Journal Entries
2018 Guess the Effigy contest!
Posted Nov 2, 2018
It's the 2018 Guess the Effigy contest!
The November 5th Bonfire Night celebrations in Lewes, Sussex are notorious for, among other things, the giant effigies of public figures they parade through the town, before burning them on the surrounding hills. Each is a merciless caricature - recent years have seen Vlad Putin posing with a shot-down airliner, David Cameron with a pig's head, and Trump strapped to a missile with Kim Jung-Un.
The effigies themselves are a closely-guarded secret until the event. I'm inviting you to guess who the five bonfire societies will choose as their subjects for this year, and - importantly - how they will be caricatured. Reply with your guesses, and we'll see on Monday who's right.
To give you some ideas, here's a link to photos from past events:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-29915270
Please post your predictions below!
(I'm also running this on Facebook, if that's easier for you)
Discuss this Journal entry [21]
Latest reply: Nov 2, 2018
Friday Song Quiz 9
Posted Jul 13, 2018
I'm a bit pressed for time this week, so here's another song quiz that I prepared earlier.
Below you'll find a list of words taken from five song titles. One word from each title is missing. The missing words are all different, and do not appear elsewhere in the list. You need to find the five words, then rearrange them into another song title.
All songs were top-10 single hits in the UK.
Finally, these usually get solved quickly, and this one's not difficult, so don't scroll down if you want to test yourself.
Good luck!
Icy
***
another
at
glass
got
hero
I
love
mind
need
now
of
on
set
sound
the
we
you
young
***
Discuss this Journal entry [23]
Latest reply: Jul 13, 2018
Friday Song Quiz 8
Posted Jun 29, 2018
We haven't had one of these for a little while.
Below you'll find a list of words taken from 6 song titles. One word from each title is missing. The missing words do not appear elsewhere in the list. You need to find the six words, then rearrange them into another song title.
All songs were top-5 single hits in the UK.
Finally, these usually get solved quickly, so don't scroll down if you want to test yourself.
Good luck!
***
another
beat
dance
day
find
fool
I
in
lets
life
like
night
of
one
perfect
somebody
that
the
together
wanna
won't
you
***
Discuss this Journal entry [27]
Latest reply: Jun 29, 2018
Friday Quiz - Emergency Room Lingo
Posted Jun 22, 2018
Doctors like to use Latin names when they refer to parts of the body. The main reason for this is so they can discuss various treatments between themselves while you're lying there, but without frightening you.
So if you hear medics saying, "I suggest we realign the patient's clavicles, then perform a plastic procedure on the left pinna", you'll know (eventually) that they're planning operations on your collar bones and ear. But can you identify these ten parts of the body they might refer to, all of which have very common names?
1. Axilla
2. Bucca
3. Costa
4. Coxa
5. Crus
6. Cubitum
7. Frons
8. Hallux
9. Mentum
10. Naris
Guess all ten, then I'll score them up later. You'll score some points if you get within 12 inches of the correct answer, so don't leave any blanks.
Incidentally, this works well as a party game - write the Latin names on stickers, and have players apply them to a partner's body.
As ever, if you'd rather Google these, please don't post your search results here. Icy
Discuss this Journal entry [30]
Latest reply: Jun 22, 2018
Friday Quiz - Only A Weedy Sport
Posted Jun 8, 2018
Some more anagrams for you this week. Each clue is a mixture of two items: an Olympic city, and one of the sports that featured in the Olympic Games when it was held in that city.
So, for example, if the clue was
1. A Lovely Yolk Blot
Then the answer could be:
Tokyo - Volleyball
* * *
1. A Clingy Stench
2. Arctic Ski Rep
3. Dragon Flown Out
4. Hobo Boils Legs
5. Old Jungle Oases
6. Sluice Hog
7. Suitcases Roll So
8. Swing Like Rhino
9. Uncage Loonies
10. Win Creepy Hotcake
* * *
Some hints:
* Most are Summer Olympic cities. There are a couple of Winter Olympic venues listed, but I've tried to avoid obscure ones.
* I've chosen sports, not individual events. So, for example, you may find "Athletics", but not "Pole Vault".
* And if you need to look these up online, then feel free, but please don't post your search results here 
Discuss this Journal entry [18]
Latest reply: Jun 8, 2018
Icy North
Researcher U225620
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