The Seven Dwarfs: Sneezy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cirrhosis of the liver

Snuff is a finely-ground tobacco powder that is usually taken through the nose. At one time - in the 17th and 18th centuries - it was the primary method of tobacco use among the upper classes in Europe.

There has been some suspicion that snuff-taking poses a cancer risk ever since 1761, when Dr John Hill first warned against it. There is remarkably little modern evidence of the risk, however; most studies seem to suggest that ensnufflated (snorted) snuff is at least a healthier choice than smoking tobacco.

In 1624 Pope Urban VIII proposed excommunication for those who took snuff in church - the sneeze was apparently just a little too much fun!

Tsar Michael 1 of Russia banned the use of snuff, on pain of a whipping (first offense), cutting off of the nose (second) and, for the intransigent, death.

QMG's agony got the quiz off to a racy start with our first Q.

Answer: Bless you

A number of reasons have been suggested to explain why people say "bless you", or sometimes "God bless you", when someone else sneezes. The most common one is that sneezing was believed to be an early symptom of bubonic plague, and saying "bless you" was a request for God to protect you from the disease. Another suggestion is described by darksplash in his information about question 6.

"Down the hatch" is normally said when taking a drink. "Mind the gap" is a warning on the London Underground for passengers to be careful about the gap between the platform and the tube carriage. When I was a child, my mother used to say "There's a pig in the garden" when my sister or I burped.

This question was sneezed out by stedman.

Answer: A film of Ott sneezing was the first ever copyrighted motion picture

"Fred Ott's Sneeze," a whole five seconds long and depicting Ott taking a pinch of snuff with predictable results, was lodged with the Library of Congress for copyright purposes by Thomas Edison on 9 January 1894.

Flushed by this success, Ott quickly went on to star in a much anticipated sequel, "Fred Ott Holding A Bird." Audiences would have to wait six years before Ott's final recorded appearance on celluloid, however, in 1900's "The Kiss."

solan_goose researched this question on his mobile phone whilst standing in the rain at a particularly boring soccer game. He's been sneezing for most of the rest of the day.

Answer: Sneezy Waters

Sneezy Waters was born on March 1, 1945 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He started performing in his teens throughout Ottawa, in coffeehouses and as a street musician. He performed in several local rocks bands, including 'The Children' with Bruce Cockburn. He has toured around the world, including several Arctic communities in northern Canada. Brr!

He starred in the hit musical "Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave" from 1977 - 1990, and also starred in the movie version of the musical.


This question was cobbled together by SilverMoonsong, who is allergic to everything except, unfortunately, sneezing.

Answer: Its nose points upwards, so it sneezes when it rains

If I'd told you it was also known as the Burmese/Myanmar Snub-Nosed Monkey, that would probably have given away the answer! There are only about 300 left of these charming little creatures, all in the far north of the country. Their Latin name is in honour of John Stryker, the American billionaire philanthropists whose Arcus Foundation sponsored the expedition that discovered the species.

According to a National Geographic profile on the animal, the nose/sneeze problem is so bad that the monkey sits with its head between its knees when it rains. Poor thing.

solan_goose stood for no monkey business when compiling this question.

Answer: Jacob

The myth was that, due to the shock, sneezing was always fatal. But then Jacob, the younger twin brother of Esau, made a bargain with God that the fatal element would be removed if a prayer was said any time a sneeze was heard. This, it was said, was the origin of saying "God Bless You" upon hearing a sneeze. In the Bible, Jacob was a son of Isaac and Rebekah. He was renamed "Israel", by an angel. [Source: 'Sneezing myths you'll never forget' at catalogs.com]

This question was contributed by darksplash, who had a sad experience when he was banned from an Italian ski resort after his sneezing caused an avalanche three valleys away.

Answer: The story we are going to hear is true.

Some people (including the music teacher at my old grammar school) maintain that the sneeze is a sure sign of a lie, but Kodály (a native Hungarian) tells us that the sneeze vouches for the truth of the tale.

In fact, of course, the old sweat János is an outrageous line-shooter whose stories about rescuing the emperor's daughter and defeating Napoleon single-handed are patently false. But, in Kodály's words, János is "essentially ... a natural visionary and poet. That his stories are not true is irrelevant, for they are the fruit of a lively imagination, seeking to create, for himself and for others, a beautiful dream world."

Question supplied by TabbyTom, who never sneezes at the opera.

Answer: Robin Hood

The film is "Robin Hood: Men in Tights", starring Cary Elwes in the title role. A spoof of the whole Robin Hood genre, but especially the Kevin Costner vehicle "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", the film begins with Robin the Crusader imprisoned in a dank dungeon. Asneeze (singer Isaac Hayes, impressively deadpan), who is being punished for jaywalking, helps him escape -- asking only that Robin check up on his exchange-student son, comedian Dave Chappelle in his first movie role. Ahchoo becomes a vital merry man: he defuses tension between Robin Hood and Little John, saves Robin from an oratorical disaster with a Malcolm X impression, and -- in various bizarre interludes -- performs several musical numbers that are best described as medieval hip-hop.

CellarDoor provided this question. When asked whether it was true that she had memorized large parts of this movie, she pleaded her fifth-amendment right not to incriminate herself.

Answer: Around 95mph, the wind speed of a Category 2 hurricane

With a speed like that, Sneezy is sure to take the racing world by "storm"!

According to WebMD, the average speed of a sneeze is between 90-100mph, and that during a sneeze, upwards to 100,000 germs and other particles can be released into the air. So, don't forget to use a tissue, sleeve, or handkerchief to cover your nose and mouth!

Smurphie, a little sad that Cellardoor snagged up the Mel Brooks related question, resolved to whip up this one instead.

Answer: Calliope

Calliope was the eldest of the Muses, and the Muse of epic poetry and eloquence. This Calliope, however, would have been a steam organ, of the sort that belt out at fairgrounds (although nowadays they are more likely to be powered by compressed air). The song appeared on Bruce Springsteen's first album, 'Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.' and was also released as a single, although it was not successful until Manfred Mann remade it.

Quiz_Beagle, who crafted this question, is old enough to remember the lyrics magazine "Disco 45" and memorised the entire lyric, a particularly pointless exercise.