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Friday, July 22, 2005

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: Eponyms. Eponyms are words or phrases derived from people's names. Often they derive from someone's surname (for example, Braille was invented by Louis Braille). But they can also come from someone's whole name (like the cocktail Tom Collins) or first name (like Benedictine from St Benedict). Try to identify these eponyms from the clues below, which give a description of the word or phrase and the first name of the person it derives from. Answers here

1. A soft stuffed toy bear, named after US president Theodore (1858-1919)
2. An assault rifle of Soviet design, named after Soviet arms engineer Mikhail (born 1919)
3. A unit of electric power, named after Scottish engineer James (1736-1819)
4. A disease marked by progressive loss of mental capacity, named after German neurologist Alois (1864-1915)
5. A scale of windspeed, ranging from 0 to 12, named after Admiral Francis (1774-1857)
6. A gas burner, named after German chemist Robert (1811-1899)
7. A crude petrol bomb, named after Soviet statesman Vyacheslav (1890-1986)
8. The annual tennis competition between British and US women's teams, named after Hazel (1886-1974), the donor of the trophy
9. An educational method designed to develop the creative potential of young children, named after Italian educator Maria (1870-1952), who developed it
10. An annual award for theatrical achievement in New York City, named after US actress and director Antoinette (1888-1946)

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