Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes Quiz

Answer: The aroma of the wine

The aroma (or "bouquet") of a wine is one of the features utilised by oenophiles and wine-tasters to assess the quality of a wine. Before even allowing wine to enter your mouth, over your tongue and taste buds, some aspects of the wine can be deduced by observing the colour and "getting the nose".

Indeed the olfactory system (which is our sense of smell) is intimately linked to our sense of taste and can work cooperatively (perhaps even synergistically) to allow us to detect various flavours that are denied to the tongue alone.

Answer: Shoulder

The shoulder (or hard shoulder, as it is more commonly known in the UK) is a feature which is reserved for cars which break down, so that they have a safe place to wait for assistance. These shoulders may also be useful when emergency vehicles such as police cars or ambulances need to use motorways without being hindered by traffic.

Shoulders on older roads that are made of gravel are called "soft shoulders" to distinguish them from "hard shoulders" which are made from asphalt and so would (ironically) give a much softer ride.

Answer: Taking part in "World's Strongest Man"

Fingal's Fingers is the name of an event commonly used at "World's Strongest Man" events to test strength. It consists of five metal beams which are pivoted at one end. The task is to move the beam 180 degrees about its pivot (essentially flipping it). Each beam is heavier than the last and the aim is to flip all five in as quick a time as possible.

Answer: Family

"Family" specifically refers to a level of classification in the natural world. It is more specific than an order, but more general than a genus. To remember the order of such levels of classification, I use the mnemonic "King Prawn Curry Or Fish Gut Soup" - Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

For example, the difference between us and plants is based at the level of the kingdom (plants belong to the Plantae kingdom, whereas we belong to Animalia). Similarly, we differ from birds also, but less so, at the level of class (birds belong to the Aves class, whereas we are in the Mammalia class).

Answer: 144 barleycorns

A barleycorn is an old English measurement which is equivalent to around one third of an inch. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, this means there should be around 36 barleycorns in a foot (35.86, to be precise).

Just like feet can be used to measure length, so can hands, though this tends to be reserved for measuring horses. One hand is 4 inches, so 3 hands make a foot.

Answer: The eyewall

The eyewall is the part of a storm which contains the most severe winds. Using the anatomical analogy, it may be more descriptive to refer to the pupil and the iris of the storm, rather than the eye and the eyewall, but convention persists. The phrase "in the eye of a storm" is often used to describe a time of peace, but in the knowledge that danger is approaching.

It is often misused to refer to times of immediate strife.

Answer: Indian Ocean

The Zambezi River passes through several countries in Southern Africa and is the fourth longest in that continent. One feature on the Zambezi River is the astounding Victoria Falls, referred to as "The Smoke that Thunders" by the locals, who observe the immense spray of water which results from the fall.

Answer: Ear

Ears of corn may also be called cobs or heads, and in the famous Arcimbaldo painting which depicts a man's bust made of various fruits and vegetables, his ear is an "ear" of corn.

The name "corn" was originally used as a term for any grain, but soon became attached to the preferred crop of the North Americans. The use of corn as a staple seemed strange, since it yielded such little substance in its natural form. Through directed farming, however, ears of corn are now large and produce large amounts of kernels. The crops have been subject to such extreme directed farming that they are now wholly dependent on humans for their cultivation.

Answer: Edinburgh

The Heart of Midlothian is a mosaic set outside Parliament House (which was once, but is no longer, the home of the Scottish parliament) on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

This feature also lends its name to a Scottish football team that are colloquially known as "Hearts" and who use a version of this mosaic style as their club crest.

Answer: The foam on top

The frothy crown which tops the beer is formed as a result of bubbles of carbon dioxide. This gas aerates protein and hop residue found within the beer. What may be described as "the perfect head of a beer" is subjective, varying between cultures and between individuals within each culture - a friend of mine invariably tells the barmaid that he could "put a flake and sprinkles on that" after she pours what he considers a particularly heady pint, and is always met with the same chuckle.