Don't Play This Quiz!

Answer: It is unlikely a discussed event will occur

'Don't hold your breath', or similar variants thereof, is a somewhat sarcastic phrase indicating that something is unlikely to happen, so don't be too hopeful about it. The origins of the phrase may derive from someone actually holding their breath and dying before the discussed event occurred, but as is typical with such sayings, finding the true origin is difficult.

There may be a link to the saying 'waiting with bated breath' - in that saying, someone is holding their breath in anticipation of something occurring, and therefore, 'don't hold your breath' has a plausible link made (but could be coincidence).

Answer: Don't look her in the eye, she'll petrify you!

Gorgons are female creatures in Greek Mythology who can really leave someone cold with their glare, petrifying them - changing them to stone. So, if you happened to be on a date with them - avoid eye contact. They are said to have several serpentine features, particularly their skin.

Their hair is said to be made of venomous snakes, although it is uncertain whether all three sisters had snake-hair - one story by Ovid, a Roman, suggests that Medusa once had beautiful hair, but it was changed into snakes because she bedded Poseidon, God of the sea and jealousy caused a goddess to transform it.

In Homer's Iliad, one gorgon was referenced as its head was mounted on the god Zeus's shield, the Aegis. In later work written by Hesiod (~700 BC) there are references to three gorgon sisters - of these, Stheno and Euryale were immortal, and Medusa was not. She is said to have been slain by Perseus, who killed her armed with a scythe and a mirror/shield. Perceiving her reflection enabled him to avoid being petrified, and thus he was able to kill her. It has been suggested Medusa's head was mounted on Zeus's Aegis as Homer had previously written.

Answer: Don't Speak

Garrulous and loquacious are both words meaning 'talkative'. 'Don't Speak' was released in 1996 by No Doubt. The song appears to be a somewhat angsty love song, perhaps attributed to Gwen Stefani's real relationship with Tony Kanal, a bassist in the band.

The song suggests that in the aftermath of this relationship, she thought their partnership was real, but doesn't want to hear his reasons for breaking up with her because it hurts. Gwen Stefani heads the band, and she has enjoyed a solo singing career as well.

The song achieved some success, hitting the #1 in the UK charts and remained there for around a month.

Answer: Don't Scare The Hare

This show is brilliant. Aired in 2011, it lasted a meager six episodes before disappearing from the face of the earth. Probably to be never mentioned by the BBC again. To elaborate a little - there are two teams of three adults, in a vaguely Alice in Wonderland forest themed place. Jason Bradbury, the presenter, sports a rather eccentric look which errs more on the side of creepy than endearing, and Sue Perkins narrates whilst the players play odd tasks whilst vying for 'precious' (and plastic) carrots.

After all, the team with most carrots gets to try capturing the hare. And, apparently, answering trivia questions correctly lures it closer to the bunch of carrots. Whilst they're deliberating, the hare just sits there, rather than using its animatronic brain and grabbing the plastic carrots (well, if its arms could move properly...) and doing a runner. All I can wonder is how the idea for the show was originally formulated.

Answer: Don't Stop Believing

This (perhaps overdone) song was released by Journey, a rock band, in 1981, which is still a popular download on the iTunes website. A look at the lyrics suggests that with its uptempo beat and title keeping your hopes up through hard times is really all it's about. Don't stop believing, folks!

Fun fact: It was also the name of a UK talent show aired on Channel 5 in 2010 based on 'Glee', an American musical-style TV show which migrated here - the song has also featured on 'Glee', as well. According to the ever bounteous wikipedia, they used MySpace as its 'online hub'. That and being on Channel 5 (a minor UK TV channel, for those not in the know) to begin with don't sound like terribly good endorsements, but it won't be returning due to bad ratings.

Answer: Elephant

Elephants are classed as herbivores. They eat plants, shoots, fruit and bark, but digest less than half of what they eat. And, since they spend around 16 hours of the day eating, they don't have time for much else!

Lions are carnivores through and through, hunting down and mainly eating meat. They are the second largest cat, coming second to the tiger. In hunting creatures such as wildebeest and buffalo, they tend to work together and stalk their prey as close as they can before running, leaping and asphyxiating it.

Penguins dive to eat fish and squid. Whilst they are stereotypically believed to live in only cold regions of the Antarctic, they can and do live elsewhere - for example, the African Penguin lives on the south-west coast of Africa.
Chickens are omnivores and will eat both meat and plants. Their meat would mainly be in the form of insects or worms, but they eat plants more frequently due to their availability.

Answer: Polar Bears

Polar bears live in the Arctic, but not the Antarctic, which is a bit peculiar, but one theory suggests that whilst Antarctic conditions would suit them well, they simply haven't been able to get there.

There are volcanoes, even active volcanoes, beneath the Antarctic, but not the Arctic as the Arctic is a solid ice mass. The winds in the Antarctic can be very strong and very cold - the wind-chill effect makes them quite deadly to unprepared humans. The record is 199 mph, recorded at Dumont d'Urville station in 1972. The strong winds are known as katabatics (Greek for 'descent'). These winds are caused by cold air flowing down steep slopes, and because cold air is denser, more momentum is gathered as the winds tumble down. Imagine being hit by a wind of that velocity!

A desert region classes as having under 10mm precipitation per year. Commonly we would associate desert with sands, cactuses, and camels, but a desert really just refers to somewhere with little to no rainfall. Whilst the Antarctic does experience snowstorms, much of this is existing snow just being relocated.

Answer: John Cabot

John Cabot is an explorer, and as such, has no invention credited to his name. He was born in 1450 in either Genoa or Gaeta, Italy. John Cabot (Zuan or Giovanni Caboto) is an Anglicised name, since he eventually moved to England seeking backing to lead a voyage. In Bristol, the second biggest seaport at the time, he prepared for his first voyage. His first successful voyage in 1497 hit North America, and was one of the first Europeans to set land there since the Vikings (Leif Ericsson, particularly). Where exactly he landed is a point of contention, but it is believed he named the land 'New-found-land' and thus near Labrador, Newfoundland has been suggested as a probable landing point. As for his next expedition? It is shrouded in mystery. No one quite knows exactly what happened. A voyage of 4/5 ships set out, and only one was ever heard from. It has been suggested he reached North America but was never able to return.

Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the light bulb in 1879, although records suggest he actually improved an existing model such that it could be economic, safe, and practical for home use. However, that's not all - he holds 1093 US patents alone, for aspects of the telegraph, electric light bulb, the phonograph, and other systems of electrical engineering, to name a few. Whilst not all of these are pure inventions, and mainly improvements, and some are said to be works of colleagues attributed to his name, he has an impressive collection of works associated with him.

Alexander Graham Bell is credited with the invention of the telephone, which transmits voice into varying electrical frequencies and is then converted back into sound after reaching its receiver. A patent was granted to him on 7 March 1876, and he soon became rich from this. His inspirations for pursuing speech transmission perhaps lay with helping the speech impaired and deaf people in his life. His mother, wife, and some of the children he worked with were deaf, after all, and he had studied in his father's method for removing impediments in speech.

Percy Spencer is credited with the invention of the microwave oven in 1946, although the discovery was accidental. Working with magnetrons (which emit microwaves) as part of his job working with radar technology, he found a candy bar in his pocket had melted. Placing popcorn near the magnetrons caused it to splutter and 'pop', showing the potential of the microwave to cook food rapidly. Fashioning a metal box which would allow the input of microwave energy without it escaping, the temperature of food rose rapidly and the microwave oven was created. With some adjustments over the years, it has remained a popular choice for cooking food due to its staggering speed in being able to heat substances up.

Answer: A cool, refreshing glass of whisky

Alcohol is definitely not a good drink if you're dehydrated, as it, in fact, dehydrates the body further. With a fast acting effect, alcohol consumption increases the body's desire to urinate (as it is a diuretic), and it also dehydrates tissues it comes in contact with. It's recommended to drink at least as much water as you do alcohol (the more, the better!) to lower the dehydration effect, and the following hangover. Of course, stating the obvious, but in the middle of a desert, this extra dehydration would not help at all. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Answer: Reverse psychology

Reverse psychology is a way of trying to get someone to do something by doing the opposite of what you'd expect. However, it doesn't always work. When I say 'Don't play this quiz' in the title, some people are actually going to heed that and move quickly on.

When a power struggle supercedes rational thought, reverse psychology can work, and so, it is generally more effective when someone is in a more emotional state. For instance, telling someone NOT to eat the salad at the table might, in a child, entice them to eat it.

However, using reverse psychology on children is highly unrecommended, as it can give mixed signals.