Hats off! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hatchment

A Funerary Hatchment: when a person entitled to heraldic arms dies, his or her coat of arms may be exhibited on his house, in a church, or on the hearse at the funeral. It indicates both the fact of the death, and the rank of the deceased, and also shows their gender and marital status.

Answer: Hatto

The poem by Robert Southey tells the legend of Bishop Hatto, who in a time of famine, rather than release the grain from his own granaries, put all the village poor into a barn which he then set fire to. As divine retribution rats then ate all his grain, whereupon he retreated to his castle on the Rhine (known today as the Mouse-tower), only to be attacked and eaten there by the rats - or possibly mice.

There was a real Hatto, Archbishop of Mainz, died 913, who was apparently quite a good man - for his time.

Answer: Hat trick

The taking, or scoring, or making a hat-trick occurs in many sports. Some are harder than others. In cricket, for a bowler to take three wickets with successive balls is quite rare, while in professional football someone scores three goals in a match most weeks.

Answer: Hatchet

To bury the hatchet means to agree to stop fighting, or arguing. A hatchet is a small axe used with one hand. A native American tomahawk is much the same, and it is probable that these are the things that were actually buried when chiefs of two tribes agreed a peace.

Answer: Hatshepsut

Hatshephut (aka Hatasu, Hatshopsitu, Hashepsowe) was that rare being, a female pharaoh. She was first regent to her nephew Thutmose III and then assumed full powers as ruler of Egypt. Her reign was a progressive one encouraging commerce and good administration.

The outstanding relic of her 20-year reign is the beautiful terraced temple in West Thebes (incidentally the hottest place I have ever visited!)

Answer: Hatter

In Australia especially in bad times, some men preferred to live alone. A swagman was an itinerant labourer who carried his belongings from place to place in a swag, while a man who stayed in one place was a hatter. A hatter would live off the land, or maybe pan for gold if he was in the right area - or very optimistic.

Answer: Hatred

The seven deadly sins are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. I suppose Wrath comes closest to Hatred. Ambrose Bierce in his Devil's Dictionary defines hatred as "A sentiment appropriate to the occasion of another's superiority."

Answer: Hathor

One of the best known of Egyptian deities, Hathor had many titles and attributes. "Lady of Stars", "Mistress of Heaven", "Lady of the West" for example, as well as couple of unmentionable names. (Among her many guises, she was goddess of sexuality!).

Answer: Hatch

The word hatch may refer to the breaking out of the bird or reptile from its egg. Don't count them before they are hatched!
Shading in a drawing by means of parallel lines is called hatching, and when done in two directions is called cross-hatching.
It may also refer to a door with an opening in it, or the covering over the entrance to a ship's hold. Batten down the hatches.

Answer: Hat band

A decorative band around the crown on many types of hat is called a hat band. You can buy these for cowboy hats, straw hats and various ladies' hats. They may be used as identification too. The game of Ladies' Bowls can be incredibly stuffy. My wife, a bowls player, was once castigated because she was wearing a hat with the wrong team's hatband!