Just a Coincidence Trivia Quiz

Answer: Downtown

Petula Clark was born in England in 1932 and was a child star of BBC radio during WW2. Her most popular hit was "Downtown" and she also has several other popular songs. "Pet" has also appeared in numerous TV shows and movies over the years. She has earned nominations for Grammy and Golden Globe awards, and continues working with several UK performances in 2016, and two scheduled US appearances in 2017.

Answer: Down Syndrome

Named after the English physician John Down, who first precisely documented it in 1866, this medical condition occurs when an embryo receives an extra whole or partial copy of chromosome 21. There are three variants of Down Syndrome, the most common being Trisomy 21, at about 95%.

In the US about one in 700 births is a Down baby, roughly 6000 births each year. The statistical likelihood of a mother having a Down pregnancy increases with age; a 20 year old mother has a 1 in 2000 chance; a 49 year old woman faces a 1 in 10 probability. With the trend for more couples waiting till later to have children, the incidence of Down births is expected to rise.

Much has improved for Down individuals. Advances in medical knowledge and surgical techniques have boosted average life spans from nine years in 1910 to 60 and beyond for 80% or more in the 2000s. More education and understanding for families and the general public has increased the overall quality of life, as well.

My source for this information is the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) website.

Answer: No money down

The "no money down/no down payment" offer has been a sales technique for years, particularly for large purchases such as homes. The 2008 market fall significantly reduced "nothing down" sales, but consumers must be wary in any case - zero down sales often result in higher interest rates and expensive (buyer-purchased) mortgage insurance.

"No Money Down" is listed as an "also known as" for a 1997 movie entitled "The Definite Maybe," and a song by Lou Reed.

Answer: Down for the count

"Down for the count" comes from boxing. An opponent knocked to the floor/canvas has until the referee's count of ten to stand up and continue boxing, or lose the match. The expression can also refer to someone out of circulation because they are asleep, ill, etc.

If you knew that a pugilist is a boxer, and that "KO" is shorthand for a knockout, this question was probably easy. If not, you too may have been down for the count!

Answer: Downing the ball after a score

Despite its name, a touchdown in American and Canadian football does NOT require the ball to be touched to the ground, as in rugby.

Basically, a "touchdown" is scored in American and Canadian football when a ball crosses any part of the goal line while in the possession of a member of the team attempting to score (usually the offense). A touchdown may also be scored by catching a passed ball in the end zone. See why I tried to keep it basic?

Answer: Down in the dumps

The term "down in the dumps" is used to indicate sadness, melancholy, or depression. A simpler usage - "dumps" - appears as early as the 1590s, in Act 2 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew": "...Katherine! In your dumps?" A closely related term is "down in the mouth."

Answer: Hoedown

A hoedown is a type of American square dance or folk dance, representative of Appalachian or Western US cultural entertainment.

Answer: The land down under

Melbourne, Victoria is, of course, in Australia - the "land down under." The demonym for the city is usually shown as Melburnian," although one source also listed "Melburnite."

Founded in 1835, Melbourne grew to become the seat of the Federation government from 1901 until 1927. A 2014 source indicates a population of 4.64 million, making it the second most populous city in the nation, after Sydney's 5.0 million.

Answer: Goose down

We're all familiar with the large quilled feathers of birds; but underneath, there are bird parts of a different feather. Down is a soft, fluffy inner layer of feathers that serves to keep birds warm. In breeding season, female birds will often pluck their down, using it to line - and thus help incubate - their eggs.

Down is among the best known natural insulators, with eider, goose, and duck being very desirable. These fluffy feathers are highly prized as fill for jackets, pillows, and blankets. Down is rated by its "fill rating"/resiliency - an ounce of down is compressed in a cylinder, and the recovery height measured. A fill rating of 800-900 makes for an outstanding - and expensive - sleeping back; 400-450 is considered medium quality. Down filled sleeping bags are considered by many winter hikers to best the best in the world. China is the major world supplier (70%) of goose down, with most of the remainder coming from Europe and Canada. Of course, modern synthetic fill materials are preferred by many.

I spent many nights in an olive drab GI issue "down" sleeping bag that must have had a rating of about 10! I think the feathers came from old vultures; I swear I had quill punctures each morning!

Answer: Down Periscope

Grammer, as Lt. Commander Tom Dodge, takes temporary command of a broken down old submarine and a crew of misfits. In order to advance to higher rank and responsibility, Dodge and company must outwit the Admiral (Bruce Dern) and an ultra-modern nuclear submarine in a war game. A predictable movie, some say, but still has some laughs. It might be particularly funny to Navy vets - you might be reminded of some old shipmates.

Additional cast members include Lauren Holly, Rip Torn. and Rob Schneider.