General Knowledge Quiz

[krus_aragon]

one of their recent mysteries, though, is set among the railway-enthusiast community; including some gentle poking of fun at our oddities, and tendency toward obsession.

For a moment that poked a vague memory, but unfortunately it crystalised into a radio drama by John Finnemore set in a signal box.

 

[SteveM70]

Peter somebody or other. Can’t remember his surname

 

[Calthrop]

You are indeed right with the Christian name (and all lady crime novelists are hereby eliminated). Can anyone come up with the surname? Any resulting duel-to-the-death over who succeeds to the floor, would presumably not furnish material for a "whodunnit" .

 

[EbbwJunction1]

It's Peter Lovesey. I was going to suggest him a few days ago, but was put off by one of his characters being London based rather than West Sussex - but maybe I'm thinking of the wrong character?

Anyway, if it's correct, I'll declare an Open Day at 221b Baker Street.

 

[Calthrop]

It's Peter Lovesey. I was going to suggest him a few days ago, but was put off by one of his characters being London based rather than West Sussex - but maybe I'm thinking of the wrong character?

Anyway, if it's correct, I'll declare an Open Day at 221b Baker Street.

Peter Lovesey it is, indeed. His Bath police central character, Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond, is "under a cloud" for a spell, causing him to move for a while to London; but in time he returns to Bath, and goes from strength to strength there. One of Lovesey's earlier series, set in Victorian times (not the Prince of Wales one): main character here, Sergeant Cribb -- is London-located. His West Sussex bod, is senior detective Henrietta Mallin -- a physically small but formidable lady.

Open floor, "as per".

 

[Calthrop]

A week has gone by -- it's "open floor"; I have another with which I could afflict people -- or, anyone else fancy a go?

 

[xotGD]

OK - I've got one: What is the second highest mountain in the UK?

 

[Marton]

Snowdon

 

[xotGD]

Snowdon

Not Snowdon

 

[Calthrop]

Ben Macdhui [sp?] ?

 

[xotGD]

Ben Macdhui [sp?] ?

Correct! Ben Macdui (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Mac Duibh) at 1,309 m

 

[Calthrop]

The blindest of guesses; but as I seem to have got it:

Who made a return journey to the nation's governmental centre and commercial hub, including an audience with the realm's supreme potentate (distaff side); engaging during same, in sub-cathedral rodent-intimidation?

 

[krus_aragon]

Er, the pied piper of Hamelin?

 

[Calthrop]

Not him, no. (Wrong country, among other things.)

 

[xotGD]

Dick Whittington?

 

[Calthrop]

Not D.W. -- but you're warmer in general, than @krus_aragon was.

 

[krus_aragon]

Is this a religious figure? Along the lines of Patrick, and his work with snakes in Ireland?

 

[Calthrop]

Totally secular -- in fact, not human !

 

[xotGD]

Dick Whittington's cat?

 

[Calthrop]

Right species -- wrong individual.

 

[341o2]

Would that be Larry the 10 Downing St cat?

 

[Calthrop]

Ingenious idea; but alas, no.

 

[DerekC]

Not sure of the name of the feline but is it "Pussy-cat pussy-cat" as in "I've been up to London to visit the Queen"? I recall a climax to the story involving a rodent and a piece of furniture, viz, "I frightened a little mouse under her chair" = cathedra (Latin) (I think). It would be an interesting variation on the story if it did involve Larry.

 

[xotGD]

Puss in Boots?

 

[Calthrop]

Not sure of the name of the feline but is it "Pussy-cat pussy-cat" as in "I've been up to London to visit the Queen"? I recall a climax to the story involving a rodent and a piece of furniture, viz, "I frightened a little mouse under her chair" = cathedra (Latin) (I think). It would be an interesting variation on the story if it did involve Larry.

You've got it absolutely right -- in the rhyme, no given name for the animal hero(ine); just the generic "pussy-cat". I was slightly stretching things language-wise, with "sub-cathedral": per the OED, "cathedral" as an adjective, means pertaining to a chair of office or authority (a cathedral-type church, is where the relevant bishop has his throne) -- but it's the Queen's furniture item, after all... ("cathedra" in Latin means, I believe, just "chair", as per yours above).

At all events -- it's your floor !

Puss in Boots?

Afraid not -- see DerekC's answer, above.

 

[krus_aragon]

("cathedra" in Latin means, I believe, just "chair", as per yours above).

Similarly, the Welsh for "cathedral" is " cadeirlan", which is obviously derived from the word "cadair" (chair), as well as the "llan" (church) found in so many place names.

 

[Calthrop]

Similarly, the Welsh for "cathedral" is " cadeirlan", which is obviously derived from the word "cadair" (chair), as well as the "llan" (church) found in so many place names.

Am I right in thinking that more than a tiny number of words in Welsh, are Latin-derived? The Welsh for "window" is -- is it not -- "ffenestr" (I may not have the spelling quite right) -- from latin "fenestra"? (Most Western European languages derive their word for that particular thing, from Latin "fenestra" -- even in German, it's "Fenster" -- the English have to be weird and go for "window".)

 

[krus_aragon]

Am I right in thinking that more than a tiny number of words in Welsh, are Latin-derived?

Yes, definitely. The major non-Celtic influences on the Brythonic/Welsh language were Latin, then French, and most recently English.

(I have a copy of an old university textbook for learning Latin through the medium of Welsh. The author postulated (and I agree) that for a Welsh speaker, learning Latin through the medium of English was a very roundabout way of doing it, considering the links between Welsh and Latin.)

 

[Spamcan81]

Am I right in thinking that more than a tiny number of words in Welsh, are Latin-derived? The Welsh for "window" is -- is it not -- "ffenestr" (I may not have the spelling quite right) -- from latin "fenestra"? (Most Western European languages derive their word for that particular thing, from Latin "fenestra" -- even in German, it's "Fenster" -- the English have to be weird and go for "window".)

Welsh has two words for bridge, pont and bont. No doubt both derived from the Latin pons.

 

[DerekC]

OK - interesting stuff.

The Great Tea Race was run in 1866 between Shanghai and Gravesend by the fastest clipper ships of the day. What was the fastest time (to the nearest day)?