Hang On a Minute... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Receiver

When a person or company can't pay their debts, a receiver is sometimes appointed to make arrangements for the liquidation of assets to enable payment. A creditor is the person (or company) to whom such debts are owed, whilst a teller is an employee of a bank. A receptacle is something into which other things can be put, like a box or a bag.

Answer: Cord

The most common size given for a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet (3.625 cubic metres), with the provision that the wood be properly stacked in an approved manner. Measurement Canada provides a legal definition in that country, while in the US this is left to individual states.

Answer: Dial

All of the answer choices are brands of soap, but only "dial" also describes a clock's face. Perhaps the most familiar usage of the term when referring to a timepiece is when discussing the simple sundial. Any instrument with a round face and calibrations can also be referred to as having a dial.

Answer: Cradle

The lullaby/nursery rhyme first appeared in print as early as 1765, and sends a rather odd message for a ditty meant to lull a small child to sleep. Why, one wonders, is the cradle in the treetop in the first place, to be rocked by the wind and ultimately to fall, along with Baby, when the bough breaks? Several theories as to the origin of the words exist.

Answer: Camera

All three were photographers of note, whose cameras were the instruments of their art. Adams (1902-1984) was born in San Francisco, and is renowned for his landscape photography. Karsh (1908-2002) was known as Karsh of Ottawa, and is remembered for his portraits of most of the important people of the twentieth century. Kalischer (1921-2018) was a photojournalist, born in Germany.

After spending time in work camps as a prisoner of the Nazis, he was able to escape to the US in 1942, where his postwar photos of displaced people arriving from Europe made a name for him. I was privileged to meet Clemens Kalischer, quite by chance, in his Massachusetts studio a few years before his death.

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell

Bell, perhaps better known for his work in the field of communication, was born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland and died in 1922 in Nova Scotia, Canada. Canada and the US both claim him as their own, as could Scotland as well. His interest in heavier than air flight started in the 1890s and came to fruition with the flight of the Silver Dart, piloted by one of those Canadians, J.A.D. McCurdy, in February 1909 in Nova Scotia.

Fleming discovered penicillin. Baird was in the forefront of television invention. MacAdam designed a system of road surfacing. All were Scotsmen.

Answer: Ring

As a piece of jewellery, a ring is worn on one's finger (unless it is a nose ring, or an ear ring) and could signify that a person is married or engaged, or commemorate their attendance at a particular school or university. In sporting terms, a ring is the raised, square platform enclosed by ropes upon which a boxing match takes place.

A ring around a bathtub is caused by a buildup of soap scum and other oils which adhere to the side of the tub when the water is drained. Various methods of removing such rings exist.

Answer: Operator

"Smooth Operator" was first released as a single in August 1984, having first appeared on Sade's album "Diamond Life" the month before. It was released in the US the following February. The song was co-written by Sade (Helen Folasade Adu) and Ray St John, and is about a high society conman with a cold heart.

Answer: Hold

A freighter, or cargo ship, will have holds for carrying different types of cargo, and possibly be equipped with cranes for loading and unloading said cargo. Passenger ships used to also carry freight, in addition to passengers' belongings "not wanted on journey" in their holds. The head aboard ship is the toilet.

Answer: Telephone

In the days not long before everyone had a mobile (cell) phone, telephones were a fixture in most houses. The receiver (Q1) was attached to the body of the telephone by a curly cord (Q2), which usually had a kink in it that was impossible to fix. A round dial (Q3) was manipulated to input the number of the person you were calling, and when the call was finished you placed the handset/receiver in the cradle (Q4) to disconnect the call. Nowadays, of course a touchpad is used to input the number and to connect or disconnect. The phones in use these days also often include a camera (Q5).

None of this would be possible without the work of inventors, especially Alexander Graham Bell (Q6) who devised the first telephones in the nineteenth century. One is alerted to a call by the ring (Q7) of a bell (or ringtone of some sort). A long time ago, before dial phones, one gave the desired number to an operator (Q8) who would place the call. Later operators were available to give assistance when needed.

Being put on "hold" (Q9) when calling some company or other has always been an annoying experience, but still happens.

As for the title, who amongst us has never said "Hang on a minute, I'll just get him to come to the phone"? No? Perhaps it was "Hang on a minute while I find a pen" or "Hang on a minute while I turn the TV down". I know I've said them all at one time or another when talking on the telephone.