Fr Paul’s Christmas Quiz – The 12 Days of Christmas
The First Day of Christmas
Who hosted ‘Knowing me, Knowing You’ on Radio Norwich? [Alan Partridge]
Where did David Cassidy become Keith? [The Partridge Family – American TV Show]
What colour is Perdix perdix? [Grey]
How did Bernard pack a Punch? [Cartoonist on ‘Punch’ Magazine]
Who was the last survivor of Bloomsbury? [Frances Partridge]
Who thought there was time for something else as well as penance? [St Theresa]
What’s the best place for looking up slang? [Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang]
Which variety did Linnaeus name after his friend John Mitchell? [Mitchella repens]
The Second Day of Christmas
Which Bachelor Boy thought they’d be his wife and child? [Cliff Richard]
Where scripturally are they with storks, swallows and cranes? [Song of Songs]
Song of Songs bred Kol HaTor – which title means what? [Voice of the Turtle Dove]
Who died in 1958, having set it to music? [Vaughan Williams]
For which soup could I use calf’s head instead? [Mock Turtle]
No 4’s predecessor illustrated it in which children’s book? [Alice in Wonderland]
What’s Plate 286 of Audubon? [Carolina Turtle Dove]
Who brought a pair of them to the Temple? [Mary and Joseph]
The Third Day of Christmas
What are the three Theological Virtues? [Faith, Hope and Love]
What nationality does the Horn become when it enters the orchestra? [French]
What sort of windows become doors? [French Windows]
What’s the heart of Coq au Vin? [Chicken and Wine]
Who was First Earl of Ypres? [John French]
Talking of which, where would you find Seven-Star Marshals? [French Army]
Shouldn’t we call these events ‘hind nights’ or ‘doe nights’? [Hen Nights]
“Qui naît poule aime à ….? What does such a person love to do? [Cackle]
The Fourth Day of Christmas
Three Theological Virtues – so four of what? [Gospels]
In what country would you trail through the Farny Highlands? [USA]
In which Aristophanes play do we get four, then twenty-four? [The Birds]
Some think Archeopteryx had four what, rather than two? [Wings]
Emu, ostrich, auk and penguin are four what? [Flightless birds]
If it should really be ‘colly’ or ‘collie’, then what are they? [Blackbirds]
In what present-day English word does ‘colly’ or ‘collie’ survive? [Colliery]
It’s the fourth day now; so how many Aves in total so far? [Ten]
The Fifth Day of Christmas
Who invented the Olympic Rings? [Pierre de Coubertin]
And what colours should they be? [Red, black, blue, yellow, green]
This five is the Pentateuch – but what’s that? [First five books of Old Testament]
What comes between Pt 78 and Hg 80? [Au 79 – Gold]
What reached a 20-year high in October of this year? [Price of Gold]
Which saint had this type of mouth with a silver tongue? [St John Chrysostom]
What carat would have millesimal fineness of 999? [24 carat]
Who robs the Rhine Maidens of this precious gift? [Alberich]
The Sixth Day of Christmas
What’s the Christian Six here? [Six days of Creation]
In American slang, how much does one of these score? [Goose egg = zero]
What fruit means you’re an unwelcome third in the presence of a couple? [Gooseberry]
If it’s cold, what do you get on your arms and legs? [Goose bumps or pimples]
What do tailors and dressmakers use them for? [Ironing]
How do Russian soldiers (and others) march? [Goose-step]
What’s the saying linking this section to Question 37? [Goose laying the golden egg]
Rank them in size with chicken and duck eggs. [Goose biggest, then duck, then chicken]
The Seventh Day of Christmas
What do the Dyers & Vintners’ Companies do on the Thames in July? [Swan upping]
Traditionally, how are the Royal ones marked? [Beaks nicked – traditionally the Royal Swans were the only ones which were NOT marked]]
What do we call a writer or musician’s last work? [Swan song]
What had its first performance on February 20th 1877? [Swan Lake]
What was unusual about Matthew Bourne’s version? [All male dancers]
How did Helen of Troy’s father seduce her mother? [In the form of a swan]
Who wrote music about Tuonela, the underworld realm of the dead? [Sibelius]
What’s unusual about the one on Western Australia’s flag? [Black swan]
The Eighth Day of
Christmas
Christian Seven was too easy to ask – but what’s the Christian Eight here? [Beatitudes]
Glenda Jackson starred in the film version in 1974 of what play? [The Maids]
In IT, what’s the last word in Massive Array of Idle ----- ? [Disks]
No 59 is an example of not an Acronym but a -------? [Backronym – an acronym which is formulated after the word, not before]
In the Hierarchy of a large house in olden days, who was bottom of the pile? [Kitchen or Scullery maid]
Who’s the Patron Saint of Dairy Workers? [St Brigid]
Who said ‘That milkmaid’s lot is better than mine and her life merrier’? [Queen Elizabeth I]
Where would you find
Vermeer’s famous painting of this subject? [Rijksmuseum,
Amsterdam]
The Ninth Day of Christmas
So, what’s the Christian Nine here? [Fruits of the Holy Spirit]
In which English county is this particular Stone Circle? [Derbyshire]
It’s an SSSI – but what’s that? [Site of Special Scientific Interest]
On 17/6/2005, the Court of Appeal ruled that the site should remain ------ ? [Dormant – undisturbed]
In which English County are the Hurlers and the Merry Maidens? [Cornwall]
Whom did Rev George Bacon congratulate on April 1st 1875? [First Lady doctors]
Where would you find Lychnis Coronaria, and what is it? [Garden - Rose Campion]
And why have these girls been welcomed in the Hebridean island of Gigha? [Nickname for the wind turbines there]
The Tenth Day of Christmas
In the House of Lords, who are the Lords Spiritual? [Church of England Bishops]
How many Lords Spiritual are there? [26]
In rank, who comes between a Duke and an Earl? [Marquess]
What title does the wife of an Earl have? [Countess]
Where did Thomas leave his mark in NW8? [Lords Cricket Ground]
Can you give another example of the Tetragrammaton? [YHWH, Deus, Dieu, Gott – any four-lettered name of God]
What 10 in Christianity is linked to this verse? [Ten Commandments]
Why is the Earl of
Burford remembered here? [Thrown out of the House of Lords after
he leapt over the Woolsack]
The Eleventh Day of Christmas
And what’s the Christian Eleven here? [Eleven faithful Apostles - excluding Judas Iscariot]
Who replaced the original missing Twelfth Man? [Matthias]
Who’s woken up every day by a piper when staying in Scotland? [The Queen]
Who piped the rats to their death in the River? [Pied Piper of Hamlin]
What’s odd about the B note is the organ at Wesel Church? [Octagonal construction]
How many pipes in St Werburgh’s organ? [1,800]
The films Ben Hur, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, had what in common? [All won 11 Oscars]
How could eleven be the salt of the earth? [Atomic Number of Sodium]
Where is it the number of Justice? [In a deck of Tarot Cards]
What happened on the eleventh of the eleventh of the eleventh? [Armistice signed at end of Word War I]
The Twelfth Day of
Christmas
In view of No 75, what’s the Christian Twelve? (Be careful!) [12 Tenets or Clauses of the Creed]
Where can you see this in Chester Cathedral? [Bishop Pearson’s Tomb]
What type do we use in the Sunday Mass? [Nicene]
So, what’s the cumulative total of gifts received? [78]
And what Shakespeare play is sub-titled ‘Or What You Will’? [Twelfth Night]
Where was it first performed? [Middle Temple Hall]
97 is a P----- Prime? [Proth]
And what should we all take down today? [Christmas Decorations]
According to the Koran, God has 99 what? [Names]
Fermé! Why is Fermium a good substance to end on? [Atomic Number 100]