To think general knowledge quiz shows do not give a measure of intelligence, just of memorisation skills?

[pennypinchh]

I am totally rubbish at all quiz shows, trying to play along on the couch and never know anything! But I don't understand why my family say I'm not that smart just because I don't know some obscure fact about the TV show Frasier, which I've never even seen! Has anyone else been shamed because of this?

cherry yes but as you’re talking about The Chase it’s likely to be a multiple choice question.
But the same goes for single type questions - for example if the question is “what part of the body does retinopathy relate to” ... you don’t necessarily know the answer but your knowledge the retina is part of the eye allows you to work out it.

Didn't realise I was talking about The Chase.

Thought this was about general knowledge - and the OP being told she was "totaly" wrong it was due to having a good memory.

Though I think that two of the three parts of The Chase dont have multiple choice.

So some of it relies on memory!! Recalling fact.

Just settling in to watch this evening's Only Connect

I’m watching House of Games - considering getting the board game for Christmas (though not sure if will actually have enough people to play it with)!

Incidentally, the word marmalade comes from the Spanish "mermelada", Catalan "melmelada" which means in those languages just "jam" - it can be any fruit variety. Since it is Seville oranges that make that particular bitter orange "mermelada" so prized by the English, the word made its way into English usage. It's thought to have arrived in Spanish from the Latin "melimelum" (which was a jam made from quinces and honey).

The seasickness thing is a red herring! There is also one about somebody burning something and it becoming "ma malade" or something but this is also a red herring!

The seasickness thing is a red herring! There is also one about somebody burning something and it becoming "ma malade" or something but this is also a red herring

But why do we say red herring?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_herring

Red Herring factoid fascinating.

@chomalungma

Just settling in to watch this evening's Only Connect

I got the Olympics and the dialling codes after the second one. Very chuffed with myself.

Some things you know because you remember it

Some things, yes. But a lot can be worked out because you are knowledgeable in other things, or often simple logic.
Knowing a bit of greek and latin gets you a long way as well.

No, not exactly - it shows (as others have said) - curiosity about the world, ability and enthusiasm to read/learn and understand (otherwise the facts don't stick), and making links in your brain so you have and keep that knowledge instead of reading something then poof, five minutes later it's gone because it just hasn't sunk in.

I got the Olympics and the dialling codes after the second one. Very chuffed with myself

Didn't get that.

I did get the Stone / Saint one quite quickly.
I also got the elements one.

Most of my time was spent saying "FFS" when they revealed the connection. Especially the 'percent of a hundred' one.

@hedgehogger1

As an aside I think it was more limes used to treat scurvey as they lasted better than oranges. The British were referred to as Limeys as the navy etc kept crates of limes on the ships to stop the sailors becoming ill with scurvey on long voyages.

Limes also make a better marmalade, I love it but can't bear orange marmalade (tho' I did know where the oranges come from, thanks Mum!) Did you know that Key Lime pie has nothing to do, historically, with the Florida Keys? It's name comes from the types of limes supposed to be used in making it! In the pub quizzes I'm useless, beyond useless really, on modern culture! We have three go-to answers, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill and Duran Duran when we're stuck, I've recently added Ed Sheerhan, a singer apparently.

I've come across marmalade once or twice in my life, but only eaten it a couple of times. Would not have occurred to me that it was made from oranges, as oranges are sweet and marmalade is very bitter. (Someone up-thread said it's oranges and sugar: how does combining a sweet fruit with sugar produce a bitter result? OK I'll google it.)

If someone had asked me what marmalade was made from, I'd have guessed lemons and ginger. (With ginger helping to explain the colour.)

OK, just back from googling, and this thread is wrong. Marmalade is not necessarily made from oranges. It can be made from all sorts of citrus fruit, including lemons and limes.

Sorry, ingredients already covered by others. Should have read the whole thread first.

It’s only from this thread that I’ve realised that Only connect is back but iPlayer only has the most recent episodes so I’ve missed half of them 😭

I've recently added Ed Sheerhan, a singer apparently

If you follow Victoria Coren on twitter she tweets if there is a change in time or anything for Only Connect.
The walls were tricky last night. The guy who got all the missing vowels was awesome.

Partly right I think, but you can't 'swot up' for a quiz show, the breadth of topics is too wide. Knowing - or remembering - so many facts shows that the person is widely read at least. The only one I watch is University Challenge so can't comment on other shows. Many of the questions on there don't require only knowledge - or memory - but working things out.

@JamieLeeCurtains

I've recently added Ed Sheerhan, a singer apparently

Have you been unfortunate enough to hear the travesty that is Galway Girl? Steve Earl would be spinning in his grave if he were dead

I'm not convinced by that assertion there.

Q. Name any line in Galway Girl that doesn't make you want to vomit, @MitziK.

Level of difficulty: 10

@MitziK, I agree that Steve Earle mightn't have a lot of time for Ed Sheeran.
I never thought a thread on mumsnet would mention both Only Connect and Steve Earle, they're both kind of niche things that I love but never come up in real life conversations.

@JamieLeeCurtains

Q. Name any line in Galway Girl that doesn't make you want to vomit, *@MitziK*.

Level of difficulty: 10

I'm gnashing my teeth and thumping the keyboard to Make. It. Stop. long before any words get flung at my ears.

It's notable just how many tracks he has released that just happen to have exactly the same name as something else, whether a better song or a TV show, just so his stuff pops up on an internet search. As though they were deliberately titled to benefit from the internet...

To put it in other words, I'd rather listen to James Blunt on loop.

It annoys me that most contestants on the chase don't bother to play the game at speed which is a big help!

It annoys me that most contestants on the chase don't bother to play the game at speed

I used to get irritated by the very few of contestants on "The Weakest Link" who didn't bother to bank the money.
And nowadays by the contestants on "Pointless" who "play it safe" even though it means they'll lose and, therefore, aren't being safe - I feel sorry for Alexander Armstrong when he tries to explain the concept of the game yet again.

Did you know that Key Lime pie has nothing to do, historically, with the Florida Keys?

Um, yes it does. Why do you think they are called Key limes? It is considered a Floridian speciality and was invented there, made with Key limes that got their name from the Florida Keys where that particular lime variety has been naturalised. They are also known as Mexican or West Indian limes although they came from the East Indies originally, brought by the Spanish in the 1500s. The green limes that are more common are called Persian limes.

A Key Lime Pie should never be green, it should always be yellow, as a fresh ripe Key Lime is yellow and has yellow juice.