Test yourself on the quotes of 2020
The past 12 months have been – shall we say – memorable for so many reasons, but can you match these quotes and social media posts to their originators (and, in some cases, identify what on earth they were talking about)?
At home...
1. Which Kiwi politician’s admission they ‘‘did a little dance’’ went global in June, and why?
2. ‘‘That was a souvenir from a political junket. I appreciate for a number of people in New Zealand it has a different perspective, I respect that.’’ What was then National leader Todd Muller talking about?
3. Which former NZ First MP, when confronted by a TV camera the morning after the general election, explained why he hadn’t given much thought to his future with the immortal line, ‘‘Given that I consumed about a gallon of red wine last night . . . I haven’t spoken to anyone.’’
4. ‘‘What I’ve settled on is The Eliminator.’’ Who decided this was to be his unofficial rugby nickname ahead of his guest appearance against the parliamentary team in July?
5. ‘‘You’ll be pleased to know that we do consider both the ----- ----(5,5) and the ------ ----- (6,5) to be essential workers. Maybe you draw an Easter egg and pop it into your front window and help children in your neighbourhood with their own Easter egg hunt.’’ Fill in the blanks from this Jacinda Ardern press conference.
... and abroad
1. ‘‘And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, either through the skin or some other way . . . And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute – one minute – and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?’’ No prizes for recognising Donald Trump’s science-free theories for tackling Covid-19, but can you remember the name of his administration’s coronavirus co-ordinator left squirming and clicking her shoes in discomfort at the press conference?
2. ‘‘I’m not offended by the similarities, nor would I accuse the Space Force of plagiarism. I’m just amused. It ain’t that serious.’’ Why was graphic designer Michael Okuda commenting on Donald Trump’s revelation of the logo for his beloved sixth branch of the military, the US Space Force?
3. ‘‘If the Academy allows, I would like to get a Texas Chainsaw, split the Oscar trophy into five, and share it with all of you. Thank you. I will drink until next morning.’’
Korean movie director Bong Joonho paid tribute to his favourite fellow directors after winning the Best Director Academy Award for what film?
4. The weirdest 40th birthday present ever was given by Kanye West to his wife Kim Kardashian . . . but who actually delivered this speech? ‘‘I watch over you and your sisters and brother and the kids every day. Sometimes I drop hints that I’m around. The most beautiful thing that I have witnessed is watching you grow your family. You married the most, most, most, most GENIUS man in the world, Kanye West.’’
5. ‘‘Hey, all you cool cats and kittens’’ was the greeting of which star from which reality TV show which was gained a huge following during 2020 and also starred a character called Joe Exotic?
Sport
1. The Halberg NZ Sportsman of the Year gave probably the speech of the year in February including the memorable ‘‘When you see one of us rising, you want to tear him down, because you feel inadequate and you want to call it humble. I am extraordinarily humble, believe me, but you’ll never know that, because you’ll never get to know me. Understand this, if you see one of us shining – whether it be the netball team, the Black Caps, the sailors – pump them up, embrace them, because if they win, we win. If I win, you win. Understand that.’’ Who was it and what sport do they play?
2. What was Argentina’s rugby coach Mario Ledesma talking about when he said ‘‘I guess someone will write a book about it’’?
3. Black Cap Ross Taylor was in tears in January when he said, ‘‘I guess it’s an emotional time because my mentor Martin Crowe, that was one of the goals he put down for me . . . To be honest I didn’t believe him, but I’d have loved for him to be here and help celebrate’’. What was that goal?
4. Who was All Blacks captain Sam Cane describing when he told Sky Sport’s The Breakdown, ‘‘They might like to think they know a lot about the game of rugby but really they don’t’’?
5. ‘‘This whole situation has left me really sad and empty . . . So unintended. So wrong.’’ Why was tennis star Novak Djokovic apologising in September?
Social media
1. Whose was this debut post on Instagram and why was it a recordbreaker? ‘‘I’m making this move and exploring this new way of communication to me because, as we all know, the world is in trouble. Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on.’’
2. Who was Sharon Stone congratulating in August when she tweeted, ‘‘I am thrilled for you and relieved and excited for our country. God bless America! PS I knew it would be you because @JoeBiden respects those who confront him with dignity. Bravo! To both of you!’’
3. On November 2 a song that originated in Korea and is largely comprised of the lyric ‘‘doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo’’ became the most watched video on YouTube with 7.05 billion views. What was the song and which song did it knock off the top spot?
4. ‘‘You can’t leave. And you can’t easily have people in. And you’re back in lockdown in major parts of the country. And the quarantine camps are public knowledge.’’ When overseas Twitter account @LockdownNo posted this about New Zealand in August it started a hashtag that’s still trending; do you remember the precise phrase that led to the meme?
5. When Donald Trump tweeted in June that he’d ‘‘done more for Black Americans, in fact, than any president in US history’’, who did he say that was with the possible exception of?