Animal, Vegetable or Mineral Nicknames Quiz

Answer: Iron Duke

The Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) had a long and distinguished military career, notably in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, when his army defeated that of Napoleon. In 1819 he returned to his previous political career, eventually becoming Prime Minister, a post he held from January 1828 until November 1830. For a brief period at the end of 1834 he also served a second, temporary, term as Prime Minister, as he led the country in the absence of newly-elected Prime Minister Robert Peel, who had been abroad at the time he succeeded to office.

Answer: The Big Cat

Slovakian tennis legend Miroslav Mercir (also Miloslav Mecir) was known as 'The Big Cat', a nickname earned due to both his height of 6'3" and the graceful on-court footwork for which he was noted. He was the Olympic men's singles gold medallist in Seoul in 1988, beating American Tim Mayotte in the final.

He also won the men's doubles medal at the same Games, with his partner Milan Srejber. Mercir was a finalist at two Grand Slam events during the 1980s, the US and the Australian, being beaten by Ivan Lendl on each occasion. During his career he won 11 tournaments.

Answer: Robert Davis

Born Robert Davis in 1945, Jasper Carrott has had a long television career which commenced in the 1970s, including the high-profile 'Carrott Confidential' and Carrott's Commercial Breakdown'. He is an acclaimed stand-up comedian and has appeared in numerous other television shows as well as hosting the popular game show 'Golden Balls' from 2007. Jasper Carrott's daughter is the actress Lucy Davis, from 'The Office'.

He was honoured with the OBE in 2002.

Answer: Carlos the Jackal

Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka 'Carlos the Jackal', came to the world's attention following his participation in a raid on Vienna's OPEC headquarters. In 1997, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, serving his time in La Santé, Paris. The nickname was applied to him because it was originally thought that a copy of Frederick Forsyth's novel 'The Day of the Jackal' was found among Ramirez's possessions, but this turned out not to be the case.

Answer: The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher, nee Roberts, was born in 1925, the daughter of a grocer from Grantham, Lincolnshire. She was Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, serving three terms in office. She was a very tough-taking politician, hence her nickname of 'The Iron Lady'. Mrs Thatcher was elevated to the peerage in 1992, whereupon she became known as Baroness Thatcher.

Answer: Tony Blair

Tony Blair became leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and was the UK's Prime Minister for ten years from 1997 until 2007, when he was succeeded by Gordon Brown. He had a long political career, being MP for Sedgefield, County Durham, which lasted from 1983 until his resignation in 2007.

Another of his well-known nicknames was 'Teflon Tony', a reference to the non-stick properties of the substance 'Teflon'.

Answer: Eldrick

Born in December 1975 in Cypress, California, Tiger Woods's full name is Eldrick Tont Woods. Eldrick is a name of English origin, meaning 'old, wise ruler'. In 2008 Tiger Woods was listed as the world's highest earning sportsperson; by the end of 2009 he had won a total of 14 Majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus's record of 18. Setbacks in his personal life led to a break from the game in late 2009, but he returned in April 2010 for the Masters Tournament in Augusta, where he finished in joint fourth place.

Answer: Papillon

Henri Charrière's nickname of 'Papillon' - meaning 'butterfly' in French - came about because he had a tattoo of a butterfly on his chest. The book tells his story as a convicted murderer, although he always denied the charge, who eventually escaped from Devil's Island, arriving in Venezuela after a perilous journey on a makeshift raft. After a year in prison there he was released in 1945, a free man. Henri Charrière died in Spain in 1973.

Long after Charrière's death, his publisher gave succour to those who had long doubted the veracity of the work. He admitted that "Papillon" had originally been submitted for publication as a fictional novel. The publisher, Robert Laffont, had persuaded Charrière that the book would probably sell better as an autobiographical work.

Answer: Silver Fox

'Silver Fox' is of course a nickname relating to grey or white hair colour. Charlie Rich (1932-1995) began his music career in the late 1950s. His 1973 album 'Behind Closed Doors' was hugely popular, winning many prestigious awards. Phillip Schofield (born in Lancashire, England, in 1962) has had a long television career, which actually began in New Zealand where he had moved with his family in his teens.

He later returned to England and has presented many programmes in a variety of genres ranging from children's television shows to 'Dancing on Ice', 'This Morning', 'National Lottery Winning Lines' and game show 'The Cube'.

Answer: The Muscles from Brussels

Jean-Claude Van Damme was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1960. Before emigrating to America and finding fame as an actor he was a successful bodybuilder and former 'Mr Belgium'. A martial arts student from childhood, he has fought professionally, and has had success in several films since the 1980s, most notably in 'Bloodsport', 'Timecop' and 'Universal Soldier'.