Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Plane of Knowledge: All things Piratical



PIRATES!
1) What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer?
2) What language does the word buccaneer come from and what does it mean?
3) What was Blackbeard's given name?
4) What group of pirates was the target of the US' first overseas military action and where were they based?
5) The Island of Tortuga from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is a real place. What modern country is it part of?
6) What became of the famous pirate town Port Royal?

Bonus: In Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, what is Frederick the 'slave of'? What is the paradox that thus enslaves him?


Answers to the Plane of Knowledge you've been dreading:
- Gymnophobia is actually fear of nudity. Gives you a whole new perspective on gymnastics and gymnasiums, doesn't it?

- Acrophobia is, as everyone surmised, fear of heights.

- Triskaidekaphobia is not, sadly, fear of dancing triscuits, but fear of the number 13.

- Apiphobia: Maren, I was impressed by fear of application program interfaces, that's certainly what the programmers around here first thought. But Quinn had it right, fear of bees (apiculture, apiary)

- Ophidiophobia is, as Brian correctly surmised, fear of snakes.

- Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia: Quinn had it right; fear of the number 666.

- Epistemophobia, Quinn again with Fear of Knowledge.

Bonus: Nyctohylohippophobia. Maren was actually closest, with "Fear of meeting up with wooden hippos at night??" - it would actually be fear of meeting horses in a forest at night. But you weren't around for the earlier hippo=horse PoK, so we'll forgive you.

4 comments:

Maren said...

1. Errol Flynn was a privateer in The Sea Hawk, and he distinguished himself from pirates by doing it all for the good of the Queen of England.
2. Spanish. It mean "guy with a sword"?
3. William James Robinson (no idea)
4. ...Portugal?
5. Turks and Caicos
6. dunno

Bonus: Frederick is the slave of loyalty. He is to stay with the pirates until his 21st yadhtrib (birthday), but he was born on leap day, so he is but a child of 5, though he has lived 21 years. Poor kid.

Anonymous said...

Frederick is the slave of duty! I don't have a clue about the other ones.

Dave Y said...

Oh! Professor Hangen! Missing #4, an American History question! Can it be?

Anonymous said...

In before reveal...

1. Maren is right, privateers had letters of Marquee[sp] and therefore were OK. Not that they didn't get killed for being pirates anyway. It was just something to tell your mom so she wasn't embarrassed.
2. It ain't Spanish, I think it's French
3. Edward Treacher--No, that's not right, sounds like a fast food joint
4. It's the shores of Tripoli-Line from the Marine Hymn Not that I know where that is mind you. I'm guessing Mediterranean
5. It's part of Haiti, I learned it last week at work!
6. Um, I'm going with Disney bought it and shipped it to California for the Pirate Ride in DisneyLand