And hello again from the Idle Moments team (i.e. me). I apologise that this intro is a bit shorter than usual (though you’ll probably consider that is to be applauded rather than decried) but I’m in a bit of a rush to get this to the editor as I shall be off for a long weekend away in a country pub with a group of family members on the day before the deadline.
Right, to business. Let’s start with 5BY4; this time I’m calling it ‘Breweries by Numbers’. It’s the usual format where you try (if you can be bothered) to match the breweries with their locations in the usual manner, but this time all the company names start with a number
1. 40 FT A. East Hoathley, East Sussex
2. 71 Brewing B. Ystradgynlais, Swansea
3. 4Ts C. Dundee
4. 1648 D. Evesham, Worcestershire
5. 9 Lives E. Heckington, Lincolnshire
6. 8 Sail F. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
7. 360° G. Dalston, London
8. 1086 H. Uckfield, East Sussex
9. 3 Words I. Brownhills, West Midlands
10. 52 Degrees J. Warrington, Cheshire
There, that was easy, wasn’t it? Now let’s have some more of the BAZY Celebrities which appeared for the first time in the last edition. You’ll probably be pleased to know that I could find far fewer people with their initials in reverse alphabetical order so I can assure you that this thread will run its course far sooner than the standard Consecutive Celebrities; not just yet, though…
1. LK: This Morning presenter
2. ML: Ninety Five Theses
3. NM: Australian opera singer
4. ON: Humourist (Devil’s Dictionary author)
5. PO: American protest singer
6. RQ: Swiss footballer
7. SR: ‘Miracle’ singer
8. TS: Czech playwright
9. UT: Kill Bill actress
10. VU: Austrian composer (died in Auschwitz)
And so we come to Trivial Knowledge. I can’t really think just how I thought up the following questions (maybe I just turned up the old money box with old coins in it) but for some reason I decided to see if I could assemble ten questions about pre-decimal coinage. I apologise in advance to those youngsters among you who aren’t old enough to remember using proper money but, you see, I was in my third year at college in February 1971 and a slice of toast in the refectory (canteen) went down from 3d to 1 New P (butter extra). Actually, looking back over the questions, half of them refer to decimal coins anyway. Here they are then:
1. In pre-decimal coinage, how many (old) pennies together weighed one ounce? And, by extension, what was the weight of a pound (£1 sterling) in pounds (avoirdupois)?
2. According to the Royal Mint a (new) penny weighs 3.56 grammes. On this basis, what does £1 in new pennies weigh as a percentage of £1 in old pennies?
3. Which pre-decimal British coin was one inch in diameter?
4. When (month, year) was the 50 pence coin first issued into circulation in preparation for the introduction of decimalisation?
5. In what year was the original 50 pence coin replaced by a smaller version in the same design?
6. Why were the penny and two penny coins made thicker in 1992?
7. When was the decimal half penny withdrawn from circulation?
8. When was the (pre-decimal) farthing withdrawn from circulation and in what year was the farthing last minted?
9. At the time of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the nation’s coinage was redesigned with a new design for the Queen’s head, reflecting her advancing years. At the same time a new denomination of coin was introduced (only minted between 1887 and 1890). What were its name (and value)?
10. When was the 20 pence coin first issued?
And so we come to the end of another idle moment. By the time this gets to you we shall probably be digging out the winter underwear to protect our old bones from the cold. Have a good time until the next Drinker arrives (It’ll be the Christmas edition – how time flies!)
Andy Pirson
As usual, here are the solutions to the puzzles set in the August/September Idle Moments column:
5BY4 (Locomotive Names):
1. Duchess of Hamilton – 46229
2. Mallard – 4468
3. City of Truro – 3440
4. Evening Star– 92220
5. Tornado – 60163
6. Green Arrow – 4771
7. Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – 91110
8. Flying Scotsman – 60103
9. Oliver Cromwell – 70013
10. Dwight D Eisenhower – 60008
The odd one out of these is Battle of Britain Memorial Flight because it is electric and new but its naming ceremony is recorded on the National Railway Museum YouTube channel.
BAZY CELEBRITIES:
1. BA: Swedish Eurovision winner [Benny Andersson]
2. CB: Yorkshire Novelist [Charlotte Brontë]
3. DC: Middlesex and England cricketer [Denis Compton]
4. ED: Painter of dancers [Edgar Degas]
5. FE: Communist Manifesto author [Friedrich Engels]
6. GF: Triple Formula One GP winner [Giancarlo Fisichella]
7. HG: Labour Party Leader [Hugh Gaitskell]
8. IH: Radio 4 Frodo Baggins [Ian Holm]
9. JI: Spanish singer/songwriter (and footballer) [Julio Iglesias]
10. KJ: Welsh mezzo-soprano [Katherine Jenkins]
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE:
1. The BBC’s ‘most widely travelled reporter’ Alan Whicker was born on 2 August 1925 in Cairo.
2. Simon de Montfort was killed on 4 August 1265 in a battle during England’s Second Barons’ War near Evesham in Worcestershire.
3. The country in South America which was declared an independent republic on 6 August 1825 is Bolivia. The other South American country which also declared its independence in the same month is Uruguay.
4. Singapore seceded from the Federation of Malaysia and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth on 9 August in 1965.
5. Gotlieb Daimler patented the first design for a motorcycle on 29 August in 1885.
6. Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan, was born on 1 September in 1875.
7. The Treaty of Portsmouth, signed on 5 September 1905, ended a war between Russia and Japan.
8. The member of the Goon Show team who was born on 8 September 1925 in Southsea, was Peter Sellers.
9. The first Prime Minister to occupy No. 10 Downing Street (from 22 September 1735) was Sir Robert Walpole.
10. The advert which heralded the start of commercial television on 22 September 1955 was for Gibbs SR toothpaste.