Friday, 19 August 2011

Last Quiz before Spain

I was the question master in the rugby club last night for the second week in a row. I wouldn’t normally take two turns in a row like this, but on Sunday we’re off for the annual dose of Spanish sunshine, so I won’t be around next Thursday. The Thursday after that will be the evening before I start back at work , and to be perfectly honest I don’t really fancy doing it that night. I have a quiz pretty much ready – well , several actually, bar the insertion of a few suitable in the news questions, but I’d rather leave it until I’ve been back for a week or so. So that means that unless anyone else volunteers, then Brian will have to do a two week stint himself.

I’ll be honest, I was quite enjoying myself last night, and then I asked the question,
“Which railway line is coloured pink on the London Underground map ?”
To which I added the rider : -
“And please don’t look in your diaries – if I see anyone doing it, then they will get a zero score in the round. “ All well and good, and taken in good part. Thus emboldened the inner demon, never that far from the surface when I’m in a quiz, prompted me to add : -
“And if I see anyone using their phone, then they’ll have a zero score for the whole quiz. Phones ruin quizzes ! “ etc. etc. Cue much nodding of heads, and murmurs of “here , here.”

Why I had to mention it I’m not really sure. After all, since my last outburst , quite a few months ago, none of the results have been at all suspicious, and I certainly haven’t seen anyone using a phone. I suppose that if it keeps the issue out in the open, and makes anyone think twice about that kind of cheating, then that’s all well and good. Yet what gets me is that two teams who I have actually seen in the quiz using phones themselves in the past actually sat there nodding and murmuring their approval. Likewise the lady who sits there in another team with a book in her lap. So were they just nodding when I said it to shut me up so that I’d get on with the questions ? Maybe so. Or do they think that its only cheating when other teams do it ? Or are they able to completely dissociate what they do in one quiz with what they do in another one ? Beats me, but there we are, if it keeps the phones out of the quiz, then I’m happy.

I’d like to share an answer with you which I heard last night, before I go. Not, actually, to one of the questions which I asked. After the quiz I was having a chat with some of the players, and I was told this cracker. I don’t know whether its true, or not, but its still worth sharing. One of the guys was at a quiz on Wednesday night, when this question was asked : -
Steven Georgiou, was born in 1948. He has been known by two other names since. A point for each of them.
Apparently one of the opposing teams leaned over in the break between rounds and asked – “ We know that the Georgiou bloke is Cat Stevens, but we’re arguing about what his muslim name is. Can you settle an argument for us ? It is Abu Hamza, isn’t it ? “

Even if he made it up, its still a good’un.

2 comments:

Jack said...

Seeing as you won't be around to review Uni Challenge and Only Connect next week Dave, I'd be happy to write reviews for you, mail them to you and you can put them up when you get back. Just a thought.

Anyway, enjoy your break!

Londinius said...

Hi Jack

That's really kind of you, and I would take you up on it - however I'll be back on Sunday 28th, so I'll be able to post my own before Monday 29th. Thanks for the offer, though.

Dave