Fun Facts About Fleas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Flea was a founder member of the band, with vocalist Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak and drummer Jack Irons. The four of them met while at high school in Los Angeles and formed the band in the 1980s. Following Slovak's death in 1988 and the departure of Irons, the band went on to great success with their multi million selling albums including 'Californication' (1999) and 'By the Way' (2002). Flea was born in Australia in 1962, and moved to the USA at the age of five when his father's work took him there.

As well as his musical career, he has done some acting, mainly in minor roles. The films he has appeared in include 'My Own Private Idaho' (1991) and 'The Big Lebowski' (1998).

Answer: Pulex irritans

Although Pulex irritans is known for infesting humans, it can also be found on many other creatures including monkeys, chickens, rodents and pigs. The piercing of the skin causes irritation, due to the saliva left, and can lead to more serious illness.

The most serious of this was Bubonic plague, which led to massive loss of life in the Middle Ages. This was spread by Xenopsylla cheopis, the Oriental (or tropical) rat flea. The other two options are dog fleas, indicated by the word 'canis', and cat fleas, shown by 'felix'.

Answer: P.G. Wodehouse

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Wodehouse was living in Le Touquet, France. Following the German invasion, he was interned as an 'enemy alien', but released once he reached the age of sixty. He then made several broadcasts, aimed at America, which led to accusations of collaboration. Among his critics were A.A. Milne and O'Casey who wrote to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in 1941 saying 'If England has any dignity left in the way of literature, she will forget for ever the pitiful antics of English literature's performing flea'. George Orwell and Evelyn Waugh were among Wodehouse's defenders and British Intelligence decided that he was 'naive and foolish' rather than a traitor. Wodehouse went on to publish a book of letters he had written under the title of 'Performing Flea', although it was renamed 'Author! Author!' in the USA.

Answer: Mussorgsky

The song is also known as 'Mephistopheles' Song in Auerbach's Cellar' and was based on Goethe's 'Faust'. It has become a staple part of the bass repertoire. Among Mussorgsky's best known works are his opera 'Boris Godunov' and 'A Night on the Bare Mountain', which was one of the pieces of music used in Walt Disney's 'Fantasia'. Mussorgsky also wrote the piano suite 'Pictures at an Exhibition', which provided the hint in the question.

He died in 1881 from alcohol related problems at the age of only forty-two.

Answer: A Bug's Life

'A Bug's Life' was released in 1998 and told the story of a group of ants being menaced by a gang of grasshoppers. One of the ants recruits a band of circus performers to help fight, with the leader of the circus being P.T. Flea (a parody of P.T. Barnum). Among other actors lending their voices were Kevin Spacey and Bonnie Hunt.

The film was a Pixar production and they also made 'Monsters, Inc.' (2001) and 'Ratatouille' (2007). 'Antz' was made by Dreamworks in 1998.

Answer: Reprimanded them

The first usage of the expression was in the 14th century, when it was used by the French to describe provoking desire. The Dutch used it to describe being restless, and the original English meaning was to arouse suspicion. The Americans came up with the meaning of a scolding or reprimand, and this is the accepted meaning of the phrase in the UK as well.

This information has been taken from www.wisegeek.com.

Answer: John Donne

The poem includes the lines 'me it sucked first, and now sucks thee; and in this flea our two bloods mingled be' and is used as an allegory for sex. The writer is trying to persuade his lady friend to surrender to him, but she crushes both the flea and his hopes. Donne's early poetry is often erotic, which was common at the time. Marvell's poem 'To His Coy Mistress' is on a similar theme. Donne is probably best remembered for writing 'No Man is an Island' which ends 'never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee', so I hope the hint helped.

Answer: Spanish

The song was written by Julius Wechter in the 1960s and the lyrics describe how a flea from Madrid becomes a hit recording artiste. Perhaps it's better as an instrumental! Alpert was a trumpet player and had several hits, usually with instrumentals although he did sing 'This Guy's In Love With You' in 1968. 'Spanish Flea' reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart.

Answer: Flea market

Although Wikipedia suggests that the name comes from New York's Fly Market, which was around in the 1800s, most sources cite the origin as being French. A second hand market in Paris was called 'La Marché aux Puces', which translates literally to flea market and supposedly described the risk of buying second hand clothes from this source.

The Oxford English Dictionary states that the earliest reference to the expression it has found is from 1922 which makes the New York connection less likely.

Answer: Grease

The quote goes on to say 'I mean, they're too low for even the dogs to bite. The only man a girl can depend on is a daddy'. Frenchy was played in the film by Didi Conn, who was a member of the girls' group known as the 'Pink Ladies'. The film starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and was one of the most successful of 1978. Songs from it included 'Summer Nights' and 'You're the One that I Want', which were released as singles.

The other options were musical films from the 1970s.