Q: On April 17, 1974, an English song by a Swedish pop group topped the charts around the world. The name of the song is usually used in a phrase that refers to someone being defeated or encountering something they cannot overcome. It refers to a particular field in Belgium where Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated by the British. What is the name of the song that finishes the phrase, “To meet your _____”?
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A: Waterloo
Q: This is a common phrase that is used to explain that something is just a small part of a much larger problem. The saying comes from the fact that only a very small part of a large body, mentioned in it, is visible. This gives a misleading impression about its size. What is this saying, which you might use in conversation or if you were sailing out at sea?
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A: It’s just the tip of the iceberg
Q: This phrase, which refers to an event that happens rarely, is based on a particular 29-day cycle. Naturally, this event should happen once every two and a half years. When this does happen though, there is no change in the colour of the object mentioned in the phrase. One theory is that the only time the colour changed was in 1883 when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded and spewed ash, which caused this colour change for more than a year. What phrase is this?
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A: Once in a blue moon
Q: This phrase is used to refer to someone who is very practical or matter-of-fact. It could be in contrast to someone who has ‘their head in a cloud’ or is not very realistic. One theory for its origin is that it may allude to angels or other celestial creatures being ‘cast down’ to join mortal humans. What is this phrase that means that someone is realistic and ‘grounded’?
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A: Down to earth
Q: This description of an intense weather phenomenon involves two animals. The phrase may come from the fact that in early times these animals used to sleep on rafters of the roof. Under certain conditions it could become slippery and they might fall down. Another explanation is that the Norse god of thunder, Odin, is often pictured with one type of animal, whereas the other animal is associated with witches who are said to cause this phenomenon. What is this phrase?
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A: Raining cats and dogs
Q: This popular children’s game was earlier known as ‘Russian Scandals’ and acquired its present name much later. The name stems from a racist idea that a particular country’s people spoke in a way that was deliberately unintelligible. The game involves listening to someone, trying to understand what you heard, and then passing that on to the next person as accurately as you can. Known as ‘telephone game’ in the U.S., what is it known as in India and the U.K.?
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A: Chinese Whispers
Q: This phrase may refer to the fact that in some cases moist air is sucked up by the clouds and dry and warm air descends, which is more stable, and thus more still, leading to a feeling of quiet. However, the clouds that drew away the moist air then get into action. What is the associated phrase that refers to a peaceful or untroubled period that exists just before things get chaotic?
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A: The calm before the storm
Q: This idiom is used to express the idea that something went wrong and then continued to get worse or escalate. It is based on the fact that if you set something off on a slope, thanks to the effect of gravity, it is likely to keep following the same trajectory. What is this phrase you can use to talk about things going wrong?
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A: Thing going downhill
Q: This phrase, about a natural phenomenon, is often used when something good happens and suggests that it may not happen again. This is not scientifically true: in reality, this event can happen multiple times in the same place. In fact, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is on record for having the most number of these events happening in a year. What is this phrase that is completely untrue (and hence dangerous advice to someone caught in a storm)?
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A: Lightning never strikes the same place twice
Q: A common explanation for this expression is that it refers to a certain classification system that was introduced in the 1800s. As amateur meteorologists all followed their own system of classification, the ‘International _____ Atlas’ came into being as a standard. The early versions of the Atlas placed the ‘cumulonimbus’ at a certain position on the list. The cumulonimbus is fluffy in nature, and found at the highest altitude, features that put it in that position on the list, which may have given rise to this phrase. What is this phrase, which is also the name of a catchy song by Bryan Adams and Chicane?
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A: Cloud No.9 (however, as of 2019, the updated editions of the International Cloud Atlas have moved the cumulonimbus clouds to No. 10)
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
