After more than 140 attempts, on Monday, little San Marino won only their second-ever competitive match since starting to play men’s international football in 1990, and also scored more than once in a competitive match for the first time . This just goes to show you, however dismal your scores usually are, you never quite know when the stars will align, and your obscure knowledge will match the cobbled-together old junk of the Thursday quiz. 15 questions on topical news and general knowledge await you, so have fun!
The Thursday quiz, No 187
1. Delicious UK cheeses have been cruelly denied entrance to the World Cheese Awards thanks to customs red tape. Where were the World Cheese Awards being held this year? France Poland Portugal US Reveal 2. Who had to be hauled out by firefighters after they got stuck in a swimming pool in Rutland? An overweight collie named Buster A pregnant cow A pregnant sow Gary Barlow’s massive son Reveal 3. Who has said they have bought the website Infowars (pictured), auctioned off after conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was declared bankrupt? The New York Times Buzzfeed The Onion Reddit Reveal 4. Sea boffins (the correct technical term) have discovered what they say is the world’s biggest coral. Where? Solomon Islands New Caledonia Fiji Vanuatu Reveal 5. Who will shortly be treading the boards in London’s West End (not pictured) as Prospero in a new production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest? Gillian Anderson Tilda Swinton Cate Blanchett Sigourney Weaver Reveal 6. It seems there are more dictionaries than days of the week, and each of them has to declare their “word of the year”. After Collins picked “brat” as their word of the year a couple of weeks back, what has the Cambridge dictionary opted for? Delulu Yapping Manifest Raxacoricofallapatorian Reveal 7. Who has said they weren’t asked about using their vocal on the 40th-anniversary remix of Band Aid, and would rather not have been featured? Ed Sheeran Boy George Damon Albarn Chris Martin Reveal 8. This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She knows Iran is pretty big, but she’d like to know how many other countries does Iran border? Five Six Seven Eight Reveal 9. It is scores on the doors with Swindon’s Diana Dors. This week the statue wants to know if you are playing darts and narrowly miss the treble 20 and instead score immediately to the right, as you are facing the board, what treble did you hit? Treble 1 Treble 3 Treble 6 Treble 9 Reveal 10. Swedish government minister Paulina Brandberg has been making headlines because of her extreme phobia of which fruit (pictured, but upside down for some reason) … Bananas Pears Oranges Lemons Reveal 11. As soon as you heard that somebody in the US had been running an insurance scam involving people in a bear costume, you just knew it had to be in one of the following states. But which one? Florida Texas California Arizona Reveal 12. Who has been caught stealing shoes left by kids at Gosho Kodomo-en kindergarten in Koga, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan? A magpie A weasel A red panda 30-50 escaped macaques riding on feral hogs Reveal 13. The Thursday quiz will need its tiniest violin for which rock star who says they are being forced to sell their luxury sports cars because there are too many potholes in the road these days? Bill Wyman Rod Stewart Eric Clapton Roger Daltrey Reveal 14. Football manager Ian Holloway blamed Swindon Town’s devastatingly poor results and injuries on what? Players made dizzy by Swindon’s Magic Roundabout An Irish Traveller curse A haunted training ground One very naughty miniature dachshund Reveal 15. Who is replacing Zoe Ball as the host of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show? Colin Murray Scott Mills Rick Edwards Ronald Mael Reveal
If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your work and are absolutely 100% positive you are not attempting to fact check a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch Feast by Sprints instead?