Newsletter Teasers and Answers

13 March Teaser – Lauded or frauded?

The following list features the names of EIGHT novels that are former winners of the annual ‘Booker Prize for Fiction’. However, hiding within them are THREE titles that we completely made up. Can you spot the three fakes?

  1. Something to Answer For
  2. Orbital
  3. The Half-life of Douglas Marou
  4. The Silent Goat
  5. The Sea
  6. The Sea, the Sea
  7. Midnight’s Children
  8. Lima Bravo
  9. The Bone People
  10. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
  11. The Finkler Question

ANSWERS BELOW! Continue scrolling at your own risk. 

Did you spot our fake literary prize winners? Here are the answers:

  1. Something to Answer For – the FIRST winner, 1969
  2. Orbital – the most recent winner, 2024
  3. The Half-life of Douglas Marou – FAKE
  4. The Silent Goat – FAKE
  5. The Sea – winner 2005
  6. The Sea, the Sea – winner 1978
  7. Midnight’s Children – winner 1981
  8. Lima Bravo – FAKE
  9. The Bone People – winner 1985
  10. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha – winner 1993
  11. The Finkler Question – winner 2010

6 March Teaser – Place-naming

Can you identify the following world placenames, from their alternate meanings as words in the dictionary?

  1. Household linen, bedding etc. 
  2. A type of rain boot or beef dish.
  3. Local sporting clash.
  4. To kidnap, trick or coerce someone.
  5. A plain folder for documents.
  6. Reborn bird.
  7. A perfumed liquid.
  8. Break apart.
  9. Pleasant.
  10. What a book is for.
  11. North American bison.

ANSWERS BELOW! Continue scrolling at your own risk. 

How’d you go with these cities? Here are the answers:

  1. Household linen, bedding etc. Manchester (UK)
  2. A type of rain boot or beef dish. Wellington (NZ)
  3. Local sporting clash. Derby (UK)
  4. To kidnap, trick or coerce someone. Shanghai (China)
  5. A plain folder for documents. Manila (Philippines)
  6. Reborn bird. Phoenix (USA)
  7. A perfumed liquid. Cologne (Germany)
  8. Break apart. Split (Croatia)
  9. Pleasant. Nice (France) – yes, yes, different sounding!
  10. What a book is for. Reading (UK) – see above!
  11. North American bison. Buffalo (USA)

 

27 February Teaser – Addendum

Can you identify all the words in the following two sets? Each new line adds one new letter to form the letters for the next word. E.g., TEA + S = EAST + K = STAKE etc.

SET ONE

  • Feline (3)
  • Pulled by horse (4)
  • A train needs this (5)
  • Loud noise (6)
  • Parenthesis (7)
  • Support while seated (8)

SET TWO

  • Canine (3)
  • Precious metal (4)
  • A wooden hut (5)
  • Yearned (6)
  • Relaxed in comfort (7)
  • Beat with a heavy stick (8)

ANSWERS BELOW! Continue scrolling at your own risk. 

Did you get them all? They started off easy but got harder!

SET ONE

  • Feline (3) CAT
  • Pulled by horse (4) CART
  • A train needs this (5) TRACK
  • Loud noise (6) RACKET
  • Parenthesis (7) BRACKET
  • Support while seated (8) BACKREST

SET TWO

  • Canine (3) DOG
  • Precious metal (4) GOLD
  • A wooden hut (5) LODGE
  • Yearned (6) LONGED
  • Relaxed in comfort (7) LOUNGED
  • Beat with a heavy stick (8) BLUDGEON

20 February Teaser – Three of a kind

For each of the following clues, there are three answers, each changing by one letter only from the others. (We’ll give you the letters for the first one). Can you guess each set?

  1. To choose (I) / Worn by hikers (A) / Important in ice hockey (U).
  2. Used for thinking / Used for travel / Used in plumbing.
  3. Made from trees / Doctors used to wear one / Lighter than before.
  4. End of a roof / Dining location / A moral story.
  5. An extra one / This can start a fire / What a boxer does.
  6. A really great song / Peril / Forest park employee.
  7. American rubbish / Sound cymbals make / Brazen.
  8. Get to know people / Unaccompanied / Ad music.
  9. New York is an example / Where players are found / Not fresh.
  10. Preparing / Lying flat on elbows / Seeds and dirt activity.
  11. Found in a kitchen / Honest / Signals doom?

ANSWERS BELOW! Continue scrolling at your own risk. 

These were fun! Did you solve them all?

  1. To choose PICK / Worn by hikers PACK / Important in ice hockey PUCK.
  2. Used for thinking BRAIN / Used for travel TRAIN / Used in plumbing DRAIN.
  3. Made from trees PAPER / Doctors used to wear one PAGER / Lighter than before PALER.
  4. End of a roof GABLE / Dining location TABLE / A moral story FABLE.
  5. An extra one SPARE / This can start a fire SPARK / What a boxer does SPARS.
  6. A really great song BANGER / Peril DANGER / Forest park employee RANGER.
  7. American rubbish TRASH / Sound cymbals make CRASH / Brazen BRASH.
  8. Get to know people MINGLE / Unaccompanied SINGLE / Ad music JINGLE.
  9. New York is an example STATE / Where players are found STAGE / Not fresh STALE.
  10. Preparing PLANNING / Lying flat on elbows PLANKING / Seeds and dirt activity PLANTING.
  11. Found in a kitchen OVEN / Honest OPEN / Signals doom? OMEN

Courses starting soon

6 February Teaser – Duo lingo

If he were still alive, Charles Dickens would be turning 213 years old tomorrow. So to celebrate his birthday, we’re asking you to spot which character (out of the three) we have made up for each of his most famous books. Good luck!

  1. David Copperfield: Maggotty, Dora Spenlow, Tommy Traddles
  2. Oliver Twist: Mr Sowerberry, Mrs Dumphrey, Mr Bumble
  3. A Tale of Two Cities: Madame Defarge, Marquis St Germain, Sydney Carton
  4. The Pickwick Papers: Alfred Jingle, Augustus Snodgrass, Miss Ploom
  5. Great Expectations: Limetoad, Orlick, Biddy
  6. Little Dorrit: Jeremiah Flintwinch, Amy Dorrit, Fanny Bancroft
  7. Bleak House: Lady Dedlock, Inspector Bucket, Lord Faversham
  8. A Christmas Carol: Mrs Mops, Fezziwig, Wilhelmina Wickstaff