FunTrivia Blockbusters: I'll Have an 'N' Quiz

Answer: Narwhal

Narwals live in cold waters in the Arctic Ocean. The tusk, most usually on males, can grow up to nine feet in length and is very sensitive. Some males may have two tusks.

Narwhals normally feed on fish and squid and can live for up to 50 years.

Answer: Navvy

Navvy will give you a single word count of 14; Nerdy 9; Ninja 12, and Nubby 12.

The largest score with a five-letter N word I could find was Nudzh, with 18. If anyone knows a higher score than Nudzh, then you probably are one. (Cue affronted reactions from Scrabble players and vocabulists.)

Answer: Nick Nolte

Nick Nolte was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on February 8, 1941. He began his acting career in theatres in California and made a television breakthrough in "Rich Man, Poor Man" in 1976, for which he was nominated for an Emmy.

Numerous roles in television and on the big screen followed. He was nominated for an Oscar on three occasions. He won a Golden Globe for "The Prince of Tides" in 1991, in which he starred along with Barbra Streisand

Answer: Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell was born in London in May 1970. She was an actor and singer from an early age and when she was seven appeared in a Bob Marley video.

Her modelling career began before she was 16 and she went on to become one of the best known and highest paid models on the fashion circuit. According to whichever source you read, her net value was about $60m.

Answer: Nellie

"Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus
Off she went with a trumpety trump
Trump trump trump..."

The song was written in 1956 by Ralph Butler and Peter Hart. It was released as a single by Mandy Miller, then aged 12. In 1984, the song was covered by the punk band Toy Dolls and reached number four on the UK charts.

Answer: Nautilus

Launched in 1954, the US Nautilus was a submarine that established several records for lengthy underwater voyages. While she never saw action, she was part of the US blockade of Cuba during the missile crisis in the early 1960s.

She was decommissioned in 1980 and put on display at the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut.

Answer: Nunavut

Nunavut became Canada's youngest territory when it was established in 1999. Previously the land it covers had been the easternmost part of the Northwest Territories.

The territory is largely within the Arctic circle and is sparsely populated. It is home to many indigenous Inuit people. Despite being Canada's largest territory, it had a population in 2019 of only about 39,000.

Answer: Nero

In 54AD, Nero became the the fifth Roman emperor, largely though the political machinations of his mother, Agrippa. His name at birth was Domitius and Agrippa persuaded her husband, Claudius, to favour Domitius over his own son. When he agreed, Agrippa had Claudius poisoned.

Domitius - now Nero - succeeded, though Agrippa did much to exert pressure on him. Five years after he became emperor, Nero had his mother killed.

When Rome was destroyed by fire Nero was blamed - hence the old saying of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. He put the blame on Christians, who he then persecuted. After the fire, Nero provided help for those left homeless and directed the rebuilding.

Throughout his reign, Nero showed a brutal side. As well as having his mother killed and poisoning his half brother, Britannicus, he divorced his first wife Octavia, who was later executed. His next wife Poppaea fared little better, Nero is said to have kicked her to death. He then married Statilia Messalina, whose first husband he had had executed.

In 68 AD, elements of the army revolted against him and Nero fled. He died by suicide in June 68AD.

Answer: Nutella

Ingredients and proportions may vary from country to country, but basically Nutella is a blend of sugar and palm oil hazelnuts, cocoa solids, and skimmed milk. It was introduced to the market in 1964 by the Italian company Ferrero.

Nutella can be eaten as a sandwich or on toast, or added to other baked foods. It can be combined with other foods for an even more exotic taste: try bananas, apples, or strawberries.

Nutella is high in calories, so a little can go a long way.

Answer: Nuada

Nuada of the Silver Hand was the first king of the Tuatha dé Danann, a race of powerful Celtic gods. Known as a benevolent ruler, he led his people in battle against the Fomorians for control of prehistoric Ireland.

Legend had it, he lost an arm, other stories say a hand, at the The First Battle of Moytura and with it his position as king, since only a 'whole person' could be king. The missing arm/hand was restored by magic and he became king again. He was married to Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne.

The new arm did not do much good for Nuada, who was decapitated during The Second Battle of Moytura.

Answer: Napoleon

"Animal Farm" was written by George Orwell and published in 1945. The story tells of how animals take over a farm from its human owner. The book is seen as political allegory, and a critique of the history and rhetoric of the Communist revolution in Russia.

Napoleon was a pig who emerged as leader of the animals after their revolution.

Answer: Napalm

In the 1977 movie, Duvall, starring as Lt Kilgore, told one of his soldiers: "Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Considered to be one of the best classic war movies ever, "Apocalypse Now" was set among US troops during the war in Vietnam, although it was based on a Joseph Conrad story set in Africa a century before. Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen starred with Duvall in what is seen as an anti-war movie that pinpointed the hopelessness and absurdities among 'ordinary' soldiers of the Vietnam conflict. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars in 1980 but won only two.

Napalm is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon that was first used in flamethrowers during WW2. Its use has remained controversial. Napalm causes death or intensely deep burns that are difficult to treat. It can continue to burn underwater. Napalm caused grievous injuries in Vietnam and a 1980 UN convention banned its use against civilian targets. The USA did not sign the treaty and is one of the few countries to still use the weapon, including during the war in Iraq.

Answer: Nutcracker Suite

"The Nutcracker" was an 1892 ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, based on an older fantasy tale. The story was about a girl who befriended a nutcracker that came to life on Christmas Eve and waged a battle against an evil mouse king.

The first performance was panned by the newspaper critics of the time, yet it went on to become the most frequently performed of all ballets ever.

Answer: Jo Nesbų

Harry Hole specialised in catching serial killers. Maybe he saw something of himself in their psyche. Hole was an on and off wagon alcoholic who saw his job in shades of grey rather than black and white.

If things had gone differently in his life, Jo Nesbų would have become a professional footballer, but his career was ended early though injury. Instead, after military service in his native Norway he formed a band that swept to the top of the charts with their second album. He was asked to write a factual account of life on the road with the band, but instead presented his publisher with a manuscript that became the first Harry Hole story, "The Bat (1997.) The series had run to 12 novels at this time this quiz was written in September 2020.

Answer: Naphtali

Naphtali was the sixth son of Jacob and led the tribe that was named after him. He lived to the age of 134. The tribe was given land north west of the Sea of Galilee after the people of Israel came into the Promised Land.

Israel had 12 tribes, each descended from a son of Jacob. Ten were said to have become "lost" when they were evicted from the land of Israel after its defeat in battle in about 722B C.

Answer: Nitrile

Nitrile gloves are more puncture resistant than latex or other types. However, they can cause allergies in some users. The gloves are made of a synthetic rubber compound and are more expensive than latex.

Companies that make both types recommend Nitrile for stronger chemical and puncture resistance. If neither of those things matter, then cheaper latex gloves will do - providing you are not allergic to latex, that is.

Answer: Nationals Park

Opened in 2008, Nationals Park was the home ground of the Washington Nationals and had a capacity of about 41,000. The stadium cost $693m to build. Previously, the Nationals had played at at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

The USA's capital city has had several baseball teams over the years since the 1870s. In a practice that seems unknown in sport outside America, the 'franchise' has changed several times over the years. There have been several teams known as "Washington Nationals", although not related to each other.

The current (at time of writing) Washington Nationals had been The Montreal Expos, until the team was sold and relocated. In 2019, the Nationals claimed their first ever World Series title, the pinnacle of professional baseball.

Answer: Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width

Forty episodes were broadcast across six seasons between 1967 and 1971. Set in the 1950s, it featured two tailors from differing backgrounds - one a London Jew and the other an Irish Catholic - running a business together.

Naturally, the stereotypes of both those backgrounds came to the fore in a comedy considered gentle then, but probably "non-PC" now.

Answer: Duke Nukem

In 2020, one video gaming website placed Duke Nukem at number ten on a list of the "50 Favourite Video Game Characters".

Duke Nukem 'starred' in a series of games that were first sold in 1991. Several sequels followed that first outing. The personality changed during the franchise; initially he hardly spoke at all. In most games, Nukem was called upon to save earth from invading aliens.

Answer: Nikola Tesla Airport

There you go: you hardly ever get asked about airports in Serbia, then two appear in the same question, Nikola Tesla Airport and Nis Constantine Airport. They are numbers one and two respectively in terms of passenger numbers.

Belgrade has had airports since 1910 and several have existed. Work on the current site began in 1958 and in 2006 it was renamed Nikola Tesla Airport after the Serbian born but US domiciled inventor and scientific pioneer.