Old Pete's Puzzler 9

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Is 1. the Spruce Goose? At the time it was the largest aircraft ever to fly but it only flew once with Howard Hughs a the control.

5 A stone Frigate is a Royal Navy establishement ashore.

3 Grantham to Peterborough was where the Mallard set the steam engine world speed record.

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"Well, having demolished the interprandial in short order..."

What? I am still struggling with 1 and 3 of the Prandials!!

Will somebody please release from this torture or I promise never to visit Planet Flatt again...

As usual there are some are quick off the mark with correct answers

1. = Spruce Goose

3. is the Mallard steam record on the stretch between Grantham ( spit ) and Peterborough

5. a stone frigate is indeed an RN shore base

Hoddros - we are not known for our merciful tendencies.

Come on you lot - there are 3 as yet unchallenged

Well 4 has got me thinking about george Orwell and Animal Farm.
But no further than that.

Jim - no nothing Orwellian in that sense - It is actually the River Orwell in Suffolk that is the item to be linked.

a bit of help - the first item is a reference to nickname for a boat

Yes and I think orwell took it as his pen name as he loved the river orwell so much, hence I pursued the orwellian goose.

Hmm boat nick name - barge?

A bit of research suggests that the RAF were known as the Pebble Monkeys - is this a link to Stones on a beach?

hold that word Rob - pebbles is relevant to item one.

now what about Qs 2 & 6 and takers

Didn't Disraeli acquire Cyprus for the crown?

I learn that the author Eric Blair changed his name to George Orwell because he loved that River..

OOps.. just duplicated your thoughts .. silly old me

St M - yes he did in a way - but how ?

and Rob - once again no puns - or other wordplays are involved in the River Orwell - clue .

Dont forget its not just the link you must identify but each of the elements .

Has 2 got something to do with the Free Gaza Movement and their links with Cyprus?... I believe the ships were called FREE GAZA and the LIBERTY.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:07:14:13:44:07 by StBleach.

Rob - nope.

all of the links in the questions that are left unsolved are Places or geographical features. The clues all point to that ... place or thing.

My limited brain capacity is now hurting..

he did a deal with the Ottomans over Afghanistan against the Russians.

1 = Turkey (Constantinople)
analyst of liberty - Ataturk?
2 - Funeral - Mahomed gave Constantine a lavish funeral after the fall of Constantinople
3 - Disraeli did the deal over Cyprus in Constantinople

or

Analyst of Liberty - Kipling - wrote about Helmand River & Afghan wars
Cyprus - the deal was to support the Afghans
Funeral - not sure of historical, but there have been plenty connected to Afghanistan lately.

No.4: This will be completely wrong but I'll post it anyway...

An Amethyst is a stone.

HMS Amethyst that existed between 1905-1920 was attached to the Harwich Force and Harwich sits on the River Orwell.

A different HMS Amethyst, that existed between 1942-1957, was the ship involved in the Yangtze Incident, where it was shelled by Mao's forces.

Blimey sarge you deserve something for that!

Hi folks - just back from a sweaty day in Mcaclesfield - no that isnt a clue. So where are we up to.

Sarge you are very very close - stick with HMS Amethyst - the harwich force is not relevant - but HMS Amethyst and River Orwell are linked - All of the three elements in the question link to a single entity as do all of the clues.

You are so close.

David - forget afghanistan - attaturk etc

as with all three remaining puzzles - you are looking for single place or geographical feature that links things in each question.

onece you get one element correctly linked then the others should fall into place.

and I really am surprised that question 6 has no takers and has not been solved yet.

removed..



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:07:16:08:50:15 by StBleach.

Ok as its thursday here some more clues - for eacxh of the remaining questions i have identified a category for each of the elements in the question - which still requires you to identify the link and say why the things are linked.

So Q 2 involves - A congress or conference , -
a philosopher * - a book

* before some of you go off on the wrong track -
not one of those featured in the infamous song.

Q 4 - involves a Film - Another film -
an aquatic event

Q 6 an author - rugby - well a truck

I now fully expect all three to be answered by this evening.

4. Is it just the Yangtse River? For the reasons identified by Sarge?



6. John Bunyan
Franklins Gardens? Crooked Hooker?
Wagon? Van?

....just throwing out ideas...

Number 4 thanks to the clues and work done by Sarge and Hoddros

Film - Sand Pebbles - film about a Yangtze river patrol gunboat

Film - Yangtze Incident - film about HMS Amethyst which used River Orwell to look like the Yangtze River

Aquatic Event - Mao did a few long swims in the Yangtze mainly in 1966 when he swam 15k of the river at the age of 73 amongst rumours he was dead

question four - silver medal to sarge - for getting on track - bronze to Hoddros for Yangtse River after my clues and Sarges work. slightly tinted Gold to Sea Bass who makes all the connections

Question 6 yes Bunyan - not FG or the crooked hooker - the right idea but missapplied - and if the TRUCK clue doesnt tell you where it is and what is the connection - well I dont know.

Home for old Saints, and a truck - Bedford. Where Bunyan was from. I'd been stuck on the truck being Foden for ages.

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Quote:

smurfomatic
I'd been stuck on the truck being Foden for ages.

For some reason I'd couldn't get past MACK...

Have to applaud you Pete for your questions - keep em coming, I will get an answer one day..

well done to Smurf - BEDFORD is the common link ( the home for retired holy men - blimey I thought that wasa give away ) being stuck on Foden is an easy mistake with this sort of question - one can easily be convinced of one element when flexible thinking is required.


So that leaves just question 2 which as its late thursday - and brains are tired I will now reveal

the congress of BERLIN 1878 - Disraeli came away with
Cyprus - which wasnt bad for a thing called by Bismark
to prevent a war betwen Austria and Russia over some bit
of the balkans,

the analyst of liberty is Isiah BERLIN-whose Two Concepts of Liberty was compulsory reading for politics and philisophy students in the 60s - his work has recently had a bit of a revival - as pundits ponder the excesses of the the last decade or so.Several articles about him in the Broadsheets recently

His drinking habits are not known.

and of course Len Deightons A FUNERAL IN BERLIN.


More on Monday

I have all these bits of paper that tell me I'm clever yet when I try to do these I'm left feeling VERY VERY THICK!

No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.

Dryathlon

Dont forget Rich, that OLD PETE has age and wisdom on his side - we are in catch up mode. Mind you, questions relating to Isiah BERLIN are beyond your normal 'Pub Quiz' - come back Flatty I promise never to moan again..

Isiah Berlin may well be beyond the normal pub quiz - but it depends on whats in your " attention frame " i find all questions on popular music beyond me - mainly because ive never been that interested - similarly the bus stations of eastern Europe hold little fascination for me.

I have tried to broaden the scope of questions out of my own comfort zone but its also difficult to judge the capacity of you the punters -

This last lot imho contained a good mix - some were cracked within minutes - others were more taxing - thing is one can never tell which will tutn out to be easy and which will turn out to be too obscure.

The big challenge is foil the googlers - in that respect the sort of questions asked in a pub quiz cant be asked here - as they can be googled here - but not in the pub.

Pete

Cracking stuff Pete - the ones that leave me stumped are an education when the answer is revealed.

That's true Wee Jim and as I've finally got around to reading wild swans I guess I'd have known the Mao stuff if I was up to 1966

No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.

Dryathlon

Absolutely... keep em coming - as I said before - I have a goal to answer just one question - looking forward to the next round.