Little Black Project: Charcoal Conundrums Quiz

Answer: blackboard

Blackboards were traditionally made of dark-coloured slate and written on using a stick of white chalk. While they were once the main way for teachers to display lessons to their classes, modern technology such as electronic white boards and TV screens connected to computer devices have taken over in many places.

While nostalgia might lead some people to miss the presence of a classroom blackboard, not many people are likely to miss the sound caused by someone raking their nails down one...

(Question provided by Fifiona81)

Answer: blackout

The London Blackout began on September 1, 1939, just before the start of the war. Londoners were asked to dim their lights and cover their windows. Low level light was allowed from September 1944, and lighting returned to normal in April 1945.

Where was it hiding? LamB LACK OUTside.

(Question provided by pitegny)

Answer: blacksmith

Explanation: Remove the middle letter (make it heartless) of the word H(-I)M + BACKLIST and anagram to get the answer = BLACKSMITH (who does honest work at the forge)

Blacksmiths were once necessary tradesmen in every settlement or town, as they would make metal tools, horseshoes and weapons by heating the metal to extremely high temperatures until it was soft enough to be shaped by beating. The workplace, including the hearth, is called a forge.

(Question provided by windrush)

Answer: blackmail

According to British law, blackmail is a criminal offence consisting of making a demand, accompanying the demand by some sort of menace, and all this in view of attaining personal gain or inflicting losses to third parties. A typical form of blackmail is asking for a transfer of money with the threat of divulging something the victim wants to keep secret.

British law adds that the perpetrator is excused if (s)he sincerely believes the demand and the menace to be justified. For instance, if a loan officer threatens to expose that someone has defaulted, this is not blackmail if the loan officer believes such an action is lawful - even if in fact the legal conditions are not (yet) met.

Before the advent of e-mail, most mail came in an envelope. Many e-mail programs indicate messages with a picture of an envelope - open when read, closed when unread.

(Question provided by JanIQ)

Answer: blackbeard

Blackbeard was the name used by Edward Teach, an English pirate. He sported a thick black beard which led to his nickname. Scouring the high seas with his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, he was one of the prominent figures during the Golden Age of Piracy.

(Question provided by zorba_scank)

Answer: blackjack

Rummy is a card game where one popular variation is 500. The first player to reach 500 points wins. In the game of Blackjack, the winner is the player who gets closest to 21 points without going over.

(Question provided by Joepetz)

Answer: black stump

"Beyond the Black Stump" describes a place being very far away from civilisation in the furthest outback of Australia. Settlers cleared their land of trees and burnt certain stumps as property markers. Directions were then given in terms of these black stumps, when you passed the last black stump you were well "out bush" and away from most of the population. Many towns in Australia claim to be the home of the original "Black Stump", but none can prove it.

(Question provided by em1958)

Answer: blacklist

Stickball is a street game related to baseball, where players use a broom handle and bouncing ball instead of the traditional equipment used in a formal baseball game. The game was popular prior to the 1980s, when formal and organised sports became more accessible and affordable for parents.

Someone who plays the game violently may be put on a "blacklist" - a list of people who are considered unacceptable or untrustworthy. A violent person playing a game of stickball may be considered to have behaviour inappropriate to continue playing, therefore ending up on a blacklist.

The key to this clue is the word "violently". It indicates that one of the words is an anagram. In this case it's the word "stickball", which can be anagrammed to create the word "blacklist".

(Question provided by Lones78)

Answer: Black sheep

While a black sheep can just literally be an ovine with a black-coloured fleece, it is also a term used to refer to a disreputable, embarrassing or troublesome member of a family group. The latter usage derived from the first and the negative connotation came from the fact that the fleece of a black sheep had a lower value than that of other sheep due to being more difficult to process and dye.

(Question provided by Fifiona81)

Answer: blackcap

The blackcap - Sylvia atricapilla - is a member of the warbler family and is commonly found across Europe and western Asia. It is a small, pale brown bird, but the plumage of the adult male includes a distinctive patch of black head feathers that gives the species their name. Like other warblers they have a distinctive song, but they are also known for imitating the songs of other similar species.

Reversing the order of the words in the anagram and moving the letter 'L', turns CLAP BACK into BLACKCAP.

(Question provided by Fifiona81)