Phoenix ‘15 is a document that contains various trivia questions and word puzzles. It begins with 10 multiple choice questions about the origins and meanings of words and phrases. This is followed by a section on science, business, and technology that includes trivia about Nintendo Wii, the Concorde airplane, and Scrabble words. The document ends with a picture puzzle section containing visual riddles and connections between images.

1. Phoenix ‘ 15
#chazzspeaks

2. ETYMOLOGY
• 8 Questions
• Choice of Pounce (as explained earlier)
• +10 otherwise

3. 1.
• Legend has it that A man named Joyce had invented a (then)
revolutionary airplane controller which was subsequently named
after him.
• In the 1930s, the same name was used as a prison slang to describe
marijuana cigarettes.
• In the 1980s, this word came to be associated with a very popular
product and has pretty much stuck to it ever since, with minor
variations in use here and there.
• ID the word.

4. Joystick from Joyce’s Stick

5. 2.
• The Gaelic words uisce meaning ‘water’ and bethu meaning ‘life’ gave
rise to an Old English word usquebae which literally means (quite
aptly, I should say) “water of life”. After centuries of changes in
pronunciation how is usquebae known to us today?

6. Whiskey

7. 3.
• Widely used as a symbol of achievement, this phrase was first used by
Richard Hansard in 1599 in his Description of Hungary. He noted that
the Hungarians used to ‘do something’ for every Turk they killed.
• The phrase, in its figurative sense, first appeared in a letter dated
back to 1734.
• A famous British rhyme from the American War of Independence also
uses a slight variation of this phrase.
• ID.

8. A Feather In One’s Cap

9. 4.
• One of the theories behind the origin of this phrase, was that it
started in American playgrounds.
• The captain of a baseball team would grab the bottom of the bat and
then the other captain would grab the bat right above is hand. This
process went on until one was left holding the bat and that person
would get the first choice of player for his team.
• Identify this commonly used phrase used to describe the act of
someone taking a dominant position.

10. Grab/Take The Upper Hand

11. 5.
• This term originated in the first World War and was used to describe
the trauma suffered by some soldiers due to the intensity of
bombardment around them.
• Now replaced by ‘combat stress reaction’ in medical lingo, identify
this term which has entered into common parlance.

12. Shell Shock

13. 6.
• Originally, this phrase was used to refer to the skin condition Scabies.
This was due to the fact that the pimples that erupted were
particularly irritating and stayed on for a long time.
• However, most of us know this phrase as it was directly related to one
of the most famous photographs of the 20th century.
• ID the phrase.

14. 7 Year Itch

15. 7.
• This name literally means 'little bear' or 'baby bear' in Latin. It was
also the name of a canonized virgin princess of the 4th century. For
us, the name either symbolizes a former Swedish sex symbol or the
villain of the Disney adaptation of an iconic fairy tale.

16. Ursula
• Saint Ursula; Ursula Andress and Ursula the sea-witch

17. 8.
• This phrase is more likely derived from the era of the body snatchers
prior to 1832, before the Anatomy Act of UK allowed more extensive
use of corpses. It would have literally referred to the method by
which doctors/medical practitioners would conceal an illegally
obtained corpse.
• Identify this phrase, the current use of which refers to the act of
harboring a dark secret.

18. Skeletons In The Closet

19. 9.
• In the mid 20th century, fairgrounds in the US often gave out ‘a type of
consumer product’ as prizes. Apparently when a customer would
narrowly miss out on a prize the game-stall owners would utter
something which since has entered common parlance and refers to
any sort of narrow miss.
• What am I talking about?

20. Close But No Cigar

21. 10.
• There are two major theories behind the origin of this word.
• In the Chinese theory, this word stems from Koe-chiap (pronounced
koi-she-aap) meaning “brine of pickled fish or shellfish”.
• In the Euro-Arabic theory, historians have claimed the word comes
from escaveche which literally means “food in -----” or the Arabic
iskebey which means “Pickling with vinegar”.
• Which word widely associated with the culinary arts?

22. Ketchup

23. SCI-BIZ-TECH

24. 1.
• Excerpts from an article from the New England
Journal of Medicine dated June 7th, 2007:
• “A healthy 29-year-old medical resident awoke
one Sunday morning with intense pain in the
right shoulder. He did not recall any recent
injuries or trauma and had not participated in
any sports or physical exercise recently. He
consulted a rheumatology colleague. The Patte's
test was positive, consistent with acute
tendonitis isolated to the right infraspinatus.”
• The blame was put on the excessive use of
which product that was released in November,
’06?

25. Nintendo Wii

26. 2.
• The retired aircraft Tupolev TU – 144 Charger is one of the only two
commercial transport aircrafts to hold a particular distinction in the
history of aviation.
• Due to frequent comparisons between the TU and its more famous
counterpart, it was nicknamed C by Westerners, C being a
portmanteau of the name of the famous counterpart and a common
suffix used as a linguistic parody of Polish or Russians.
• ID C.

27. Concordski

28. 3.
• Until 1978, the Funk and Wagnall’s Standard College Dictionary was
the official reference for what?

29. Scrabble Words

30. 4.
• X’s first appearance was in 1946 and was symbolism of graciousness
and high living. According to the creator, the name X was selected
“for want of a better description”. The creator also mentioned that X’s
“blood isn’t blue” and that X “may look like royalty, but isn’t royal”.
• Easy. ID X who has been in the news last month.

31. Maharaja

32. 5.
• In 2012, Nat Geo released an edition which had the sub-heading “50
True Stories of the Fed Up, Feathered and Furious”.
• Who had they partnered with for releasing this? And what was the
main heading? (NO HALF POINTS)

33. Rovio Inc.

34. 6.
• Since 2012, a number of other options have been added to the
original which include hungry, playful, artistic, trendy, stellar, and
puzzled.
• Identify the original, which is said to cost the parent company over
$100 million a year.

35. (I’m Feeling) Lucky

36. 7.
• This is how members of the Skeptics Society celebrate the 25th of
December. What have they erroneously named this day? And why is
it erroneous? Half points going.

37. Newtonmas
• 25th December is Newton’s birthday but that is according to the Julian
Calendar. When adjusted to the Gregorian Calendar it is January 4th.

38. 8. Who has been depicted in this painting?

39. R. Buckminster Fuller

40. 9.
• Gaëtan Dugas worked as a flight attendant for Air Canada. He
travelled the world and had many sexual liaisons with different men.
• Even though it is much debated, what is his claim to infamy?

41. Patient Zero for AIDS

42. 10.
• The Einstein-Rosen bridge is a hypothetical tunnel-like structure that
connects two distant points in space-time.
• What name was coined for such structures by Princeton physicist
John Wheeler?

43. Wormhole

44. PIC-WICK PAPERS
• Written Round
• +10 for each correct answer
• Additional +15 for full house

45. 1. ID the place

46. St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

47. 2. WHAT HAS BEEN BLANKED OUT?

49. 3. Painting by Herbert Draper. Identify the male character.

50. ICARUS

51. 4. Simple. Identify.

53. 5.
Although he had an illustrious first
class career , this guy played just 13
Tests for England. He was a “fast-
ish leg break bowler” who was
known more for his accuracy than
his spin. He would have been
practically unknown if not for a
particular feat which the cricketing
world shall never forget.
Name him.
Mentioning the feat gets you half
points.

54. Eric Hollies; Bowling Bradman in his last
innings.

55. 6.
What was apparently inspired by the
character and the actor portraying it?

57. 7. Connect
Approximately
340.29 m/s

58. Clockwise from top left: Parachute, Speed of
Sound, 42, Clocks, Violet Hill and Scientist

59. 8.
CONNECT.
ORIGINALLY
EXHAUSTIVE
BUT CAN HAVE
VARIATIONS.

61. 9.
Eminently workable. Just give me
the blanked out part.