METAL MANIA
Discovered in the late 18th century, this radioactive metal was named for a then-recently discovered planet
What is uranium?
This acronym refers to young people with big-city jobs
What are yuppies?
The truth is right here! Jack Black is struck dead by lightning on a 1995 episode of this show
What is The X-Files?
The tradition of giving treat-filled Easter baskets is said to have begun as a celebration of the end of this period of denial
What is Lent?
Bellycheer is a fun-sounding word that's synonymous with this deadly sin
What is gluttony?
South Africa is the leading producer of this precious silver-white metal rarer & denser than gold
What is platinum?
It's the name for a pixelated fellow who goes waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka
What is Pac-Man?
N.Y. raised Zoe Saldaña's first IMDb credit was a 1999 role on this TV drama; it came back in 2022, if Zoe wants to go on again
What is Law & Order?
The passenger basket beneath a hot-air balloon also goes by this Italian name
What is a gondola?
Meaning to idly loaf, this word starts with a slang word for a type of hard candy & ends with a choking action
What is lollygag?
Atomic number 29, this reddish metal has an antimicrobial effect on bacteria & is used to coat frequently touched surfaces
What is copper?
This ruched hair accessory has made a comeback, though as Cosmo notes, today's version is "more elevated" than its '80s predecessors
What is a scrunchie?
Kevin Bacon's first feature was this college-set John Belushi film; in the end, all was not well, & Kevin ended up a bit flat
What is Animal House?
The Tipitaka, or "Triple Basket", is the canon of the Theravada branch of this religion
What is Buddhism?
This 10-letter word usually refers to an ancient cave dweller but can now also describe any secluded person
What is a troglodyte?
Alkali metals like sodium & cesium are so called because when they react with water, they form these, high-pH substances
What are bases?
So erotic it's forbidden, this Brazilian dance was the subject of not one but two films
What is the Lambada?
1989's bionic showdown--"The Six Million Dollar Man" & "The Bionic Woman" was long before she dealt with "Gravity"
Who is Sandra Bullock?
A prudent piece of advice from an early translation of "Don Quixote": "'Tis part of the wise man to... not venture all his" these 4 words
What is "eggs in one basket"?
The Latin for "cloud" gives us this type of machine that gives asthma patients medicine in a liquid mist
What is a nebulizer?
Named after the founder of the Greek city of Thebes, this metal is used in nuclear reactors & rechargeable batteries
What is cadmium?
This compound term for a baby boomer of a certain age was also the title of a hit TV show
What is a thirtysomething?
Her "Long Bright River" of movie & TV roles included Lucy Montgomery on "As the World Turns" when she was 15
Who is Amanda Seyfried?
The many-armed basket stars are in this phylum of backbone-less marine critters
What is the echinoderms?
This word for authoritative influence of one nation over others comes from the Greek for "leader"
What is hegemonic (hegemony)?