And Then There Were Doorknobs Quiz | Hobbies

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Once again eburge had forgotten to do any team quizzes and knew that flopsymopsy would punish him with her pointy stick. He watched in horror as she tied dozens of pointy sticks around a longer stick and started sweeping in his direction. What sort of broom consists of bundles of twigs tied round a long pole?

Answer: Besom

Besoms are made from wrapping a bundle of twigs round a pole cut from hazel. The twigs were originally fastened with a split 'withy' (a willow stem) that was fixed with a wooden dowel; modern besoms are usually fastened with wire and a nail. Besoms are generally used outside the house, especially in gardens for sweeping up leaves.

Besoms are also associated with witches who ride their brooms across the night sky. Despite her collection of pointy sticks, and irrespective of what some Llamas might say, flopsymopsy is not a witch!

2. Oh dear, WeirdAlLover has been leaning on the wall again and there's a dirty mark where he rested his foot. Instead of making himself a sandwich what should he use to rub the mark off the wallpaper?

Answer: Bread

White bread works for most marks on wallpaper. Take the crusts off, make a wad of bread and rub the wallpaper gently with it. Remember that you're trying to remove a mark not scratch the wallpaper so please don't use bread with grains in it!

3. Jabberwok went back to the North of England where traditionally steps were scrubbed with something resembling a brick. Jabberwok wished that she had an animal to do the backbreaking work for her but all she had was a stone named after Balaam's Biblical beast. What sort of stone cleans steps?

Answer: Donkey stone

The Industrial Revolution began in England and some of the first factories were textile mills in the north, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. The stone staircases in the mills became greasy and dangerous so they were cleaned with a scouring material made from pulverised stone, bleach, and cement mixed with water; the paste was formed into slabs which when dry were cut into individual bricks - or stones. "Donkey" stone was the name used by one of the product manufacturers but it soon became a generic term.

As well as the factory stairs, it was the local custom for the front steps of houses to be polished with donkey stones. They came in three colours: white, brown, and cream; front doorsteps could be given a decorative finish using different stones and housewives would compete to have the best doorstep. Doorsteps weren't the only things given the donkey stone treatment - the door surround, the window sills, and even the pavement outside might be donkey stoned.

4. Down in Wales, Baban likes to keep her brass letterbox polished so that it gleams through the mists across the mountains. It might seem rather strange but there's an English sauce (which Americans can rarely pronounce) that cleans brass to a real shine. Which sauce is it?

Answer: Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce cleans brass so well it sparkles. And if you haven't got any Worcester sauce, use ketchup. Seriously. Put some sauce on a damp cloth, rub it over the brass, then wipe it clean. Then go make dinner, all that hard work deserves a reward.

Do not, however, do this with antiques or with coins (verdigris is good, patina is good but sparkle is bad for them) unless you want to ruin their value.

5. PDAZ keeps her refrigerator stuffed full of vegetables but last month something dreadful lurked in the salad compartment and now she can't get rid of the stink. What common baking ingredient is useful for removing the smell from fridges?

Answer: Bicarbonate of soda

Bicarbonate of soda is one of the most versatile household products which really should not be left languishing in the cupboard and it's much too good for only cakes. Okay, so baking soda (as it's sometimes called) is great in cakes because it works as a leavening agent for flour but it has a lot of other uses.

In the case of a smelly fridge, clean the fridge, put some bicarb into a small pot, and put it in the fridge for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally. The smell should have gone - and to keep future smells at bay, keep some bicarbonate of soda in the fridge. Stir it every now and then (because it forms a crust when exposed to the air), and replace it after a couple of months. Smells in fridges are a bad idea as they can taint some food, e.g. butter - and bicarbonate of soda is cheaper than throwing out the dairy products.

6. Exit10 borrowed a pointy stick because she was going to a FunTrivia meeting in Sydney and might need to keep the other Aussies in order but she put the stick on a polished table and scratched it! What hard shell should nutty Exit open so that she can rub the contents on the polish to restore it?

Answer: Walnut

Crack open a walnut, then rub the nut (NOT the shell!) over the scratch in the direction of the grain. Then buff with a soft, clean cloth. Repeat the process until the area blends in. "But what", I hear you cry, "if I don't have a walnut?" Use the white of a Brazil nut instead, it works just as well!

7. Looney_tunes came home meaning to write lots of quizzes for the Bus Ride but she couldn't get her jacket off, the zipper had stuck fast and there seemed no alternative but to cut her way out. Stop Looney from ruining her nice jacket - tell her what implement should help release the zipper and help her write the quizzes?

Answer: A pencil

If your zipper gets stuck, rub pencil lead over the zipper teeth above and below the jam, and it should free itself like magic. Alternative methods include a bar of soap, candlewax, WD-40, and brute force; using any of them depends on the fabric. In the case of brute force it also depends on whether or not you ever want to wear that piece of clothing again and (men, look away now) where the zip is!

8. Alifin_may has been drinking again and managed to spill a glass of red wine on the carpet. Quick, while the wine is still wet, get some common white grains from the kitchen table. When it rains red wine what white grains should pour freely on the spills?

Answer: Salt

Pour common table salt on red wine - do it straightaway and don't be mean with the salt, use lots of it as it's cheaper than carpet. Let the salt dry then vacuum it off - if there's a slight stain left rub it gently with a cloth. Don't do this too often as in the long-term salt isn't good for the back of the carpet but once won't hurt and with luck you will have moved house by the time any damage shows.

9. Doublemm got in late and tried to sneak through the house unnoticed but every door squeaked on its hinges and gave him away. If only he'd gone to the bathroom to wash his hands first, then he could have used this item on the hinges to stop the noise. Which bathroom toiletry can cure creaking doors?

Answer: Soap

Soap will stop hinges squeaking - and so will furniture polish though I'm not sure what that would be doing in a bathroom. Just rub a bar of soap on a hinge to help it move freely. Shaving cream works too though you might not find any of that in an all-female household - I couldn't possibly comment on what Doublemm might be doing in one of those!

10. TCEB was taking a quiet nap on the sofa when his daughter put a spray bottle in his hand and suggested that he might like to get up and clean the windows. TCEB sniffed the contents of the bottle and complained it smelled like something he usually put on his fish and chips - what had his daughter used as a window-cleaning ingredient?

Answer: Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar can be used to clean and deodourise many things, from chrome to kitchen worktops, microwaves and garbage disposals. To clean windows make a mix of 2 cups of water, half a cup of white distilled vinegar, and a few drops of washing-up liquid. Put that in a spray bottle, label it so you know what it is, and start cleaning the windows. (The washing-up liquid will remove any residue of commercial cleaners that have been used on the windows before.) If you really want to get a sparkling finish, dry the windows with crumpled newspaper. Use gloves though or you'll get dirtier than the windows were in the first place.

And, please, don't use the sort of vinegar TCEB puts on his chips, it's got malt in it which would stain - use distilled white vinegar.

Source: Author flopsymopsy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

And Then There Were Doorknobs Trivia Quiz

Please help the Revenge of the Llamas clean up. Their paddock is dirty and some things aren't working well. But they're an old-fashioned bunch so traditional methods only!

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