I'll Eat My Hat! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

Audrey Hepburn was born Audrey Kathleen Ruston in Brussels, Belgium, in 1929. Her first taste of acting was when she was cast in the title role in the stage adaptation of the novel 'Gigi'; she starred in her first major film, 'Roman Holiday' in 1953, winning an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1988 she became a special goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, devoting herself to humanitarian works until her death in 1993. She starred in the movie 'Charade' in 1963, opposite Cary Grant.

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wrote 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat' in 1966, and it was released on the second side of his seventh studio album 'Blonde on Blonde'.

Answer: To throw your hat in the ring

This saying originated by would-be contestants throwing an actual hat into a boxing ring to signify to the referee that they were challenging someone in the ring. In 1820, it was John Hamilton Reynolds, writing in 'The Fancy' who said: "...Throw in his hat, and with a spring get gallantly within the ring".

Similar idioms are tapping someone on the shoulder to 'cut in' when dancing, and to 'throw down the gauntlet'. Nowadays, to 'throw your hat in the ring' can also refer to indicate your intention to run for office of any sort.

Answer: True

The dunce cap referred to by Dickens was made of newspaper and mentioned so casually that it was probably a well-known sight in classrooms by that time. However, in the peculiar way words evolve, the dunce cap originated from a pointed cap that was a sign of wisdom, rather than stupidity.

It was a reverse funnel through which would flow wisdom from the natural world into the mind of its wearer. Or so thought the followers of philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus (Dunsmen). The name 'Dunsmen' evolved into 'dunce'. And the clever wearer became a disruptive or stupid wearer; until that kind of classroom punishment became unfashionable.

Answer: Granny's bonnet

Granny's bonnet is a prolific plant that seeds freely. Once a fairly humble plant, cultivars have been developed that have elevated it to being one of the 'must haves' in a cottage style garden. They are an edible plant in the buttercup family though some parts of the plant contain alkaloids that can be used as a parasiticide. It prefers a chalky soil.

Answer: Beanie

The name 'beanie' actually derives from a slang term for the head. In baseball, a bean-ball is a pitch thrown at the head of the batter. Beanies are useful for keeping your 'bean' nice and warm, and are often knitted in a football team's colours, and adorned with pom-poms (depending on how cool you are!).

There are many regional variations of this hat; one such is the Chilote cap, from the Los Lagos area of Chile. The Chullo is a Bolivian or Peruvian version of the same thing, that has ties under the chin.

Answer: Giant Jenga

You actually can buy giant Jenga sets that start out at about 76 cm (2.5ft) and can end up at higher than 1.5m (5ft). A lot shorter than Sheldon - and a little shorter than Leonard! In the episode, which commences with Sheldon and Leonard building the giant Jenga, the tower is actually taller than both of them.

Safety helmets are mandatory these days in many professions, including at building sites and, in many locations, when riding bicycles on the road. Regulations usually indicate that hard hats or helmets should not be worn with another (softer) hat underneath as this negates the dispersal of force that is built into the design of the hats.

Answer: Western Australia

These amazingly colourful birds are found in the extreme south-west region of Western Australia and are known for their distinctive caps. In common with most parrots, they have a long, strong beak which they use to break open seed casings and pods for food.

They are also known to enjoy fruit, and appreciate that farmers grow it especially for them! The farmers, on the other hand, use all sorts of deterrents to prevent the parrots spoiling their crops.

Answer: Eugénie hat

The Eugénie hat was originally worn for horse riding or travel, and was named after Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III. It started out with an upturned brim, but later versions were worn with no brim, and settled forward on the head, over the right eye.

Mortar boards are so-named because of their resemblance to the board used by a mason to hold the mortar when building a wall. It was also called a mortar cap from around the 1680s.

The term 'trencher' is also used, coming from the hat's resemblance to a chopping board. Trencher originates from around 1300, from Anglo-French 'trenchour', meaning a 'wooden platter on which to cut meat'.

Answer: Yellow - 'Critical Perspective'

The 'Six Thinking Hats' concept was created by Dr. Edward de Bono in the mid-80s. The technique, which challenges 'normal' patterns of thought, is a communication and reasoning tool. He contends that not only do we need to learn to think better, but that we actually need to learn to think! The idea of the Thinking Hats is that something as simple as (figuratively) putting one of six hats on your head as a deliberate act enables more focussed thinking with better outcomes.

The yellow hat's actual purpose is to show how to apply a logical-positive focus. The white hat's aim is showing how things might be seen from an objective, neutral, and unbiased point of view. The last hat, the black hat, helps its wearer to look at things critically, and see why things don't go as planned or forecast.

Answer: Black

The 'Smooth Criminal' video was released on October 13, 1988 a month before its release as a single. The song was originally released on the 'Bad" album in 1987. The video is part of the anthology movie 'Moonwalker', which includes a section that mimics a scene from a Fred Astaire film 'The Band Wagon' in which he walks up a wall.

Jackson wears a white suit with a blue shirt, topped off (pun intended) by a white fedora trimmed with a wide black band.