Guess the Object Trivia

1. The very first spell in Old Madge's book begins with this: "Find an English wood and enjoy the view, Pick Hyacinthoides non-scripta, coloured blue." Which flower does Old Madge need to find?

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: Bluebell

Bluebells, whose scientific name is Hyacinthoides non-scripta, grow wild in some of England's woodland. As its name suggests, the petals hang down from the stem and form a bell shape. Old Madge needs to be careful when picking the flowers, however. In 1998 it became illegal to pick native bluebells that were growing in the wild with the intention of selling them. Bluebell sap has been used to bind the pages of books together, which is why Old Madge is trying to use it in a potion for fixing broken books.

From Quiz Ten Things You Don't Want to Touch

Answer: Perchloric acid

Actually, you probably don't want to touch any of them. Perchloric acid, also known as hyperchloric acid, is used to make ammonium perchlorate, used in rocket fuel. An explosion involving perchloric acid in Los Angeles, California in 1947 killed 17 people, injured another 150, and destroyed over 25 buildings. Hands off!

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: a motorised ice cream cone

Apparently, there are those who are too lazy to lick their own ice cream or perhaps just too lazy to turn the ice cream cone! The U.S. patent was awarded in 1999, to a Richard B. Hartman.

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: Removing ear wax

Mimikaki comes from the Japanese words "mimi" (meaning "ear") and "kaki" (meaning "to scratch"), which gives us the transliteration of "ear scratcher or scraper". Ear picks are mainly used in Asian countries for the removal of earwax. One end of the bamboo mimikaki (ear pick) has a small scoop, while the other is similar to a cotton swab.

From Quiz What's It Got in Its Pocketses Then?

Answer: Victorinox

Victorinox has supplied knives to the Swiss Army since 1891. There was another manufacturer, Wenger, also supplying the Swiss Army (who advertised their product as the Genuine Swiss Army Knife) but Victorinox took over Wenger in 2005. The Leatherman is another useful tool, but, at least here in the UK, each brand has its devotees who wouldn't dream of switching! My Swiss Army Knife has pliers, tweezers and many other useful blades and I would be lost without it.

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: A handkerchief

You won't want to get on the wrong side of Old Madge - this a plague potion that she's brewing here (if she gets it right). Any good plague potion needs infected mucus; the thick, gooey stuff that comes out of people's noses when they have a cold. For hundreds of years people have used small squares of cloth (also known as handkerchiefs) to wipe and blow their snotty noses.

From Quiz Ten Things You Don't Want to Touch

Answer: Blue-ringed octopus

A single specimen has enough venom to kill over 20 adult humans. Their bites are often painless, meaning victims are frequently unaware of their dire predicament. There is no anti-venom, however it is possible to survive being envenomated if artificial respiration is provided until the toxin wears off. No touchie!

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: a snowball scoop

My first impression was that the idea was to keep your hands/gloves from getting cold or wet while making snowballs. But how are you going to throw them when you've made them, without the same thing happening? Sold as a 'snowball maker' by Flexible Flyer and Sno-Baller, this invention actually seems to be quite successful. The biggest selling points are the ability to create a lot of snowballs fast, and that the snowballs are of the right consistency.

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: P-38 can opener

The P-38 can opener is lightweight and collapsible. Less than an inch in length, the P-38 removes can lids by making a series of punchers in the lid. The origins of the name "P-38" cannot be claimed by a single source, but some attribute it to taking exactly 38 punctures to open a can. Others, however, state that it opens a can as fast as a P-38 fighter air craft.

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: A meteorite

A meteorite is a lump of debris that has fallen to Earth from space. They are usually made of metal or rock, but Old Madge's spell requires a rocky meteorite. There is another condition, though. The meteorite had to have fallen when Mars was visible in the night sky. The red planet can be seen from Earth most of the year round, and occasionally it can be seen as a bright glow with the naked eye. Hopefully Old Madge can buy a meteorite from somewhere. Otherwise, she's going to be spending long nights outside waiting to spot a shooting star.

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: a butterstick

Hmmm. Will this still work in winter, or should the inventor perhaps add a heating element to make sure the butter is soft enough to smear onto a slice of bread? The product is the same size and shape as a large glue-stick, and was released around 2000. A much larger butter dispenser is also available, from a different producer, which holds a brick of butter and dispenses thin sheets, but this is designed for use in a kitchen.

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: Eastern cottontail

Eastern cottontails are a common rabbit in North America. Pickled body parts are by no means in short supply as cottontails breed like... well, rabbits. One female can give birth to up to eight babies three or four times a year. It's a bit grotesque but Old Madge has four jars of tongues. Out of her selection, only the rabbit tongues came from a herbivore.

From Quiz Ten Things You Don't Want to Touch

Answer: Poison Ivy

If it includes the word "poison", you might want to stay away on general principles. Poison ivy is easily identified by its shiny group of three leaves. Poison oak and sumac are similarly noxious. Poison elm isn't a thing. Ne touchez pas!

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: eyedrop glasses

Darn. Missed again! I get so tired of missing when I'm trying to put drops in my eyes. The medicine goes all over my face, down my neck, inside my shirt... Hey! I've got an idea! Millions will thank me! No, they won't. (They won't want to make a spectacle of themselves!) This is not the only approach to the problem, just the ugliest. "Dr. Merrill's" is offering spectacles with dispensing holes drilled in each lens, into which the nozzle of an eyedropper can be inserted, while another inventor has patented an adjustable version.

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: A pivoting beverage holder that keeps your beverage in an upright position

The pendulator is a device that keeps your beverage container in an upright position. It's basically a cup holder that can be attached to bicycles, golf bags, rolling luggage handles or anything else you can think of. The design is supposed to keep your beverage container perpendicular to the floor and to be spill-proof.

From Quiz What's It Got in Its Pocketses Then?

Answer: Nepalese

The Gurkhas are the people of Nepal and northern India, who have been supplying very fine soldiers to the British Army for nearly 200 years. Incidentally, Nepalese food is delicious too and 'Gurkha' was a very nice beer.

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: a custom wineglass grip

There's a certain elegance to clutching a wineglass in your fist. (Really?) And, later in the evening, it's easier to hold on to, as your hand muscles become more relaxed. You are getting sleepy... your eyelids are heavy... heavier... you just can't keep them open... What a good thing the handgrip is rubberized - you nearly dropped your wine there! No, I think I can manage to live without one, thank you. Marketed as the 'Wine Grip', they came in different colours, and in one place I found a set of four on offer for $12 - accompanied by a notice that the product has been discontinued. What a surprise.

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: It is a spittoon

Yes, it is a spittoon. The word cuspidor comes from the Latin "conspure", which means to spit upon. Your dentist almost certainly has a cuspidor for you to spit into in his office. In the 1800s, cuspidors were common in banks, saloons, and railway stations. Cuspidors were not only common in 19th century U.S., however. For example, during the Qing Dynasty in China a golden cuspidor was displayed before the Emperor at major ceremonies. Incidentally, spittoons were also commonly used by people with tuberculosis and often contained some sort of antiseptic in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

From Quiz What's It Got in Its Pocketses Then?

Answer: March 17

Yes, March 17 for St. Patrick, and the breweries give out hats and t-shirts and badges - and they remain in my pocket for months and years afterwards. The wrong answers are all dates of the UK's patron Saints, March 1 for St. David (Wales), April 23 for St. George (England) and November 30 for St. Andrew (Scotland).

From Quiz Ten Things You Don't Want to Touch

Answer: Mercury

Yeah, it's really cool to look at, but touching or even inhaling the vapors of mercury is bad news. The Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland" was based on the actual mental deficiencies of hatters in the day, resulting from exposure to mercury during the fur treatment needed to make the hats. Ne tuŝi!

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: a combination teabag dipper and timer

OK, so I place my cup in front of the penguin, and I dangle a teabag from the penguin's beak, and set the timer to how long I want the teabag to steep; the penguin will raise its beak and lift the teabag out at the right time. So now, in my extremely busy lifestyle, I can stop worrying about remembering to remove the teabag after 134 seconds, and go back to doing whatever I was doing. Now where was I...? What's that dear? My tea's gone cold? Oh no! Officially labeled the "Penguin Teaboy", it actually seems to be selling to a small but certifiable market segment. The timer can be set from one to twenty minutes, by which time only a penguin would want the tea.

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: Divining Rod

Also called a 'dousing' or 'witch rod', some believe that a divinng rod can locate water, precious ores and other valuable commodities. Use of divining rods date back to ancient times. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions them as being a tool of the Alani, and Tacitus of the ancient Germans. The divining rod is used by holding the two prongs close to the body with the end pointing straight out. When you walk over hidden, underground water (or mineral ore) the end of the stick will point to it.

From Quiz What's It Got in Its Pocketses Then?

Answer: Because chocolate for humans can poison dogs

Cocoa beans naturally contain a stimulant called theobromine. It increases urination and can give dogs epileptic fits and heart attacks. Bitter chocolate or cacao is the most dangerous. However, a dog would need to eat 100-200 mg of theobromine per kg of its body weight, so don't panic if Rover has stolen a square of Dairy Milk. However, it's better to be safe than sorry, which is why I carry doggy chocs.

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: Ink

The "blood of a pen" refers to the ink inside a writing implement. Ink for writing on paper or papyrus was independently discovered almost simultaneously in China and Egypt in around 2500 BCE. Over the centuries, ink has been made from plant dyes, soot, and gelatin, among other things. It usually contains a colour pigment or dye (and Old Madge knows that blood red is best for love potions).

From Quiz Ten Things You Don't Want to Touch

Answer: Surstromming

It apparently smells so bad it is normally eaten outdoors, which for my money puts it squarely in the category of things I don't want to touch. Or smell. Or taste. I am willing to look at it through a powerful telescope. For those still reading this, in Swedish Trasig toalett means broken toilet, Fruktansvarda lukt means awful smell, and Dalig mat means bad food. Ror inte! (Sorry about the lack of diacritical marks, but the system doesn't support them).

From Quiz Things You Can Live Without

Answer: an electric ear drier

It's a pity that this is an electric ear drier; I can really see the potential of a belly button fluff remover! I believe the instructions say that you must first dry your ears with a towel before using the electric ear drier... Some factual information: It's a fact that the manufacturer claims that the ear drier was designed and tested by a medical specialist, and that they also claim that regular use of the ear drier is medically recommended for the prevention of all manner of nasty, unpleasant ear conditions. The product tagline is "Have you dried your ears today?" I just wonder how many ENT specialists also have a degree in electrical engineering?

From Quiz Sporks and Other Strange Implements

Answer: In the kitchen

Mandolines (French spelling) are basically manual food processors. They can be worked by placing the mandoline blades to line up with the container holding the food item you want to cut. Placing the food into the container allows you to slide the food over the blades, getting the desired cut you want. Most mandolines have an adjustable sliding board and two or more blades. Blades may be used alone or in combination to get the desired results.

From Quiz What's It Got in Its Pocketses Then?

Answer: Charles de Gaulle

Charles De Gaulle (named after the French statesman) is Paris' largest airport. It is 14 miles (23 kilometres) from Paris, and one of the ways you can get there (as I did) from Paris is on the RER (Réseau Express Régional - Regional Express Network).

From Quiz Is That Spaghetti or is it a Worm?

Answer: Ruby

Rubies are made of aluminium oxide, also known as corundum. Usually, corundum is clear, but the element chromium alters the colour to make it appear red. Chromium earned its name from the Greek word 'chroma' which means 'colour': the element alters the colour of a variety of chemicals when they are mixed together. Chromium is also what makes emeralds appear green. If spellcasting doesn't work out, maybe Madge could try collecting gem stones for profit.

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Last Updated Dec 28 2024 5:55 AM

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