The Maine thing
This legendary master of horror literature resides in Bangor, Maine, and has set many of his famous novels, including It, Carrie, and Misery, inside the state.
Who is Stephen King?
In this 1980 disaster comedy film, Leslie Nielsen delivers the ultimate deadpan pun response when told, "Surely you can't be serious."
This 1982 Michael Jackson release became the best-selling studio album of all time, fueled by massive hits like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
What is Thriller?
This host-country star forward had his automatic red card suspension overturned by FIFA before a match against Belgium, sparking fierce online debate over favoritism.
Who is Folarin Balogun?
Meaning rescued at the last moment, this phrase is popularly linked to historical safety coffins equipped with bells.
What is "saved by the bell"?
Geographically unique, Maine is the only U.S. state that shares a border with exactly this many other U.S. states.
In The Lion King, Timon asks Pumbaa what you call a fake noodle to setup a cheesy pun.
What is an impasta?
This British band, fronted by Simon Le Bon, dominated the 1980s synth-pop and new wave scenes with tracks like "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio."
Following a shocking Round of 16 penalty-shootout elimination against Norway at MetLife Stadium, this legendary forward officially announced his retirement from international soccer.
Who is Neymar?
Meaning to mistakenly pursue a wrong course of action, this idiom originates from confused hunting dogs
What is "barking up the wrong tree"?
Maine produces nearly 100% of the nation's domestic supply of this locally grown product.
What is the wild blueberry?
In The Dark Knight Rises, Bane’s intense dialogue was instantly turned into a classic internet dad joke: "You think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it," which people jokingly claim he said after doing this simple household task.
What is changing a lightbulb?
This English synth-pop duo scored a massive global hit in 1981 with "Tainted Love," which was actually a cover of a 1964 Northern Soul track.
Who is Soft Cell?
Fans in the stands heavily booed this new mandatory 3-minute tournament feature—introduced due to extreme heat but rolled out even to air-conditioned venues—which critics claimed doubled as a corporate commercial break
What are hydration breaks?
Meaning to reveal a secret prematurely, this idiom traditionally stems from switching out livestock at old open-air markets.
What is "let the cat out of the bag"?
This Portland-born poet wrote the legendary American historical poem "Paul Revere's Ride" and became one of the nation's most celebrated 19th-century literary figures.
Who is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?
In Monsters, Inc., Mike Wazowski tells a room full of human kids a joke about a skeleton who couldn't go to the party because of this physical limitation.
What is having "no body" to go with?
This English singer's 1987 debut track "Never Gonna Give You Up" eventually sparked a massive viral internet prank.
Who is Rick Astley?
FIFA announced that this Canadian pop superstar will co-headline the tournament’s first-ever Final Halftime Show.
Who is Justin Bieber?
This phrase meaning to face a painful or difficult situation with courage comes from the old military practice of having wounded soldiers chomp down on a lead projectile during battlefield surgery.
What is "bite the bullet"?
In terms of linguistic structure, Maine holds the unique distinction of being the only U.S. state whose name consists of one what?
What is one syllable?
In Star Wars: A New Hope, Uncle Owen delivers the ultimate cosmic dad joke to Luke Skywalker by telling him that if there's a bright center to the universe, they are on the planet that is this relative distance from it.
What is "the farthest from"? (Tatooine)
This iconic frontwoman of Blondie became a pioneer of early hip-hop fusion when she rapped on the band's 1980 number-one Billboard hit, "Rapture."
Who is Debbie Harry?
Following a tense loss to Argentina, Egypt's coach publicly claimed that this type of corporate support kept Lionel Messi in the tournament.
What is marketing support?
This phrase meaning to intentionally ignore someone comes from the medieval practice of serving a literal cold cut of unwanted meat to houseguests who had overstayed their welcome.
What is "give the cold shoulder"?