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In the mid-1950s two cotton textile manufacturing firms merged in the United States. Soon after, a young investor, Warren Buffett, started investing in this merged entity noticing that it was undervalued, eventually gaining a controlling stake in the company. Buffett later described purchasing this company as the biggest investment mistake he ever made. Which company are we talking about?
Which 2010 romance thriller work by Nicholas Sparks was adapted into a 2013 film by Lasse Hallström that also marked the final film for Red West, Elvis Presley's ex bodyguard and film stuntman? The movie's twisty ending received a ton of backlash, with one reviewer calling the climax "Bat. Bleep. Crazy."
In this extreme takeover defense tactic, the target firm takes steps that might threaten the firm’s existence to save itself from a hostile takeover. What is this tactic called, named after the 1978 massacre in Guyana where Jim _____ (5) led the people of his cult to kill themselves? It is also called the ‘suicide pill’ defense.
The Wire is a TV show that examines the drug trade in the city of Baltimore. ___ ___ (3,3) is a variety of crack sold in vials with colourful upper caps. This term is also used as a descriptor for British tabloids with a common feature in their mastheads. What is the street name of this drug (3,3), also available in blue and yellow varieties?
Which wind-based musical instrument, played with continuously vibrating lips and a technique called "circular breathing", has been used by indigenous people of Australia from over 1500 years? The instrument was sampled in the song Jaane Kyon from Dil Chahta Hai (2001) as well as in the opening part of Black Eyed Peas' number Pump it!
In 2016, this ground was renamed after a local cricketer who led his team to a major global championship. The first ground in the region to install floodlights for an international match, it hosted matches at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Which venue? You can name the ground or the country it is located in.
This monetary standard consisted of a gold coin weighing 8.4 grams and bore the image of a warrior armed with a bow and arrow. It was issued by which king who led the First Persian Empire to its territorial peak during his reign between 522 BCE and 486 BCE?
As Joel and Clementine's relationship progresses and begins to fall apart, the passion from their early days also drains away. What does she call her hair colour during this period, which is the same as something first used by the British forces in the 1940s and 1950s during the Malayan Emergency?
Sashastra Seema Bal or SSB is a CAPF unit of India that is deployed to guard India's land borders between which two mountainous nations with whom India maintains cordial and peaceful relations?
In Black Panther, Zuri, played by Forest Whittaker, wears a robed outfit inspired by the "agbada", a flowing wide-sleeved robe worn by which group of people in Western Africa? They constitute around 38 million people who live primarily in Nigeria, Benin and Togo.
Although this Italian bike manufacturer hasn't won a MotoGP championship yet (i.e the 500 cc class), they've been among the top performers in 250cc class including Max Biaggi's hat-trick of wins from 1994-96 and Jorge Lorenzo's double in 2006-07. Which brand, that started with bicycle manufacturing during World War I?
This 1970s photo is a composite of two different images. It surfaced during a 2004 election campaign and turned out to be a politically motivated forgery intended to link the gentleman pictured with the actress Jane Fonda. Which former Secretary of State is this?
The 2007 ‘Reunion Tour’ of which band saw them together for the first time since the 1980s? The setlist included songs like 'Message In A Bottle', 'Every Breath You Take', 'Roxanne', as well as the early solo track 'Demolition Man' by the singer pictured left.
Last week, which corporation tweeted "trains", thus creating the viral Twitter trend where companies post a one-word description of themselves? This corporation caters to nearly every mainland US state. A day later, they tweeted "yesterday was weird. anyway it's still trains".
Identify the two sports that were combined to form this hybrid sport. It involves players attempting to win the best of 3 sets by hitting a ball with any part of the body except arms and hands across a fibreglass net fixed on a raised counter.
In cricket, what term (4) is used for line graphs that typically display the runs scored by both teams over the course of a match? Its name stems from the wriggling lines' resemblance to a common class of invertebrates.
Which water body situated in Baffin Island in the Nunavut province of Canada is the world's largest lake located on an island? The Arctic Circle passes through this cold freshwater lake, which derives its name from an Inuktitut word for the ringed seals that one might spot here.
The first ever original production on Adult Swim was a comedy late-night talk show created by Mike Lazzo, where a 1960s Hannah-Barbera character was reimagined as the titular talk show host. Subtitled rhymingly as "Coast to Coast", what was this show, where the host made a talking mantis and a lava-headed man do unpaid labour as punishment for crimes on the original series?
Global _______ (7) is a term given to the climate situation where the amount of direct sunlight reaching Earth's surface has lessened due to the presence of atmospheric particles such as dust and aerosol. The complete ban on CFCs has reversed the trend since the late 1980s (thankfully!) to some degree. Fill in the blanks with the term for this phenomenon, where the amount of sunlight has been slowly reducing.
Libation, i.e. the ritual offering of alcohol, is a common practice in many cultures. In the Quechua and Aymara culture of the Andes region, one pours drops of 'chicha', a local alcohol, on the ground as an offering to which goddess who is believed to be the Earth Mother by these people? The name of this goddess is now genericised to refer to Mother Nature in Andean cultures.
Architectural Digest India published a piece on Indian eateries with out-of-the-box design elements. Roastery Coffee House in Jaipur replicates a kind of structure found across the state. This structure inside the cafe is also functional, hence seating is on the raised platform around it rather than within it. What structure? English or local names acceptable.
The original title of this Little Red Book was : The Twelve Steps: An Interpretation of the Twelve steps of the ______ ________ Program (10, 9). It was meant as a self-study guide in lieu of the Big Red Book which was the main text. Which global organization issues this text, praised for being an effective solution to the problem it aims to solve while reducing public healthcare costs?
Glenn Close's first nomination was in 1982 for her supporting role in the film The World According to Garp. She lost out to which actress for her performance in the film that also features in the name of this chocolate taffy?
Karan Thapar is an Indian journalist known for his confrontational interviews with politicians. Identify the title (2,3,5) of this show from Headlines Today. He presumably wanted this show to be concise and direct in communication, without unnecessary details or explanations.
Which episode from Season 3 of Game of Thrones is among the 23 IMDb 9.9 rated episodes? It is named for a song which plays in it as a signal for the Frey, Bolton and Karstark men-at-arms to initiate the event known as "The Red Wedding". It is the only Game of Thrones episode where the closing credits roll in complete silence.
A quadriga is a chariot drawn by four horses, common in ancient times, and used in architecture to highlight many iconic sights in the world. The pictured quadriga was the one on the facade of which building in Venice, from where it was looted, returned, relocated to the inside and replaced with a replica that greets visitors today?
A particular Drosophila gene combats another gene called Nanos, which translates to dwarves in Greek. Which extremely wealthy antagonist from a 1937 novel is this gene named after?
Identify the director of this commercial for PlayStation 2. It features various surrealist elements that have served as his trademark since his debut feature film in 1977.
What is the luxury segment of the Ford Motor Company? It was started in 1917 by Henry Leland and named after a 19th-century personality. Some of the models over the years have been Town Car, Continental, Nautilus and Corsair.
New inductees for the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame are announced each year at a dinner event held by the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland (IESIS). Which powerful person is the dinner itself named after, also an inaugral inductee himself?
Which medicinal preparation (6) is a resinous and aromatic substance from trees and shrubs often applied directly to wounds? Owing its name to a Biblical remedy, this preparation lends its name to a type of culinary acetic acid.
Reckitt (formerly Reckitt Benckiser) is a British consumer goods conglomerate. Which brand owned by Reckitt was originally introduced by Boots in 1958 and contains the active ingredients 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol and amylmetacresol? It forms a soothing combination that can kill bacteria, including any gram-positive "twisted" forms that cause discomfort.
Which 1995 film featured a CGI version of the iconic Disney castle? This film, featuring a character named in tribute to a "second man", was the first Pixar-Disney collaboration.
During the Chinese New Year, people give auspicious offerings to the three celestial deities in Chinese astrology, commonly known as Fu Lu Shou. If Lu and Shou stand for Ursa Major and Canopus, which celestial body does Fu stand for? In China, it is known known as the "Year-star" (Sui-sing) as Chinese astronomers noted that it jumped one zodiac constellation each year?
Silk City is an electronic music superduo formed in 2018 of two DJs, one British and other American, known for their collaboration with other artists such as with Dua Lipa in the song “Electricity” and “New Love” with Ellie Goulding. Identify either artist who form this duo, one who became Producer Of The Year for Amy Whinehouse’s Back To Black and the other who is a part of the trio Major Lazer & the duo Jack Lau.
The term "classical architecture" denotes that which is consciously derived from Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from the works of which Roman architect and engineer from the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled De architectura?
The 6th highest mountain in the world, Cho Oyu, is considered a relatively easy peak to climb due to its proximity to a nearby trading pass. It also presents a unique problem to verifiers of ascents, as Cho Oyu has a flat summit plateau but the 'technical' summit is a small unmarked hump which many climbers miss entirely. To verify summits, Himalayan chronicler Elizabeth Hawley uses a simple question for potential climbers: "Did you see [BLANK]?"
This disease was called the Irish Fever where the potato famine forced millions of people into workhouses where overcrowding and lack of sanitation led to the disease's spread. What is this disease that spreads to humans from infected lice, fleas, ticks etc.? It is also called Jail Fever due to its propensity to spread in overcrowded conditions.
This manga is set in a dystopian Tokyo where people have to compete in dangerous games to extend "visas" and stay alive. It is a reinterpretation of an 1860s novel where the protagonist enters a new world, except this is set in a world where its 'fringes' are controlled by lasers. Which manga (5,2,10), adapted by Netflix into a series in 2020?
30 for 30 looks at the life and death of an NBA star who died suddenly from a cocaine-induced heart attack. He died two days after being picked number two overall in the 1986 draft by the Boston Celtics. What is the title of this episode (7,4), a phrase used to refer to an unprejudiced look at a situation that includes the player's surname?
In the third column of the scripts featured in the Wikipedia logo, which writing system used for various languages across Eurasia can be seen? It is used as the national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries. The script developed prominently in the 9th century during the rule of a Bulgarian Tsar.
What was the nickname of the top line of the Soviet national teams of the 1980s, which won gold at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics? The name of the line, consisting of Igor Larionov, Vladimir Krutov and Sergei Makarov hinted at the players through the name of an airline.
Which UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its three 15th-century mud-brick mosques (Djingareyber, Sankore, and Sidi Yahia) and thousands of ancient, preserved manuscripts was severely damaged in 2012 by the Islamist militant group Ansar Dine?
In 2020, this Pacific island became the first whole country in the world to be designated as a Dark Sky Sanctuary. Which island nation? A part of the Realm of New Zealand, it is located in a triangle between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands.
Loosely described as a crude rum, this Indian indigenous liquor, often (illegally) distilled from the fermented juice of sugarcane, is consumed predominantly by the poor in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. According to linguistics project Urdu Time, the Urdu or Hindi slang for 'lustful person or pervert' originates from a phrase that means someone who enjoys consuming this liquor. What drink?
Benny Medina is an American TV producer, who was born in poverty in California, and initially shuttled between a number of foster homes. His life turned around when he befriended a wealthy family in Beverly Hills who allowed him to live in a garage on their property, and attend the nearby public school. Medina's experiences of transferring to this wealthy environment is the loose basis for which Will Smith vehicle that is set to be remade in 2022?
The wikia for the TV series House, M.D. assigns a "Zebra Factor" to the various medical conditions encountered in its episodes. A Zebra Factor of 10 indicates a disorder most doctors will never witness during their careers.
One of these is a condition known as Infected Third Ostium. In normal human beings, there are only two ostia at the root of the _____ (5), one for each of the two coronary arteries. Which major blood vessel (5) is the site of this rare disorder?
Which 2016 film features Irrfan Khan playing a provost assisting the antagonist? It is based on a mystery thriller novel, the fourth from a very successful series. The title of the novel and the film is a reference to a bioweapon named after a famous work by a poet from the 14th century.
The idea of uchi (clean and safe) and soto (impure or unknown), a clear distinction between the inside and the outside of homes, has shaped Japanese society for centuries. In this context, what are uwabaki - a requisite personal item that one might find at the entrance to homes?
The Ghana away kit jersey depicts intricate geometric patterns that hold deep cultural and philosophical significance. These patterns are found on what vibrant, handwoven textile worn in a toga-like fashion among the Asante, Akan, and Ewe people across West Africa?
Identify the 2008 Hindi movie from its partially listed background score:
- Emperor's First War
- Marriage is Finalised
- Maham Anga's Theme
- Sujamal's Death
- The Final Battle
Not all scientists are convinced of the linguistic abilities of the great apes. A series of critical evaluations of the signing behavior in great apes argued that apes like Koko or Washoe were simply being prompted by their trainers' unconscious cues to display specific signs. What is the two word name for this effect? It is named after a horse who lived in the 1910s and was reputed to be able to perform arithmetic operations.
The express train (22675/76) connecting Chennai Egmore and Tiruchchirappalli via Kumbakonam and Thanjavur is named after which dynasty/kingdom that ruled over the fertile Kaveri valley region through which the train passes? Its maritime conquests saw its influence spread as far as Southeast Asia.
Around the start of World War 1, amidst widespread panic and financial uncertainty, thousands of people rushed to the banks to convert their wealth into silver coins. The British Indian government had to mint more coins to keep up with the demand, leading to a scarcity of silver. To deal with the situation, what did the British government in India create in 1917, initially distributed to shopkeepers in the form of booklets with tearaway pages?
This French loanword, which translates to “frontage”, originally only referred to the exterior of a building. Over time it has also come to refer to those who “put on a front”, i.e., maintain a false or deceptive outward appearance. What’s the good word?
[BLANK] with the head of [BLANK] is a Caravaggio work depicting a beheading, which you'll realize is a theme he clearly fancied. The famous Biblical story on which this painting is based mentions a 'weapon' different from a sword as depicted here. The story also does not convey any guilt or remorse in the killer as depicted here in the expression of the boy. What is this story, a favorite among sports correspondents?
One of the other economic expressions that has gained currency after r (rate of return to capital) > g (growth rate of output) became popular is i > g, which means that the burden of those in debt will keep growing. What does i stand for in this expression?
A certain domestic team relied on their dogged, gritty style of playing to rack up title after title over the decades, starting from the 50s. This brand of cricket was given an uncharitable name, a local word meaning grumpy. You can give us EITHER the team OR the local word.
What term refers to a coastal body of water partially surrounded by land, connecting to a main water body such as an ocean? The largest of its kind is in the Indian Ocean, with the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest being located along it.
A popular feature on Indrajal Comics issues, which comic series is named after a foxy sombrero-sporting vigilante who defends commoners and indigenous people from exploitation by government officials?
Identify the country singer that Jimmy Fallon is impersonating here along with Miley Cyrus as Dolly Parton.
Bubble tea is a Taiwanese speciality, typically a milk-based cold variety, that makes use of what edible translucent spheres? Extracted from a starchy plant, these spheres emerged as a cheaper alternative to South-East Asian sago.
In Game of Thrones' episode S5E8 called Hardhome, three members of which 21st-century heavy metal band had cameos as members of the Night King's army? The role is perhaps apt as the band itself were named after a large extinct elephant-like mammal of the Miocene to Pleistocene epochs.
Pictured here is a map depicting two island nations that appeared in an early 18th century satirical work subtitled “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel [Blank], First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships” where the titular character meets people who are as fascinated by him as he is by them. Name either of the fictional islands.