Colorful Movies
Riddle Me This
Revolutionary Inventions
Phrase Origins
Ups and Downs
A Star By Any Other Name
It Starts With Stop
100

This colorful comedy movie series originally starred Peter Sellers as bumbling French police inspector Jacques Clauseau, later to be played by Steve Martin:

The _______ Panther

The Pink Panther

100

This is the reason why a man living in California can’t be buried in New York.

Because He's Still Alive

100

This invention, circa 3500 BC, really got things "rolling."

The Wheel

100

In an old English card game, a 'jacknife' or 'buck' was handed from player to player to indicate whose turn it was, giving us this phrase, which means to shift responsibility to someone else.

Pass the Buck

100

A staple in any children's playground, a kick will lift one end up while gravity helps pull the other down.

A See-Saw or Teeter Totter

100

Born Cassius Clay, January 14, 1972, this boxer turned activist famously boasted he "floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee," and proved it true in the ring.

Muhammad Ali

100

This is an automatic, color-coded traffic control device found at every busy intersection.

(The answer starts with STOP)

A Stoplight

200

This 1985 drama directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Glover and Oprah Winfrey earned 14 major awards, including a Best Actress Golden Globe for Goldberg:

The Color _______

The Color Purple

200

What color are fluffy clouds?...
What color is freshly fallen snow?...
What color is a bright, full moon?...

What do cows drink?

Water

200

This form of communication, invented around 3000 BC, solved the problem of verbal messengers with really bad memories.

Writing

200

The ancient Hindu tradition of throwing balls of butter at statues of gods in the hopes of gaining their favor gave us this phrase, which means to excessively flatter someone in hopes of the same thing.

To Butter Someone Up

200

In 2015, teenager Brad Byers achieved a world-record 547 loop-the-loop tricks with this up-and-down children's toy.

A Yo-Yo

200

Although this famous actress, born Norma Jeane Baker, June 1, 1926, died tragically at the age of 36, her memory remains part of the spirit and glamour of Hollywood.

Marilyn Monroe

200

This is a delicately calibrated instrument used to time races.

(The answer starts with STOP)

A Stopwatch

300

In this 1980 comedy classic, two brothers just released from prison, Jake and Elwood, put together their old band to save the Catholic home where they were raised:

The _______ Brothers

The Blues Brothers

300

What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary ?

"Wrong"

300

Julius Caesar invented this in 46 BC so he’d never forget his wife’s birthday again.

The Julian Calendar

300

Before anesthetics were invented, injured soldiers would do this to help them endure the pain of an operation or amputation, a phrase that now means to accept something difficult or unpleasant.

Bite the Bullet

300

This glass and mercury instrument measures the rise and fall of atmospheric pressure.

A Barometer

300

Born Marion Robert Morrison, May 26, 1907, this legendary American actor starred in more than 250 movies such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, Rio Bravo and Big Jake.

John Wayne

300

These three words describe what actions to take if your clothes are caught on fire, and are taught to children as early as pre-school.

(The answer starts with STOP)

Stop, Drop and Roll

400

In this 1973 drama set in a future ravaged by rising temperatures and overpopulation, Charlton Heston investigates a murder in the company that produces half the world's food:

Soylent _______

Soylent Green

400

Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the tallest mountain in the world?

It was still Mt. Everest

400

This 200 BC marvel, originally invented by the Chinese to aid in fortune telling, really helped man gain direction.

The Compass

400

When British forces signaled Admiral Horatio Nelson, who had one blind eye, to break off battle with a fleet of enemy ships, he held up a telescope to his blind eye and said, “I do not see the signal." He continued his attack and gave us this phrase which means to ignore situations or facts.

Turn a Blind Eye

400

The ups and downs of this financial institution can play havoc in the lives of investors, but the stories of mass suicides following a major 'down' in 1929 were actually greatly exaggerated.

The Stock Market

400

This iconic American dancer, singer and actor, with a career spanning nearly 80 years, is widely considered the most influential dancer in the history of film, and was born Frederick Austerlitz in 1899.

Fred Astaire

400

Three more words taught at an early age, these instruct children what to do before crossing a street.

(The answer starts with STOP)

Stop, Look and Listen

500

This 1968 British animated musical fantasy film featured the music of the Beatles, and was named after one of their hit songs:

The _______ Submarine

The Yellow Submarine

500

This five-letter word becomes "shorter" when you add two letters to it.

Short

("SHORT" + "ER" = "SHORTER")

500

We’re ALL thankful for this 589 AD invention, making Mother Nature’s Call noticeably more comfortable to answer, or we'd still be doing like the Ancient Romans, using a communal sponge on a stick!

Toilet Tissue

500

This phrase, which means to chat in a leisurely and prolonged way, comes from ancient sailing days when sailors would chew on salt-hardened fat while relaxing and conversing with their crewmates.

Chew the Fat

500

Perhaps rise and fall, or in and out, better describe the ups and downs of this moon-induced phenomena.

The Tides

500

Born Archibald Alec Leach, he was named the second greatest male star of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute - second only to Humphrey Bogart - for movies like Arsenic and Old Lace, An Affair to Remember and North by Northwest. 

Cary Grant

500

A "flowery" phrase meaning to slow down and enjoy the little things in life.

(The answer starts with STOP)

Stop and Smell the Roses