Noms De Plume
Famous People Who Stutter
Alfred Hitchcock
Shakespeare's Words
Innovations in Clothing
Potpourri
Ologies and Isms
100
Her pen name was simply A Lady. She chose to publish anonymously because it was risky for women to publish under their own names at the time. Her authorship wasn't established until her brother published her books Persuasion and Northanger Abbey posthumously.
Who is Jane Austen?
100
He began his long political career when he was first elected to the Senate in 1973 at the age of 30, making him the sixth-youngest senator in U.S. history. He was elected President on November 3, 2020.
Who is Joe Biden?
100
Alfred Hitchcock made many great scary movies, but nothing scared him more than these, as he suffered from ovophobia.
What are eggs?
100
We say that the world is our (this bivalve mollusk) thanks to The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, scene ii
What is an oyster?
100
Levi Strauss was an entrepreneur who invented and marketed this clothing item. In 1873, Strauss and Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, patented the idea of using copper rivets at the stress points of sturdy work pants. Denim became the fabric of choice early on.
What are blue jeans?
100
In the nursery rhyme, this is what happens "when the wind blows".
What is The Cradle Will Rock?
100
This is the study of Mushrooms
What is Mycology?
200
These siblings all became celebrated authors, beginning their careers using the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. In 1846, they published their first volume of poetry under these names, knowing that female writers wouldn't be taken seriously and could be socially ostracized.
Who are the Bronte sisters?
200
This British writer's most famous works include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, as well as poems The Hunting of the Snark and Jabberwocky. In addition to being an author, he was a mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman, and photographer.
Who is Lewis Carroll?
200
Hitchcock was under contract with Paramount Pictures, who refused to fund this 1960 film about a boy and his mother. Hitchcock funded the film himself, taking no salary but instead receiving 60% ownership.
200
This alliterative description of men who grew so close in military service that they are closer than blood relations came from the St Crispin's Day speech from Henry V, Act IV, scene 3.
200
This author disliked suspenders so much that he accidentally invented the bra strap.
Who is Mark Twain?
200
In a song from Chicago, we’re told to “give ‘em the old” this title, “give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it.”
What is Razzle Dazzle?
200
A way of describing an offensive thing by an inoffensive expression
What is a Euphemism?
300
At the start of her career, she used the pseudonym 'Monosyllaba.' She went on to publish over 80 mystery and crime thriller books during her lifetime, including Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.
Who is Agatha Christie?
300
He is considered one of the finest actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, thanks to his work in Its A Wonderful Life, Rear Window and Mr Smith Goes to Washington. In addition to acting, he had a military career in which he advanced to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force.
Who is Jimmy Stewart?
300
This is the number of times Alfred Hitchcock won a Best Director Academy Award.
What is zero?
300
This phrase, which means a hopeless search for something we'll never find, comes from Romeo and Juliet, Act II, scene iv
What is Wild Goose Chase?
300
Allen Gant invented these in 1959. Their rise in popularity followed the popularity of miniskirts, since the skirts were too short to cover the clips on the garter belt.
What are pantyhose?
300
One theory about Van Gogh’s odd behavior is poisoning from this green liqueur made from wormwood.
What is absinthe?
300
Melissopalynology is the study of this food item that never spoils.
What is honey?
the study of pollen in honey to determine the botanical and geographical origins of the honey and the plants that bees visited to produce it.
400
P.L. Travers was the pen name of Helen Lyndon Goff. She is most well-known for writing about this magical child-care provider who nannies for the Banks children.
Who is Mary Poppins?
400
The king was an inspiration to his country during World War II when he addressed the empire in radio broadcasts. He took the throne when his brother abdicated in 1936 and was succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth in 1952.
Who is George VI?
400
Often used by Hitchcock to great effect, this Scottish sounding story telling technique defined an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.
What is a MacGuffin?
400
Also the title of a Ray Bradbury story, this phrase comes from Macbeth, Act IV, scene i, the second half of a couplet by the three witches that begins "by the pricking of my thumbs."
What is Something Wicked This Way Comes?
400
George de Mestral was a Swiss engineer who invented this hook and loop fastener in 1948 (patented 1957). While hiking, he had noticed that burrs stuck to his clothing extraordinarily well thanks to hook-like protrusions that attached themselves firmly to clothing.
What is Velcro?
400
In King of the Road, Roger Miller sang "Third boxcar, midnight train. Destination (this)."
What is Bangor, Maine?
400
Simply described, this is described as engaging in activities that provide your own extreme pleasure or satisfaction.
What is Hedonism?
500
Marguerite Annie Johnson was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Who is Maya Angelou?
500
He served as the British prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 until 1955. A noted statesman and orator, he was also an officer in the British Army and an author. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for historical writing.
Who is Winston Churchill?
500
Jimmy Stewart appeared in many Hitchcock films, including Rope, Vertigo and Rear Window. He had hoped that his history with Hitchcock would guarantee his appearance in North By Northwest as well, but that role instead went to this actor instead.
Who is Cary Grant?
500
Pulled from Othello Act I, scene i, the duplicitous Iago confesses that if he does this phrase, i.e. show his true emotions and be vulnerable, he would be inviting crows to pick away at him.
What is Wear his heart on his sleeve?
500
This synthetic fiber was created by chemist Joseph Shivers in 1958. Often worn while exercising for its easy of movement, it goes by the brand name Lycra and its name is an anagram for EXPANDS.
What is Spandex?
500
Leading up to February 1692, in Salem, MA, inability to recite this precisely and correctly was considered "evidence of witchcraft."
What is The Lord's Prayer? (or the Our Father)
500
Horology is the study of this as well as the machines that keep it. They will also often be involved in making or repairing those machines.
What is time?