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February Self-Portrait
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Tag Archives: blog
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Ten Things
This year our Ten Things column will present a selection of words (of five or more letters) with a different ending each month. This month …
Words Ending in -ack
- bladderwrack
- barrack
- crackerjack
- googlewhack
- haversack
- knickknack
- quack
- stickleback
- thumbtack
- thwack
So how many of those words did you know? And how many do you use?
This Month’s Quote
The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting.
Gloria Leonard
February Quiz Questions
Each month we’re posing six pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month.
As always, they’re designed to be tricky but not impossible, so it’s unlikely everyone will know all the answers – just have a bit of fun.
Biology
- What is the biggest cat species in the world?
- What is the world’s fastest bird?
- What is the process by which plants convert sunlight to energy?
- How many eyes does a bee have?
- How many bones does a shark have?
- What colours are flamingos born?
Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.
February 1926
Our look at some of the significant happenings 100 years ago this month.
1. Death. Theodosius of Skopje, Bulgaria Orthodox religious leader and saint (b.1846)
2. Birth. Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of France (d.2020)
9. Birth. Garret FitzGerald, Irish lawyer, politician, and 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (d.2011)
10. Birth. Danny Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer, football manager (d.1993)
11. Birth. Paul Bocuse, French chef (d.2018)
14. Death. John Jacob Bausch, German-born American optician, co-founder of Bausch & Lomb (b.1830)
16. Birth. John Schlesinger, British film director (d.2003)
22. Birth. Kenneth Williams, English actor (d.1988)
25. Francisco Franco becomes General in Spain.
Something to Think About this Month
Each month I offer you something to think about to get the brain working. This month …
Maybe oxygen is slowly killing you and it just takes
75-100 years to fully work?
January Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.
General Knowledge
- The numbers on the opposite sides of a six-sided die always add up to what number? Seven
- What was the name of the world’s first artificial satellite? Sputnik 1
- In what year did cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin reach space? 1961
- Where did backgammon originate? Persia
- What is England’s official national sport? Cricket
- Since the 1970s in which country has it been a tradition to eat fried chicken from KFC on Christmas Day? Japan
Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2025.
Ten Things
This year our Ten Things column will present a selection of words (of five or more letters) with a different ending each month. This month …
Words Ending in -ine
- asinine
- concubine
- entwine
- fettuccine
- labyrinthine
- migraine
- ovine
- praline
- serpentine
- thylacine
So how many of those words did you know? And how many do you use?
This Month’s Quote
You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going,
because you might not get there.
Yogi Berra
January Quiz Questions
Each month we’re posing six pub quiz style questions, with a different subject each month.
As always, they’re designed to be tricky but not impossible, so it’s unlikely everyone will know all the answers – just have a bit of fun.
General Knowledge
- The numbers on the opposite sides of a six-sided die always add up to what number?
- What was the name of the world’s first artificial satellite?
- In what year did cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin reach space?
- Where did backgammon originate?
- What is England’s official national sport?
- Since the 1970s in which country has it been a tradition to eat fried chicken from KFC on Christmas Day?
Answers will be posted in 2 weeks time.