph. It's been almost 24 hours, and no attempts at post #51

[E-Sabbath]

Oh, sorry. The temperature, as I recall. Water works by cooling the fuel below combustion temperatures.

[danceswithcats]

Oh, sorry. The temperature, as I recall. Water works by cooling the fuel below combustion temperatures.

No.

[Cunctator]

Good insight into a catch, if that's what ianzin was up to with the question. However, there's a big problem with it, and also a detail you missed.

William III was also Stadtholder of the United Provinces (effectively King of the Netherlands) when he became King, so it would be two (or three with Charles II). That's the detail.

But also, remember "The King is dead; long live the King!" A monarch accedes to the throne immediately on the death of his/her predecessor; the Coronation is a formal ceremonial recognizing that fact and marking the exchange of oaths between monarch and subjects, not the "making" of a king. So therefore all Kings, of England, England-and-Scotland, Great Britain, and the U.K., were already kings at their coronations.

It'll be interesting to see in what way ianzin's question is a trick, presuming it was.

I agree Polycarp. The maxim "the king is dead - long live the king" is what I was referring to when I was arguing that, if my suggested interpretation is indeed the trick behind ianzin's question, then I think the trick is incorrect.

[Polycarp]

What's in water that puts out fires?

Okay, before this frustrates the hell out of danceswithcats and the rest of us, is the answer here:

Fireboats?

[iampunha]

What's in water that puts out fires?

WAG pseudo-chemistry answer: the carbon dioxide resulting from the mixture of smoke and water.

[Eutychus]

What's in water that puts out fires?

I would say that there's nothing intrinsically in water that puts out fires. It merely smothers it. Sand could do just as well, but it's not as easily pumped in large amounts.

[danceswithcats]

Okay, before this frustrates the hell out of danceswithcats and the rest of us, is the answer here:

Fireboats?

Very good, Polycarp! :p

[Polycarp]

Okay, a variant on an earlier question: How many Kings of England (Great Britain, U.K., etc.) have been crowned since the Normandy Invasion?

[dontknowmuch]

If I flip a coin 10 times, and each time it comes up heads, what are the odds that that just happened?


1/1024

[ianzin]

I agree Polycarp. The maxim "the king is dead - long live the king" is what I was referring to when I was arguing that, if my suggested interpretation is indeed the trick behind ianzin's question, then I think the trick is incorrect.
Hi everyone. I got the question and the answer from "OMNI Games: The Best Brainteasers From Omni Magazine", edited by Scott Morris. The answer given is: "One. All of England's kings were princes or dukes, etc., when crowned, with one exception: King James VI of Scotland, who was crowned king of England in 1603."

The argument concerning 'long live the king' and immediate accession is an interesting twist on the answer. I think it's a bit metaphysical, but I see the point. I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned this to Scot?

Funny aside: I was once showing an American friend around Westminster Abbey, and I explained about the Coronation Chair. "Oh," she said, "is that where they get coronated?".

Regardless of what you think of the merits of this answer, I'd just like to say that the book is definitely the best book of mind games and puzzles that I've ever seen, and that Scott Morris is the king of this kind of thing. If you're into puzzles and you come across a copy of the book, get it!

[Chimpy]

Okay, a variant on an earlier question: How many Kings of England (Great Britain, U.K., etc.) have been crowned since the Normandy Invasion?
One, Queen Elizabeth II, crowned 2nd June 1953, the Normandy Invasion being 6th-25th June 1944.

[Chimpy]

One, Queen Elizabeth II, crowned 2nd June 1953, the Normandy Invasion being 6th-25th June 1944.
Oh, wait damn. Zero, just one Queen.

[Polycarp]

Oh, wait damn. Zero, just one Queen.
:)

Your turn to pose one!

[Cunctator]

Hi everyone. I got the question and the answer from "OMNI Games: The Best Brainteasers From Omni Magazine", edited by Scott Morris. The answer given is: "One. All of England's kings were princes or dukes, etc., when crowned, with one exception: King James VI of Scotland, who was crowned king of England in 1603."

The argument concerning 'long live the king' and immediate accession is an interesting twist on the answer. I think it's a bit metaphysical, but I see the point. I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned this to Scot?

Funny aside: I was once showing an American friend around Westminster Abbey, and I explained about the Coronation Chair. "Oh," she said, "is that where they get coronated?".

Regardless of what you think of the merits of this answer, I'd just like to say that the book is definitely the best book of mind games and puzzles that I've ever seen, and that Scott Morris is the king of this kind of thing. If you're into puzzles and you come across a copy of the book, get it!

Thanks ianzin. I thought that would be the answer. I still think it's wrong and not just on a metaphysical plane, but also based on common sense. Edward VIII wasn't crowned during his 11 month reign in 1936, but nobody has ever suggested that he wasn't a "real king". Otherwise, why was there all of the fuss about the Abdication? If he wasn't really king, why didn't Parliament just tell him to nick off? Similarly, George VI died on 6 February 1952 and his elder daughter succeeded as Queen Elizabeth II instantly, even though she was up a tree in a game park in Africa at the time. She wasn't actually crowned until over a year later, on 2 June 1953. Again, nobody ever suggests that during the first 16 months of her reign she was only a semi, uncrowned queen and that her various constitutional acts (such as giving royal assent to legislation) were invalid.

Otherwise, that Omni puzzle book sounds very interesting. I must dig up a copy.

[CynicalGabe]

Trick:
-When did you stop beating your wife?
How is it noone has put that up yet?
-If Mr Smith's peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones' yard, who owns the egg?
-Name the most recent year in which New Year's preceded Christmas.
-Why are 1968 pennies worth more than 1967 pennies?
-Who had the title role in the 1931 movie Frankenstein?
-If there are 6 apples and you take away 4, how many do you have?
-There are two coins which total 55 cents (read: $0.55). One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?
-Do you say "Loo-iss-vill" is the capital of Kentucky, or do you say "Loo-ee-vill" is the capital of Kentucky?
-Exactly how many slices of 1.5 cm each can you cut from a whole loaf of bread which is 22.5 cm long?

Trivia:
-How many lines are on the edge of a quarter? Of a dime?
118, 117

[Garfield226]

Trick:
-When did you stop beating your wife?
How is it noone has put that up yet?
-If Mr Smith's peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones' yard, who owns the egg?
-Name the most recent year in which New Year's preceded Christmas.
-Why are 1968 pennies worth more than 1967 pennies?
-Who had the title role in the 1931 movie Frankenstein?
-If there are 6 apples and you take away 4, how many do you have?
-There are two coins which total 55 cents (read: $0.55). One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?
-Do you say "Loo-iss-vill" is the capital of Kentucky, or do you say "Loo-ee-vill" is the capital of Kentucky?
-Exactly how many slices of 1.5 cm each can you cut from a whole loaf of bread which is 22.5 cm long?
Googled for trick questions, eh?

/found the same site...

[CynicalGabe]

Googled for trick questions, eh?

/found the same site...

I didn't see any answer to the quarter question :p :D

[ccwaterback]

What's the most unusual feature about the Mona Lisa's face?

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/joconde.jpg

The answer may be here?:

http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/monalisa/index.html

[Peter Morris]

This is a thread for those little pieces of trivia you run into which don't quite conform to what you expect.

1. What animal were the Canary Islands named after?



I beg to differ with the answer given.

In fact, the origin of the name is uncertain. There are several theories and legends. By far, the most likely explaination is that the Islands were named after the Canarii (http://www.historiaviva.org/canarias/canarii_ing.shtml) people.

A less likely answer is that they were named after the birdsong. The verb "to sing" in latin is canare.

There was a legend that they were named Cranaria after a man named Cranus who colonized the largest island. But he probably never existed.

The idea that they were named directly after dogs is almost certainly wrong.




Now my question.

What is the capital of Australia?

[CynicalGabe]

She has no eyebrows.

[ccwaterback]

She has no eyebrows.

Too easy :)

[Nightwatch Trailer]

What is the capital of Australia?
Canberra.

What movie set in Philadelphia won an Academy Award for best cinematography?

[Cunctator]

A less likely answer is that they were named after the birdsong. The verb "to sing" in latin is canare.

The Latin verb to sing is cantare, not canare.

[Peter Morris]

mea culpa.

[betenoir]

She has no eyebrows.


:dubious: *bete raises the eyebrow Mona doesn't have* I don't know if that counts as unusual. I've heard it was a fairly common fashion statement of the time.


Ok....two that are true or false (which therefore make them obvious, but you have to explain them).

Prohibition made the drinking of alcohol illegal.

When you are arrested you must be read your Miranda right.

[Krokodil]

Ok....two that are true or false (which therefore make them obvious, but you have to explain them).

Prohibition made the drinking of alcohol illegal.

When you are arrested you must be read your Miranda right.

False. Prohibition made the sale of alcohol illegal, not its consumption.

False. "Miranda" is a reading of two separate rights (Right to remain silent, right to an attorney even if you cannot afford one), not just the one. And it has to be stated aloud, not necessarily read.

[Othersider]

1/1024
The odds that it just happened are much better. That would be the odds of it happening before it happened.

[betenoir]

False. Prohibition made the sale of alcohol illegal, not its consumption.

Yes! Although it also made illegal the production of alcohol. But not the consumption.



False. "Miranda" is a reading of two separate rights (Right to remain silent, right to an attorney even if you cannot afford one), not just the one. And it has to be stated aloud, not necessarily read.


All true. And in fact more accurate than I was. But not what I was going for.

The question is is it required that you be informed of your Miranda rights when you are are arrested?

[Peter Morris]

As I understand it:

No there is no legal obligation for Police to read the Miranda rights. But if they fail to do so, any admission made by the suspect is inadmissable evidence.

[Iceland_Blue]

Is it time to dig up and dust off
'A plane crashes on the border of Country X and Country Y. Where do they bury the survivors?'
'Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's son'
and that old one about St. Ives

[Polycarp]

Prohibition: False. The Eighteenth Amendment made the manufacture, sale, transportation, or importation of alcoholic beverages illegal. If you happened to own some already "manufactured" and in your possession, you could drink it -- as far as the Amendment itself was concerned; I do not know what the Volstead Act or other laws may have said about that.

Miranda right: Not only are there four interrelated rights on the standard Miranda warning, but the recital of them is in no way mandated by law (though it may very well be by police procedural regulations). What is required is that under the circumstances calling for "reading him his rights" the apprehending authorities must ensure that the person they are detaining is fully aware of those four rights, and they must abide by his decisions with regard to them. "Reading him his Miranda rights" is merely the simplest way to ensure that he is aware of them.

[Lemur866]

All those are easy.


-If Mr Smith's peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones' yard, who owns the egg?

Peacocks don't lay eggs, peahens do

-Name the most recent year in which New Year's preceded Christmas.

2004. January always comes before December.

-Why are 1968 pennies worth more than 1967 pennies?

Because $19.68 is more money than $19.67

-Who had the title role in the 1931 movie Frankenstein?

The mad scientist (you can look up his name on IDMB just as easily as I can)

-If there are 6 apples and you take away 4, how many do you have?

You have the 4 apples you took.

-There are two coins which total 55 cents (read: $0.55). One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?

A 50 cent piece and a nickel. One is not a nickel, the other is.

-Do you say "Loo-iss-vill" is the capital of Kentucky, or do you say "Loo-ee-vill" is the capital of Kentucky?

I say Frankfurt

-Exactly how many slices of 1.5 cm each can you cut from a whole loaf of bread which is 22.5 cm long?

One. Once you slice off one slice it is no longer 22.5 cm

[betenoir]

As I understand it:

No there is no legal obligation for Police to read the Miranda rights. But if they fail to do so, any admission made by the suspect is inadmissable evidence.

Essentially (although Poly provided even more accurate information :)) . It's really only relevant to suspects the police want to question, for the above reason. But I recall my fellow detainees (when I was arrested for buying drugs, back wheh I was young and stupid :o ) confidently tellling each other their arrest was invalid because they hadn't been read their rights. Such is the power of television.

[Loopus]

Is it time to dig up and dust off
'A plane crashes on the border of Country X and Country Y. Where do they bury the survivors?'
They don't, of course, bury the survivors.
'Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's son'
It's you (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_174a.html)

Easy one: George W. Bush is officially the 43rd president of the USA. How many men have served as president before him?

[Peter Morris]

It's you (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_174a.html) No.

[catsix]

It's your son. Because your son's father is your father's son.

[feppytweed]

Easy one: George W. Bush is officially the 43rd president of the USA. How many men have served as president before him?

forty one. chester a. arthur has 2 non consecutive terms.

One from my grandpa: What's the difference between a duck?

and

would you rather walk to work or take your lunch?

[Polycarp]

All those are easy.

Nice job on them, except:

-Do you say "Loo-iss-vill" is the capital of Kentucky, or do you say "Loo-ee-vill" is the capital of Kentucky?

I say Frankfurt[/QUOTE]

I think folks in Kentucky and in Hessen would be surprised to find that a city in the latter is capital of the former -- you may say "Frankfurt" but I say "Frankfort."
:p

[Sunspace]

I'm gonna stick my neck out:

Who invented the hydroplane... Alexander Graham Bell?

(I'm sure I saw that in that funky little museum in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, which was devoted to his inventions (the tetrahedral kite, several aircraft, and some communications thingie that I can't quite recall).

[Loopus]

No.
Heh. That's what I get for barely skimming the column before answering.

forty one. chester a. arthur has 2 non consecutive terms.
Right on the number, but it was Grover Cleveland who had two non-consecutive terms and is, therefore, counted twice.

[E-Sabbath]

Sunspace wins! Not who you'd expect, hm? He was a friend of Curtiss.
For the record: First superhero identified as a 'mutant' in comics is Captain Comet, a DC character.
The first Marvel character identified as a mutant was, in fact, before X-Men. Amazing Fantasy #14, the issue before Spider-Man's first appearance, had a story named "The Boy Who Could Fly", about a winged boy, who was identified as a mutant.

One of its legs is both the same. Why a duck? Why a no chicken?

[feppytweed]

E-Sabbath: thats basically it, but he always used to say : because one of his legs is just alike.

p.s. Cleveland, Arthur, theyre basically the same, right??? right??? :D

[Ximenean]

What is the smallest city in England?

[Bookkeeper]

What is the smallest city in England?

Wells? (So small it shares a bishop with Bath ;) )

What's Julius Caesar's first name?

During WW2 the RAF painted the undersides of its planes "Sky". What colour is Sky?

[mkl12]

What's Julius Caesar's first name?
Caius

[ivylass]

No, Gaius.

At least, that's what Colleen McCullough says.

[Bookkeeper]

Right. Gaius Julius Caesar. Gaius was his "given" name, Julius identified him as a member of the Julian clan, and Caesar was his family name (praenomen, nomen, cognomen).

[DaphneBlack]

No, Gaius.

At least, that's what Colleen McCullough says.

Not to be really nitpicky, but:
You're both right!
The praenomen could be written either Caius or Gaius, it was the same name.
It was also the 'first' name of the Roman emperor more commonly known as Caligula, and indeed, the emperor Augustus (at least after his adoption by Julius Caesar), who had his name changed several times.

Cheers,
Daphne

[Ximenean]

Wells? (So small it shares a bishop with Bath ;) )
That's the straight answer. This being a trick question thread, it is of course wrong :)

[carterba]

What is the capital of Australia?The capital of Australia is "A".

Who is the Baby Ruth candy bar named after?

[Punoqllads]

During WW2 the RAF painted the undersides of its planes "Sky". What colour is Sky?Gray. They're in Britian.

[Nightwatch Trailer]

The capital of Australia is "A".
I see...but..."capital" can refer to the political center of a state or country as well, so the query is ambiguous and not really a trick question.

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Unless of course Australians use "capitol" in the way Americans use "capital." In which case, ignore me.

[Polycarp]

Who is the Baby Ruth candy bar named after?

Ruth Cleveland, daughter of the 22nd and 24th Presidents of the United States.

(She and he are also the first two-generation trivia answers in this thread.)

[Polycarp]

Making a guess:

The smallest city in England is London -- the City proper occupies the least land area?

[Bookkeeper]

Gray. They're in Britian.

Nope (although they later painted the undersides of fighters Light Aircraft Gray for operations over the Continent).

[betenoir]

Making a guess:

The smallest city in England is London -- the City proper occupies the least land area?


Hmmmm...would that be London or The City? I can believe The City is the smallest city in England.

[Cunctator]

Unless of course Australians use "capitol" in the way Americans use "capital." In which case, ignore me.

We don't use capitol in the way that Americans use it. Here capital refers to the appropriate city e.g. Canberra for Australia, Sydney for New South Wales, Brisbane for Queensland etc.

[carterba]

Ruth Cleveland, daughter of the 22nd and 24th Presidents of the United States.Nope---there's an even trickier answer.

[Peter Morris]

I see...but..."capital" can refer to the political center of a state or country as well, so the query is ambiguous and not really a trick question.

It is a trick question - lots of people say "Sydney."

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Nope---there's an even trickier answer.
Wild guess...the candy bar, not being around until the twentieth century, was named after quite a few billion people.

[TJdude825]

I don't have answers for any of these, so I hope no one minds if I post another president-related question that my history teacher gave us, for just such equations as this thread.

Who was the first president of the United States?

[the first supraliminal]

Q: Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?
Surprising Answers:
1) Nobody - his tomb is above ground, not buried.
2) In it are Grant and his wife.

[the first supraliminal]

I don't have answers for any of these, so I hope no one minds if I post another president-related question that my history teacher gave us, for just such equations as this thread.

Who was the first president of the United States?

Surprising answer:
from the book President Who? (http://www.presidentwho.com/about/)
Samuel Huntington not
George Washington, was the First US President and which State, Virginia not Delaware, was the first to form the Perpetual Union of the United States of America.

[Loopus]

Who is the Baby Ruth candy bar named after?
In all liklihood, Babe Ruth (http://www.snopes.com/business/names/babyruth.asp).

[Sternvogel]

Who was the first president of the United States?

Although Samuel Huntington has been proposed, I've heard from several sources (including this page (http://www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html)) that John Hanson qualifies. Which (if either) man did you have in mind?

SV1: How many National Football League teams play their home games in New York?

SV2: The De Soto automobile was named for Hernando de Soto. The La Salle was named for Robert Cavelier de La Salle. For whom was the Hudson auto named?

[Nightwatch Trailer]

SV1: How many National Football League teams play their home games in New York?
The Jets and Giants both play in New Jersey, but as far as I know the Bills are actually in Buffalo, so...one?

Mine is still open...
What movie set in Philadelphia won an Academy Award for best cinematography?

[Ximenean]

Making a guess:

The smallest city in England is London -- the City proper occupies the least land area?
You got it - the City of London (never referred to as just "London") is the ancient part that includes the financial district, the Tower of London, St Paul's etc. It's a city in its own right, is less than two square miles in area and has a resident population of only about 7,000 (Wells has ~10,000). Of course, its weekday population is somewhat larger...

[Iceland_Blue]

Ok then...

Why is the premier baseball event called the World Series?
Go north from Derry in Northern Ireland. What's the first foreign country you come to?

[betenoir]

Why is the premier baseball event called the World Series?


Because Americans are unbelievably solipsistic?

[Polycarp]

Go north from Derry in Northern Ireland. What's the first foreign country you come to?

Ireland (the Republic) -- the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal.

[Polycarp]

Russia has ports on three different oceans, counting the various seas and bays as parts of the ocean to which they open. It has one year-round ice-free port. What port, which ocean is it on, and why is it the only one?

[Peter Morris]

Which word in this sentence is spelt wrongly: colour, centre or meter?

[Ponder Stibbons]

Russian Ports.

Obviously ports that open to the Arctic do not remain ice free. And those ports that open to the Atlantic via the Baltic also ice over on occasion. But I would expect that the southern Pacific ports of Vladivostok and its neighbors Nakhodka and Vostochnyy remain ice free. And, of course, all ports on or near the Black Sea (which leads to the Med and then the Atlantic), such as Rostov, Novorossiysk, and Tuapse remain ice free all year round.

OK, Polycarp, what's the trick? I've obviously missed it. Darn it.

[Cunctator]

Which word in this sentence is spelt wrongly: colour, centre or meter?

You'll have to be a bit more specific. Which spelling conventions are to be used?

To me, the only word not spelt correctly in the sentence is meter. I'd spell it metre.

However, from my knowledge of the way Americans spell, I think they'd generally consider there are three incorrect words:
spelt (they'd say spelled)
colour (they'd say color)
centre (they'd say center)

[Polycarp]

Which word in this sentence is spelt wrongly: colour, centre or meter?

Spelt is never the correct past tense or past participle of to spell. The three "example" words are all correct spellings of words with two or more correct spellings (color, center, and metre are acceptable alternates).

[Polycarp]

Russian Ports.

Obviously ports that open to the Arctic do not remain ice free. And those ports that open to the Atlantic via the Baltic also ice over on occasion. But I would expect that the southern Pacific ports of Vladivostok and its neighbors Nakhodka and Vostochnyy remain ice free. And, of course, all ports on or near the Black Sea (which leads to the Med and then the Atlantic), such as Rostov, Novorossiysk, and Tuapse remain ice free all year round.

OK, Polycarp, what's the trick? I've obviously missed it. Darn it.

I was under the impression that the Black Sea ports did ice over during the worst of the winter; if that's not true, then the "one port" part of the question becomes invalid.

That question to one side, you make one false assumption in your analysis. :)

[Cunctator]

Spelt is never the correct past tense or past participle of to spell. The three "example" words are all correct spellings of words with two or more correct spellings (color, center, and metre are acceptable alternates).

Polycarp, spelt is given as the preferred form of the past participle of the verb to spell in the two dictionaries sitting on my desk that I have just checked (the Concise Oxford Dictionary and the Macquarie Dictionary).

By the way (as a hijack) - happy feast day. I sang at a mass for Australia Day this morning (26 January), which was also the feast of Saint Polycarp.

[Polycarp]

Polycarp, spelt is given as the preferred form of the past participle of the verb to spell in the two dictionaries sitting on my desk that I have just checked (the Concise Oxford Dictionary and the Macquarie Dictionary).

Interesting! I'm of course American, but thought I was aware of such variants. Oh well -- let's see what Peter has to say about the answers to date.

By the way (as a hijack) - happy feast day. I sang at a mass for Australia Day this morning (26 January), which was also the feast of Saint Polycarp.

Thanks!! In America the feast is February 23. Happy Australia Day!! :)

[carterba]

In all liklihood, Babe Ruth (http://www.snopes.com/business/names/babyruth.asp).Yes. The trick being that the answer everyone "knows" isn't correct actually is. :D

[Askance]

Russia has ports on three different oceans, counting the various seas and bays as parts of the ocean to which they open. It has one year-round ice-free port. What port, which ocean is it on, and why is it the only one?

Archangelsk, Arctic Ocean (White Sea), the Gulf Stream. Although as others have noted, I suspect Sevastapol and Vladivostok do not usually ice over.

[Peter Morris]

Oh well -- let's see what Peter has to say about the answers to date.
No correct answers so far. This is a trick question, remember.

Cunctator, are you sure that meter isn't correct spelling?

[Askance]

No correct answers so far. This is a trick question, remember.

Cunctator, are you sure that meter isn't correct spelling?

Meter is correct for a measuring device, such as a water meter. The unit of length is also spelt meter in the US, but metre everywhere else.

[Cunctator]

No correct answers so far. This is a trick question, remember.

Cunctator, are you sure that meter isn't correct spelling?

As Askance has said, it depends which word you mean. With no other information, I would always assume that meter referred to the unit of length. If so, I'd say that the spelling meter is incorrect, with the correct spelling being metre. If you're referring to the measuring device then yes, meter is the correct spelling.

[Askance]

I'd say that the spelling meter is incorrect, with the correct spelling being metre.

Meter is correct in the US for the unit of measurement, although I admit it hurts my eyes to see it.

[Polycarp]

Archangelsk, Arctic Ocean (White Sea), the Gulf Stream. Although as others have noted, I suspect Sevastapol and Vladivostok do not usually ice over.

No to Archangelsk -- but you've got the right idea!!

[Polycarp]

Which word in this sentence is spelt wrongly: colour, centre or meter?

Ah! Obviously, it's the word just before the colon, which is of course spelt "wrongly"!! :)

[Odinoneeye]

Easy one: George W. Bush is officially the 43rd president of the USA. How many men have served as president before him?

Baring trick questions like Presidents under Articles of Confederation or that speaker of the house who was president for a day when the elected one refused to take his oath of office on a Sunday, the answer would be 41. Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and thus is given two numbers.

[roger thornhill]

Archangelsk, Arctic Ocean (White Sea), the Gulf Stream. Although as others have noted, I suspect Sevastapol and Vladivostok do not usually ice over.
Right idea, wrong port. Murmansk.

[roger thornhill]

The only trick question I can think of is this:

In which city is the University of Warwick?

[TJdude825]

Although Samuel Huntington has been proposed, I've heard from several sources (including this page (http://www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html)) that John Hanson qualifies. Which (if either) man did you have in mind? Here's the way I heard it. We were talking about the Articles of Confederation in class.

My History teacher, Mr. K: This makes a good bar bet. You ask someone who was the first president of the United States and they'll say George Washington, but they'll be wrong. Before the current U.S. government was developed, the government under the articles had a different president.

Some kid: So who WAS the first?

Mr. K: I don't even remember. The president really had almost no power at all, so his name is extremely obscure.

So before I posted, I checked the ever-reliable (;)) Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) and found out that "Samuel Huntington (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Huntington_%28statesman%29) was an American jurist, statesman, and revolutionary leader from Connecticut. He served as ... the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled."

Anyway, Samuel Huntington was the one I had in mind, but thanks for that link. Looks like there are (at least) three contenders for the title. Consider yourself a valiant warrior in the War On Ignorance.

[Kaitlyn]

The only trick question I can think of is this:

In which city is the University of Warwick?

Coventry.

1. You're on a ship in Atlantic Ocean. Your ship travels East until it reaches the Pacific Ocean. About how many miles did you travel?

2. My bra size is 34B. The number is the band size, and the letter refers to the cup size. How long in inches is the band on my bra?

[roger thornhill]

Coventry.
Correct

1. You're on a ship in Atlantic Ocean. Your ship travels East until it reaches the Pacific Ocean. About how many miles did you travel?
This is a Panama Canal poser. My guess is about 20 miles.

[Kaitlyn]

Correct


This is a Panama Canal poser. My guess is about 20 miles.

More like 50, but you got the important part.

[Cunctator]

What is the name of the Pope's cathedral church in Rome?

[bob_loblaw]

isn't it just called "the pope's cathedral"?




how many us states are entirely south of canada?

[Iceland_Blue]

2. My bra size is 34B. The number is the band size, and the letter refers to the cup size. How long in inches is the band on my bra?
I demand to be allowed to perform a practical investigation to find this out :)


We get our English word noon from a Latin word referring to which time of the day?
Which Drifters song reached the highest chart position in the UK?(not just trivia!)
Where does a Jerusalem artichoke get its name from?

[Peter Morris]

Ah! Obviously, it's the word just before the colon, which is of course spelt "wrongly"!! :) Yup.

[auRa]

The chair sits on the Stone of Scone,

My god, I just got the joke in Pratchett's Fifth Elephant. :smack:

noon: from the ninth hour after sunrise?

Of the others, I have no idea.

[Polycarp]

Right idea, wrong port. Murmansk.
Correct!

[Maus Magill]

More like 50, but you got the important part.

But then wouldn't you be traveling west?

[Polycarp]

What is the name of the Pope's cathedral church in Rome?

St. John's Lateran. (Not St. Peter's)

[Nightwatch Trailer]

But then wouldn't you be traveling west?
No, the canal cuts southeast across the country from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Here's a map (http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9711/18/panama.watershed/bigpanama.gif).

[Maus Magill]

No, the canal cuts southeast across the country from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Here's a map (http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9711/18/panama.watershed/bigpanama.gif).

I see. Pretty sneaky, sis.

[betenoir]

We get our English word noon from a Latin word referring to which time of the day?



Midnight

[Kaitlyn]

Since nobody's attempting the bra size question, the answer is 28 to 29 inches.

[Raygun99]

Ok then...

Why is the premier baseball event called the World Series?
The first one was sponsored by Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper.

Go north from Derry in Northern Ireland. What's the first foreign country you come to?

I'm going to have to say Ireland.

[Cunctator]

St. John's Lateran. (Not St. Peter's)

Correct

[Telemark]

The first one was sponsored by Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper.

Nope (http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldseries.asp), that's an urban legend.

[Bippy the Beardless]

I came here to look for a brain teezer, but found none still open, so I'll add this one recently learnt from the dope.

Which weighs more a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?

[Odinoneeye]

I came here to look for a brain teezer, but found none still open, so I'll add this one recently learnt from the dope.

Which weighs more a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?

Depends on where they're located. The feathers would weigh more if on earth and the gold on the moon.

However, if both are on earth, then they would weigh the same. Both one pound.

[Askance]

Depends on where they're located. The feathers would weigh more if on earth and the gold on the moon.

Erm, what?

IIRC the real answer is that gold is weighed in a different scale (avoirdupois) so a pound is indeed different for gold, but I can't remember whether it's more or less than a standard pound.

[Peter Morris]

Here's a clue: A (troy) ouce of gold weighs 480 grains. But an (avoirdupois) ounce of feathers weighs 437.5 grains.

So, which is heavier, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers, then?

[rowrrbazzle]

Where does a Jerusalem artichoke get its name from?It's uncertain, but possibly from the Italian word girasole, "sunflower".

Shakespeare and Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616. Approximately how much time elapsed between their deaths?

[Cunctator]

Shakespeare and Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616. Approximately how much time elapsed between their deaths?

I suppose the possible trick here is whether 23 April 1616 actually fell on the same day in England and Spain. Spain implemented the Gregorian calendar reforms in 1582, whereby 10 days were excised from the calendar, with 4 October being followed immediately by 15 October. However, Great Britain did not implement the calendar reforms until 1752. So presumably the 23 April 1616 when Cervantes died in Spain occurred 10 days before the 23 April 1616 when Shakespeare died in England.

[zoogirl]

It's uncertain, but possibly from the Italian word girasole, "sunflower".

Shakespeare and Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616. Approximately how much time elapsed between their deaths?

WAG, one day because of the International Date Line.

Here's mine -

Who starred as Dorothy in the first Wizard Of Oz?
Who Starred as the Monster in the first Frankenstein?
What year did the first Maltese Falcon come out?

[SpectBrain]

It's uncertain, but possibly from the Italian word girasole, "sunflower".

Shakespeare and Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616. Approximately how much time elapsed between their deaths?

About 10 days. England used the Julian calendar and Spain used the Gregorian calendar. Their deaths were ten days apart. On the day Cervantes died it would have been April 13 in England.

My question: (and this one will be sure to please the kiddies :D)

What word begins with 'f' and ends with 'uck'?

[feppytweed]

oooh oooh, i know that one! FIRETRUCK!!!!!

[TJdude825]

In my first post, I meant "occasions" not "equations." Sorry. I can't leave without correcting this. Please continue.

[Captain Amazing]

Right idea, wrong port. Murmansk.

Doesn't Kalingrad, on the Baltic, also not freeze?

[Dijon Warlock]

WAG, one day because of the International Date Line.

Here's mine -

Who starred as Dorothy in the first Wizard Of Oz?
Who Starred as the Monster in the first Frankenstein?
What year did the first Maltese Falcon come out?

Dorothy Dwan
Charles Ogle
1931
...?

One I had in an 'effective communication' class:

How many animals of each kind did Moses take onto the ark?

[zoogirl]

None, they took themselves onto the Ark.

All correct on the movie stuff! Have the Filmgoers Encyclopedia, do you? ;)

What's the average size litter you can expect when you mate dogs?

[roger thornhill]

What's the average size litter you can expect when you mate dogs?
Zero, bitch!

[roger thornhill]

How many animals of each kind did Moses take onto the ark?
Noah.

[zoogirl]

Zero, bitch!

:eek: Well! I never! How dare you...oh. Um, right.

:smack:

Yep, that's the answer! (sort of ;) )

Now you gotta post one. Oh, and you're right. Noah. :smack: :smack:

I'm so getting booted out of teaching Sunday School for that!

[roger thornhill]

OK, complete the following joke:

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get her old age pension.

You don't get it?
Neither did she - .......................................

[Polycarp]

OK, complete the following joke:

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get her old age pension.

You don't get it?
Neither did she - .......................................

Well, that one laid an egg! :p

What unusual characteristic do the Nile and Willamette Rivers have in common?

[Iceland_Blue]

The Northern Ireland has been solved-it's Ireland.
Jerusalem artichokes take their name from the Italian girasole for sunflower-well done rowrrbazzle.
We get our English word noon from a Latin word referring to which time of the day?auRa has it-it's from the Latin 'nones' meaning the 9th hour after sunrise (3pm)



So this one remains
Which Drifters song reached the highest chart position in the UK?(not just trivia!)
And this easy one
What colour is an aeroplane's black box?

[betenoir]

How many animals of each kind did Moses take onto the ark?


Too obvious. How 'bout this one: how many cows did Noah take on the ark?

[Peter Morris]

Which Drifters song reached the highest chart position in the UK?(not just trivia!)

None of them ever got higher than no 2.

how many cows did Noah take on the ark?

seven cows and seven bulls.

[BJMoose]

. . . What colour is an aeroplane's black box?

::sigh:: These things are never simple.

If by "black box" you mean the Cockpit Voice Recorder or the Flight Data Recorder: then the answer is "orange".

The term "black box" used to refer to any avionics remote unit. In my days as an avionics installer for Cessna (some years back), most black boxes were black; the glideslopes were gray; only the ELT was orange.




Speaking of Cessna, here's a reference to its hometown. In which state are the Wichita Mountains located?

Hey. It's the best I can do on short notice.

[Nightwatch Trailer]

What unusual characteristic do the Nile and Willamette Rivers have in common?
They flow south to north? (The obvious answer, so I'm probably missing the trick.)

So then, does the Nile originate in Upper or Lower Egypt?

[catsix]

Kaitlyn said:
Since nobody's attempting the bra size question, the answer is 28 to 29 inches.

Depends on the maker of the bra. Some use true measurements rounded to even numbers (in which case it would be 33 or 34) and some use the add 5 and then go to the next even number.

Weird, eh?

[Polycarp]

They flow south to north? (The obvious answer, so I'm probably missing the trick.)

So then, does the Nile originate in Upper or Lower Egypt?

Right -- people do tend to fail to note that.

As for your question, neither -- two of the main branches of the Nile originate in Ethiopia; the longest branch, more or less in Tanzania, depending on which upper tributary you consider the main river.

[Nightwatch Trailer]

As for your question, neither -- two of the main branches of the Nile originate in Ethiopia; the longest branch, more or less in Tanzania, depending on which upper tributary you consider the main river.
D'oh. I phrased it wrong. Let's try this...was the ancient library of Alexandria in Upper or Lower Egypt?

[Dijon Warlock]

None, they took themselves onto the Ark.

All correct on the movie stuff! Have the Filmgoers Encyclopedia, do you? ;)

What's the average size litter you can expect when you mate dogs?IMDB.COM, doncha know. :)

And to mine (as has been pointed out): it was Noah, not Moses. I was amazed at how many people got tripped on that one. Here's another from the same class:

Is it illegal to marry your widow's sister?

[catsix]

How the heck ya gonna marry somebody when yer dead?

[Cunctator]

Right -- people do tend to fail to note that.

Is flowing northward such an unusual characteristic for a river? I'd have thought there were hundreds of northward-flowing rivers around the world.

[Cunctator]

Is it illegal to marry your widow's sister?

A man might be able to marry his deceased wife's sister. But not his widow. If he has a widow, he's dead himself.

[Cunctator]

A man might be able to marry his deceased wife's sister. But not his widow. If he has a widow, he's dead himself.

My typo. That should, of course, read:

A man might be able to marry his deceased wife's sister. But not his widow's. If he has a widow, he's dead himself.

[roger thornhill]

OK, complete the following joke:

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get her old age pension.

You don't get it?
Neither did she - .......................................
Well, that one laid an egg! :p
Indeed, quite pathetic. The answer is "....she wasn't 65" (sounds better than 60, which is probably technically the correct answer, at least, in the UK)

One more in an attempt to recover my cred:

You need to travel from Gairsay, an island roughly in the centre of the group of islands known as Orkney, to the Mainland. Approximately how long will it take my motor boat? [Just your common or garden boat with a small engine; not a speedboat or a powerboat.]

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Is flowing northward such an unusual characteristic for a river?
Not according to this source (http://www.geo.appstate.edu/630_062802riversc.pdf) (sorry, PDF file), which says that many major waterways, including the Rhine, Elbe and Garonne rivers, flow northward. I suppose the Nile's prominence (and length) has just made it the most obvious northward-flowing river.

[Cunctator]

Not according to this source (http://www.geo.appstate.edu/630_062802riversc.pdf) (sorry, PDF file), which says that many major waterways, including the Rhine, Elbe and Garonne rivers, flow northward. I suppose the Nile's prominence (and length) has just made it the most obvious northward-flowing river.

Thanks Nightwatch. I asked because I could think of at least 5 Australian rivers off the top of my head that flowed north. Your reference, together with this site (http://www.geocities.com/loisnotlane/rivers.html) confirm what I thought. There are many northward flowing rivers around the world. It may be a quality that the Nile and Willamette rivers have in common, but it's not unusual.

[feppytweed]

i just thought rivers flowed downhill...

[Bookkeeper]

You need to travel from Gairsay, an island roughly in the centre of the group of islands known as Orkney, to the Mainland. Approximately how long will it take my motor boat? [Just your common or garden boat with a small engine; not a speedboat or a powerboat.]

It's only about a mile so about 15 minutes (assuming a small boat speed of ~4 knots).

[roger thornhill]

It's only about a mile so about 15 minutes (assuming a small boat speed of ~4 knots).
Excellent. Are you an Orcadian, or do you have maps of the area?

The trick is that Mainland is the name given locally to the main island of Orkney, NOT the Scottish mainland. They call that "doon sooth".

[Colibri]

What was the original name of the baseball franchise that became the New York Yankees?

[Polycarp]

What was the original name of the baseball franchise that became the New York Yankees?

The Baltimore Orioles :)

[Askance]

D'oh. I phrased it wrong. Let's try this...was the ancient library of Alexandria in Upper or Lower Egypt?

Lower Egypt (the bit near the Med). The Egyptians called the southern part Upper Egypt whereas our Mercator bias makes us think of south as down.

[Askance]

Why do (ordinary flat) mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down?

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Lower Egypt (the bit near the Med). The Egyptians called the southern part Upper Egypt whereas our Mercator bias makes us think of south as down.
You betcha.

[Polycarp]

Why do (ordinary flat) mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down?

Because your eyes are side by side, left and right.

[Askance]

Because your eyes are side by side, left and right.

So if you tilt your head to the left or right while looking in a mirror, you find up and down are reversed, do you?

[Kaitlyn]

Depends on the maker of the bra. Some use true measurements rounded to even numbers (in which case it would be 33 or 34) and some use the add 5 and then go to the next even number.

Weird, eh?

Yeah, some makers have you measure under the arms abover the breasts, but the question was about the band size. The band is the part of the bra that goes under the breasts, which is roughly 5 inches less than the given number regardless of how that number was determined.

[Iceland_Blue]

This needs photographic proof. And we're still out on the Drifters one...BritDopeFesters may remember it...

Which has been the shortest year in England since the birth of Christ?

[klintypooh]

I'm gonna go for the obvious and say they have all been the same?

Excluding leap years. :confused:

[iwakura43]

Why do (ordinary flat) mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down?

Because the concepts "up" and "down" are defined relative to a fixed surface, namely, the ground. Whereas left and right are always relative to where you are--there is no universal "left" or "right."

[betenoir]

So if you tilt your head to the left or right while looking in a mirror, you find up and down are reversed, do you?


So if I write a word backwards and then find I can read it correctly in the mirror ("red rum...red rum..") if i then turn it then turn it sideways I can't read it anymore??

[E-Sabbath]

This year has been the shortest year, of course.

[BJMoose]

The only thing a mirror changes is your perspective. You are viewing the image from its "back side".

Consider a sign painted on a window. Viewed as intended, from the outside, you see the normal perspective. Viewed from behind, you see its "mirror image."

So, when you stare at your mug in the mirror, what you are seeing is the back side of the image hitting the mirror. Could you freeze that image, walk around to the other side of the mirror and look at the image, it would appear normal.




So, no one gonna venture the state in which the Wichita Mountains are located? I feel so neglected. . . . :(

[LucyInDisguise]

::sigh:: These things are never simple.

... In which state are the Wichita Mountains located?
Oklahoma (For someone born at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, they ain't much to look at, though ...)

Okay -- Here we go ...
Florence Henderson portrayed the mother of '3 very lovely girls' who all became a part of TV's The Brady Bunch. What did she do for a living?

[BJMoose]

(For someone born at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, they ain't much to look at, though ...)
True. But they beat the heck out of the highest point in Kansas, Mount Sunflower, which is just a high spot in some guys' pasture.

Mrs. Brady worked??

[Peter Morris]

I'm gonna go for the obvious and say they have all been the same?

Excluding leap years. :confused:

Once upon a time New Year's Day was, erm March 1st (I think.) So, when they decided to move it to Jan 1st, that year only had 10 months. Dunno which year that was, though.

[BJMoose]

March 25.

England and her colonies made the change about 1752.

[Ponder Stibbons]

Florence Henderson portrayed the mother of '3 very lovely girls' who all became a part of TV's The Brady Bunch. What did she do for a living?
Why, Ms. Henderson was an actress, of course. You just told us. :p

[klintypooh]

Once upon a time New Year's Day was, erm March 1st (I think.) So, when they decided to move it to Jan 1st, that year only had 10 months. Dunno which year that was, though.

Considering New Year's Day is my b'day, I should have known that. :(

[LucyInDisguise]

Why, Ms. Henderson was an actress, of course. You just told us. :p
For most of her career, actually ...

Okay, so some people do pay attention ... :D

:: ;) at BJMoose::

Now that we've done the warm up, try this one:

From the 1997 movie, The Fifth Element, give Leeloo's full name [spelling counts] -- and give the name of the actress that portrayed her.

(Extra credit if you don't have to peek ... )

[Triskadecamus]

Why do (ordinary flat) mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down?
Look in a mirror. Your right eye, is still on the right, your left eye is still on the left. You are expecting it to reverse, but it doesn't.

[Bippy the Beardless]

Why do (ordinary flat) mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down?
It doesn't do either. It reverses front to back ie perpendicular to the mirrors surface. The fact that left and right are derived relative to the front-back direction leads to the illusion of left and right being reversed but if you were to point at an object to your left on a plane with the mirror, your mirror immage would also be pointing towards the same object, it is pointing in the same direction.



If a plane flying from France to England crashes over the english channel, and all the recovered dead bodies are mangled beyond recognition, where do they bury the survivors?

[Cunctator]

If a plane flying from France to England crashes over the english channel, and all the recovered dead bodies are mangled beyond recognition, where do they bury the survivors?

The survivors may object somewhat to their being buried.

[Cunctator]

England and her colonies made the change about 1752.

When 11 days were removed from the calendar, leaving a year of 355 days.

[Polycarp]

Using a privilege granted in 1964, both members of a married couple rise, one after the other, to address the U.S. Senate. Who are they, and why can they?

[roger thornhill]

Which has been the shortest year in England since the birth of Christ?
The year he was born, I would assume.

[Iceland_Blue]

It was 1752....Not only did we lose 11 days carelessly down the back of the sofa, New Year's Day altered from March 25 to January 1.

Now...
What is the maximum possible break in snooker?
In which season is A Midsummer Night's Dream set?
How many cities is Budapest made up of?
Why did Adolf Hitler not greet certain athletes during the Berlin Olympics?

[Cunctator]

Now...
What is the maximum possible break in snooker?

147 if you don't factor in the possibility of fouls. 155 if you do.

[Torgo ate my hamster]

How many cities is Budapest made up of?


Two. Budim and Pesta.

[Polycarp]

How many cities is Budapest made up of?

Three: Buda, Pest, and Obuda. Plus, I believe, suburbs annexed into the conurbation since WWII.

[Iceland_Blue]

Well done Cunctator & Polycarp. Glow with pride.

[Bookkeeper]

Excellent. Are you an Orcadian, or do you have maps of the area?

The trick is that Mainland is the name given locally to the main island of Orkney, NOT the Scottish mainland. They call that "doon sooth".

Already knew that Orkney=Mainland and checked a map for the distance.

[auRa]

From the 1997 movie, The Fifth Element, give Leeloo's full name [spelling counts] -- and give the name of the actress that portrayed her.


Milla Jovovich played Leeloominai Lekatariba Laminatcha Ekbat D Sabat [spelling may be a little off].






I am so ashamed for remembering that. :smack:

[LucyInDisguise]

Milla Jovovich played Leeloominai Lekatariba Laminatcha Ekbat D Sabat
And the correct answer is: In the 1997 Movie, The Fifth Element, Leeloo's full name is Leeloominai Lekatariba Laminatcha Ekbat D Sabat -- Played by Milla Javovich.

... [spelling may be a little off] ...
Not unless my eyes are crossed ...
I am so ashamed for remembering that. :smack:
Why? Especially if you did that from memory!!! You are Rock. Let's Roll on ...

Time to take the gloves off! :D

What was the fourth word spoken on the moon?

[Peter Morris]

"Tranquility"

as in

"Contact light. Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed"

[Peter Morris]

Correction: engine.


EAGLE: Contact light! O.K., engine stop . . . descent engine command override off . . .

HOUSTON: We copy you down, Eagle.

EAGLE: Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!

[sjc]

And the correct answer is: In the 1997 Movie, The Fifth Element, Leeloo's full name is Leeloominai Lekatariba Laminatcha Ekbat D Sabat -- Played by Milla Javovich.



I believe it's Milla Jovovich

[Nightwatch Trailer]

Translate this Romeo and Juliet quote to modern English:

Juliet: Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

[feppytweed]

I do believe it means "where do you stand in this feud between our families, and how do you feel about me".

that, or

"hey white boy, where da hell you at"