Staff Party Trivia

Homophone-a-Friend

1

Add 2,000 lbs. to the last name of Star Wars' original leading man, and you get this founding father

Hamilton ("Hamill" + "ton")

2

Combine two Golden Girls actresses, and you get this gem of a name

Ruby ("Rue" (McClanahan) + "Bea" (Arthur))

3

Take one Gilligan's Island castaway and add the surname of the BlacKkKlansman director to get this word describing something done with care or caution

Gingerly ("Ginger" + (Spike) "Lee")

4

Prefix a Les Mis character with the given name of the "Queen of Jazz" to make this word, meaning enormous in size or strength

Elephantine ("Ella" (Fitzgerald) + "Fantine")

5

Combining the pet names for historical fiction author Weir and the Aragonese subject of several of her works makes this phrase for a feral feline

Alley cat (Allison > "Allie" + Catherine (of Aragon) > "Cat")

Maine Political History

1

In 2026, Maine's primary elections will be held on this date

Tuesday, June 9th

2

When Lucia Cormier challenged this woman in 1960, it became the first time in American history two women ran against each other for a Senate seat

Margaret Chase Smith

3

Though she was born in Boston, this labor Secretary and architect of social security had deep family roots in Maine and was depicted on a mural now in the State Museum

Frances Perkins

4

Maine's 1820 independence from Massachusetts was tied to the admission of this other state to the Union, part of a delicate balancing act in the antebellum years

Missouri

5

In 1972, Maine senator Ed Muskie's bid for the presidential nomination was sunk when he got a few of these in his eyes

Snowflakes

Recently in Theaters

1

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci all reprise their roles in this fashion-forward sequel

The Devil Wears Prada 2

2

This director took significant creative liberties in her adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi

Emerald Fennell

3

This 2024 thriller garnered rave reviews for the performances of its cast, including Ralph Fiennes and Isabelle Rossellini

Conclave

4

This animated Netflix hit about a weapon-wielding pop trio went "golden" with audiences, earning it a special sing-along theatrical release

KPop Demon Hunters

5

Daniel Craig has portrayed this dandyish detective across three Rian Johnson films, including Knives Out and Glass Onion

Benoit Blanc

Loan Words

1

While Heinz may have popularized ketchup in America, the word is borrowed from a southern variant of this language

Chinese (Hokkien)

2

The word "dollar," despite seeming quintessentially American, traces its origin to this country, once the heartland of the Kingdom of Bohemia

Czechia/Czech Republic

3

This Scandinavian language gives English the word "geyser"

Icelandic

4

Despite the earliest noodles being attributed to the Chinese, the English word is actually borrowed from this central European language

German

5

Originally describing a small, open garden pavilion, this word comes to English from the Turkish word "köşk"

Kiosk

Straits & Narrows

1

This strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman has been much talked about in the news of late

The Strait of Hormuz

2

This bridge, complete with an observatory, connects the town of Prospect, Mane with Verona island, and is named for the slim stretch of the river it spans

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge

3

In New York City, "the Narrows" refers to a tidal strait separating these two boroughs from one another

Brooklyn & Staten Island

4

This body of water has also been called "La Manche" by the French, who might object to its more common name, supposedly referring to its sleeve-like shape

The English Channel

5

The city of Istanbul sits on the Bosporus Strait, which connects these two bodies of water

The Black Sea & the Sea of Marmara

Literary Latin

1

No time for exposition! This phrase describes a narrative which starts in the middle of things

In medias res

2

This Latin calque of a Greek phrase once described a literal contraption, but now typically refers to a contrivance

Deus ex machina

3

In Dante's Inferno, he describes this Roman author as serving as his guide to the underworld

Virgil

4

Shakespeare popularized the notion that this Latin phrase was among the last words of Julius Caesar

"Et tu, Brute?"

5

Latin gives us this handy phrase for a list of the main characters we'll see in play or sometimes in a novel

Dramatis personae

Quotable Queens

1

Apocryphally: "Let them eat brioche!"

Marie Antoinette

2

Drag superstar: "You better work!"

RuPaul

3

Armored, atop a horse: "I have the heart and stomach of a king..."

Elizabeth I

4

Byzantine empress: "Purple is the noblest shroud"

Theodora

5

Qing dowager: "Whoever makes me unhappy for a day, I will make suffer a lifetime"

Dowager Empress Cixi

Pigments & Dyes

1

Made with a dye derived from a Mediterranean mollusk, Tyrian purple takes it name from a Phoenician city in this modern country

Lebanon

2

Kermes, which produce a brilliant red dye and gave us the word 'crimson,' are this kind of animal

Insects

3

Paris green was a popular pigment with painters and manufacturers in the 19th century, but its high levels of this toxic element made it more suitable as an insecticide

Arsenic

4

During the Renaissance, ultramarine pigment was made from grinding up this two-named stone that was mostly mined in Afghanistan

Lapis lazuli

5

In 2014, artist Anish Kapoor generated significant controversy when he secured exclusive rights to use this "blackest black" pigment in artistic works

Vantablack