Reddit trivia rematch

February 6, 2012 6:59 AM

Good morning westerners! In just over four hours, our Trivial Special Forces will reassemble in central London to do battle with our arch-nemeses, Reddit, in a re-match after we mopped the floor with them last time. Current IRL thread here. Any MeFites in London are encouraged to come along and participate and/or cheer us on. Live updates in this thread will follow I'm sure, though we will go dark during the quiz. Tally-ho!

Did I sound British enough with the Tally Ho? I'm new over here.

posted by PercussivePaul to MetaFilter-Related at 6:59 AM (143 comments total)

you forgot to say pip pip.
posted by Think_Long at 7:09 AM on February 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Happy Waitangi day!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:16 AM on February 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

I am tempted to come by on my way to the bus, have a beer, flag some of you as fantastic and move on.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:17 AM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

I think that MetaFilter will probably win. Good luck, we are all counting on you.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:18 AM on February 6, 2012

THE STREETS WILL RUN RED WITH THE BLOOD OF THE UNBELIEVERS

I mean, I hope (again) that there's a Shakespeare round.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:21 AM on February 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

We expect you to come back carrying your shields, or carried upon them.
posted by Kattullus at 7:21 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Good luck! Just watch out for ringers.
posted by zarq at 7:25 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

I just want to tell you good luck. We're all counting on you
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:29 AM on February 6, 2012 [25 favorites]

I hope you draw, because that would be the fairest result and no-one would be a "loser". In a very real sense, participation is the greatest achievement.

Also "points" were actually invented by Hitler, who was a Nazi.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 7:34 AM on February 6, 2012

I hope for a fair and equitable sporting contest, with a lively, yet honorable & fair exchange of knowledge. Oh, who am I kidding. Rip off their heads & raise their still-beating hearts up to heavens!
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:48 AM on February 6, 2012

b) Once, in 1947, when a bird became lodged in the mechanism.
posted by DU at 7:52 AM on February 6, 2012

Good luck! Come back with your shields or on them!
posted by winna at 7:55 AM on February 6, 2012

I just want to tell you good luck. We're all counting on you.
posted by m@f at 7:55 AM on February 6, 2012

I hope you draw, because that would be the fairest result and no-one would be a "loser". In a very real sense, participation is the greatest achievement.

No, we* beat them once, so a draw means we still win.

*For a value of "we" that doesn't not, strictly speaking, include myself.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 7:56 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

What I want to know is this: If each team were given access only to their respective home-websites, with no outbound links accessible, which team would win?
posted by nobody at 8:06 AM on February 6, 2012

I just wanted to inform you, there's no such thing as luck. Our lives depend on your skill, and nothing else.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:38 AM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Good luck and godspeed, young mefites!
posted by owtytrof at 8:51 AM on February 6, 2012

What I want to know is this: If each team were given access only to their respective home-websites, with no outbound links accessible, which team would win?

If any of the quiz questions are "I like Maroon 5, Muse, and the Mountain Goats. What other bands would I like?" or "should I eat this?", we would nuke the redditors from the face of the earth. Unfortunately, that's unlikely.
posted by LionIndex at 8:53 AM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

I just wanted to tell you that all competitive behaviour is the misplaced desire for union with the Godhead, and you should free yourselves of your illusions and turn up naked and make love to all your rivals and stroke their hair and sing, "Alahu! Alahu! We are one being in the infinite universal consciousness! Wallahallalu!"
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:58 AM on February 6, 2012

Happy Waitangi day!

Thank you! I shall celebrate by....um......shit......wait....celebration probably the wrong word....wait.....yelling abuse at John Key! Yeah, that works.

Fun fact, Waitangi Day is also my father's birthday. And the birthday of my friend Waitangi (how's that for a coincidence?).
posted by Infinite Jest at 9:03 AM on February 6, 2012

Gutted I'm still at work and slightly snowed in! Kick some reddit ass!
posted by ellieBOA at 9:11 AM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Just a word of advice on British competitions. If you're unsure of the answer, it's probably "Numberwang".
posted by benito.strauss at 9:14 AM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Good luck
posted by Sailormom at 9:26 AM on February 6, 2012

British Trivia Questions: Special Relationship

1. Which country in North America whose capital is Washington is, like, we're all that, but is ISN'T?
2. Which country pretends it won World War II, but it didn't even turn up on time? YEAH.
3. Which country over-pronounces the last "on" in "Monty Python"? Like, as if they've never heard the word python before and they get all excited by it and they go, "Monty Pyth-ON!!" Don't you HATE that? Why the hell do they DO that???
4. Which country is totally not better than ours, even though we jizz our pants whenever anyone British wins an Oscar? Like, they think THEY can act! I mean, fucking hell they don't even have any "Sirs" forchrissakes.
5. Oh yeah - and what about their BEER??? Ha ha ha! Yeah, just put "America" for this one, I can't even read this question I'm laughing so hard.
6. Uh, which country is all happy and everyone is really positive and they have constitutionally guaranteed freedom and everyone respects them around the world and their culture is, like, everywhere, and they invented Rock 'n' Roll AND the Blues AND Jazz AND Hip-hop and they went to the fucking MOON? Wait a minute that question makes us look like dorks. Just skip that one.
7. OK - which country is all like, "Howdy, y'all ever mosey on down to Lie-sester square, my homie? Fuggedaboudit!" - ? HA HA HA! No really we're totally cooler than them, guys. We're cooler. No, we are. Really.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 9:39 AM on February 6, 2012 [20 favorites]

I arrived late and was put at the kids table. Only room for half a team here; not sure how this is going to work if more people come. Mefites number 13 or 14 - two and a half teams. The bar is pretty full so reddit is probably here -- I think that's them in the corner -- but they are not obviously marked. No elaborate banners this time; feels pretty chill. We start in about half an hour.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:15 AM on February 6, 2012

they are not obviously marked

The 666 is usually visible as a birthmark just below the hairline.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:18 AM on February 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

I think that's them in the corner -- but they are not obviously marked.

You should be able to take care of that after you've had a beer or two.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:24 AM on February 6, 2012 [5 favorites]

We need a live trivia cam for these events.
posted by empyrean at 11:29 AM on February 6, 2012

Or at least live-blogging.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:43 AM on February 6, 2012

About to start. Team New Mod Army, in honour of the new mods (name courtesy of permafrost) featuring myself, permafrost, infinteJest, hotsoupgirl, gordafarin, and ersatz.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:45 AM on February 6, 2012

And radio silence for round 1!
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:47 AM on February 6, 2012

Good luck!
posted by pemberkins at 11:50 AM on February 6, 2012

If I had a beer here in my office I would drink it in your honor.
posted by rtha at 12:17 PM on February 6, 2012

First round being scored
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:26 PM on February 6, 2012

Come back with your shield, or on it.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:29 PM on February 6, 2012

New Mod Army: 14
My Little Pony Request: 19
Woody Harrelson Is Flagged As Awesome: 16
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:29 PM on February 6, 2012

The eagle has landed.
posted by parmanparman at 12:37 PM on February 6, 2012

Foci for Analysis: Come back with your shield, or on it.

Amusingly enough, the original saying was apparently: "This or on this." The 'this' being the shield, of course, but I've often liked to think that this would lead to some sort of Abbot and Costello-like routine.
posted by Kattullus at 12:54 PM on February 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

My Little Pony are winning, New Mod Army last. Second round scoring now. MLP also won two free beer rounds, one for knowing who HITLER'S favourite boxer was.
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:28 PM on February 6, 2012

One of Reddit's teams is called Better Filter
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:30 PM on February 6, 2012

New Mod Army: 32
My Little Pony: 35
Woody Harrelson: 34
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:38 PM on February 6, 2012

Better Filter LAST
Real people (team of two) 6th
New Mod Army 5th
Woody Harrelson 3rd (win pickled gherkins)
My Little Pony: 2nd
Reddit win
Reddit win

Wait. Scratch that. They aren't a Reddit tram. Real people win.
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:46 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Mefi in 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Reddit in 4th and tie for last (7th/8th). Regulars take the bar tab by a single point.
posted by PercussivePaul at 1:47 PM on February 6, 2012

My Little Pony Request are the best of the internet teams. Team MeFi victorious!
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:48 PM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Triumph!

(what, yall thought yall wasn't gone see me? I'm the osirus of this shit. Mefi is here forever, mofos.)
posted by cashman at 1:53 PM on February 6, 2012

I just want to tell you good luck. We're all counting on you.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:54 PM on February 6, 2012

yay! good work guys
posted by ellieBOA at 1:56 PM on February 6, 2012

I'm really glad that you all and the London redditor crowd have been able to come together and have a fun, friendly cross-community engagement like this that emphasizes the fundamental shared humanity underlying internet communities, and which reinforces the sometimes-forgotten notion that whatever sort of tension can arise between groups in the dissociated context that internet drama and tribalism can foster doesn't stand up in practice to things as simple as folks just getting together and having a good time.

I also appreciate you destroying them twice. That was also pretty good.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:05 PM on February 6, 2012 [41 favorites]

so, this, you came back with it, and they went home on theirs, eh wot? well done, chaps and lasses.
posted by theora55 at 2:17 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Tha's awright innit mate. For a sec I thought you'd done us a lemon but it's all kushty.
posted by empyrean at 2:24 PM on February 6, 2012

I'm so sorry.
posted by empyrean at 2:25 PM on February 6, 2012

Yeah, but now I have to get my liver to filter out my Hitler pint and the 1/6 of the bottle of wine we got for second. And I have to got to work tomorrow.
posted by ursus_comiter at 4:00 PM on February 6, 2012

Reddit demanded a rematch but I told them we were playing Pinterest next week.
posted by parmanparman at 4:13 PM on February 6, 2012 [8 favorites]

We were also discussing a dance off. Good show, everyone!
posted by ersatz at 4:19 PM on February 6, 2012

Next time, you have to let them win, juts to keep them interested. After that, you can continue to smash them forever, because they'll always have that one win to pin their hope for the future to.
posted by dg at 7:02 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Great job. Didn't expect the five dollar sign up fee to include bragging rights.
posted by Sailormom at 7:53 PM on February 6, 2012

I just want to tell you good luck. We're all counting on you.
posted by P.o.B. at 9:19 PM on February 6, 2012

New Mod Army!!!! omg, I love you guys. I'm going to be grinning all day.

[*pinging restless now*]
posted by taz (staff) at 9:22 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hah! Awesome. We are grateful for this victory you have won in our name.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 9:26 PM on February 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

We need to start handing out campaign medals.
posted by arcticseal at 10:10 PM on February 6, 2012

Good show, old bean(s)!
posted by bardophile at 11:19 PM on February 6, 2012

Any discussion on the questions asked? :)
posted by the cydonian at 11:42 PM on February 6, 2012

An international dish: 7th letter can't come.
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:04 AM on February 7, 2012

I like the "what are non-magic people called in the Harry Potter books?" - which I've never read HP and I knew the answer. But if you have read it, there are apparently three different answers. One of the Reddit teams tied themselves in knots over that one.

Another international dish: argument with a gumboot.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:15 AM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

New Mod Army!!!! omg, I love you guys. I'm going to be grinning all day.

:) Thank Permafrost for that, a man who knows history and post-punk (and that MeFi has some new(ish) mods).

Rejected team names included "I was quoting science"; "be smart from the very beginning"; and some sort of "Jake Evans" reference.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:17 AM on February 7, 2012

Goddammit, I know who Hitler's favourite boxer was. I should have been there!
posted by Decani at 12:28 AM on February 7, 2012

It was Max Schmeling, by the way. I thought everyone knew that. Huh.
posted by Decani at 12:30 AM on February 7, 2012

The impressive part about it was that it was a 'answer straight away' type question, and the quiz master dragged those questions out. And we got the answer before he'd actually said Hitler. It was something llike "I'm looking for the favourite......boxer.....[people yell answers] of [correct answer]
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:42 AM on February 7, 2012

Ah, a "Beat the Intro" type question, eh? I'm not so sharp at those these days. Age and alcohol, that's my excuse.
posted by Decani at 1:11 AM on February 7, 2012

> An international dish: 7th letter can't come.

Eggnog?

> Another international dish: argument with a gumboot.

Plate of beans? :)
posted by the cydonian at 1:19 AM on February 7, 2012

wrong, and wrong!
posted by PercussivePaul at 1:39 AM on February 7, 2012

Beef wellington.
posted by Helga-woo at 2:12 AM on February 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

and Gumbo? (gumboot)
posted by taz (staff) at 2:18 AM on February 7, 2012

It was beef (e.g. argument) + Wellington (e.g. gumboot)
posted by Infinite Jest at 3:14 AM on February 7, 2012

Here's some more, of varying difficulty, off the top of my head. There were 40 questions, so this is a fairly big chunk of them.

1. What phrase is this? poFIBund
2. What phases are: 16 P on a C B
T A 66 C in the UK
3. What world capital comes first alphabetically of all world capitals?
4. What's the plural of moose?
5. What's the only number that's spelled alphabetically?
6. How many columns in a connect-4 game?
7. From what country does the Labrador Retriever breed originate?
8. What gymnastics event debuted at the Sydney Olympics?
9. What island's name derives from Spanish for 'the old'?
10. How do you say "I'll see you later" in Spanish?
11. What is California's main wine region?
12. What's the name of the dog in the old Tom and Jerry cartoons?
13. A Clementine is a cross between an orange and what?
14. How old was James Dean when he died?
15. What's Ferrarri's logo called?
16. What do you call a golf course by the sea?

Difficulty: NO INTERNETS.
posted by PercussivePaul at 4:18 AM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

17. In what TV series was the Pacific Princess?
18. What is the word for people without magical powers in the Harry Potter series (controversial answer!)
19. What animal does this skull come from?
20. What does this symbol represent?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 4:27 AM on February 7, 2012

21. What is the middle day of a year that is NOT a leap year?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 4:28 AM on February 7, 2012

17. What is the word for 1/60th of a second?

Reddit got this one...for shame!

18. Also, Which country has won the Eurovision song contest the most times?

Answer: Not Greece
posted by freya_lamb at 4:29 AM on February 7, 2012

22? What actor/actress was in Alien, Top Gun and Steel Magnolias?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 4:38 AM on February 7, 2012

Name the actor who appeared in Steel Magnolias, Alien, and Top Gun.

There were also photos of two young celebrities (we almost got one!) and a collage of the top half of an actor's head and the bottom half of a singer's head.

Apparently Abidjan remains the diplomatic centre of Côte d'Ivoire, but is not the capital. Yamoussoukro might come in handy next time.
posted by ersatz at 4:40 AM on February 7, 2012

Slower than a snail.
posted by ersatz at 4:40 AM on February 7, 2012

23. What word is an anagram of "collapse"?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:10 AM on February 7, 2012

Wait - people NOT from the Internet won? God damn it, I see those assholes ALL the time, and now I know every one of them is gonna be sneering at me.

First one of them I see, by God, ima grab em by the lapels and say, "Wipe that face off your face, shit mitten! You only won by one!", and then I'll ask them for a grande latte with one sugar in the raw. The usual.
posted by dirtdirt at 5:31 AM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

It'd be amusing if the winning team turned out to be the remaining Digg users.
posted by Elmore at 5:48 AM on February 7, 2012 [3 favorites]

Good job I wasn't there. I'd probably have guessed Harry Dean Stanton.

Congratulations MeFiQizzers, and congratulations to the People from Real Life on their victory. Real Life sounds like an interesting place. I should visit one day.
posted by Grangousier at 5:58 AM on February 7, 2012

It'd be amusing if the winning team turned out to be the remaining Digg users.

Or from Plastic.com in exile.
posted by Grangousier at 5:59 AM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

17. What is the word for 1/60th of a second?

Reddit got this one...for shame!

So did we. Or more accurately, so did Infinite Jest.
posted by permafrost at 6:16 AM on February 7, 2012

TheophileEscargot: "22? What actor/actress was in Alien, Top Gun and Steel Magnolias?"

Tom Skerrit.
posted by Dr. Zira at 6:19 AM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a sudden, powerful desire to edit Bill Paxton's "Game over, man! Game over!" outburst into other films.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:45 AM on February 7, 2012

Start with Fincher's The Game
posted by permafrost at 6:49 AM on February 7, 2012

The simple approach would be to just cut the scene itself in, but a really ambitious editor might take the time to mask out the background behind Paxton's character so that he can be literally dropped into existing scenes as a foreground character.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:03 AM on February 7, 2012

5. What's the only number that's spelled alphabetically?

I thought it was eight, but i comes after h. This is making me insane. WHICH ONE IS IT, JUST TELL ME.
posted by sonika at 9:08 AM on February 7, 2012

forty?
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 9:10 AM on February 7, 2012 [4 favorites]

PercussivePaul: " 12. What's the name of the dog in the old Tom and Jerry cartoons?"

There are three answers to this. Sort of. The dog's name was Spike. But he was called "Killer" or "Butch" on at least one occasion.

I have no idea how I know that. But even without googling, I'm sure I'm right.
posted by zarq at 9:56 AM on February 7, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a sudden, powerful desire to edit Bill Paxton's "Game over, man! Game over!" outburst into other films.

I always appreciated his scene in Terminator: "Wash-day-amorrow? Nothing clean, right?" *snap-snap*

It's almost the same scene.
posted by P.o.B. at 10:20 AM on February 7, 2012

I have a sudden, powerful desire to edit Bill Paxton's "Game over, man! Game over!" outburst into other films.

I always appreciated his scene in Terminator: "Wash-day-amorrow? Nothing clean, right?" *snap-snap*

Fun fact: Bill Paxton is the only actor to have been killed by all three of these classic '80s sci-fi monsters: Predator, Terminator, and Alien.
posted by gauche at 11:05 AM on February 7, 2012 [2 favorites]

Fun fact: many years ago, my friend created the Paxtonometer. The mouseovers don't appear to work anymore, but the image info still has the explanations.
posted by Errant at 11:30 AM on February 7, 2012

forty?

THANK YOU. I can now go about my day. Phew!
posted by sonika at 11:33 AM on February 7, 2012

e is also spelled alphabetically.
posted by Flunkie at 4:27 PM on February 7, 2012

So is dos.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:29 PM on February 7, 2012

And i.
posted by Flunkie at 4:34 PM on February 7, 2012

Piecing the results together from the Reddit update, I think the team results were:

1 ? (Normal people)
2 My Little Pony Request (Metafilter)
3 Woody Harrelson Is Flagged As Awesome (Metafilter)
4 Me Quizta (Reddit)
5 New Mod Army (Metafilter)
6 ? (Normal people)
7 The Downvote Brigade (Reddit)
8 Better Filter (Reddit)

Wish I could remember the regular folks' team names though.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:13 AM on February 8, 2012

Who was on which team? It would be useful to find out so that I know who to sit near next time, so I can bask in their glory.
posted by Grangousier at 5:46 AM on February 8, 2012

Team 6 was the Fabulous Faversham Five or something (not quite sure, but their name definitely had Faversham and Fabulous in it. And there were only two of them).

Grangousier:

New Mod Army was permafrost, hot soup girl, ersatz, Gordafarin, PercussivePaul and myself.
My Little Pony Request included TheophileEscargot, HandfulOfDust, ursus_comiter, Mr. Bad Example.
Woody Harrelson included: freya_lamb and cilit bang for sure.

Not sure about the others.
posted by Infinite Jest at 6:04 AM on February 8, 2012

Wish I could remember the regular folks' team names though.

I actually thought they were just 'The Regulars'...

MLPR also had Theo's +1 and Mr Bad Example's +1. WHIFAA had timshel (who's two people) and Chichibio.
posted by permafrost at 6:25 AM on February 8, 2012

Probably nice that the regulars won. They did seem eversoslightly put out that they had to buy their own beer last time. Or perhaps not so much put out as confused that it had happened.
posted by Grangousier at 7:00 AM on February 8, 2012

lessee...without the internet, I'm going to guess:

1. I have no idea. Depressing.
2. Sixteen pawns on a chessboard?
3. Abu Dhabi?
4. Moose? It has to be moose.
5. I was thinking billion right up until the final n...
6. Eight, right? And six rows, for some reason.
7. I feel like it is the US, because of the counter-intuitiveness.
8. I was thinking it was the ribbons thing, but now I'm leaning towards synchronized swimming.

Bunch of stuff I don't know, though I THINK James Dean died at 27. or 28.

16. I'm thinking Spike, but Buster or something is in there too...or maybe Butch? Damn.
17. Love Boat, duh
18. Muggles, but mudbloods is a really nasty, nasty term. Oh, and if they are born of wizards, then you've got the squib, right? Like the caretaker in the school, wosshisname.
19. I want to say tiger, because it looks like a dinosaur.
20. Crusades, Knight Templars, Switzerland. Seriously, it has to be one of those, right?
21. I want to say June 15th, but it can't possibly be that easy.
22. Yeah, that's gotta be Bill Paxton
23. Escallop?

After reading thread: Why did the dog have so many names? Totally not fair! And Beef Wellington is genius. Forty eluded me entirely.

How did I do?

I totally would have gone home without even a jar of pickles, wouldn't I?
posted by misha at 8:05 AM on February 8, 2012

1.
2. Yes! Do you have a guess for T A 66 C in the UK?
3. Yes! (I was sure it was Abidjan. But that city is not the capital city of Ivory Coast; it is the former capital).
4. Yes
5. Forty - been said above
6. Wrong! Though I guessed eight as well.
7. Wrong, you bean-plater you
8. Wrong and wrong. (The question specified a gymnastics event.)
James Dean - Wrong
16. It is indeed Spike. We guessed Butch.
17. Correct
18. Muggles is the correct answer, though it was easy to overthink this one.
19. Wrong! You'll never guess this one. I don't think anyone got it.
20. Wrong
21. Wrong (try counting the days)
22. Wrong - it's Tom Skerritt. Been guessed upthread already.
23. Correct

A pretty good showing for one person; if there were six of you with complementary knowledge-sets, you might have been contenders for the gherkins.
posted by PercussivePaul at 8:14 AM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

A few guesses to try and finish up the unanswered ones:

1. A capital lie is in the quid? (I'm hoping this is a British phrase I've never heard)
9. Antigua
10. Hasta la Vista?
11. Napa Valley?
13. Tangerine?
19. Beaver?
20. Swiss Army Knife
21. July 1st?
posted by Grither at 10:37 AM on February 8, 2012

Misha and Grither – the phrase represented by poFIBund is....

LIE IN WAIT.
posted by HandfulOfDust at 11:57 AM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

Ahhh... thanks!
posted by Grither at 12:10 PM on February 8, 2012

The winning real people were called 'Looking after number one', which is fighting nomenclature if ever I heard it. They did graciously buy the black sambuca shot into which we Woody Harrelsonians were persuaded to dunk our celebratory gherkins. Although that may have been less sportsmanship than shouty quiz bloke strong-arming. On both parts.
posted by freya_lamb at 12:45 PM on February 8, 2012

19. Beaver?
20. Swiss Army Knife
21. July 1st?

These three are wrong. 20 and 21 are close. 19... I told you would be tough.
posted by PercussivePaul at 2:09 PM on February 8, 2012

20. If it's not "Swiss Army Knife" it's "Victorionix" or just "Swiss Army" and those are some damn fine hairs to split.
21. If it's not July 1st, it's gotta be July 2nd.
posted by sonika at 2:47 PM on February 8, 2012

The way question 20 was worded in the quiz was something like 'which company's logo is this?'

And July 2nd is correct. No idea how PercussivePaul and ersatz worked it out as fast as they did. I totally got the anagram though.
posted by permafrost at 3:05 PM on February 8, 2012

I love you all. You are absolutely brilliant.

And trivia is so much fun!

I'm going to be in London from a few days around July 29th (watching Olympic soccer qualifying matches!).

I am absolutely dying for a Metafilter Pub Trivia Meetup.

Does anyone want to meet up with me?
posted by misha at 3:48 PM on February 8, 2012 [1 favorite]

T A 66 C in the UK?

Hmmm... There are sixty-six counties/colonies in the UK?
posted by misha at 3:52 PM on February 8, 2012

Not that many counties...cities, maybe?
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:56 PM on February 8, 2012

It's cities, which have to be officially recognised as such, and it's not really about size or population. Some towns have city status because they contain cathedrals (famously, St David's in Pembrokeshire) though not necessarily (Newport in Gwent attained city status in 2002, though it had had a cathedral for a long time before that). There is a website about it. However I just noticed they say "[St David's] is so small that it lies entirely within a national park. " Well, yes. The park is Pembrokeshire, and it's big enough to contain a regular-size city (if that didn't spoil the whole national park thing with its urbanness).
posted by Grangousier at 1:43 AM on February 9, 2012

(Oh, well, yes, it's not all of Pembrokeshire. It's still quite big, though.)
posted by Grangousier at 1:45 AM on February 9, 2012

Yeah, it's July 2nd. I stupidly rounded down on 182.5. Whoops. And yeah, must be Victorinox. As for the skull.... is it a muskrat? A mongoose? A mink? Oh! I bet it's an anteater! Or maybe a koala bear? A red panda? A tasmanian devil!
posted by Grither at 4:38 AM on February 9, 2012

Also, I'm moving to London soon*, and I am terrible at trivia, but I would love to join you guys and give the redditors a chance next time!

*- where "soon" = I have no goddamn clue, but I would like it to be sooner rather than later so I can once again live with my wife!
posted by Grither at 4:40 AM on February 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hi MeFi. It was fun quizzing with you all. Feel free to come back any time!

Love

A member of ? (Normal people) / "The Regulars" / #1 Looking
posted by crntaylor at 6:07 AM on February 9, 2012 [12 favorites]

It's a spy!!
posted by Grither at 6:18 AM on February 9, 2012

Ha!
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:25 AM on February 9, 2012

You're called Looking After #1, but you spell it #1 Looking. In other words, your name is itself a cryptic clue. Fuck me, we were in over our heads boys...
posted by PercussivePaul at 6:51 AM on February 9, 2012 [4 favorites]

AND GIRLS
posted by HandfulOfDust at 6:59 AM on February 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

and girls
posted by PercussivePaul at 7:03 AM on February 9, 2012

And non-conforming Mefites.

As for the skull.... is it a muskrat? A mongoose? A mink? Oh! I bet it's an anteater! Or maybe a koala bear? A red panda? A tasmanian devil!

DING DING! The New Mod Army thought it was a rat, but we had never fought against koalas.

Also, a shoutout to the Mefite who lives in the same street (and whose nom de MeFi I forget).
posted by ersatz at 7:31 AM on February 9, 2012

Woohoo! Where's my pickle?
posted by Grither at 8:03 AM on February 9, 2012

"As for the skull.... is it a muskrat? A mongoose? A mink? Oh! I bet it's an anteater! Or maybe a koala bear? A red panda? A tasmanian devil!"

We had a member of our team who argued ferociously for elephant, and then for horse. It's really a miracle that we managed to win.
posted by crntaylor at 8:10 AM on February 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hey wait a minute: if crntaylor is a MeFite, then Metafilter ACTUALLY WON THE QUIZ!

Huzzah! Go team!
posted by Infinite Jest at 8:17 AM on February 9, 2012 [5 favorites]

One bonus-round question was 'The first book of an American writer'.

The witer was Stephen King.
posted by ersatz at 8:22 AM on February 9, 2012

The winner of the quiz gets an edit window.
posted by ersatz at 8:25 AM on February 9, 2012 [2 favorites]

Fuck me, we were in over our heads boys...
posted by PercussivePaul at 2:51 PM on February 9 [2 favorites +] [!]

AND GIRLS
posted by HandfulOfDust at 2:59 PM on February 9 [+] [!]

And miscellaneous other. Freeform. Go nuts.
posted by Grangousier at 9:08 AM on February 9, 2012

AND GIRLS

THE GIRLS WERE NOT OVER THEIR HEADS, IT WAS THE BOYS HOLDING THE AVERAGE DOWN.
posted by Infinite Jest at 10:37 AM on February 9, 2012

Who was the pleasant Canadian chap who came over to talk to us at the end?
posted by crntaylor at 10:46 AM on February 9, 2012

It's sort of could be all of us, since MetaFilter is the Canada of the internet (majority Anglophone, left-leaning, generally polite unless we're talking about hockey).
posted by Kattullus at 12:58 PM on February 9, 2012

PercussivePaul is pleasant, and Canadian, and a chap, so probably him. I think he was the only Canadian. But there were a number of North Americans, who I think were all from the US, but some might have been Canadian.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:19 AM on February 10, 2012

Wasn't me, I skipped out shortly after it finished.
posted by PercussivePaul at 2:20 AM on February 10, 2012

OK, I'll admit it, it was me. I went over to congratulate the Normal People (heh) and thank them for the admittedly not-disgusting Black Sambherkin concoction that was bought for us and somehow ended up... crikey, I was outright proselytizing for Metafilter. A bit embarrassing, really. I can only blame my earnestness on being raised in Canada and being in for three pints and some sambuca brine.

Anyway, welcome to Metafilter, crntaylor! I guess my enthusiasm worked, and I hope this place is as great for you as I made it sound. I have one question though, because I think you've put yourself into a bit of a pickle: now that you're a Mefite, which team will you play for next time we're at the Hat & Tun?

...if crntaylor is a MeFite, then Metafilter ACTUALLY WON THE QUIZ!

I think we'll go with that!
posted by Chichibio at 11:10 AM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Anyway, welcome to Metafilter, crntaylor! I guess my enthusiasm worked

Not to besmirch your enthusiasm in any way, but the amazing thing about this is that crntaylor was already a MeFite (check his join date).
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:30 PM on February 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

*facepalm*

And I wittered on so...
posted by Chichibio at 2:58 PM on February 15, 2012