This weekend's Saturday quiz once again challenged readers with a diverse set of questions spanning history, geography, art, and popular culture. For those left pondering the clues, the full set of answers has now been revealed, offering a fascinating insight into an eclectic mix of trivia.
From Monarchs to Masterpieces: The Standout Answers
The quiz opened with a question on British heritage, asking which Briton has the most statues erected in their honour. The correct answer is Queen Victoria, whose imperial legacy is physically commemorated in countless towns and cities across the UK and the former British Empire. In the art world, a record-breaking sale was the focus of another question. The portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt recently fetched a staggering $236 million, underscoring the enduring value of the Austrian master's work.
Sports enthusiasts were tested on Olympic excellence, with Germany's Isabell Werth recognised as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in the equestrian discipline of dressage. Meanwhile, music history recalled a tragic event: American rock and roll pioneer Eddie Cochran died in a car accident in Bath in 1960.
Lunar Logic and Literary Links
A celestial query asked what phase follows a full moon. The accurate astronomical answer is the waning gibbous phase, as the moon's illuminated area begins to decrease. The 'What links' section provided some of the quiz's most clever puzzles. For instance, the link between Freud's unconscious drives, a Kipling poem, a moon of Jupiter, existing, and the clown Pennywise is the prefix 'i-' (id, If–, Io, is, It).
Another connection united Phoebe Buffay, Frankenstein's monster, Lisa Simpson, Spock, and Elle Woods as notable fictional vegetarians. Literature and theatre combined in a clue pointing to the musical Wicked, linking creator L. Frank Baum, novelist Gregory Maguire, songwriter Stephen Schwartz, and film director Jon Chu.
Chart-Topping Near Misses and Pitch Battles
The quiz also delved into pop culture anomalies. It identified four songs as the UK's biggest hits never to reach number one: The Killers' 'Mr Brightside', Oasis's 'Wonderwall', John Legend's 'All of Me', and Hozier's 'Take Me To Church'. In a nostalgic twist, a clue referencing Prime Minister Brown, industrialist Ford, king Longshanks, and saint More was solved by the numbers of Thomas the Tank Engine characters: Gordon (4), Henry (3), Edward (2), and Thomas (1).
Finally, the sporting world provided a notorious link. Footballers Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Ricardo Fuller (Stoke), and Newcastle duo Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer are all infamously known for being sent off for hitting their own teammates during matches.
Other answers included the North and South Poles for areas with no assigned time zones, the Old English poem 'The Battle of Maldon' commemorating the 991 AD battle, and Leiden University as the oldest in the Netherlands. The geographical link between Mount Ulysses in British Columbia and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico marks the approximate northern and southern ends of the Rocky Mountains.
