200. Ending 2008 With a Lesson?

This didactic fable has been attributed to the Sufis, Jainists, Buddhists, or Hindus, and has been used by all those groups. Buddha used it in Tittha sutta in Udana (Pali canon). The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective, suggesting that what seems an absolute truth may be relative due to the deceptive nature of half-truths. The version best-known in the West is the 19th Century poem by John Godfrey Saxe.

Which story?

199. Ready to pop the bubbly?

Which extremely popular Italian sparkling wine and peach puree based cocktail gets its name from the fact that its unique pink color, reminded one Giuseppe Cipriani of the hues of paintings of a 15th-century Venetian artist?



PS: Have a great New Year!

198. The Red Baron's uncle!

Ferdinand von Richthofen was an uncle of the World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen(best known as the "Red Baron”).

What was his contribution to the world of geography?

197. Natural Born Killers?

Identify movie from poster.

196. A dash of florentine?

Other than the Indian sub-continent, it was virtually unknown in the ancient world, and presumably made its way to China in the form of a gift sent by the King of Nepal.

A favorite of Catherine de Medici of Florence, Italy, dishes prepared on a bed of this are referred to as "a la Florentine."

What am I talking about?

195. The staircase of Mount Meru...

In Iran, it is named after Omar Khayyam, In China after Yang Hui and in Italy after Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia.

The earliest explicit depictions occur in the 10th century in commentaries on the Chandas Shastra (an ancient Indian book on Sanskrit prosody written by Pingala)
by Halayudha – who used it to explain obscure references to Meru-prastaara, the "Staircase of Mount Meru“.

What mathematical artifact am I talking about?

194. How to Write a Book?

Dedicated to whom?

193. God and co....

Left = God.

Right = ??

192. Pop goes the sequence...

_____, _____, Jerk, Snap, Crackle (?), Pop (?)

Provide the first two members of the series!!

191. Baywatch?

How is this stretch marked in red along the California coastline better known as?

Clue: Literature....

190. Mind Your Language...

X was a British writer, mostly of adventure fiction. He is remembered best for Beau Geste, a much-filmed book of 1924 involving the French Foreign Legion in North Africa, and its sequels, Beau Sabreur and Beau Ideal.

Y was a lesser known writer.

But, they are famous together for something they wrote.

What is X and Y's claim to fame?

189. On the road to Moreh....

“Driving a car from Imphal, Manipur to Moreh, a town on the Burmese border, is common for many. But rarely anyone must have driven this distance of a little over two hundred kilometers via Imphal at a stretch unless one is a commercial vehicle driver and in very compelling circumstances. This drive is bound to enrich any sensitive person and would enable one to experience better the cultural mosaic that is Manipur. Imagine the sheer number of communities you are likely to come across on this route. There are the Maos, Poumais, Marams, Thangals, Kukis, Meiteis, Monsangs, Marings among many others on the way until you reach Moreh, filled with _______”

Some are World War II refugees, others left Burma following nationalization of trade and business by the Ne Win government in the early 1960s. In addition to their mother tongue, they are fluent in Manipuri, Burmese, Nagamese, Hindi and English.

Just fill in the blanks.

188. The feuilletoniste

He wrote numerous brief sketches for The New Yorker infused with a sense of ridicule, irony, and wryness, frequently using his own misadventures as their theme. He chose to describe these pieces as feuilletons — a French literary term meaning "little leaves" — and he defined himself as a feuilletoniste.

A typical example is his 1950s work, "No Starch in the Dhoti, S'il Vous Plait." where he composes a series of imaginary letters that might have been exchanged between an angry Pandit Nehru in India and a sly Parisian laundryman about the condition of his laundered underwear.

He was incidentally enough, indirectly responsible for the success of Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22. When first published, this novel received lukewarm reviews and indifferent sales. A few months later, in an interview for a national publication he was asked if he had read anything funny lately, whereupon he went to considerable lengths to recommend Catch-22. After the interview was published, sales of Heller's novel skyrocketed.

Who?

187. True Humility....

A George Du Maurier cartoon from Punch, titled “True Humility”.





What phrase in the English language did this inspire?

186. From Diu with Love.....

In early 1514, Afonso de Albuquerque, governor of Portuguese India, sent ambassadors to Sultan Muzafar II, ruler of Cambay (modern day Gujarat), to seek permission to build a fort on the island of Diu. The mission returned without an agreement, but certain diplomatic gifts were exchanged on the occasion…

De Albuquerque decided to forward one of these gifts to King Manuel I of Portugal, and on reaching Portugal,it caused a sensation of sorts. Some people remarked “it was as if a piece of classical antiquity which had been rediscovered, like a statue or an inscription….”

News and descriptions of this "gift" reached Nuremberg through multiple routes and inspired a creation which still exerts a profound influence in the artisitic world.

So what resulted?

185. First Blood....

Excerpt from Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest:

"What have you been doing?" she demanded as we carried our drinks into the dining room. "You look ghastly."

I put my glass on the table, sat down facing it, and complained:

"This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going ______ _____ like the natives. There's been what? A dozen and a half murders since I've been here. Donald Willsson; Ike Bush; the four wops and the dick at Cedar Hill; Jerry; Lew Yard; Dutch Jake, Blackie Whalen and Put Collings at the Silver Arrow; Big Nick, the copper I potted; the blond kid Whisper dropped here; Yakima Shorty, old Elihu's prowler; and now Noonan. That's sixteen of them in less than a week, and more coming up."

She frowned at me and said sharply:

"Don't look like that."

Fill in the blanks to obtain a duo's maiden attempt.....

184. Of Friends and other jazz....

Mitra Bhedha (The Loss of Friends)
Mitra Laabha (Gaining Friends)
Suhrudbheda (Causing Dissension Between Friends)
Vigraha (Separation)
Sandhi (Union)

What exactly are these?

183. Favouring the odds?

Which term in English language owes its origin to the cartoon?

182. In defence of witch-craft!

The most prestigious literary award in Italy today was instituted by Guido Alberti in 1947,and was named after a herbal liqueur his company produced in a factory near Benevento. The liqueur, very similar to Galliano, has a characteristic yellow color due to its recipe including saffron.

The liqueur gets its name for the Italian word for "witch“, because of legends of witchcraft at Benevento dating back to the time of the Lombard invasion. The liqueur is sometimes called "the witch" in the English-speaking world.

Don Vito Corleone and others of his ilk are quite frequently depicted quaffing this brew…….

181. The Set-Jet?

You have all heard of the jet-set……What is set-jetting?

180. Work it out?

What do you see in the painting?

179. Here's looking at you, Brit...

According to some polls, it ranks in as the 3rd greatest natural wonder of Britain.

The point where it most closely approaches continental Europe is named after one William Shakespeare, who mentions it in King Lear, but perhaps its most iconic reference is in a World War II song, sung by Vera Lynn.

Interestingly enough, it is possibly the underlying reason for one of the archaic names of Britain.

What am I referring to? What archaic name?

178. Devil on Horseback?

This blanket term is used to describe armed gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad. They are the successor to an earlier Arab tribal militia, the Murahilin (literally “high nomads”). According to the United Nations definition, they are comprised of nomadic Arabic-speaking African tribes (i.e. Black Arabs, or Afro-Arabs), the core of whom are from Abbala (camel herder) background with significant recruitment from the Baggara (cattle herder) people.

The term is variously transliterated to mean "devil on horseback", "a man with a gun on a horse", or simply, "a man on a horse”.

What term?

177. Have a cigar.....

When this person was born, his mother’s umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Due to this he almost suffocated and ceased to breathe for a few minutes after being born. An alert relative, Salvadore Ruiz, then did the best thing possible under the circumstances and blew cigar smoke into the baby’s face. The remedy worked and the baby started breathing again.

Who was thus saved by a cigar?!!

176. Fact or Fiction?

The state of X is bounded by Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, and like them it is half Eastern, half Midwestern. There is a feeling of New England in its brick and sycamore villages, its stable industries, and a tradition which goes back to the Revolutionary War. Zenith, the largest city in the state, was founded in 1792. But X is Midwestern in its fields of corn and wheat, its red barns and silos, and, despite the immense antiquity of Zenith, many counties were not settled till 1860.

The University of X is at Mohalis, fifteen miles from Zenith. There are twelve thousand students; beside this prodigy Oxford is a tiny theological school and Harvard a select college for young gentlemen. The University has a baseball field under glass; its buildings are measured by the mile; it hires hundreds of young Doctors of Philosophy to give rapid instruction in Sanskrit, navigation, accountancy, spectacle-fitting, sanitary engineering, Provencal poetry, tariff schedules,rutabaga-growing, motor-car designing, the history of Voronezh, the style of Matthew Arnold,the diagnosis of myohypertrophia kymoparalytica, and department- store advertising. Its president is the best money-raiser and the best after-dinner speaker in the United States and it was the first school in the world to conduct its extension courses by radio.

What be X?

175. Connect?

Blabby, Jumpy, Shifty, Snoopy, Awful, Baldy, Biggo-Ego, Biggy, Biggy-Wiggy, Burpy, Busy, Chesty, Cranky, Daffy, Dippy, Dirty, Dizzy, Doleful, Flabby, Gabby, Gloomy, Goopy, Graceful, Helpful, Hoppy, Hotsy, Hungrey, Jaunty, Lazy, Neurtsy, Nifty, Puffy, Sappy, Sneezy-Wheezy, Sniffy, Scrappy, Silly, Soulful, Strutty, Stuffy, Sleazy, Tearful, Thrifty, Tipsy, Titsy, Tubby, Weepy, Wistful, and Woeful.

174. Links in the Chain of Life...

Connect the picture to the following excerpt from someone's autobiography:

I have so often been asked the question: "But how did you come to think of ___ _____ _____?" And my answer has always been: "It was God's will that I should." And to you moderns, who perhaps do not believe as I do, I will say, "In the chain of my life, there were so many links, all of which tended towards bringing me to the fulfillment of my destiny..."

173. Washed away...

What does this sculpture show?

172. The Man Who Laughs?

What has the movie inspired?

171. Brain Damage

Abstract from a psychology paper by 3 Italian doctors (Giovannina Conchiglia,  Gennaro Della Rocca, Dario Grossi) published in Neurocase, Feb 2007:

"We report on the case of a patient with frontal-temporal damage from cerebral hypoxia, affected by amnesic disturbances and behaviour disorder, who presented a peculiar phenomenon of environmental dependency. He assumed a different social role in keeping with different environmental circumstances by interpreting a character corresponding to the particular context. Three experiments were carried out in which the environmental variables were manipulated to verify the phenomenon in controlled conditions, and an investigation was conducted during the patient's spontaneous manifestations. The phenomenon was interpreted as a loss of frontal inhibition whose function was the control of his own identity and consequent “attraction” towards a social role proposed by the environment"

“On a Peculiar Environmental Dependency Syndrome in a Case with Frontal-Temporal Damage: ______ - like Syndrome”

Fill in the blanks.

170. I am your slave.....

This word derives from a Venetian phrase literally meaning "I am your slave".
The original phrase was eventually shortened, lost all its servile connotations and came to be used as an informal salutation by speakers of all classes. Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms (1929), is often credited with bringing the word into the English language.

Which word?

169. The Namesake?

She was named after a neighbouring city in Minnesota. She owes her middle name to Aldous Huxley's wife because of her parents' friendship with Huxley's wife. Her family friends included her godfather, LSD guru Timothy Leary, and beat poets Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Who are we talking about?

168. Cruel intentions...

Historically, these animals were believed to behave aggressively and with cruelty, and to have a poisonous bite; As such, their name started getting applied to a person with a similar disposition. Identify the animal.

167. A place of Sitting?

What term means "a place of sitting" in Arabic language ?

166. We, the people

This city had been an English possession since the time of Edward III who captured it after an eleven-month siege, following which he ordered the citizens to be massacred. He was, however persuaded to spare the citizens and accepted a token of six men, provided they would volunteer for execution. Six courageous volunteers duly appeared, with ropes around their necks, in accordance with the king’s demand. When Edward’s queen, Philippa, saw the sight, she was moved with pity and begged Edward to relent, which he duly did.

Either identify the city or mention how has this incident been immortalized in the world of art?

165. Big Ones....

Tucked away in a crescent of mountains lies a beautiful secluded valley. Long ago, when men first came here, they found the earth so fertile that they named the valley after the ancient Roman Goddess of Fruitfulness: _____. Here the fruit grows so big and sweet and juicy that you'd think that it's magic.

Straight off the packaging. Fill in the blanks.

164. Indian Date?

It get its common as well as generic name from Arabic for "Indian date". It is native to tropical Africa, including Sudan and parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. It was introduced into India so long ago that it has often been reported as indigenous there, and it was apparently from India that it reached the Persians and the Arabs who called it "Indian date" giving rise to both its common and generic names. However, the specific name "indica", also perpetuates the illusion of Indian origin. The fruit was well known to the ancient Egyptians and to the Greeks in the 4th Century B.C.

Which fruit?

163. The Maltese Penalty.....

Which famous citizen of Malta has suggested the following alternative to the penalty shootout in football:

"If the number of times each goalkeeper touches the ball is recorded throughout the game the results can be compared in the event of a draw. The team whose goalkeeper has touched the ball more often is the loser. The winner will then be the team that has had more attempts at scoring goals and is more aggressive (and therefore exciting) in their style of play. This mechanism would avoid the tension of the penalty shoot out"

162. Chateau de Trifle

The château de X was initially built as a small hunting lodge in 1720 with X, meaning a trifle, or decorative thing. In 1775, the Comte d'Artois, Louis XVI's brother, purchased the property. The Comte soon had the existing house torn down and rebuilt in 63 days ( Marie-Antoinette wagered against the Comte, her brother-in-law, that the new château could not be completed within three months)


In 1777 a party was thrown in the recently completed house in honor of Louis XVI and the Queen. Something unveiled during the party and named X after the chateau went on to become a rage across France and is still around today, albeit in technologically improved versions. What?

161. The mark of Gilgamesh.....

Sometimes referred to as “the mark of Gilgamesh”, approximately 1% to 2% of the human population has this condition. Titian, Botticelli, Modigliani and Gustav Klimt have frequently depicted this condition in their paintings. In the Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda, they are seen as most likely to have a Pitta temperament.

What is being referred to here?

160. Filmspotting?

In 2002, Jean d'Ormesson, Lia Van Leer, Raymond Chirat, Dieter Kosslick, Alberto Barbera and Férid Boughedir watched the following movies, following which they declared the first one in the list to be the winner:

Union Pacific
Boefje
The Four Feathers
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Lenin in 1918
La Loi du nord
The Wizard of Oz

What exactly was happening?

159. Italy vs Switzerland!

“In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The ______ ______.”

Fill in the blanks.

158. Cliched...

Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958) was a prolific author often called the American Agatha Christie. She 'has been and continues to be' the most important American woman mystery writer and is also considered to have invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.

One of her novels - “The Door” - is the supposed origin of a popular cliché.

Which one?

157. Delectable Duo

Directed by Siddharth Anand, this show is set in the by-lanes of Bhendi Bazar in a desi Mumbai underworld milieu. It features the loud and brazen Mumbai Don, ______ Anna and his intelligent, witty and ever-bankable right hand, _____ Bhaiya. The duo, scripted by and written by Sudip Sharma and Rahul Singh regale you with anecdotes of wit and wisdom that will leave you asking for more!

Fill in both blanks,

156. Thumbrule?

A rule of thumb which is often applied is as follows:
If > 4 inches, then they are called pilchards. If < 4 inches, then what are they called?

155. Jack the Dripper?

Who's the guy?

154. Art for Art's Sake?

Which musical and the adaptated movie have its title inspired from the above painting. Also identify the painter.

153. Did Torvalds dig Lacrosse?

The founder named the company after the Cornell lacrosse team cap which he got from his grandfather and that he lost after using for a pretty long period of time.

Which company?

152. Woodstock revisited?

It takes place at Worthy Farm between the small village of Pilton and Pylle, six miles west of _________ town overlooking the famous landmark __________ Tor in the mystical "Vale of Avalon". Originally it was heavily influenced by hippy ethics and the free festival movement in the 1970s, especially the Isle of Wight Festival. Organiser Michael Eavis claims he decided to host the first one , then called Pilton Festival, after seeing an open air Led Zeppelin concert at the nearby Bath and West showground in 1970.

Identify.

151. Kosher Games?

These games are referred to as the Jewish Olympics and are held in Israel every 4 years. Jews from different countries participate and represent their countries in this event. The games are named after a Jewish family who fought against the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty and established Jewish independence in the land of Israel for about 100 years (from 165 BC to 63 BC).

Name this event

150. Rising from the Grassroots?

The two flowers, locally called 'flower from grass', stand for the famous Bengali poets Rabindra Nath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam and the grass for the mass. The green stem and the grass symbolizes peaceful means for awakening masses through movement and participation.The three petals are representatives of Hindu, Muslim and “Other” communities and the three colours adorning them are the principles of Socialism, Secularism and Democracy.

What is being described and who is the designer?

149. What be X?

A fairly old and widely-used word, it refers to a community social gathering at which friends and neighbors join together in a single activity (sewing, quilting, barn raising, etc.), usually to help one person or family. The earliest known example in print is a spinning X, in 1769. Other early occurrences are husking X(1816), apple X (1827), and logging X (1836).

Today the most well known usage is associated with an annual competitive activity taken up by US teenagers.

So what be X?

148. Men of Honour?

What is common to the following: Kitchener, Nietzsche, Einstein, Dali, Chaplin, and Fu Manchu?

147. The Last Testament of Leon Trotsky?

Leon Trotsky's last testament. While in exile in Mexico, knowing he was soon to be assassinated by Stalin's agents, he saw his wife in the garden and wrote:

Natasha has just come up to the window from the courtyard and opened it wider so that the air may enter more freely into my room. I can see the bright green strip of grass beneath the wall, and the clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. ____ __ _________. Let the future generations cleanse it of all evil, oppression and violence, and enjoy it to the full.

Which movie derives it title from whatever fills up the blanks in the above passage?

146. Singh is King?!!!

The one real-life religion that bears close resemblance to the _____ is that of Sikhism. Sikhism also advocates the presence of one 'God' who is ever-present and binds the universe and all its entities. Like the _____, the Sikhs use a Kirpan that they carry with them at all times. Like a _____, a Sikh may never use his sword or other combat skills to attack anyone out of selfish desire and must use it only to protect others. The Sikh philosophy is merely one of peaceful co-existence, but at the same time to never accept any form of tyrannical rule and to protect others from such evils.

Fill in the blanks

145. Mysterious Girl...

Once in a question and answer session in Syracuse University, this was how she was defined: "She is not a person or an embodiment, but is an aspirational client envisioned for the brand. She is in her late 20s, has lived in Europe, has a job, and is very fashionable. She is a woman, not a girl, is somewhat worldly and is interested in traveling".

Who?

145. Its Greek to Me?

What is Greek for hurtful or prejudicial?

144. Clever Horse?

Explain what's happening.

143. Rock On?

There are many theories about where the band found inspiration for their name, and there have been several conflicting stories about its actual origin. Some, including the band's first guitarist claim the name was chosen because of how a friend of the band described his brain while on marijuana. The band themselves contend that they simply chose what sounded like the stupidest name they could think of at the time . A long standing theory is that the band was named after a masturbating game.

Which band?

142. Dew of the Sea?

Its name is derived from Latin meaning "dew of the sea". It has a very old reputation for improving memory, used as a symbol for remembrance (during weddings, war commemorations and funerals) in Europe, probably as a result of this reputation. Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's ______ that's for remembrance".

What?

141. Choose your poison....

This place derives its name from the Ukranian name for the mugwort plant (Artemesia Vulgaris) and when translated means black grass, although in an article which appeared in the New York Times in 1986, it was claimed that the name derives from another Ukranian word referring to the wormwood plant used for making absinthe.

Which place is being referred to?

140. Expirements with Diamonds....

Diamonds donated by the jeweler Maillard and the great Tschirnhausen burning lens were utilized in 1772 at the Jardin de l’infante, the formal garden that stretched from the Louvre to the banks of the Seine to perform what epoch making experiment?

139. Swimming in the Loot.....

The Tainos called this island "Borikén". The first European contact was made by Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Antilles, on November 19, 1493. Originally named San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint John the Baptist, the island ultimately took a name symbolizing wealth and prosperity. Which country?

138. The four horsemen (of the apocalypse?)

Where in the world would you come across:

Oikake – The chaser
Machibuse – The ambusher
Kimagure – The fickle
Otoboke – The stupid

137. What is common to?

What is common to the following: the bikini line, the full bikini, the european, the triangle, the moustache, the heart, the landing strip, the playboy strip, the brazilian, and the sphinx.

136. Monkey Business

In the Ramayana, the monkey kings Vali and Sugreeva ruled from Kishkinda. Which modern Indian city is believed to be the site at which Kishkinda was located?

135. Arabic Sweet?

This word originally derived from the Arabic word for sweet describes many distinct types of sweet confection, across the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Balkans.

Which word ?

134. The lobster, the crab, the parrots or the ant?

Theories as to the origin of this name include:

• From Sanskrit for "lobster" or "crab"
• Onomatopoeia: imitating the noise made by parrots which used to inhabit the island.
• From Malay for "white-winged ant"

Which name?

133. How does it matter?

This phrase derives from the introduction to the Antithesis of the Law in the Gospel of Matthew , and became common in the theological debate which arose around the time of the First Council of Nicaea, regarding the nature of the Holy Trinity. The argument centered on which of two alternative Greek words, differing only in a single letter, should be used in describing Jesus' relationship to the Holy Trinity. One word, 'homoousios', would mean that Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father, and the other 'homoiousios', would mean that Jesus was of similar substance.

Which phrase?

132. An address to remember?

Violet Stoneham lives a quiet and uneventful life. Alone after the marriage of her daughter, her only joy in life is teaching Shakespeare despite the lack of interest from her students.
When a former student, pays a visit with her author-boyfriend, Violet is delighted, particularly when the author decides that he would like to work on a novel in her apartment.....

So where does Violet Stoneham reside?

131. Pick-Up line...

Specifically this word refers to the citadel of Algiers and the traditional quarter clustered round it. More generally, it denotes the walled citadel of many North African cities and towns.

Gained romantic prominence through a line supposedly mouthed by Charles Boyer to co-star Hedy Lamarr in a 1938 movie, but which was actually uttered by a loony tunes character based on Charles Boyer’s character.

Provide the line.

130. Inspired by the monsoons, perhaps?

What could my mother be to yours?
What kin is my father
to yours anyway?
And how did you and I meet ever?
But in love our hearts are as
___ _____ ___ _______ ____
mingled beyond parting.

Fill up the blanks from these translated lines taken from the classical Tamil poetic work Kuruntokai to derive a novel's title....

129. Singing his way outta singsing......

Born Walter Boyd, in 1918 he was convicted of murder and sentenced to thirty years in the Texas penitentiary. In 1925 he composed the following song in honor of theGovernor of Texas, Pat Neff and received an advance release from the confines of jail:

Please, Governor Neff, Be good 'n' kind
Have mercy on my great long time...
I don't see to save my soul
If I don't get a pardon, try me on a parole...
If I had you, Governor Neff, like you got me
I'd wake up in the mornin' and I'd set you free

By which nickname is Walter Boyd known to music lovers?

128. The Bishop's gambit

Sometime in the early 60s, the Bishop of Trivandrum dedicated the ancient St. Mary Magdalene Church and an adjoining bishop’s house at Pallithura to the nation.

This incident marked the genesis of what?

127. Private Affair?

This type of sofa has given rise to a phrase in English language.

Name the sofa/phrase.

126. Windows of Israel...

He created stained glass windows for the synagogue of the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem. During the Six Day War the hospital came under severe attack, placing his work under threat. In response to this, he wrote a letter from France stating "I am not worried about the windows, only about the safety of Israel. Let Israel be safe and I will make you lovelier windows." Luckily, most of the panels were removed in time, with only one sustaining severe damage. In 1973, Israel issued a series of stamps featuring the windows, which depict the Twelve tribes, such as Levi, pictured here.

Who designed the windows?

125. Therein hangs a tale...

This is probably one of the most popular Hindi plays enacted in schools around the country. Written by Bharatendu Harischandra, the plot deals with an innocent thin man who is convicted to the gallows by the king instead of a fat man - whose guilt has been proven - just because the noose won’t fit him!

The title of the play has now entered the Hindi language as an oft-repeated phrase depicting a sorry socio-political condition.

Identify the play.

124. State Guest?

Name :C Gurumura
Profession : Assistant Producer
Address : c/o Gentleman Film Productions,
38, Paris
France,

Entry at the Garden Hotel register in Thamel.

Who had just checked in ?

123. A fairytale journey?

The Fairy Queen, the world's oldest steam engine in regular operation, plies between Delhi and the city of X in Rajasthan, the gateway to the National Park Y.


What be X and Y?

122. Ms. Goody Two Shoes!

______ ______ was a character created by Richard Outcault for his comic strip, Buster Brown. She was the sister of the title character, Buster Brown. In 1904, Outcault travelled to the St. Louis World's Fair and sold licenses to up to 200 companies to use the Buster Brown characters to advertise their products. Among them was the Brown Shoe Company, who later hired actors to tour the country, performing as the Buster Brown characters in theaters and stores. This strategy helped the Brown Shoe Company become the most prominently associated brand with the Buster Brown characters. The style of shoe Buster Brown and his sister wore came to be known by her name.

What popular style of shoes?

121. All About Sex?

This stamp was the first in the history of the US Postal Service to include the word "sex," although as a synonym for gender.

Who is the stamp dedicated to?

120. The Decisive Moment...

The keynote text for the philosophical preface to the book is taken from the 17th century Cardinal de Retz: "Il n'y a rien dans ce monde qui n'ait un moment decisif" ("There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment").

Whose book in question and who designed the cover?

119. The Casefile?

Limited Edition DVD of this movie was uniquely packaged to look like a case file from a mental institution, with notes scribbled by "doctors“. The DVD menus were designed as a series of psychological tests; the viewer has to choose certain words, objects, and multiple choice answers to play the movie or access special features.
Which movie?

118. The Caesar of the East?

Generally considered as a world conquest military genius by means of his successful strategy, he was known as The Great, The Caesar of the East, Lion of the Seas and as The Portuguese Mars. But we know him for an entirely different reason. His corrupted name is also known for the same reason.

How do we better know him?

117. Hunting season begins...

Characterised by a very long slender bill and cryptic plumage, this wading bird is well known for its elusive nature among hunters. In the days of market hunting, the most skilled hunters of all would often bring many of these birds to the local markets, thereby earning the nickname "_______" as a badge of respect for the difficulty in shooting this bird.

Which bird?

116. Strategic Location?

According to the Jesuit and traveller Jeronimo Lobo, who sailed the Red Sea in 1625, this place (marked in red) was “ formerly of limited reputation and trade but since the Turkish assumption of power throughout Arabia, it became the major city of the territory under Turkish domination, even though it was not the Pasha's place of residence, which was two days' journey inland in the city of Sana'a. Its importance as a port was also due to the Ottoman law that required all ships entering the Red Sea to put in at the port and pay duty on their cargoes.”

Which place is Lobo talking about?

115. In a quiz, long long time ago.....

The “Aarne-Thompson classification system” named after a Finnish and an American scholar : Antti Amatus Aarne and Stith Thomson is an internationally recognized way of classifying what?

114. The Wrath of Khrushchev......

Italian author Umberto Eco suggested that XXX is "the Absolute Fake” in the 1975 essay, "The City of Robots." Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev threw a temper tantrum when denied entry into XXX by U.S. officials citing security concerns. In a speech in Los Angeles Khrushchev thundered "I ask, why not? Do you have rocket launching pads there? Is there an epidemic of cholera? Have gangsters taken over the place?"

What be XXX?

113. Dont take mah joint?

The term is first attested to in the song Don’t _______ Me, by Elliot Ingber and Larry Wagner, which appears on Fraternity Of Man’s eponymous album. The song featured the next year in the movie Easy Rider.

The selfish connotation of the term comes from hogging a marijuana cigarette. Someone who kept the joint in their mouth, hanging from their lip, would be _______the joint. Instead of __________, one should pass it on to another. The term is also used for hoarding items other than pot.

What term?

112. Tuetonic ladies of the night....

According to some, the title of this Beatles song actually refers to the cards handed out to Hamburg prostitutes in the 1960s indicating a clean bill of health.

Which song?

111. Gift from the Heavens...

This writer's family name is an acronym for the Latin for 'a gift from the heavens' which was given to his grandfather by a city official.

Who is the writer?

110. Grave matters....

Simple. Whose grave?

109. Big Yankees in Little China

On April 6, 1971, a group of Americans - then in Japan - received a surprise invitation from their Chinese colleagues for an all-expense paid visit to the People's Republic.

On April 10, 1971, 9 people stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland,thereby becoming the first group of Americans allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.

From April 11th to 17th , a delighted American public followed the daily progress of the visit in newspapers and on television, as the Americans toured the Great Wall and Summer Palace, chatted with Chinese students and factory workers, and attended the Canton Ballet.

Who after all were these group of Americans??

108. Wild Spirit?

Jan Baptista van Helmont, an early modern period Belgian chemist, is remembered today largely for his ideas on spontaneous generation, his 5-year tree experiment, and his introduction of the word "_______" into the vocabulary of scientists.
In one of his texts he writes:

"Suppose thou, that 62 pounds of Oaken coal, one pound of ashes is composed: Therefore the 61 remaining pounds are the "wild spirit" which, also being fired, cannot depart, the Vessel being shut. I call this spirit, unknown hitherto, the new name of '______,' which can neither be retained in Vessels nor reduced to a visible form, unless the seed is first extinguished."

The word was perhaps a Dutch pronunciation re-spelling of "chaos".

What word did Helmont coin?

107. The partying pilgrim...

Which city began its mythical reputation in 1390 when its ruler Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stopping with his entourage in Egypt and dispersing enough gold to devalue the Egyptian currency?

106. Rainman?

In Asterix in Belgium, around two thirds through the comic, the weather turn rainy and never clears up for the rest of the comic.

For what specific reason was this intentionally done?

105. Djinn and Tonic?

According to some etymologists, the original meaning of this word was "One possessed by a Djinn". The term is nowadays used in a related but different context.

Which word?

104. A to Z?

"Line-Up for Yesterday" is a poem published in Sport magazine in January 1949. It pays tribute to the baseball greats in alphabetical order. The poet also mentions his own fanaticism for the game under “I”. The following is a sampling from his A to Z list.

A is for Alex, The great Alexander; More Goose eggs he pitched, Than a popular gander.

B is for Bresnahan Back of the plate; The Cubs were his love, and McGraw his hate.

C is for Cobb, Who grew spikes and not corn, And made all the basemen, Wish they weren't born.

D is for Dean, The grammatical Diz, When they asked, Who's the tops? Said correctly, I is.

E is for Evers, His jaw in advance; Never afraid, To Tinker with Chance.

F is for Fordham, And Frankie and Frisch; I wish he were back, With the Giants, I wish.

G is for Gehrig, The Pride of the Stadium; His record pure gold, His courage, pure radium.

H is for Hornsby; When pitching to Rog, The pitcher would pitch, Then the pitcher would dodge.

I is for Me, Not a hard-hitting man, But an outstanding all-time, Incurable fan.

J is for Johnson, The Big Train in his prime, Was so fast he could throw, Three strikes at a time.

Who is the great poet?

103. 420?

Beginning with the capture of an agent named Owens, codenamed SNOW, MI5 began to offer enemy agents the chance to avoid prosecution (and thus the possibility of the death penalty) if they would work as British double-agents. Agents who agreed to this were supervised by MI5 in transmitting bogus "intelligence" back to the German secret service, the Abwehr. This necessitated a large-scale organizational effort, since the information had to appear valuable but in actual fact be misleading. A high-level committee, the Wireless Board, was formed to provide this information. The day-to-day operation was delegated to a subcommittee, the Twenty Committee. The name of this committee lead to a phrase regularly used in English vocabulary.

What is the phrase ?

102. Mortal Killers?

These mythological creatures of Russian legend had head and chest of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird (usually an owl). According to the myth, they lived "in Indian lands" near Eden or around the Euphrates River.

These half-women half-birds sang beautiful songs to the saints, foretelling future joys. For mortals, however, the birds were dangerous. Men who heard them would forget everything on earth, follow them, and ultimately die. People would attempt to save themselves from these creatures by shooting cannons, ringing bells and making other loud noises to scare the bird off.

Vladimir Nabokov wrote some of his first novels and poems using the name of the bird as pseudonym.

Which mythological creature?

101. Fill in...

STEEL TRUE
SWORD STRAIGHT
______ _____ ______
KNIGHT
PATRIOT, PHYSICIAN & MAN OF LETTERS

Just fill in the blanks.

100. Evil Hypnotist?

This fictional character in George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby created a stereotype of the evil hypnotist that persists to this day. The name of the character has entered the English language meaning a person who, with evil intent, manipulates another into doing what is desired. It is frequently used for any kind of coach who seems to exercise an extreme degree of domination over a performer.

Which character/word?

99. Of Weddings and Wood...

Some say that the name of this art form is a variation of the French word for weddings and dates back to the time when Maxmillian, a frenchman was Emperor. Others say that the term comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which performers danced to the music of the village musicians. The “Son” is the typical sound and is a mixture of Spanish, native and African traditions.

Which art form?

98. March of the muscians?

Where would you find the following, back to back, and in the order specified below:

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach
Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky
L'apprenti sorcier by Paul Dukas
The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky
La Gioconda: Dance of the Hours by Ponichelli
Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky
Ave Maria by Schubert

97. And they never heard of it again....

In 1960, when Kuwait was on the verge of becoming an independent state, the Kuwait Oil Company felt that a bit of PR was needed. They invited X to visit Kuwait and write a book about his observations. For two weeks the Kuwait Oil Company escorted X on a whirlwind tour of Kuwait. The end result was a book called “State of Excitement” but unfortunately it was not what the Kuwaitis had expected. The Kuwait Oil Company owned the rights to the book and hence X was politely paid off, and the book never published. The only place in the world where it can be read by the general public is the Lilly Library at Indiana University.

Identify X.

96. Whats in a Name?

This sport is unique as it has different names for the two versions played by men and women. Men use a curved stick whereas their female counterparts use a shorter stick. Initially, the name of the stick used gave the name to the sport. When the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1884 the English-origin name " A " was given to the men's game. On the other hand, when an organisation for women was set up in 1904, it was decided to Anglicize the Irish name to " B ".

Name both the versions A and B.

95. Sailing to Byzantium...

"Sailing to Byzantium" by William Butler Yeats describes the metaphorical journey of a man pursuing his own vision of eternal life through a portion of an old man’s journey to Constantinople.


That is __ _____ ___ ___ ___. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
- Those dying generations - at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.


Just fill in the blanks in the first stanza of the poem.

94. Russian Drama?

The earliest known use of the term is from a short story by Zach Wright in the January 30, 1937, issue of Lee's Magazine. A Russian sergeant in the French Foreign Legion asks the narrator,

“Feldheim… did you ever hear of ______ _____?"

When I said I had not, he told me all about it. When he was with the Russian army in Romania, around 1917, and things were cracking up, so that their officers felt that they were not only losing prestige, money, family, and country, but were being also dishonored before their colleagues of the Allied armies, some officer would suddenly pull out his revolver, anywhere, at the table, in a cafe, at a gathering of friends…

What term?

93. Connect?

Connect the three pics.

92. Italian Fashion?

The name of this Italian island (name masked in red) comes from the Greek for "wild boar". But the island finds significance in the fashion world as a piece of attire is named after it.

Name the island/attire.

91. Thanks for Thanksgiving.....

According to cursory studies in US, it appears that a very large proportion of practisioners of this profession earmark Thanksgiving Day to get married! This seems to make sense as "work pressure" is considerably low on Thanksgiving.

Which profession?

90. Life Imitates Art?

The ______ _____ is a notion that refers to a possible extreme result of a nuclear meltdown in which molten reactor core products breach the barriers below them and flow downwards out of containment.

In 1971, nuclear physicist Ralph Lapp used the term to describe the burn-through of the reactor vessel, the penetration of the concrete below it, and the emergence of a mass of hot fuel into the soil below the reactor.

The dangers of such a hypothetical accident were publicized by the 1979 film, which had the same name as the phrase. The film was released on March 16, 1979, just twelve days before the real-life events at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.

What phrase?

89. Motley Crew?

In which country the President has to be a Maronite Catholic Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, the Deputy Prime Minister an Orthodox Christian, and the Speaker of the Parliament a Shi’a Muslim?

88. Friendly Islands?

The name of this independent archipelago in the Southern Pacific Ocean means “south” in the native language. The islands are also known as the Friendly Islands, the name given by Captain Cook because of the friendly reception he received. He happened to arrive at the time of inasi festival, the yearly donation of the first fruits and was invited to the festivities. According to the writer William Mariner, in reality the chiefs had wanted to kill Cook during the gathering, but had been unable to agree on a plan.

Which archipelago?

87. Human Power?

It made its appearance first in a 1707 painting "Les deux carrosses" by Claude Gillot. They were called vinaigrettes because of their resemblance to the wheel barrows of vinegar makers used in the streets of Paris in the 17th and 18th century. However, the present name is corrupted Japanese for "human-powered vehicle".

What am I talking about?

86. The Shining?

It is a combination of the words meaning a shine or luster given by the sugar content in the sauce, and cooking method of grilling or broiling. Traditionally the meat is dipped in or brushed with sauce several times before and during cooking.

What?

85. Arch Rivals...

A and B were mentioned as potential nobel laureates in 1915, but it is believed that due to their animosity toward each other neither was ever given the award, despite their enormous scientific contributions. There is some indication that each sought to minimize the other one's achievements and right to win the award; that both refused to ever accept the award if the other received it first; and that both rejected any possibility of sharing it—as was rumored in the press at the time. As a matter of fact B had a greater financial need for the award than A; in 1916, he filed for bankruptcy.

Identify A and B?

84. Connect?

Elston Gunn, Blind Boy Grunt, Lucky-Boo , Elmer Johnson, Sergei Petrov, Jack Frost, Jack Fate, Willow Scarlet, and Robert Milkwood Thomas.

83. The unmakeable movie?

In this forthcoming movie, the main character, Silvan Tompkins, has a particular gift for reading people's faces and body language. He tries to use his ability in the corporate world but ends up helping his rich father win a lawsuit by observing potential judges in the case.

Based on a single chapter of a best-selling book which many felt could not be converted into a movie.

Which book?

82. Inseparable Companion?

The origin of the term comes from the pickpocket slang of the late 19th and early 20th century. The "______" was the front side pocket of a pair of trousers, and was found to be the pocket safest from theft giving rise to the word meaning an inseparable companion.

What word?

81. Magnificent Seven?

This is the story of seven brothers who immigrated to USA from Italy eventually settling at California as machinists. Inspired by an airshow brother Rachele and brothers set up an aircraft manufacturing company called "______ Brothers." The business was short lived. The brothers stopped making aircrafts as brother Giacondo died in a plane accident and changed the line of business to making agricultural pumps. But the major turning point came when brother Candido utilized the company's expertise to make something for his son Kenneth who was suffering from of rheumatoid arthritis.

Who are these famous brothers?

80. Song of the goat!

This word has its origin from Greek for "goat song". The word has a reference to horse or goat costumes worn by actors who played the satyrs, or a goat being presented as a prize at a song contest.

What word?

79. Glorifying defeat?

The famous 1895 Jameson Raid, led by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson, was a raid by British forces against the Boers in South Africa. It served as the precursor to the Second Boer War. The British press, however, portrayed Jameson as a hero in the middle of the fiasco, and the actual defeat as a British victory.

How is the episode immortalized?

78. Comic art?

With which "art form" will you associate the following terms:

Harold, Blind Harold, Sybil, The Bat

77. Bonnie and Clyde inspired, perhaps?

When cars taken for test drives from car showrooms never return,
When valuable guests leave hotels without paying,
When houses with people living in them get sold,
When lockers turn up empty,
When you figure the money in your hands is fake, chances are, in a little while,
A simple little scrawl will appear where you least expect it to,
Which will tell you that
_______ and ______ were here.


A bit dated. What the heck. Just fill in the blanks.

76. By the snows of Fujiyama....

The Japan Sumo association employs Tokoyamas for a specific purpose. There are 53 tokoyamas
who belong to each of the 53 sumo stables.

What specific function do the Tokoyamas perform?

75. National art form?

The name of this art form comes from the combination of the Javanese words for "to write" and "point". This wax-resist dyeing technique is prevalent in several countries of West Africa, such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Mali, and in Asia, such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand. However, it is in Indonesia that it is considered a national art form.

Which art form?

74. The tradition of the Klossners.....

3 generations of Klossners had worked on the construction of the Notre Dame cathedral. They used to sign their work through a particular act. According to one theory, when Jean Klossner came to America he also continued in the grand tradition of the Klossners by doing the same for all the buildings that he made for the Meyer Holler construction company in Los Angeles. The owner of one of the buildings saw Klossner indulging in the particular act and being suitably impressed, started something that is prevalent to the present day.

What?

73. Kidstuff?

This coat of arms was composed from a design furnished by Mr. Lockwood Kipling, father of the famous Rudyard Kipling.

On the right and left are the Sun and the Moon representative of the Suryawanshi and Chandrawanshi clans of Rajputs. Below are the Panch Ranga,the five sacred colours of the Rajputs,Red,Gold,Blue,White and Green. In the center is a Rajput fort -Two Towers connected by a curtain. On the right stands a Bhil warrior with string bow and a quiver full of arrows. On the left is a Rajput, resplendently armed.

The badge is a peacock, perched on a double edged, two handed Rajputana sword, the Khanda.

Whose coat of arms??

72. Dance Baby Dance

When the Mughals took control of India, they had many of the original Hindu storytellers of the region of Rajasthan, India, brought into the courts as entertainers. In the courts, because stories from Hindu mythology were not of interest to the Mughal rulers, what was once the dance Kathak became infused with fast spinnings, swift movements, and graceful hand gestures of Persian influence. A new dance form was evolved.

Which dance form?

71. Click-Click!!

The name of this tribe is Khoikhoi meaning 'men of men'. They were traditionally—and are still occasionally in colloquial language—known to white colonists as the _________, a name that is currently generally considered offensive.

This word _________ meant "stutterer" in Dutch and was applied by the colonists because of the clicking sounds typically used in the Khoisan languages.

Just fill in both blanks with the same word.

70. A twist in the tale?

In 1945, a nameless girl escaped from a displaced person camp in Karylos, Greece. Wandering through post-WW2 Mediterranean and Arabia, she befriended another wandering refugee, a Hungarian scholar named Lob who gave her an education and a name.

Eventually she took control of a criminal gang in Tangier and expanded it to international status as "The Network" where her right hand man was one Willie Garvin. Incidentally he also called her "Princess".

When she felt she'd made enough money, she retired and moved to England; Willie Garvin followed suit. Bored by their new lives among the idle rich, they accepted a request for assistance from Sir Gerald Tarrant, a high-ranking official of the British secret service — and this is where the story really begins.

Whose?

69. Arabic Pepper

What is the plural of the Arabic word for pepper?

68. National Animal

Its name being derived from the Persian for "Snake Eater" featured alongside is the national animal of Pakistan.


Identify!

67. The toddler who eluded the tax-collector....

His birth saved the family from certain ruin, as, according to an ancient law, creditors could not seize the bed of a pregnant woman or a mother with a newborn child. When bailiffs entered the family home, just as Eugenia (his mother) went into labor, the family protected their most valuable assets by piling them on top of the expectant mother!

Who was born thus?

66. Jack of all trades, master of one!

A doctor by training, and an intellectual magpie by inclination, his work on the persistence of vision would lead, eventually, to the invention of cinema. He studied Dante, water purification, dinosaur bones, phrenology and insects. He worked at the Pneumatic Institution for Inhalation Gas Therapy, where Coleridge came to breathe nitrous oxide. He helped to create the slide rule and London's sewerage system. He invented the first travel chess set.

But the guy is best remembered for something which he created. He was inspired by the great taxonomist Carl Linneaus, who codified and classified plants and animals.

Who is the great guy and his claim to fame?

65. Donkey's ears...

This literally means "little donkey" in Spanish. The name possibly derives from its vague resemblance to the ear of its namesake animal, or from bedrolls and packs that donkeys carried. What am I talking about?

64. Leading to the abattoir...

A X goat is a trained goat used at a slaughterhouse and in general animal herding. X is trained to associate with sheep or cattle, leading them to a specific destination. In stockyards, a X will lead sheep to slaughter, while its own life is spared. X goats are also used to lead other animals to specific pens and on to trucks.

What is such a goat called ?

63. To kill in a Shakespearean way....

This part of the human body is named after an Italian physician who is considered as one of the fathers of anatomy.
William Shakespeare was also aware of this part which is a connection between the middle ear and the pharynx and suggested the means of murder (poison poured in the ear) used by Claudio to kill Hamlet's father.

What is the part called?

62. Fact or fiction?

Mr X was investigating the case of Richard C. Reid, who has been accused of plotting to destroy a Paris-to-Miami passenger jet with explosives hidden in his shoe. In the course of his investigations he was led to set up a meeting with one Sheik Gilani in a restaurant called “The Village”.

What happened next?

61. Twin Cities?

City 1 was known in ancient times by a term which meant “End of the habitable world”. City 2 got its name from the fact that after the great deluge, Manu got off his boat at this place to recreate human life. Nowadays both these cities are spoken of together in the same breath.

Identify city 1 and city 2.

60. Mediterranean Malady

This is a recessive trait inherited disease of the red blood cells. In the disease the genetic defect results in reduced rate of synthesis of normal globin chains.The blood cells are vulnerable to mechanical injury and die easily.

The disease occurs in all populations and ethnic groups; however the prevalence differs among different populations. This disease's geographical association with the Mediterranean Sea was responsible for its naming. Its name comes from the combination for the Greek words for sea and blood.

Which disease?

59. Sunday Brunch, at the slaughterhouse?

"Take a large calf's head. Scald off the hair. Boil it until the horn is tender, then cut it into slices about the size of your finger, with as little lean as possible. Have ready three pints of good mutton or veal broth, put in it half a pint of Madeira wine, half a teaspoonful of thyme, pepper, a large onion, and the peel of a lemon chop't very small. A ¼ of a pint of oysters chop't very small, and their liquor; a little salt, the juice of two large onions, some sweet herbs, and the brains chop't. Stand all these together for about an hour, and send it up to the table with the forcemeat balls made small and the yolks of hard eggs."

Which literary character is named after the above recipe?

58. Joined together!

In English Language these are a pair or grouping of words that is used together as an idiomatic expression, usually conjoined by the words and or or. Expressions like `to and fro', `safe and sound', `take it or leave it', and `rhyme or reason' are some of the examples of the grouping. The two words in these expressions are inseparable; their order is fixed and they have only one meaning. What are such pairs called?

57. Surf up!

This is a common move in surfing. Just name it.

56. Poisoning to live...

It is the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts. The practice derives from __________, the King of Pontus, who so feared being poisoned that he regularly ingested small doses, aiming to develop immunity. Having been defeated by Pompey, legend has it that he tried to commit suicide using poison but failed because of his immunity and so had to resort to having a mercenary run him through with his sword. The practice finds mention as a plot device in many literary works, the famous being The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. Which practice?

55. Army training...

It is a combination of the words meaning "scratched line". It was originated in Britain during the early Roman Empire and was initially designed as a training regimen for Roman foot soldiers who ran the course in full armor and field packs, as it was thought this would improve their footwork. What?

54. The wind that rocks the casbah??

This Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and reaches hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe is known by various names in various places.

In North Africa, it derives its name from the fact that it blows from a particularly important direction. Kindly provide this name.

53. Tinted mirror...

X is a small mirror, slightly convex in shape, with its surface tinted a dark colour. Bound up like a pocket-book or in a carrying case, these were used by artists, travellers and connoisseurs of landscape and landscape painting.The mirror is named for a 17th-century landscape painter, whose name in the late 18th century became synonymous with the picturesque aesthetic. These were famously used by picturesque artists in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a frame for drawing sketches of picturesque landscapes.The user would turn his back on the scene to observe the framed view through the tinted mirror—in a sort of pre-photographic lens—which added the picturesque aesthetic of a subtle gradation of tones. What mirror?

52. The Virgin Killer!

According Ibn Batuta, Rannamaari, the notorious sea demon haunted the people of the Maldives since time began. Every month, a virgin had to be sacrificed for the demon, or the people were to face his wrath. A girl was chosen from the inhabitants by the king or his advisors and she would be kept alone on the first night of the month in an isolated temple at the eastern seafront in Malé. At dawn, the girl's family would return to the temple to find the dead body of the girl. How was the problem resolved and what resulted as a consequence?

51. Blissful receptor!

The name of this neurotransmitter found in animal and human organs, especially in the brain comes from the Sanskrit word for "bliss, delight". This biomolecule plays a crucial role in pain, depression, appetite, memory, and fertility. Which biomolecule?

50. Rambling on....

Identify the movie from the plot synopsis below. If it helps the movie was silent throughout and is accompanied by an acoustic guitar led soundtrack from beginning to end.

A young guy, carrying a closely guarded guitar case, hooks up with a free spirited girl when hitchhiking across the desert in southern California en route to the Pacific coast. Along the way, the man engaged the girl in an olive spitting contest and the girl initiates the guy into the joys of cannabis smoking and sex in a sleeping bag. As the pair reach the beach, the guy frolics in the surf and the girl checks out the contents of his guitar case: a suit and tie, toothpaste, mouthwash, a roll of toilet paper and a copy of Arthur Clarke's The City and the Stars. The girl smiles in bemusement, perhaps sensing all along that her companion was a geek.

49. International Day of the Book

A tradition followed on 23rd April in Catalonia of gifting a rose and a book may have inspired UNESCO to declare this the International Day of the Book. The other more important reason why this day was chosen is that two famous authors both died on this day in 1616 (one according to the Julian calendar and the other according to the Gregorian).

Name both.

48. The Rasputin Episode

For what specific reason has this movie gone down the annals of film industry?

47. Artist?

Identify the artist from his repertoire?

46. Drink to die for!

The name of this drink in native language is derived from the word meaning ‘little bird’.

The drink is distilled from grapes made in wine-producing regions of Peru and Chile and is the most widely consumed spirit in Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

The right to produce the drink as an exclusive cultural commodity has been the centre of a dispute between Chile and Peru because it is produced and consumed by both Chileans and Peruvians, and both countries consider it their national drink. Peru claims that it was originated on the city of ___, Peru, while Chileans changed the name of the village of La Unión to _____ Elqui to counter that statement.

Which iconic drink ?

45. Bolstering Concepts

What is the claim to fame of this book?

44. A motto for a song?

The Barefoot Contessa is a 1954 film about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas (allegedly based on the real life Rita Hayworth) It was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien in the leading roles.

In one of the scenes of this film, Rosanno Brazzi takes Ava Gardner to his ancestral castle in Italy. Carved there in stone was the family motto: ___ ____ ____

A songwriting duo thought it might make a good song title, so they wrote it down and when they got the right assignment they changed the spelling to the Spanish version. When the director heard the song he told the duo "I told you I didn't know what kind of a song I want. That's the kind of song I want".

Which iconic song?

43. Who?

He dropped his surname as it indicated his caste and he was against the caste system. Upon completion of his course at Kashi Vidyapeeth, he was awarded with the bachelor's degree. The title of the bachelor's degree awarded by the Vidya Peeth stuck as part of his name. Who is the person in question?

42. Barber Feat

In the Kashmir valley a king banned the playing of the pungi in his court due to its shrill sound. A barber, belonging to a family of musicians, improved on it and created a new musical instrument. Which musical instrument?

41. Hail St. Valentine!

This famous term was coined by Erica Jong in her 1973 novel Fear of Flying. The term is defined as a sexual encounter for its own sake, without emotional involvement or commitment, between two previously unacquainted persons.
Which term?

40. Contact Theory

The Locard exchange principle, also known as Locard's theory, was postulated by one Edmond Locard and states that "with contact between two items, there will be an exchange"

Which branch of science derives its working principles from this basic axiom?

39. Eureka!

One of many eureka moments came one day when Ram Chandra Sharma had a flat tyre while riding his bicycle. According to Chandra, he went to a roadside stall whose owner happened to be retreading a tyre with vulcanised rubber. Once his bicycle was fixed, Chandra rushed to X for consultations on how this method could be used for a particular purpose. Later he returned to the tyre shop, and did something. What came out as a result for which X is attributed to ?

38. Which book?

It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world and has been translated in more than 40 languages. The title of the novel comes from William Butler Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming."

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
_____ ______ ______ ; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Which popular book?

37. Sound of Music!

This is a musical instrument belonging to the clarinet family. Although it is not a horn; its name probably derives from the resemblance of early, curved or angled versions to a horn. According to one theory it was so named beacuse it was invented by a person named Horn.

The Italian name for the instrument was used by Bernard Shaw as a pseudonym when writing music criticism.

Which musical instrument?

36. Somewhere near Darjeeling...

One of the theories about the origin of this term reads thus:

It began when Mr Henry Newman, a longtime contributor to The Statesman in Calcutta (using the pen name "Kim") interviewed a group of porters upon their return to Darjeeling. Newman mistranslated the word "metoh" as "filthy" or "dirty", and substituted the term ________, perhaps out of artistic license and then deeming the whole story to be such a joyous creation, he sent it to one or two newspapers.

What term did Henry Newman thus give birth to?

35. American Rimbaud

•He was an American Beat poet and surrealist inspired by jazz music. In France, where his poetry had a large following, he was known as the "American Rimbaud."

•He said of his own work, "My head is a bony guitar, strung with tongues, plucked by fingers & nails.“

•

•After learning of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, he took a Buddhist vow of silence that lasted until the end of the Vietnam War in 1973. He broke his silence by reciting his poem "All Those Ships that Never Sailed," the first lines of which are

All those ships that never sailed
The ones with their seacocks open
That were scuttled in their stalls...
Today I bring them back
Huge and transitory
And let them sail
Forever

•Which great poet?

34. Bologna to Rome!

This journey shown was detailed by Stendhal on the back of a playing card while speaking to Madame Gherardi, during his trip to the Salzburg salt mine. What is the journey all about?

Connect?

Like father, like daughter!

These two elements in the periodic table are named after father and daughter pair. X (daughter) was discovered by Charles Hatchett in 1801. Hatchett found X in the columbite ore that was sent to England in the 1750s by John Winthrop, the first governor of Connecticut and named it columbium. There was a considerable amount of confusion about the difference between the closely-related X and Y (father) that wasn't resolved until 1846 by Heinrich Rose and Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac, who rediscovered the element. Since Rose was unaware of Hatchett's work, he gave the element a different name X.

Identify the two elements.

Stamp dedicated to whom?

Connect?