7 % Solution

410. Empirical aftertastes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 23:00:00 +0000

Identify & connect the images above with a term used in many South-Asian countries to refer to a person originating from the Indian sub-continent....

409. The Quest for Answers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 22:52:00 +0000

Explain why all of these are in the same frame.

408. Dull and boring?

noreply@blogger.com (7% Solution Answers) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 21:37:00 +0000

Originally a halogenic compound this word is a byword for a dull, boring person or a cliche. The credit for the figurative usage of the word goes to one gentleman named Gelett Burgess who used it for the first time in an essay called the "The Sulphitic Theory". In the fall of 1906, Gelett published a revised and enlarged essay in the form of a small book called "Are You a _______?" The essay also gave rise to a different word meaning a short promotional piece accompanying a creative work. Which two words were coined by Burgess?

407. Pole Position?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 01:45:00 +0000

According to some, the most famous Polish guy ever, his was a remarkable life. His name endorses the first ever Zloty bank-notes and one of his residences constitutes the smallest unit of the national park system in the United States. He willed away a large part of his American estate for the emancipation of slavery, however for various machinations, the will stayed unexecuted.

In Krakow, Poles from around the world financed and voluntarily built a memorial mound in his honor containing urns of earth from all the battlefields that he fought in Europe and America. Noticing a certain resemblance to this structure, in another continent, an apex point was named after him by another freewheeling Pole.

What?

406. A mother's tears?

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 21:08:00 +0000

This aromatic tree gets its name from the mother of Adonis. She was transformed into a tree after having had intercourse with her father and gave birth to Adonis as a tree (as shown in the painting). According to legend, the aromatic exudings of the tree are her tears. Name the tree, which is native to West Asia and Horn of Africa and whose resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense, and medicine? Additional point for identifying the painter.

405. Corny Beginnings?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 04:24:00 +0000

His remains were relinquished to an unmarked grave in Kolkata, India, until the fact was unearthed by a keen eyed researcher only a few years ago. He is probably the reason why many in India have to partake of a portion of their yearly earnings to the government exchequer, though that is probably the least known fact about him. Something that he established in the 19th century had a rather corny inspiration but continues to thrive in the modern age today and in 2007, started publishing a lifestyle focused spin-off, named after the year of its (the 19th century something's, not the spin-off's) own birth.

Who was this champion of free-trade? What did he establish? When?

404. (Not) a very childish pastime....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 02:43:00 +0000

Though now associated with a fun "thing" for kids by virtue of the work done in sequence by an engineering count and an author with some intelligence, some believe that its ultimate origins were far from kiddish. The first half (a double word construct) comes from an innocuous enough Sanskrit word with an epistolary nature that was borrowed by the Tommies. In the lonely barracks of World War Two, this may have been bonded with the second half (another double word construct) for the whole to signify that the bearer now had permission to partake in the pleasures of the "maisons tolérées".

What? Which author?

403. So much confusion!

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:01:00 +0000

The two-word name of this musical instrument (Paul McCartney holding on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) is a misnomer. The instrument neither originated in the place nor belongs to the family of instruments as the name suggests. In fact, the instrument originated in a region of central Europe and belongs to the oboe family. The present name could be from a misunderstanding from the resemblance of the instrument played by angels as depicted in the Middle Ages. To make matters more confusing, this instrument is most often referred to by its French name and the English name is a literal translation of the French name. Which instrument?

402. Drunken brawl

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Tue, 29 May 2018 16:01:00 +0000

This slang term for a scene of uproar or disorder gets its name from an Irish fair which started in the 13th century under the auspices of King John of England but by the beginning of the 19th century turned into a site of public entertainment and drinking thus leading to it getting abolished. What term, which also shares its name with an Irish jig and an upmarket food chain?

401. A Strange Remainder.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 May 2018 09:11:00 +0000

A colonial era hang-over by way of the Parsi diaspora, you may encounter this term today in several places in the fragrant harbor. Quite likely, in the form of a signboard on a booth if you were parking your car in a legitimate lot or maybe as an 11 or 12 digit number if you were handing over your hard-earned monies to pay government taxes or duties online.

What six letter title, also associated with the "Heroic" offspring of a Kazhakhastani Uyghur woman and an Indian astrologer?

400. Point of no return

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Fri, 25 May 2018 20:15:00 +0000

This particular act by Julius Caesar while uttering the now famous phrase ālea iacta est ("the die has been cast") said to have precipitated the Roman Civil War which ultimately led to the rise of Caesar and the era of imperial Rome. What is the act which nowadays means to pass a point of no return?

399. Elementary, my dear Watson...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 May 2018 22:28:00 +0000

"It has been a while, Watson. I have been staring at these images for the last hour and they seem to make no sense at all. What will wrought them together, I wonder....Pass me my pipe, will you? And if you would be so kind enough as to fill up the syringe with the good old 7% solution. The game is afoot. Again."

398. It is all about trust

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Thu, 24 May 2018 03:20:00 +0000

This particular type of furniture gets its name from the Italian for belief or trust. The story goes something like this. In the 16th century, food and drinks were laid out on this furniture to be tasted by a servant prior to being served to a lord or other important person (such as the pope or a cardinal) in order to test for poison. Thus, an act of trust lent its name to the room where the act took place and eventually the type of furniture. Name please!

397. Identify...

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 11:13:00 +0000

This small town (red dot) in Connecticut, USA gained prominence in the early 1970s when a mysterious group of rheumatoid arthritis cases occurred among children in it and its two neighboring towns. Name the town.

396. Golden Orange

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:23:00 +0000

After a long hiatus we are back with a regular dose of 7% solution to all of you who are afflicted with the malady. We hope that I and the other 50% of 7% (Udatta) will keep you intrigued and entertained by our questions.

And, now the question!

This name of this fruit means ‘golden orange’ in Cantonese and the English term is a corruption of the Cantonese name. It was introduced into the western world by the famous Scottish botanist Robert Fortune (the same dude who introduced tea plants from China to India). The fruit though bears resemblance to the genus Citrus has been classified as a segregate genus, Fortunella, named in honor of Fortune. Name please.

395. Identify

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:13:00 +0000

These awards are the oldest media awards in Germany. They are awarded annually to recognize excellence in international media and television who with vision and creativity affected and inspired the German public that year. Michael Jackson, Sophia Loren, Armani, Shakira, Kate Winslet among others have been the awardees.

Name it.

394. Gift from God?

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:44:00 +0000

His first name is Hebrew for "gift from God" and the surname is a corruption of the French term for "the ox" or "the beef".

Who?

393. Western Propaganda?

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 06:33:00 +0000

He got his name from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: Der Tintenfisch ______ _______. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized him several times and accused the West of using him to spread "western propaganda and superstition.”

Who am I talking about?

392. Silenced?

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Athletes in Tudor England used church bells of various sizes for training purposes. To make it easy and ergonomic they removed the bell clappers and thus, in a way "silenced" them.

As a result what did we get?

391. Son of Goa?

noreply@blogger.com (Sambhu Singh Rathi) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 01:12:00 +0000

He was one of the earlier proponents of scientific study of hypnotism, departing from the earlier theory of animal magnetism by Franz Mesmer (after whom we have the word mesmerize). He was born in Goa to Saraswat Brahmin Christian parents who in turn were descents of Hindu Saraswat Brahmins. He along with his father had to escape to Paris when found involved in a plot to free Goa from Portugal. He has been immortalized by Alexander Dumas is his book The Count of Monte Cristo as a omniscient scholar who helps his fellow prisoner Edmond Dantès to escape from Château d'If?

Who is this son of Goa? (Picture above: His statue next to the Old Secretariat in Panaji, Goa)

390. Title, translated....

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:11:00 +0000

The title by which we primarily know it today is a literal translation of the original. Which is a little bit unfortunate, as it may lead one to believe that it may be a reference to corporal punishment and also for the fact that the original expression actually stood for "raising hell".

So what am I blabbering about?

389. Cinema jigsaw?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:16:00 +0000

In 1966, this dude picked up clips from Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Kagi no kagi (literal English title: International Secret Police: Key of Keys), a Japanese spy film. Instead of translating the film, he added completely original dialogue that had nothing to do with the plot of the original Japanese film, put in new scenes and rearranged the order of existing scenes, to completely change the tone of the film from a James Bond clone into a comedy about a secret egg salad recipe.

Id the dude.

388. Tripartite?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:29:00 +0000

Dao Cao Dai (Caodaism in English) is the third largest religion in Vietnam (after Buddhism and Roman Catholicism)

They recognize three saints:

Sun-Yat-Sen (1866-1925), leader of the Chinese Revolution of 1911.
Trang Trinh (1492-1587), Vietnamese poet and prophet.

Who is the third?

387. For the love of literature

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:25:00 +0000

Vladimir Bukovsky defined it as follows: "I myself create it, edit it, censor it, publish it, distribute it, and may get imprisoned for it."

Refers to the clandestine copying and distribution of government-suppressed literature or other media in Soviet-bloc countries. Copies were made a few at a time, and those who received a copy would be expected to make more copies. This was often done by handwriting or typing.

Identify.

386. d'Artagnan's loot...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:19:00 +0000

The thief was nicknamed d'Artagnan after the Dumas character because he used a magnet on a sword-like pole and was banned from the area in 2002 after 30 years of stealing from it.

Using this technique, at the height of the tourist season, in one week, he scooped out an impressive 22 kilos in just fifteen minutes.

Had d'Artagnan not been successful the loot would have been given to Caritas, a catholic charity that provides services for the poor.

Identify d'Artagnan's loot.