General Knowledge Quiz

[Neo9320]

were they the first harvesting machines? No idea of the names

 

[yoyothehobo]

This is a long shot, but Mexico 1943 rings a bell.

Volcanoes?

I recall reading a story about a Mexican farmer who found a very small vent just inches high spitting ash in a field which developed into a full scale volcano, but I cannot remember the year.

Correct.

Showa Shinzan and Paricutin both grew out of farmers fields.

Your turn to harvest a new question.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Crikey... I wasn't even sure it was during the war!!

Only one person ever has risen fully through the ranks in the British Army from Private to Field Marshall.

Who was this?

 

[Fermiboson]

Crikey... I wasn't even sure it was during the war!!

Only one person ever has risen fully through the ranks in the British Army from Private to Field Marshall.

Who was this?

Sir William Robertson, whom in my personal opinion displays a shocking lack of appreciation for the common soldier while he was in senior command considering where he came from.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Sir William Robertson, whom in my personal opinion displays a shocking lack of appreciation for the common soldier while he was in senior command considering where he came from.

It was indeed him. ( ...and yes, you'd think someone who had been through all the ranks would know exactly what the conditions were like at each level... )

You may take command of the next question.

 

[Fermiboson]

Staying with the military theme: During the sinking of the KMS Bismarck in 1940, which Polish navy vessel took part in the action, and what message did it (famously, but also possibly apocryphally) transmit towards the Bismarck?

 

[Gloster]

Staying with the military theme: During the sinking of the KMS Bismarck in 1940, which Polish navy vessel took part in the action, and what message did it (famously, but also possibly apocryphally) transmit towards the Bismarck?

1940 or 1941? KMS?

 

[Fermiboson]

1940 or 1941? KMS?

Apologies, 1941. Kriegsmarine Schiffe.

 

[DaleCooper]

Staying with the military theme: During the sinking of the KMS Bismarck in 1940, which Polish navy vessel took part in the action, and what message did it (famously, but also possibly apocryphally) transmit towards the Bismarck?

I can't remember the name of the destroyer but I think the message was "We are Poles".

 

[Calthrop]

Staying with the military theme: During the sinking of the KMS Bismarck in 1940, which Polish navy vessel took part in the action, and what message did it (famously, but also possibly apocryphally) transmit towards the Bismarck?

Not the Blyskawica, was it? (The only Polish naval ship name that I know.)

 

[Fermiboson]

Not the Blyskawica, was it? (The only Polish naval ship name that I know.)

It was not the Blyskawica.

 

[Fermiboson]

I can't remember the name of the destroyer but I think the message was "We are Poles".

Close, but no cigar.

 

[DaleCooper]

Staying with the military theme: During the sinking of the KMS Bismarck in 1940, which Polish navy vessel took part in the action, and what message did it (famously, but also possibly apocryphally) transmit towards the Bismarck?

It appears that no one knows.

 

[Fermiboson]

The Polish destroyer Piorun was the first to catch up with the Bismarck together with the British destroyer Maori. The Piorun rapidly closed the distance and signalled "I am a Pole" at Bismarck before firing its first shot. (This is the official history by the Polish government also found at Auschwitz III; some versions give the signal as "Three salvoes for the honour of Poland".) Piorun kept up the engagement at a very close range for some time before Bismarck's large calibre guns and the fact that the destroyer was very low on fuel convinced the British command to order it back to port, to the crew's great disappointment before they could use their torpedoes.

Open floor?

 

[Loppylugs]

Ok. How many words in the English language end in .....dous ?

 

[Gloster]

A tremendous number.

 

[randyrippley]

A tremendous number.

Don't you mean stupendous?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

A tremendous number.

Don't you mean stupendous?

Or even a horrendous number?

 

[Fermiboson]

Or even a horrendous number?

So much so that answering the question may be hazardous.

 

[Peterthegreat]

13?

 

[randyrippley]

So much so that answering the question may be hazardous.

But not arduous though possibly jeopardous

 

[Fermiboson]

But not arduous though possibly jeopardous

Perhaps I may be wrong and the answer is unhazardous!

 

[DaleCooper]

Ok. How many words in the English language end in .....dous ?

I don't know any words that contain five full stops/decimal points.

 

[randyrippley]

Perhaps I may be wrong and the answer is unhazardous!

Surely you mean nonhazardous? Though if it was hazardous would it ultrahazardous?

 

[Fermiboson]

Surely you mean nonhazardous? Though if it was hazardous would it ultrahazardous?

I’ve always used unhazardous, though I’m not sure; may be one of those nonflammable/inflammable/flammable situations. According to the OED, unhazardous was actually used from the 17th century onwards while nonhazardous (with a hyphen) first appeared in 1853.

 

[Loppylugs]

There are just the four previously mentioned - Hazardous, Horrendous, Stupendous and Tremendous.
I'll let you folks sort out who goes next!

 

[Fermiboson]

There are just the four previously mentioned - Hazardous, Horrendous, Stupendous and Tremendous.
I'll let you folks sort out who goes next!

I’m not sure to what extent this is a definite answer though (to be pedantic). There are loads of obscure words in the English language ending with -dous which have virtually no common usage (usually adjectives meaning “of or relating to a given chemical element”), as well as the question of whether prefix/suffixes count as distinct words (and there may be cases where there are false negatives!). What exactly are we counting as an English word here?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous are indeed the four (commonly used) English language words that all end with the letters ...dous, but that wasn't quite how the question was posed. Having said that, can't say I've ever heard of any of the other ...dous words which are sometimes stated as being correct answers.

 

[Fermiboson]

Hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous are indeed the four (commonly used) English language words that all end with the letters ...dous, but that wasn't quite how the question was posed. Having said that, can't say I've ever heard of any of the other ...dous words which are sometimes stated as being correct answers.

And apparently also Shopdous (thanks Google), some sort of online retailer.

 

[randyrippley]

there's 83 listed on this page https://www.wordexample.com/list/words-ending-in-dous