An entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #49: Pub Quiz Camouflage
After a long day at the office with little to show for it, an evening at The Badger and Biscuit (his favourite pub) was exactly what Sergeant Sequence needed to unwind. Plus, Monday night was 'KWIZ NITE' (as the owners insisted on spelling it), which was always good fun, if a little pop-culture-heavy at times.
Sequence had known the barman (known to all as 'Lando') for many years - and certainly well enough to realise from Lando's cagey, almost distant greeting on his arrival at the bar that something was wrong. With a silent nod, Sequence returned to his quiz team at their table in the corner of the pub, drinks in hand, and waited for the signal...
Lando and Sergeant Sequence had established their emergency protocol many years earlier, and only ever had to use it two or three times. On one occasion the secret code had entirely passed the sergeant by (and an opportunity to arrest his nemesis - Patrick Terne - along with it), but tonight he was alert and ready for it. The last 20 questions of the evening's quiz - that was always where the coded message lurked. And sure enough, come the end of the quiz, Sequence gazed down at the answers on his paper and spotted Lando's concealed warning.
(Thanks to Lando's tip-off, Sergeant Sequence returned to the station after work and mobilised his team. Within the hour, a known associate of Patrick Terne was taken into custody, arrested before a planned assassination attempt on the sergeant's life could be made.)
TASK: Answer the last 20 questions of the evening's quiz and find Lando's concealed message for Sergeant Sequence. (Please try to complete as much of the puzzle as possible before posting an answer - no partial answers solving just a handful of the trivia questions, thank you!)
...
31. As a result of its shape, which variety of pasta is named after the Italian word for ‘butterfly’?
32. Which animal cell organelles break down macromolecules, repair cell membranes, and destroy invading viruses and bacteria?
33. Which form of headgear, designed to expose only part of the face, is named after a town near Sevastopol, in the Crimea?
34. Which field of mathematics completes the popular phrase: “Lies, damned lies, and ___”?
35. Belgrade is the capital city of which European country?
36. Which US tennis player has won the most Grand Slam singles titles of any player in the Open Era – 23, to date?
37. Which English pop duo recorded the festive hit Last Christmas in 1984?
38. Which British actress is known for roles in Mulholland Drive, The Ring, and King Kong?
39. Cyclops, Storm and Wolverine are characters in which Marvel Comics franchise?
40. Which US President took office in 2000 despite ‘losing the popular vote’ to his rival, Al Gore?
41. Which graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd was adapted for the big screen in 2005 by the Wachowski siblings?
42. Which song – originally written by Prince – became a worldwide chart hit for Sinéad O’Connor in 1990?
43. DC Comics’ “Kal-El” is more widely known by which 8-letter alter-ego?
44. Which Beatles song is the opening track on their 1966 album, Revolver?
45. Which aquatic insect in the order Ephemeroptera is often considered a byword for something shortlived, as many species live for just long enough to reproduce, before dying?
46. What name is given to the closely-mowed section of a golf course between the tee and the green?
47. English rock band Coldplay performed one of their biggest hits twice during the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games – which one?
48. Which word completes the title of the 1955 William Holden film, BLANK Is a Many-Splendored Thing?
49. Which letter of the alphabet represents both one of the 4 human blood types and one of the 4 DNA bases?
50. Which song was a UK Number One hit for Welsh singer Duffy in 2008?
