Showdown Recap for 11 Jul 2017 at BWW Gibson in ABQ
Now that the excused holiday absences have expired, the team saw nearly everyone return for this week’s edition of bust-your-brainbox. In addition we were visited by long-time team member DMAN, whose personal life had ripped him away from the team and regular attendance. All told, the Ragged Rascals were 12 strong and manning twenty machines.
Worn-up Round
1. In which sport is the ball often referred to as the ‘horsehide’? BASEBALL
2. To lesson* (sic, Buzzie, sic) the seriousness of something by giving an excuse is to ___it: EXTENUATE.
3. What is Amazon.com’s voice control system named? ALEXA
4. ‘A Love Supreme’ is a 1965 album by thai legendary jazz saxophonist: JOHN COLTRANE.
5. Thomas Kinkade was a commercially successful but controversial American: PAINTER.
6. Honolulu’s North Shore is famous worldwide for its: SURFING.
7. Until 2017, William Sessions was the only F.B.I. Director to be fired. Who fired him? BILL CLINTON.
8. The edible pitahaya, the fruit of a cactus, is commonly called: DRAGON FRUIT.
9. At less than 10 square miles, it is one of the smallest nations in the world: NAURU.
10. Upper market, middle market, and down market are the three categories of British: NEWSPAPERS.
*yes, the Buzzies actually said ‘lesson’ instead of ‘lessen’. This caused massive confusion on the team, with BLZBUB prompted to ask, “What the Hell are they asking?” Eventually someone figured out the puzzle and got the team the correct answer.
It seems to BLZBUB that the Buzzies need a ‘lessen’ in how to proofread, so as to ‘lesson’ their over-dependence in autocorrect while writing questions. He hopes they’ve learned their lesson today.
Their gaff did not deter us from the successful completion of this round. The team did miss WU9, and split all over on WU10, but got the first eight of the ten.
Ground-down Round
1. This Neil Gaiman comic book series began with DC comics in 1989: THE SANDMAN.
2. By definition, a restive person is one who is: HARD TO CONTROL.
3. With which controversial issue is Executive Order 9066 associated: WW II INTERNMENT CAMPS.
4. According to legend, Rome was founded by Romulus, one of the twin sons of this war god: MARS.
5. Konstantin Treplev is one of the lead characters in this play written in 1895: THE SEAGULL.
6. Charley Patton, Son House, and John Lee Hooker all gained fame as ___ artists: BLUES.
7. Whether in Nature or in art, polycephaly refers to multiple: HEADS.
8. The Schmidt Scale measures pain caused by: INSECT STINGS.
9. Over 850 languages are spoken in: PAPUA NEW GUINEA.
10. Cyanocitta Cristata is the scientific name of the: BLUE JAY.
11. Which country’s current President is the son of its Founding Father? KENYA.
12. ‘Sour-tasting’ is the literal meaning of this word: SUSHI.
Although there was a 2-way split on CD5 and uncertainty on CD11, the team did the near-impossible. We got all 12 correct. DMAN made an excellent early call on #3; BLZBUB made a quick, certain call on #8; DUFF made the polyglot call on #9.
Scatology Round
S1. ANCIENT GREECE v scientists
The Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta fought in the ___ War in the 5th Century B.C. PELOPONNESIAN. [CHILL directed the Greek chorus.]
S2. U.S. companies v WRITERS
‘Adonais’ is a famous elegy written by ___ in 1821: PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. [DUFF, with an assist by CHILL.]
S3. Extreme sports v SPAIN
Catalonia is a region in ___ Spain. NORTHEASTERN. {CHILL & CROEM}
S4. Writers v ANCIENT GREECE
Xenophon, author of ‘Anabasis,’ was an Ancient Greek writer and professional: SOLDIER. [DUFF & CHILL]
S5. SPAIN v U.S. companies
Albarino is a Spanish: WHITE WINE GRAPE. [BLZBUB has been known to favor its tipple.]
S6. SCIENTISTS v extreme sports
Graham’s Law of Effusion was formulated by ___ Thomas Graham in 1848: CHEMIST. [We were split between biology and chemistry. BLZBUB favored bio, Jax favored chem….JAX was correct. Her husband should be proud.]
The team got 5 of 6 without problems, and then there was the split on #6. Not bad.
Frightening Round
1. The dome of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow is called an ___ dome: ONION
2. Actors Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall were members of what movie group: BOWERY BOYS.
3. Which mountains are a part of the North American cordillera? ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
4. Legends in Concert, Crazy Girls, and Tournament of Kings are long-running ___shows: LAS VEGAS. [didn’t get it]
5. Joshua Slocum was the first man to ___ around the world solo: SAIL.
6. James Patterson’s current bestseller about a family of cops is titled: THE BLACK BOOK. [nary a peep was heard from the group]
7. What is the purpose of the new gadget known as the fidget spinner? RELIEVE STRESS. [For those on teams who thought ‘distract children’ was the answer:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... en-clicker]
Py-Ram-It Round
P1. In 1793, he became a member of the Committee of Public Safety:
Choices: Napoleon, Hancock, Bismarck, Jefferson, Robespierre
A: MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE. [DUFF pre-called this one.]
P2. Glycerol and three ___ combine to form triglycerides:
Choices: Metabolic Enzymes, Polymers, Fatty Acids, Isotopes, Adiposes
A: FATTY ACIDS. {WALACE, “fats” followed by BLZBUB, “fatty acids.”}
P3. Which literary character was captured by pirates and sold into slavery?
Choices: Ben Gunn, Edwin Drood, Robinson Crusoe, Billy Budd, Charles Marlow
A: ROBINSON CRUSOE. [damn! The team blew it!]
P4. The Ruvuma River forms the border between ___ and Mozambique.
Choices: Tanzania, Pakistan, Angola, Zimbabwe, Madagascar
A: TANZANIA. [CROEM and BALDRC]
P5. Which of these foods was named after a Catholic Saint?
Choices: Pistachio, Praline, Almond, Filbert, Cashew
A: FILBERT. [DUFF made the nutty call, but we believed him and prosoered.]
FINAL TRAGEDY
Topic: WORD ORIGINS
Jacob Grimm is famous for his fairy tales but he also invented this word:
1. Doppelganger
2. Umlaut
3. Ampersand
4. Schadenfreude
5. Asterisk
The order of the eliminations was 3, 5, 4, and 1, leaving #2, UMLAUT, as the correct answer. Early on the team favored Doppelganger as the answer. We were feeling very confident when all answers but d-ganger and umlaut were eliminated. When it was finally reveal, the answer came like a punch to the gut. Upon seeing the final answer the team’s mood was instantly transformed into High Dudgeon.
The top individual scores for the night were 16722, 16699, 16561, 16553, 16490, and 16235.
The team average score was 16543 points.
The team’s ranking was Eighty-Second Place.
BLZBUB congratulates any and all teams who did well on this game.
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