Sunday Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning

1† On April 17, 1974, an English song by a Swedish pop group topped the charts around the world. The name of the song is usually used in a sentence that refers to someone who is defeated or encounters something that they cannot overcome. It refers to a particular field in Belgium where Napoleon Bonaparte was eventually defeated by the British. What is the name of the song that ends the phrase “To meet your _____”?

2† This is a common expression used to explain that something is just a small part of a much bigger problem. The saying comes from the fact that only a very small part of a large body, which is mentioned in it, is visible. This gives a misleading impression about the size. What is this saying that you could use in conversation or when sailing at sea?

3† Referring to a rare event, this phrase is based on a particular 29-day cycle. This event should of course take place once every two and a half years. However, when this happens, the color of the object mentioned in the sentence does not change. One theory is that the only time the color changed was in 1883 when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded and spewed ash, causing this color change to last more than a year. What sense is this?

4† This expression is used to refer to someone who is very practical or businesslike. It can be in contrast to someone who is “in the clouds” or not very realistic. One theory for its origin is that it may allude to angels or other celestial beings being “thrown down” to join mortal humans. What is this phrase that means someone is realistic and “grounded”?

5† Two animals are involved in this description of an intense weather phenomenon. The expression may have come from the fact that these animals used to sleep on rafters of the roof. Under certain conditions, it can become slippery and they can fall down. Another explanation is that the Norse god of thunder, Odin, is often depicted with one type of animal, while the other animal is associated with witches who are said to cause this phenomenon. What is this sentence?

6† This popular children’s game used to be known as “Russian Scandals” and got its current name much later. The name stems from a racist idea that the people of a particular country spoke in a way that was intentionally unintelligible. The game involves listening to someone, trying to understand what you have heard and then passing that on to the next person as accurately as possible. Known as ‘phone game’ in US, how is it known as in India and UK?

7† This expression can refer to the fact that in some cases moist air is sucked in by the clouds and dry and warm air descends, which is more stable and thus quieter, leading to a sense of calm. But then the clouds that pull the moist air away come into action. What is the associated expression that refers to a peaceful or trouble-free period that exists just before things get chaotic?

8† This idiom is used to express the idea that something went wrong and only got worse or escalated after that. It’s based on the fact that if you put something on an incline, thanks to the effect of gravity, it’s likely to stay on the same trajectory. What is this phrase you can use to talk about things going wrong?

9† This expression, about a natural phenomenon, is often used when something good happens and suggests that maybe it won’t happen again. This is scientifically untrue: in reality, this event can happen several times in the same place. In fact, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is known to have the most of these events in a year. What is this sentence that is not true at all (and thus dangerous advice to someone caught in a storm)?

10† A common explanation for this phrase is that it refers to a particular classification system introduced in the 1800s. Since amateur meteorologists all followed their own classification system, the ‘International _____ Atlas’ emerged as the standard. The early versions of the Atlas placed the ‘cumulonimbus’ in a certain place on the list. The cumulonimbus is downy in nature and is found at the highest elevation, features that place it at that position on the list, which may have given rise to this expression. What is this phrase, which is also the name of a catchy song by Bryan Adams and Chicane?