Does anyone still take part in a pub quiz?

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Profpointy

Legendary Member
I once - just after moving to London - was every quiz master's worst nightmare.
QM: what's the world's only egg-laying mammal?
Antipodean voice #1: there's two.
Antipodean voice #2: three actually.

What's the 3rd one then ?

Having spent a year in Oz I was priveleged to see two of them; platypus and echidna


Edit: is there a South American one making up the set ?
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Dogs lay eggs.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
The worst pub quiz was one where the winning team had to set the questions for the following week. People couldn't resist showing off, and trying to outdo each other with obscure knowledge. One question was 'What is the percentage of lead in lead crystal glass?' We stopped going after that.

Whilst I get your sentiment, the example sounds like a really good question, and it may be more than you'd think. Much better than who won the fa cup in 1973 surely
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
The secret of a good quiz is one where most people have a good idea of most of the answers, not to outwit and demoralise people though.

But it's a cool question that virtually no-one would know outright, but could maybe guess based on school chemistry and having been suprised at the weight of a lead crystal whisky glass.

My guess is 20% ... and it is a guess.

You've set me googling now

edit: 18% to 40% lead oxide by weight apparently, so that'd be slightly less than that actual lead itself
 
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Profpointy

Legendary Member
Fair comment, but I guess you had to have heard all the other questions, to understand how that was the last straw.

I can indeed imagine a painfull set of smart arse questions but found the specific example quite appealing. I'm not that good at pub quizzes to honest, knowing little of football, pop music, or tv shows, but do enjoy univesitiy challenge.
 

TVC

Guest
Pubs and pub quizzes= both boring and dated.
Not round here they're not.
 
What's the 3rd one then ?
That was my microbiologist ex. He claims there are 2 species of echidna.

<Google google> "There are two types of Echidnas, long-nosed and short-nosed."
He was usually right.

I can totally visualise the page in my exercise book where I carefully wrote "monotremes" in my best writing, and detailed the reproductive habits of Echidnas and platypuses. Now I think of it, that was before sex education had started, so then I knew more about monotreme reproduction than the rest of the mammalian kingdom.
 
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I walked past the pub quiz at my local a little earlier. As I approached I thought I would take a photo of the crowd, which I have seen filling every table, to augment this discussion. It was pretty thin, presumably because of the weather, so I didn't bother.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
That was my microbiologist ex. He claims there are 2 species of echidna.

<Google google> "There are two types of Echidnas, long-nosed and short-nosed."
He was usually right.

I can totally visualise the page in my exercise book where I carefully wrote "monotremes" in my best writing, and detailed the reproductive habits of Echidnas and platypuses. Now I think of it, that was before sex education had started, so then I knew more about monotreme reproduction than the rest of the mammalian kingdom.

This may reveal me to be an even bigger nerd than everyone thought, but reaching for my Australian Mammals book confirms there are two sorts of Echidna. The Australian short beaked variety, which is distinct from the long beaked variety from Papua New Guinea. I have the matching volumes on reptiles and birds, but regretfully to the compleatist in me resisted purchase the volume on frogs which made up the set. I found the wildlife there absolutley fascinating and did pore through the books whilst I was there. I didn't get into ticking them off or anything, but regret not seeing any crocs in the wild (ideally from aome distance) nor monitor lizards or pythons. Seeing the platypus, albeit very briefly was quite a treat though
 

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
I remember the pub quiz down my local in the 1990's. Two team names spring to mind. One was The Spaniel's ears,the other was F.O.A.D. One or the other won every week.:tired:
 
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