T is forTrivia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Coat

The story goes that the Duke of Saxony's land was a battlefield during the Thirty Years War. The Duke had a reversible coat. When the Spanish were winning he showed the blue or Spanish colours. When the French were winning he showed the white of France. His soldiers nicknamed him turncoat and the word has come down to us.

Answer: Tango

This wonderful dance has multi-cultural origins. Slaves from Africa brought a slow dance with them to Central America. It eventually reached Argentina where it was influenced by Spanish dance music, especially the Habanera. The tango was born.

Answer: Bird

It's a bird of the finch family; the male is very brightly coloured.

Answer: Testimony

Testimony = evidence.
Testimonial = certificate of good character often in public to show esteem.
Testament = will.
Testamur = University certificate.

Answer: Tepid

Tepid = slightly warm.

Answer: Ear

A cavity in the temporal bone is filled with air and closed by the tympanic membrane, it contains a chain of small bones through which sound vibrates into the inner ear.

Answer: Tectonics

Tectonics is the study of the structural features of the earth's crust.

Answer: tin whistle

A tin whistle is an Irish/Celtic instrument. In spite of being called tin it's frequently made from other metals e.g. brass or nickel.

Answer: Tangerine

A tangerine is a small variety of orange, which usually tastes quite sweet.

Answer: Trumpet

'And the walls came a'tumblin' down'.

Answer: Thurber

Thurber was both a cartoonist and a writer who frequently explored personal communication problems. The relationship between Walter and his wife is hilarious at one level but quite sad at another.

Answer: Tumbrel

Tumbrels were carts which were designed tilting backwards so that the contents fell out easily. They were used frequently for moving dung. Was their use in France, at that time, an insult to the rich aristocrats who prior to this had travelled in luxury?

Answer: Turmeric

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and comes from East India. Tutenag is not a spice at all, it is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc.

Answer: Tara

In the Celtic society each district had its own king or Ri. One king was appointed then as a high king or Ard Ri.

Answer: Round

Tondo means round in Italian. It is used to describe painting in a circular design which was common in the Renaissance. One of the finest examples of a round painting is 'The Madonna and the Magnificat' by Botticelli in the Uffizi in Florence.

Answer: Topiary

This is a very old form of garden design, it was practiced in ancient Rome using box hedges. During the late middle ages the designs became more elaborate with the advent of the knot garden.

Answer: Crocodile

It was a sea crocodile with a long pointed snout. The creature had loads of interlocking teeth which formed a perfect trap for catching fish.

Answer: Titus

He accompanied Paul from Antioch to Jerusalem. One of Paul's epistles is addressed to Titus.

Answer: Silver

It was first minted about 1519 in Bohemia and was in common usage until it was replaced by the Mark in 1873.

Answer: Yes

Tolbooths began as a booth at a fair to collect dues, and punish those who broke fair regulations. Later it became a place to hold such offenders and from there it became a term for prison. The tolbooth in Edinburgh was notorious. Many prisoners were transported from there to New York via Greenock in the 17th. century.

Answer: 1990s

On the 31st March 1990, as a culmination of nationwide protests over the Poll Tax, a march was held in London. Unfortunately a riot developed. 130 were injured including 57 police, 341 were arrested for fighting and looting. Margaret Thatcher was the PM at the time and firmly supported the Poll Tax.

Answer: True

The word comes from Lorenzo Tonti, an Italian banker in the 17th century. It involved a group setting up a fund, buying property and sharing the income. When a shareholder died his/her shares reverted to the surviving group members until the last survivor owned the lot.
What a terrific recipe for a murder mystery.

Answer: Cinema

Tati was both a comic actor and a director. His masterpiece is the hilarious comedy 'Monsieur Hulot's Holiday' (1953). Many of his later films deal with the loss of individuality in an increasingly mechanised world.

Answer: de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville came from an aristocratic background. He went to the USA, two volumes on democracy were published in 1835 and 1840. His work examines topics such as religion, money, race, class etc.in society which makes his work still relevant.

Answer: Airline pilot

He was the outstandingly brave Captain of TWA Flight 847 en route to Rome from Athens. He was hijacked to Beirut by terrorists who demanded the release of 700 Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails.