tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37404972011-08-17T04:11:19.089+01:00a treasure chest of lists, trivia, strange facts and curiositiesRcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comBlogger6651100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-22835477514923257732007-06-09T00:47:00.000+01:002007-06-09T00:49:55.721+01:00

Vitamin Q is Dead - Long Live Infowisps. URL below.(sadly, the archives have disappeared from the VitQ front page - ah well - I have my special people and their winged monkeys on to it!)In the meantime - check out Infowisps!

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New trivia site from Vitamin Q:HEREwww.infowisps.blogspot.com

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PUNCHING JUDIESVitamin Q tests out the theory that bad girls in songs are always called Judy...What is the song? Judy by Al GreenWhat is it about? Everything has been just hip since Al found Judy.Good Judy? Bad Judy? Good - she has beauty and 'sweet little ways'. Song: Judy and the Dream of Horses by Belle & SebastianAbout: Judy longs to recreate a great dream she had about horse rustling and

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FLASHING BLADESSome figure skating moves:Delayed Axel / Hydrant Lift / Doughnut Spin / Hamill Camel / Inside Spread Eagle / Illusion Spin / Russian Split / Wide Closed Choctaw / Death Drop / Boeckl / Crossfoot Spin / Regular Salchow / Cartwheel Lift / Rocker / Half Loop / Catch Foot Layback / Skid Spiral / Tabletop / Grafström / One-Hand Biellmanns / Mazurka / Flying Reverse Sit Spin / Clockwise

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CHANGE YOUR NAME, BUT KEEP YOUR SPOTSThe native names of the leopard:chita / adnara / tendwa (Hindustani)palang (Persian)diho (Baluchi)tidua / srighas (in Bundelkand)suh (Kashmiri)gorbacha (Dekhani)bibia-bagh / karda / asnea / singhal (Mahrathi)tenderwa / bibla (among the Bauris of the Dekhan)honiga / kerkal (Canarese)teon-kula (of the Kols)jerkos (in Rajmehal)burkal / gordag (of the Gonds)sonora

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FLYING CIRCUS15 titles which were considered instead of Snakes On A Plane1 Asps With Altitude2 Rattlers On The Redeye3 Mobster Mambas4 Boeing Boeing Boa5 Fangs On A Flight6 Slithering Heights7 Supersonic Sidewinders8 Adders In The Air9 Pilots and Pythons10 Cobras In The Cargo11 Die Hard With Venom12 Sonic Boomslangs13 The Krait Escape14 Viper Space15 Hand-Luggage and Hissyfits

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STILL I CLINGI knew it was over when......the judges asked about salamander DNA ...they introduced self-service petrol pumps ...I watched Tokyo burn to the ground ...I heard about how he went and started the crusades ...the younger daughter complained that her shoes were too tight every few hours for a year ...he first started dating her and described her immediately as "strong" ...he said that

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BARREDBritish Pubs - some things to avoid:1 Any bar serving sausage and mash for over £10, and where beer seems like a grudging sideline2 The nearest pub to any train station3 Any pub in a train station4 All bars which describe their food as 'Traditional Fayre' or as 'World Famous'5 Any trendy bar with its own merchandising (T-shirts, keyrings and other tat)6 Any pub still clinging to the tails

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AT E'sA simplified list of food colourings:E100 Curcumin, Turmeric YellowE101 Orange YellowE102 (tartrazine) Lemon YellowE103 Golden Yellow E104 Quinoline Yellow E105 Fast Yellow E106 YellowE107 Yellow E110 Sunset YellowE111 OrangeE120 (cochineal) Carmine RedE121 (orcein) Red-Brown, (orchil) Blueish PurpleE122 (carmoisine) MaroonE123 (amaranth) Dark RedE124 Brilliant ScarletE125 Scarlet E126

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ON YOUR MARXThe real names of the Marx Brothers:Zeppo Marx - HerbertHarpo Marx - Adolph (changed to Arthur)Chico Marx - LeonardGroucho Marx - JuliusGummo Marx - MiltonAnd what their names should have been had they starred in...a spaghetti western: Taco Marx / Poncho Marx / Bronco Marx / Gaucho Marx / Amigo Marxa horror flick: Pyro Marx / Torso Marx / Romero Marx / Psycho Marx / Cujo Marxa

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FIRST THOUGHTSThirty-two synaptic shortcuts from Google:The first thing I thought of was Humpty Dumpty on the wallThe first thing I thought of was trying to wring out a crocheted afghanThe first thing I thought of was a yellow wrenchThe first thing I thought of was toxic runoff from all the grovesThe first thing I thought of was that old radio on the porch of the cabinThe first thing I thought of

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FIRST TIMESTen true confessions from Google:I lost my virginity in the backroom of a bookshop in StainesI lost my virginity in a hotel in BirminghamI lost my virginity in the Student Union carpark after a poetry reading I lost my virginity in the back seat of a '54 FordI lost my virginity in a Detroit bus stationI lost my virginity in a strange spelunking accidentI lost my virginity in the

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EAU DE, EAU DEWhat British people smelled of in the early 1950s:Womendandruffcandlewickcamphorpowdered milka 'top-note' of 'Evening In Paris'Mendogdieselboot dubbinbattery fluidpigeon-feeddried cuttlefishcooked breakfastsrough tobaccoweek-old hair-oilbelched-back beerSource: first page of Gordon Burn's 1991 novel Alma Cogan

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FANTASTIC FOESVillains from the first 50 issues of The Fantastic Four comic:The Mole ManThe Skrulls from Outer SpaceMiracle ManSub-MarinerDr. DoomKurrgo, Master of Planet XPuppet MasterThe Impossible ManThe Red GhostThe Mad ThinkerDr. DoomSuper SkrullRama TutMolecule ManHate-MongerMole ManInfant TerribleDiabloInvincible ManAttumaGregory GideonThe Frightful FourMedusa and GorgonThe

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INDIAN FEATHERSSome interesting names of birds found in India:Rain Quail / Rosy Starling / Isabelline Wheatear / Dusky Crag-Martin / Sirkeer Malkoha / Little Brown Dove / Bank Myna / Graceful Prinia / Hooded Pitta / Red-Whiskered Bulbul / Jungle Owlet / Glossy Ibis / Bengal Florican / Paddyfield Pipit / Collared Pratincole / White-Bellied Treepie / Grass Owl / Finn's Weaver / Bengal Bush Lark /

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CIRCUS GAMESTypical 'fight' combinations at the Roman circus:a wolf against a hippopotamusa rhinoceros against a giraffea panther against an ostrichan Ethiopian against an elephanta German against a beara woman against a dwarfa Christian against a lionSource: Around The Roman Table (P Faas, Macmillan)NB There is much debate amongst historians about exactly what went on in the arena. Such contests

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NO MANScottish islands with a population in single figures:Eilean Shona - 9Erraid - 8Soay - 7Sanday - 6Auskerry - 5Danna - 5Gometra - 5Oronsay - 5Tanera Mor - 5Lunga - 4Gairsay - 3Inchtavannach - 3Moncrieffe - 3Davaar - 2Eilean Ban - 2Eilan Donan - 1Inchcolm - 2Inchfad - 2Rona - 2Vaila - 2Innischonan - 1Sanda - 1Shuna - 1NB Some of these islands have larger and more populated namesakesSource:

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FURNAMES20 nicknames for our cat:1 Chiliosity2 Button3 The Best One4 Snugster5 Rabbity6 Chumbleton7 Licky8 Kipper9 Biscuity Bob10 Chillster11 Titch12 Cuddlekin13 Bumley14 Miaowy15 Chilblain16 Grumpelstiltskin17 Snoozy Susie18 Monkey19 Lambkin20 FluffsterYes, I know - it's a bit cutesy. Chili is a 13 year old tailless Applehead Siamese who spends most of the day dreaming.

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NATURE NOTESSome extracts from Seton Gordon's 1945 diary:January 9: Fine view of male peregrineJanuary 22: Rooks turned back by peregrineJanuary 24: Tobogganing, Sue & CJanuary 25: Snowbunting at bird tableJanuary 27: 50 Italian prisoners working on the roadFebruary 12: To Gargunnock... good and attentive audienceFebruary 19: First lark in songMarch 13: Cambridge. Piped at Latham RoadMarch 27: St

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TABLE MANNERSI'm so hungry I could eat...1 a bear, fur and all2 roadkill3 the ass end of a billy goat4 a horse and go back for the jockey / chase the rider5 a baby through the bars of a cot6 the crotch off a low-flying duck7 a bowl of lard with a hair in it8 a whale9 Michael Moore (or various other tubby slebs)10 the north end of a southbound skunk11 a horse between two slices of bread12 my own

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KING SIZESong titles namechecking Elvis:1 Elvis and His Boss – The Residents2 Elvis Has Left the Building – Frank Zappa3 I Remember Elvis Presley – Danny Mirror4 Elvis' Rolls Royce – Was (Not Was)5 Elvis Presley Blues – Gillian Welch6 Calling Elvis – Dire Straits7 Elvis Presley and America - U28 The Bones of Elvis – Inner City Unit9 You're Bringing Out The Elvis In Me – Faith Hill10 Pretend I'm

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PLANET WAVESMinor planets named after stars of the music world:1 (23990) Springsteen2 (3834) Zappafrank3 (6354) Vangelis4 (19383) Rolling Stones5 (4422) Jarre6 (16155) Buddy7 (4442) Garcia8 (2620) Santana9 (8749) Beatles*10 (19367) Pink Floyd11 (18125) Brianwilson12 (5656) Oldfield13 (7707) Yes14 (15092) Bee Gees15 (18132) Spector16 (17059) Elvis17 (6433) Enya18 (4305) Clapton19 (44016) Jimmypage

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MEASURE FOR MEASURESome semi-empirical scales:Fujita Scale of Tornado IntensityMercalli Scale of Earthquake IntensityRichter Scale of Earthquake MagnitudeMohs Scale of Mineral HardnessTorino Meteorite Impact Hazard ScaleSchmidt Sting Pain IndexSaffir-Simpson Hurricane ScaleHamilton-Norwood Scale of Male Pattern BaldnessLudwig Scale of Female Pattern BaldnessScoville Scale of Chile Pepper

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LIVERSIONSSome old fish liver dishes from the Shetland Isles:Haggamuggi - The stomach of a fish filled with hashed livers and sunds (air bladders) and boiled.Krampus - Sillock (a small fish) livers melted in a frying pan and mixed with bere burston (roasted corn with sour milk).Kroppen - Fish liver and meal thoroughly mixed and seasoned, stuffed into a fish head and boiled (in the rest of

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SORRY!Vitamin Q has been quiet in the last month as I have been very busy with teaching and other work. I also need to wind down the trivia now and then in order to keep it fresh and encounter new ideas which haven't been covered here before. Posts will become more frequent again in sunny November...

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TONGUES OF GOOD HOPEThe recognised langauges of South Africa:Official:1 Afrikaans2 Xhosa3 Southern Sotho4 Venda5 Swati6 English7 Northern Sotho8 Zulu9 Ndebele10 Tswana11 TsongoUnofficial: 12 Name13 Lobedu14 SA Sign Language15 Fangalao16 Khoe17 San18 Northern Ndebele19 Phuthi

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SCHMECKIGSome people's suggestions for the 'best thing that I ever tasted':1 treacle sponge2 Key West lobster3 mashed potatoes4 Korean black pork5 pear bread pudding6 pork belly with sea scallops7 fresh deer liver8 peanut butter chocolate pie9 iskender (Turkish kebab with yoghurt)10 oven-fresh bread with butter11 Montezuma drinking chocolate with rum12 shrimp bisque13 strawberry shortcake

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HUBCAPSAmerican cities which are self-styled 'Capitals':Gilroy, California: the Garlic Capital of the WorldBurlington, Iowa: the Backhoe Capital of the WorldHoltville, California: the Carrot Capital of the WorldBeaver, Oklahoma: Cow-chip Throwing Capital of the World*Cody, Wyoming: the Rodeo Capital of the WorldHollywood, California: Show Business Capital of the WorldSturgis, Michigan: Curtain

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LET THERE BE...Types of rock and typical rockers:1 punk rock (Sex Pistols)2 roots rock (The Long Ryders)3 glam rock (The Sweet)4 prog rock (Yes)5 blues rock (Cream)6 indie rock (The Wedding Present)7 garage rock (The Seeds)8 space rock (Loop)9 goth rock (Sisters of Mercy)10 boogie rock (Canned Heat)11 pub rock (Dr Feelgood)12 Southern rock (Little Feat)13 folk rock (Jethro Tull)14 rap rock (Limp

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THIS IS VITAMIN Q! ... a kindofblog run by South London-based poet and puzzle writer Roddy Lumsden. Each week I post a few lists and other items related to the foibles of language or dug deep from trivia mines. Comments, suggestions or corrections are always welcome via the email above. The 350 page book, Vitamin Q - a temple of trivia lists and curious words, containing lots of original

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MIXING ITA menu of curious cocktail names:Damn the Weather / Snuggle Upper / Jelly Donut / Green With Envy / Kitchen Sink / Salty Chihuahua / Italian Surfer / Ambassador's Morning Lift / Fog Cutter / Put Charlotte To Bed / Maiden's Prayer / Purple Panties / Rosy Pippin / Powder Pig / Puppy's Nose / Ward Eight / Hot Booties / Zombie Mudslide / Summer All Day / Lobotomy / Fancy Fix / Attitude

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DON'T HOLD THE FRONT PAGESome defunct newspapers from around the world (dates are decades of closure, where known):1 Le Temps (France 1940s)2 The Boston Post (USA 1950s)3 Il Progresso (Italy)4 The Daily Mirror (Australia 1990s)5 The Bombay Sentinel (India 1950s)6 Daily Herald (England 1960s)7 El Noticiero Universal (Spain c1980s)8 The Washington Star (USA 1980s)9 Segodnya (Russia 2000s)10 News

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FEEDING TIMESome advice from the internet:Don't feed your beer to kidsDon't feed your dog offalDon't feed your fish dog foodDon't feed your infant honeyDon't feed your cockatiel avocadoDon't feed your worms citrus peelingsDon't feed your pup raw porkDon't feed your child garbageDon't feed your pets rich holiday foodsDon't feed your fingers to the animalsDon't feed your dog chocolateDon't feed

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MIND OF STATESWhat could be more American than...?1 a parade2 fried chicken3 buying in bulk4 trial by media5 Kojak re-runs at 2am6 the gold rush7 singing "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" during the 7th-inning stretch 8 a trip to the rifle range9 a can of Campbell's soup10 the story of George Washington owning up to chopping down a cherry tree 11 Elvis12 a hybrid truck13 pie14 losing your virginity

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THE BLACK STUFFSome types of licorice sweets:blackjack gum / bridge mix / Diamond Bits / laces / whips / licorice cats / licorice glitter crunch / honey tops / ape drop / Dutch Peas / millottes / Pontefract cakes / jujubes / ben hurs / lina tins / apricot logs / honing tops / Pop's Pipes / super piratos / Blue Jeans / saltbomber / coal scuttles / cream rock / salted herrings / old fashioned

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ANOTHER QUIZThe latest quiz is on words with double meanings. You need to give your email if you want the full scoreboard, otherwise put aa@bb or something. The quiz is quite hard - get five and you should be proud.Quiz

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SIDE STREETSSome interesting alley names in London past and present:Adam and Eve Alley / Anchor Hope Alley / Angel Alley / Back Alley / Badger's Alley / Baker's Arms Alley / Ball Alley / Barking Alley / Basket Alley / Birdcage Alley / Black Boy Alley / Black Dog Alley / Blue Ball Alley / Brown Bear Alley / Champions Alley / Cock and Key Alley / Dark Alley / Dog and Bell Alley / Donkey Alley /

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HAUNTED, DEAD OR ALIVE Ghosts I have seen recently:N and I went to the fairground on the heath some time back and were surprised at how little had changed since we were kids. The same mushburgers, toffee apples and rock dummies, the same hook-a-duck and hoop-a-vase stalls, the same big rides, even, and the same fat boy stuck halfway down the helter skelter. The main difference was that despite

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SORRY...Things have been slow at Vitamin Q lately due to holidays etc. Lots of new stuff this week, I hope.

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THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS In the 18th and 19th century, a code was established whereby flowers and other plants represented emotions and social situations. Numbers, colours and types of plants could be interpreted by sender and receiver, often by complex decoding of an arrangement. For example, a certain selection of flowers might mean 'sorry, I was drunk and I do not love you, but we should

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PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES50 songs popular during World War One:A Khaki Lad All Of No Man's Land Is Ours America Here's My BoyAnd He'd Say Oo-La-La Wee-WeeBeside a Belgian Water TankBombed!Don't Cry Frenchy, Don't CryGood-Bye, Good Luck, God Bless YouGoodbye Broadway, Hello FranceHail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!Have A Little Regiment of Your OwnGoodbye Broadway, Hello FranceHow 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down

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TOO MUCH OF THAT SNOW WHITESome names for cocaine and crack cocaine:C / she / cat's pee / foolish powder / gift-of-the-sun / raw / powder diamonds / sweet stuff / dream / star-spangled powder / gak / demolish / devil's dandruff / birdie powder / posh / applejacks / gutter glitter / schoolcraft / coke / caine / mayo / Roxanne / bouncing powder / chang / society high / hubbas / white horse /

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1124200715779846152005-08-16T14:53:00.000+01:002005-08-16T15:32:12.713+01:00

The latest VitQ quiz is on strange words and their origins. It's hard but you'll learn some charming and useless nonsense. You need to enter an email address to get the scoreboard, otherwise enter xx@yy.com or whatever.Quiz is here

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WELCOME Y'ALL... to Vitamin Q, a blog run by South London-based poet and puzzle writer Roddy Lumsden. Each week I post a few lists and other items related to the foibles of language and other trivia. Comments, suggestions or corrections are always welcome via the email above. The 350 page book version, containing lots of original material, is available via the link at the top left, or at Amazon,

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SPIN CYCLESpin-off series from UK / US comedy / drama TV programmes:Happy Days (Joanie Loves Chachi / Mork and Mindy / Laverne and Shirley)Friends (Joey)The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Rhoda / Lou Grant / Phyllis)Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Angel)Tha Man From UNCLE (The Girl From UNCLE)Casualty (Holby City)Law and Order (Trial By Jury)No Hiding Place (Echo Four Two)The Six Million Dollar Man (The

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SIZISTZOOLargest and smallest creatures:world's largest moth - Atlas mothworld's largest reptile – leatherback turtleworld's smallest insect – fairy fly (a tiny wasp)world's largest mammal – blue whaleworld's largest spider – bird-eating spiderworld's smallest reptile – dwarf geckoworld's largest amphibian – giant salamanderworld's largest land mammal (weight) – African elephantworld's largest

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SLAMSignature wrestling finishing moves:Crippler Crossface - Chris 'the Rabid Wolverine' Benoit619 - Rey MysterioPedigree - Triple HThe Last Ride - the UndertakerAngle Slam - Kurt AngleSpineroonie - Booker Tand blasts from the pastThe People's Elbow 'the most electrifying move in sport's entertainment!' - the Rock3D (Dudley Death Drop) - the Dudley BoyzStinkface - RikishiThe Worm - Scotty 2

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TWIN TOWNSPlaces which are said to be 'famous for two things':Las Pinas (Philippines) - its Bamboo Organ, and the Sarao Jeepney Factory Big Island (Hawaii) – deathplace of Captain Cook and the Kilauea volcanoSt Andrews (Scotland) - Prince William and golfKalgoorlie (Australia) – goldmining and its red light districtBremen (Germany) – Becks beer and tramsHavelock (NZ) – mussels and Ernest

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DIRECT YOUR PRAYERS TO...Unlikely but true saintly patronages:Patron saint of roller skating (St Lydwina of Schiedam)Patron saint of whitewashers (St Totnan)Patron saint of actresses (St Pelagia the Penitent)Patron saint of warehouses (St Barbara)Patron saint of Florentine cheese merchants (St Bartholomew)Patron saint of geese (St Martin of Tours)Patron saint of sleepwalkers (St Dymphna)Patron

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WORD SAVEDThis is my mobiolect (the list of words I had to type into my mobile phone because they were not recognised by the phone's 'dictionary'); a mobiolect gives a potted picture of your life.achy / Alvarez / Amulet / bairns / bastards / Blackheath / chav / cheeky / colic / cuddy / Eliot / Euston / Faber / foals / g'night / hairier / Holborn / Islington / Kingsway / lagers / lentils / Maccam

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DO THE...101 unusual names of dances:On the Wallaby Track / Tomorrowland / Wibsey Roundabout / The Demented Seagull / Lady Picking Mulberries / Where Is Tim's Cup / British Sorrow / Balance the Star / The Ace of Clubs / Baldyquash / Zephyrs and Flora / Little Favourite / Dainty Duncan / Shandy Hall / Sweets of May / The Maid Peep'd Out Of the Window / All For Twelve Pounds / Wooden Nickel /

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FOOD AND DRINK QUIZHere's the latest VitQ quiz for you, on strange food and drink trivia. As always, put in an xx@bb.com email address if you don't want the scoreboard - but it's not spammy. The quiz is hard but fun. Good luck. Most of the answers are on Vitamin Q site or in this lovely book...

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TRIVIA FOR CATSI made this special card of questions so our cat Chili can join in when we play Trivial Pursuit:Geography – In which Irish county would you find Knock airport? (Answer: Mayo)Entertainment – Which of Kate Bush's hit songs had a palindromic title? (Answer: Wow)History – Who declared the formation of the People' Republic of China in 1949? (Answer: Mao)Art & Literature – What is the

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CURSING TIMESSome jobs in which you would traditionally hear bad language:1 trooper2 navvy3 trucker4 sailor5 jailer6 fishwife7 docker...and these days...1 wheel clamper2 chart DJ3 natural birth midwife4 telesales cold caller5 primary school teacher6 traffic warden7 bikini line waxer

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CLOCKING ONThe 60 strangest job titles in the USA:Acrobatic Rigger – sets up equipment for acrobatic troupesAir Hole Driller – operates machine which makes holes in smoking pipesBabbitter – adds alloy to metal workpiecesBack Washer – operates machine for washing sliver (a continuous textile strand)Bed Rubber – operates machine which smoothes stone blocksBit Shaver – smoothes mouthpieces of

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SINGMASTER'S VOICESome highlights from Singmaster's Chronology of Recreational Mathematics, a list recording dates of innovations, publications and other items of note to do with mathematical puzzles, games and quandaries.-1800? Old Babylonian tablet - first Sliding Spear.-1700? Phoenician Puzzle Jugs in Cyprus.-330 Eubulides - first Liar Paradox and other logical paradoxes: The Heap; Have You

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AT FIRST I WAS AFRAID50 potted true stories of survival from the web:survived by eating fruit brought to him by a monkeysurvived by eating the sea peas growing on a shingle beachsurvived by eating insects during droughtssurvived by eating newspaperssurvived by eating mine timberssurvived by eating small fish that he caught with his handssurvived by eating winter purslane known as 'miners' lettuce

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ROLL UPThe fairground in popular song:1 Ferris Wheel – The Everly Brothers2 Hot Dog – Led Zeppelin3 Bouncy Castle - Talisman4 Hoopla - Sunship5 Goldfish – Roy Harper6 Merry-Go-Round – Fleetwood Mac7 Rollercoaster – The Jesus and Mary Chain8 Hall of Mirrors - Kraftwerk9 Ghost Train – Elvis Costello10 House of Fun – Madness11 Candyfloss - Wilco12 Tombola – Tito Puente13 Tunnel of Love – Dire

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MOONDOGS AND COPYCATS30 of the many Beatles tribute bands:1 Not The Beatles2 The Cheatles3 The Apple Pies4 Come Together5 The Return6 Hello Goodbye7 The EggMen8 Abbey Road9 The Baetles10 Liverpool11 Strawberry Fields12 The Bootleg Beatles13 British Export14 The Backbeat Beatles15 The Upbeat Beatles16 Beatall17 Beatlemania Now18 The Fab Faux19 Me And My Monkey20 Imagine...The Beatles21 The Fake

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ISLES OF AMERICAA list of the islands around the coast of the USA:Waldron Island / San Juan Island / Lummi Island / Lopez Island / Shaw Island / Orcas Island / Whidbey Island / Bainbridge Island / Vashon Island / Maury Island / Blake Island / Fox Island / Santa Rosa Island / Santa Cruz Island / Santa Barbara Island / San Clemente Island / Santa Catalina Island / Padre Island / Mustang Island /

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VICE SQUADGuest appearances by music stars on TV series Miami Vice:1 Isaac Hayes2 Ted Nugent3 Little Richard4 Glenn Frey5 Leonard Cohen6 Phil Collins7 David Johansen8 Miles Davis9 Jan Hammer10 Coati Mundi11 Gene Simmons12 John Taylor13 Frank Zappa14 Jermaine Stewart15 Willie Nelson16 Sheena Eeaston17 James Brown18 El DeBarge19 Eartha Kitt(others who appeared include Bruce Willis, Michael Madsen,

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WEBPAGESixty-six genuine arachnonyms:perfect spitting spider / false katipo / stretch spider / dew-drop spider / jolly telamonia / mothercare spider / Tasmanian cave spider / common house jumper / filmy dome spider / grand argiope / bowl and doily spider / big-bellied tyloria / dandy jumper / Australian whistling tarantula / lichen huntsman / H-web spider / sheet-web weaver / red-headed mouse

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1120761800699251592005-07-07T19:39:00.000+01:002005-07-08T01:30:50.353+01:00

DUCK TRIVIAAs long as the quizzes are as popular as the last few, I'll keep adding them. Here is the latest quiz for you to try. It's a general knowledge quiz based on ducks. You need to put in an email address to get the full scoreboard, otherwise put a@b.com or something if you are unsure - you'll still get a score.(This is a hard one - just realised. Feel happy if you get five right out of ten

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PRINT DEBUTSThe first known mentions in texts of various things:First mention of tofu (in Japan): 1183First mention of the dry fishing fly: 1853First mention of the metal platinum: 1557First mention of olive oil as a sexual accessory: 350BCFirst mention of spectacles being worn (in Italy): 1289First mention of backgammon (in the Codex Exoniensis):1125First mention of handguns: 1326First mention

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FINN FAREIn recent weeks Italian leader Berlusconi and his French counterpart Chirac have both made derogatory remarks about the food of Finland, suggesting it is the worst in the EU. Having done a bit of research, Vitamin Q reckons they are very wrong:rye crispbread – a Finnish staple, along with coarse breads made from oats and barleykalakukko – pasty filled with fish and porkgrilled lampreys –

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PULLING STRINGSSome yoyo tricks:Hop the Fence / Transfusion / Roly Poly / Tidal Wave / Hopalong Cassidy / Quickdraw / Behind Bars / Nuclear Fission / Brain Smasher / Rattlesnake / Velvet Rolls / Ferris Wheel / The Return / Flying Saucer / Dragster / Eli Hop / Buddha's Revenge / Texas Star / Dog Collar / Gravity Pull / The Flux / Bugs Bunny / Punching Bag / Ultra Beam / Bucket of Nihilism / Pop

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, DUSTPAN!Some TV and film animal actors:Rin Tin Tin (after the death of the original dog) was played by son Rinty II and Flame, Golden Boy Jr on TV, with Hey You and Bearheart as stand-insKeiko was the name of the real whale in Free WillyDiefenbaker (the husky in Due South) was played by Lincoln and then DracoEddie (Frasier) is played by MooseClyde the orang utan in Every Which Way

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THE OLD ONE TWOWhat you can do with two fingers (index and middle):1 take a pulse2 smooth your eyelid3 smoke a cigarette4 pull a bow5 make a peace sign6 operate a finger puppet7 cross them for luck8 give a military salute in Poland9 flick the Vs10 type clumsily11 shoot a pretend gun12 poke an enemy in the eyes13 make a scissors shape (to help you look for scissors)14 wind wool or string round

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BEAN THERETypes of bean:speckle / rattlesnake / fazolia / Peruvian / winged / Kenyan fine / canaria / Swedish / forellen / October / fava / yellow Indian woman / cannellini / black valentine / lablab / saluggia / mung / Goa / Tolosana / kidney / tepary / Roman / Lima / trout / rice / pink / mortgage lifter / Great Northern / wren's egg / bayo / calypso / butterscotch / pole / yellow wax / soy /

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1120179440006594832005-07-01T01:43:00.000+01:002005-07-01T01:57:20.013+01:00

FELL DOWN STAIRSSix famous people who died after falling down stairs:1 Edna St Vincent Millay - poet and playwright (1950) 2 Fritz Wunderlich - German tenor singer (1966)3 Sandy Denny - folk singer (1978)4 Laura Ashley - fashion designer (1985)5 Giles Gordon - writer / literary agent (2003)6 Rod Price - former guitarist with blues-rockers Foghat (2005)

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GO AHEAD AND JUMP! Some trampoline moves: roller / fliffus / seat drop / tuck / dolphin / Miller-plus / pirouette / cat twist / full full / Arabian / barani / triffus / turntable / bomb / lazy back / honey pot / swivel-hips / porpoise / cradle / corkscrew / somersault / Bluch / pike / back pullover / Poliarush / half in back / Adolph / twister / bounce roll / periwinkle / Rudolph (rudi) /

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1119912291567779462005-06-27T23:38:00.000+01:002005-06-27T23:44:51.573+01:00

ANOTHER QUIZLots of people did the last VitQ trivia quiz, so here's another quiz (easier this time!) on people who were / are famous for more than one thing.... the site asks you to put your email in so it can give you the scoretable - put a@b.com or something if you are unsure...

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ACQUIRED TASTESSome comments on the tastes of unusual meats:Lion tastes like liver (or rare pork)Sea turtle tastes like chickenRattlesnake tastes like fishCamel tastes like venisonIguana tastes like chickenOstrich tastes like beefAlligator tastes like frogCrocodile tastes like chickenWalrus tastes like liver that has sat out for 2 weeks in the sunFermented beaver feet are disgustingShark is not

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JIGABOOBad etiquette when doing jigsaws with others:1 Referring to beaks and bays as innies and outies (or vice versa).2 Getting snack crumbs in the pieces.3 Insisting that others follow your rigorous sorting strategy.4 Making 'jigsaw noises' such as sucking air through teeth or tutting.5 Hiding the last piece and pretending to find it later.6 Saying repeatedly, 'why did you buy this one?' when

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WARP FACTORYSome spaceship names from Iain M Banks' sci-fi novels: The Little RascalThe So Much For SubtletyThe Limiting FactorThe Prime MoverThe Kiss My AssThe Of Course I Still Love YouThe Just Read The InstructionsThe Gunboat DiplomatThe Unfortunate Conflict Of EvidenceThe Flexible DemeanourThe Yawning AngelThe Sleeper ServiceThe Jaundiced OutlookThe Grey AreaThe Killing TimeThe Serious

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NAME GAMENameVoyager is a fascinating application showing changes in the popularity of first names in the USA over the last century. VitQ sought out some names which have become recently popular and others which have faded with the years: 10 names with recent boosts in popularity:Kylie - 1300 per million babies; rare until early 1980sSerenity - 430 pmb; rare until 1990sCandace - rare before

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SATAN NEEDS FIRELIGHTERSThis week, posters at the Derren Brown forum have been hurling 'Rubbish Insults' at eachother. Here are some of my favourites:1 Syd kills eggboxes by stamping on them 2 Mr Twain thinks horse racing is medicinal 3 Tina sucks at kerby 4 Kelly doesn't really care if cockroaches get cancer 5 Plasma thinks purple makes a moo sound 6 Titanja tries to eat pink butterflies but she

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ANOTHER QUIZLots of people tried the last quiz. Try the new VitQ quiz on things beginning with Q... the quiz website asks for your email to send you the results - but I have had no spam via it after using it many times. Use a@b.com or something if you are worried... here is the quiz

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GIVE A DOG A BAD NAMEN and I were discussing boy's names which would be unlikely to transfer well to dogs. I decided to try a few of these in Google by looking for hits for 'my dog XXXX'. In each case, I tried to find a name that would have less results.1 'my dog Steve' - app. 25 hits2 'my dog Tyler' - 783 'my dog Jeremy' - 124 'my dog Christopher' - 65 'my dog David' - 106 'my dog Nigel' - 167 '

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SELF-HELPSome alternatives to the biblical quotation 'Physician, heal thyself!':Fashionista, chenille thyself!Pharmacist, pastille thyself!Fishmonger, eel thyself!Francophile, ville thyself!Friar, zeal thyself!Financier, deal thyself!Farrier, heel thyself!Fleshmonger, veal thyself!Ferryman, keel thyself!Foundryman, steel thyself!Fusspot, ideal thyself!Footpad, steal thyself!Fabulist, surreal

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THEREIN LIES THE ANSWERAn old nugget of 'strange but true' trivia offers the information that the word 'therein' contains within it ten words:the / there / therein / he / herhere / herein / ere / rein / inVitQ set out to widen the goalposts and find another ten:re is a perfectly good word meaning either a note of the sol-fa scale ('a drop of golden sun', as the song says) or concerning in which

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DOWN AND OUT50 famous people who died in air crashes:1 Graham Hill (UK racing driver 1975)2 Roberto Clemente (US baseball player 1972)3 George, Duke of Kent (UK prince 1942)4 Jim Reeves (US singer 1964)5 Jack Heinz (US senator 1991)6 Amy Johnson (UK aviator 1941)7 Sir Frederick Banting (Canadian scientist 1941)8 Yuri Gagarin (Russian astronaut 1968)9 Ronnie Van Zant (US musician 1977)10 Aaliyah (

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BILONGINGSPidgin English (Tok Pisin) words (used in Papua New Guinea) often use the construction 'bilong' signifying 'belonging to', 'of', or 'from'. Some of these are fascinating and sometimes comical.sole - ananit bilong lek (underneath belonging to leg)government headquarters - asples bilong gavman (place you put your ass belonging to government) glove - soken bilong han (sock belonging to

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HANG OUT WITH ALL THE BOYS!VitQ puts 10 macho American stereotypes through the Village People Test and the My Little Pony Test:Members of the Village People disco act dressed as stock characters from American life and work. In the late 80s, Hasbro extended their My Little Pony toy range by bringing out Big Brother Ponies, burly plastic stallions with individual identities.1 Cowboy – Was there a

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THE BAND WAS TAKENSome long and strange band names:1 The Kids Who Never Learned To Color Inside the Lines 2 Scoring Dope for the Ultimate Woman 3 Anthrapology Will Remain Spelt Like This 4 The Child Who Was A Keyhole 5 Touch Me Again and I'll Break Your Arms 6 People With Chairs Up Their Noses 7 Gee That's A Large Beetle I Wonder If It's Poisonous 8 The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower 9 Mr.

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1117275604825951072005-05-28T11:08:00.000+01:002005-08-03T18:05:54.693+01:00

WELCOME... to Vitamin Q, a blog run by South London-based poet and puzzle writer Roddy Lumsden. Each week I post a few lists and other items related to the foibles of language and other trivia. Comments, suggestions or corrections are always welcome via the email above. The 350 page book version, containing lots of original material, is available via the link at the top left, or at Amazon, here (

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KENNELITESInteresting derivations of dog breed names:1 Affenpinscher – this comical breed has a name which translates as monkey biter! It is a pinscher (German terrier) which has an ape-like appearance.2 Dandie Dinmont – this small terrier is named after a character in Walter Scott's novel Guy Mannering who breeds similar dogs. 3 Schipperke- bred to work on barges, its name means little boatman

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THE ANTS ARE MY FRIEND...Twenty things which listeners have heard in the chorus of REM's 'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight' (the correct lyric is 'Call me when you try to wake her up'):1 Calling Chuck Yeager2 Tony's got away from us3 Colin went to try Jamaica rub4 Calmly celebrate her5 Coming from Jamaica6 Only child, wake her up7 Tell me a jawbreaker8 Come and eat your bacon up9 Call me in

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KICKING HABITSExplanations of the nicknames of some British football teams:Aberdeen (The Dons) – their ground is close to the river DonAlloa (The Wasps) – due to the gold and black stripArsenal (The Gunners) – the cannon on their badge reflects the fact that the team once played near Woolwich arsenalAyr United (Honest Men) – from a line about the townsmen in Robert Burns' poem 'Tam

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NOT BY THE COVERAmazon.com has a new feature which it calls 'statistically improbable phrases'. This uses computer technology to scour famous books and find unusual phrases which occur within and rarely in other books. The resulting phrases often give a flavour of the book as a whole:1 War and Peace ('downy lip' / 'hundred roubles' / 'cried the count')2 The Secret History ('house chairperson' / '

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IN THE JUNGLE...Unusual names of parrots and their relations:Gang Gang Cockatoo / Kaka / Moustached Parakeet / Blue Bonnet / Slender-billed Corella / Galah / Masked Shining Parrot / Perfect Lorikeet / Peach-fronted Lovebird / Demerara Conure / Kea / Double-eyed Fig Parrot / Mealy Amazon / Red-sided Eclectus / Vernal Hanging Parrot / Painted Parrot / Turquoise-rumped Parrotlet / Guaiabero /

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ALE MEET AGAINA VitQ special! My friend Gareth and I took non-beer drinker Andy on a 'real ale tasting', taking notes as we went. It should be noted that beers are chageable, and it can be the bar's fault not the brewer - so these were our judgements on what we gulped on the night. Sorry this is a bit long, but we enjoyed it, believe me.1 Tiger (Everard's, Leicester) 4.2%Appearance: Gareth – same

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COME BYThe working purposes of some dog breeds:large game coursing (Greyhound)reindeer herding (Samoyed / Lapphund)deer hunting (Deerhound)hare coursing (Lurcher)elk hunting (Elkhound)rabbit hunting (Basset Hound / Beagle)boar herding (Beauceron)sled pulling (Malamute / Husky)fox hunting (Harrier / Foxhound)droving (Corgi)duck hunting (American Water Spaniel)guarding (Dobermann / Mastiff)

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1114883516903290572005-04-30T18:48:00.000+01:002005-04-30T19:04:30.526+01:00

ALL OVER AGAINSix letter words which repeat themselves:1 motmot (tropical bird)2 cancan (French dance)3 dumdum (soft-nosed bullet)4 bye-bye (form of goodbye)5 zoozoo (a dove or pigeon, sometimes zouzou)6 haw-haw (a ha-ha, a fenced ditch)7 chichi (self-consciously stylish)8 akeake (type of tree)9 valval (relating to a valve)10 grigri (African amulet)11 tzatza (Black Sea fish)12 humhum (cotton

RcLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13083078010848833075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3740497.post-1114701918452681932005-04-28T16:24:00.000+01:002005-04-28T16:25:18.453+01:00

JADEDFirst names which are also verbs:dawn / jack / ray / hope / pat / sally / chuck / bob / sue / rod / grace / bill / roger / may / ward / nick / kit / frank / dot / ken / candy / peg / hector / don / pearl / rob / eddy / bud / grant / mark / jade / lance / peter / pip / ted / harry / carol / stewThanks to James G for the idea

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DASSIES OF THE SAME HILLSome more animal proverbs, this time translated from Ndebele (a language of Southern Africa):1 Baboons laugh at one another's foreheads.2 The leopard licks all its spots, black and white.3 The mamba is out grazing, so the weasel is happy.4 You cannot go chasing after two gazelles.5 He is a piece of firewood with a scorpion.6 A rat is not to be put with pumpkin seeds.7 The

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TERRIBLE WORKIn Tibetan Buddhism, the 'Eight Terrible Ones' are wrathful deities (the dharmapala) who battle evil. They are...1 Lha-Mo (Goddess) who rides a mule sideways, with snakes for reins, murdered her own son as penance for not converting enough people to Buddhism.2 Tshangs-pa Dkar-po (White Brahma) rides a white horse and has a conch shell in his turban.3 Beg-tse (Hidden Sheet of Mail) is

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TIC TAC TOTESlang terms for certain horse-racing odds (these are a mix of criminal, rhyming and back-slang and references to the body parts 'tic tac' men touch to announce the latest odds).Evens - straight up6/5 - sais a ching5/4 - tips11/8 - up the arm6/4 - wrist7/4 - ear'ole15/8 - double taps2/1 - shoulder or bottle9/4 - head5/2 - face3/1 - carpet or gimmel100/30 - Burlington Bertie4/1 - rouf9/

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THE OLD MAN AND THE SONGSA dozen songs which mention Ernest Hemingway:1 Billy Joel – We Didn't Start the Fire ('Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land')2 A House – Endless Art ('Ernest Hemingway 1899-1961')3 Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel – All the Men Are Hungry ('I realised Papa wanted me to live in his bullring life')4 The Bellamy Brothers – Hemingway Hideaway ('Hemingway hideaway, a

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TESTING TESTINGHere is a Vitamin Q quiz for youIt's hard - some of the answers are on the site - good luck.

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