Christmas Quiz

A quiz you can play with your Christmas guests. Answers will be published on Boxing Day:

General Knowledge
1. What is the Japanese art of kintsugi?
2. Scott McTominay got the 2000th and Cristiano Ronaldo got the 1000th. Who got the first?
3. What are corvids?
4. Before decimal currency, how many half crowns were there in a pound?
5. Where would you find a speleologist practising their passion?
6. What is the address of the White House?
7. In movement of the hand what is the opposite of supination? 
8. During the Covid 19 pandemic much was made of the government taking advice from SAGE. For what do the letters SAGE stand?
9. What did Ray Tomlinson send to himself in 1971?
10. Grape, Peaches, Keys and Lace can all be preceded by what word to make the name of a band?
11. What number connects David Beckham’s time at Real Madrid with the valley of the shadow of death?
12. In the song Fairytale of New York, what song were the NYPD choir singing?
13. What would it mean to describe twins as dizygotic?
14. Which stately home is the family seat of the Duke of Devonshire? Clue. It’s not in Devon.
15. What traditional occupation is suggested by the common names of the three small bones in the human ear?
16. What are the three ingredients of the Canadian dish poutine?
17. Who was the last person to stand on the Moon?
18. By what name are Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons better known?
19. There are three native British conifers. The Scots pine and the yew are two. What is the third?
20. In 1972 Ralph Baer produced the Magnavox Odyssey. It was the world’s first what?

Famous Gabriels (including Gabby, Gabriele, Gabrielle, Gabriella)
1. Band comprising Jacob Lusk, Ryan Hope and Ari Balouzian
2. Founder of Genesis and Womad
3. Actor in The Usual Suspects
4. Footballer for Arsenal and Brazil
5. Author of Love in the time of Cholera
6. French musician known for his Requiem
7. Former Italian F1 driver who debuted in 1987
8. Female sports presenter née Yorath
9. French fashion designer and business woman 1883-1971
10. A Marvel Comics villain better known as Vulcan

Famous Marys
1.TV chef and former Bake-off judge
2. Northern Irish 1972 Olympic pentathlete
3. ounder of the Christian Science movement
4. Fictional nanny played by Julie Andrews
5. Nursery rhyme heroine; strange garden
6. American actor played Laura Petrie in the Dick van Dyke show
7. Inherited the throne of Scotland in 1542 aged 6 days
8. American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor often called the ‘Queen of R and B soul’
9. Creator of Frankenstein
10. American Motown singer famous for ‘My Guy’

Last 10 Years
1. 2014 Where were the Commonwealth Games held?
2. 2015 Everyone loves a royal birth. Who arrived on May 2nd?
3. 2016 What was the name of the 25th and final album by David Bowie, released just a few days before his death?
4. 2017 A snap General Election was held. In which month?
5. 2018 The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn are the only two three star Michelin restaurants outside London. They are both in the same large village. Where are they?
6. 2019 The pandemic known as Covid 19 is said to have started in a food market in which Chinese city?
7. 2020 The idea of ‘eat out to help out’ was the brainchild of Rishi Sunak. What office did he hold at the time?
8. 2021 Prince Philip died this year. How old was he?
9. 2022 The Football World Cup was held this year, but what months was it held in?
10. 2023 How did Old Testament judge Samson’s birthplace link to contemporary matters?

Words of the Weak
Each word is followed by three definitions. Choose the correct one

1. Sukebind
a) A spoof foliage invented by Stella Gibbons in Cold Comfort Farm
b) A German caramel flavoured drink
c) A type of volcanic activity in Antartica

2. Slattern
a) A small beam that us used in thatching
b) Part of a boat
c) A dirty, untidy woman

3. Serac
a) A block or column of glacial ice
b) A type of vole
c) A Christmas ornament popular in North Africa

4. Salopettes
a) Marionettes designed for use at sea
b) High-waisted and waterproof trousers
c) Crumpet-type pastry popular in Quebec

5. Scry
a) Foretell the future using a crystal ball, reflective object or surface
b) Run down a hill using the scree to slow progress
c) A skateboard move

6. Shebeen
a) Alcoholic drink made from potato
b) Unlicensed Irish bar
c) North American roadside rest room

7. Spelunking
a) Caving as a hobby
b) Slang for speed-dating
c) Stealing Christmas gifts from a car

8. Shamisen
a) A spiritual intermediary in Dominican tribal ritualism
b) A Portuguese delicacy with crayfish
c) A lute-like instrument with three strings

9. Solastalgia
a) Emotional stress caused by environmental change
b) Seasonally affected disorder
c) Sunburn

10. Stridulation
a) Mowing a lawn so the grass makes a horizontal pattern
b) The act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts
c) Whispy cloud formation in an otherwise clear sky