Words, Words, Words
POP! Culture
For the Musically Inclined
Staff Facts 😎
Staff Factoids 👽
CTCs
100
This word can be a color and a fruit that's part of the genus citrus
Lime (or orange, lemon, or grapefruit)
100
This show became the top-rated non-animated acquired series on HBO Max since 2020
Heated Rivalry
100
This artist’s 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl helped U.S. vinyl sales top $1 billion for the first time since 1983
Taylor Swift
100
This staffer has a few powerlifting world records
Taylor
100
This staffer has almost 20 pairs of Converse
Isi
100
This CTC shares a birthday with Finn Wolfhard
Lola
200
Candidate, Faucet, Mascara, Nose are things that...
Run
200
These small and fluffy collectable figurines produced by Pop Mart gained international recognition in 2025
Labubu
200
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, this artist collaborated with ROSÉ on a Record of the Year nominated track
Bruno Mars
200
This staffer had one of their pieces of art on display at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago for a weekend
Ash
200
This staffer is BANNED from getting more than two Alani’s at Cardinal Corner
Kyle
200
This CTC has a ✨secret✨ talent
Emma
300
Heirloom, sword, and pterodactyl all have one item in common
A silent letter
300
This 10-year spanning show finally ended its run this new year
Stranger Things
300
Before topping charts with the album “Mans Best Friend,” this singer first gained recognition starring in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World
Sabrina Carpenter
300
This staffer has a Seal of Biliteracy in French
Elise
300
This staffer only listened to video game music before learning to drive and presumably discovering a car radio
Andrew
300
This CTC is really good at pool gymnastics
Riley
400
Kayak, Radar, and Tacocat are all examples of this
Palindromes
400
This slang term meaning “of low intensity” and “not very emotional.” gained a reassurance in 2025/2026
Lowkey
400
SIKE, this is a word question. Olivia Rodrigo’s lyric “I want to get him back” is an example of this literary device
Double Entendre
400
This staffer is a microcelebrity on TikTok
Luke
400
This staffer was named after a famous author
Janie
400
This CTC has Color Grapheme Synesthesia
Nic
500
How do you pronounce the italicized word in this sentence “I read the book.”
Read or Read
500
This actor just received the Award for Best Actor for playing twins in the movie Sinners
Michael B. Jordan
500
Her 2025 single Man I Need topped several UK charts and earned her widespread acclaim
Olivia Dean
500
This staffer is a beginner DJ
Amyah
500
This staffer has sunk at least four boats
Jack
500
The CTCs partook in this bonding activity during winter break
Rock Climbing
600
This word is Linh’s favorite word that Merriam-Webster defines as means joking or sarcastic in a way regarded by others as silly or annoying
Facetious
600
This movie franchise from the 1980s is Dan’s all-time favorite (hint: he has memorabilia in his office)
Back to the Future
600
Name any one of Duncan and Lennon’s (Dan's children) 5 favorite bands/artists
Alex Warren, Myles Smith, HUNTR/X, The Beatles, One Direction
600
How many years was Dan on orientation staff when he was a student?
2 (one as an orientation leader and one as an intern)
600
Dan and Linh have known each other for this number of years (Bonus if you can answer where they met)
14 years (and Illinois State University)
600
This is the acronym Dan and Linh use to refer to the CTCs
LERN