Perhaps the most famous stray mongrel, Laika was the name of the dog who orbited the Earth in 1957. She went up in Sputnik 2, completing three orbits before dying from overheating. This story came out in 2002, displacing one official version that she was euthanised on day six just before her oxygen ran out.
She had various names with English meanings like 'little curly', 'little bug' and 'little lemon'. Laika ('barker') is the Russian name for several breeds of dog. Sputnik 2 completed 2,570 orbits before disintegrating during re-entry.
2. China shop
Answer: Bull
This clue is a reference to the idiom 'a bull in a china shop'. It is used to describe someone who is clumsy or disruptive in a situation of some delicacy. The phrase has been around since at least the early 19th century. Other countries have similar expressions but different animals involved such as an elephant (e.g. in France, Spain and Italy) or a different location such as a glass factory.
3. Wild Wing
Answer: Duck
Wild Wing is the name of the mascot of the American National Hockey League (NHL) team the Anaheim Ducks. The clue could be considered a reference to the mascot itself, which is an anthropomorphic duck, or the team. There was also the animated TV series "Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series" with the character Wildwing Flashblade based on the mascot. Wild Wing has been the mascot since 1993.
4. Sonic
Answer: Hedgehog
"Sonic the Hedgehog" was launched in 1991 by Sony to challenge Nintendo's "Mario" video games. The video game was the start of a series and a media franchise. Over the years the anthropomorphic blue hedgehog has crossed over into other video series and featured in various TV series and films. There have been around 25 "Sonic" video games and, in addition, Sonic has got together with Mario in several more video games.
5. Jonah
Answer: Whale
This is a reference to the Biblical story contained in the Book of Jonah in which the prophet Jonah spends some time inside a whale before resuming his divine mission. Whether it was actually a whale that did the swallowing (some versions refer to a 'great fish') has been debated by religious scholars over the years. It is seen as a story of repentance.
6. Horus
Answer: Falcon
The ancient Egyptian deity Horus had many forms however he was most commonly depicted as a falcon. He had many areas of influence, in particular as god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun and the sky. Horus has various origin tales with one being that his mother was the goddess Isis and she reassembled her murdered husband Osiris to conceive her son Horus.
7. Parliament
Answer: Owl
A group of owls is called a 'parliament'. Owls are associated with intelligence and, by inference, a parliament has the same association. In "The Silver Chair" (1953), fourth book in the fantasy novel series "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis, Glimfeather the Owl summons Jill and Eustace to a Parliament of Owls. Being nocturnal birds, the Parliament is convened at night. A more recent use of the term is the allegory "A Parliament of Owls: A Play" (2022) by Adipo Sidang, which takes a look at African politics.
8. "Red Dwarf"
Answer: Cat
The Cat is one of the characters in the British science fiction comedy TV series "Red Dwarf", which has aired at various times since 1988. The Cat is a humanoid creature with cat-like teeth and attitude who has evolved via the pregnant pet cat (called Frankenstein) belonging to Dave Lister, a third-class technician of the mining ship Red dwarf. Lister is put into stasis and kept there for three million years by the ship's computer (Holly) and meets the Cat after waking up.
9. Hannibal
Answer: Lamb
The Hannibal in this clue is the serial killer character Hannibal Lecter created by writer Thomas Harris. The second book in which the character appeared was "Silence of the Lambs" (1986), which was made into a film in 1991 with Anthony Hopkins as Lecter and for which he won an Oscar. Anthony Hopkins as Lecter also appeared in "Hannibal" (2001) and "Red Dragon" (2002).
10. Culture Club
Answer: Chameleon
Formed in London in 1981, new wave band Culture Club was part of the New Romantic music scene in the 1980s. One of five singles released from their 1983 album "Colour by Numbers" was "Karma Chameleon". It reached the top of the charts in over 15 countries, including three weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1984.
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