THE LEFT LANE
St. Patty's puzzlers
Advertiser Staff
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Before you settle in for some corned beef and cabbage, test your St. Patty's knowledge from a Reader's Digest quiz found at www.readersdigest.ca/stpatrick_quiz.html.
True or false: St. Patrick is Irish.
Answer: If you said true, you should get pinched even if you're wearing green. The answer is false.
The Irish holiday honors the missionary credited with converting the Irish to Christianity (in the A.D. 400s). Saint Patrick's real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat. He took on Patrick, or Patricus, after he became a priest.
Legend has it St. Patrick ...
A) Discovered Guiness.
B) Drove all snakes out of Ireland and into the sea.
C) Was incredibly lucky, hence the term "Luck o' the Irish.
Answer: If you said B, grab an extra cabbage roll tonight.
The official emblem of Ireland is:
A) The Shamrock.
B) The Harp.
C) The Blarney Stone.
Answer: No blarney! It's B, the harp. Go figure.
Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to represent:
A) Good luck.
B) Good health.
C) The Holy Trinity.
Answer: If you guessed A, your luck has run out. Supposedly, St. Patrick used the three leaves to represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. It's C.
Leprechauns are said to be:
A) Friendly little fairies who like to be chased and to give away gold.
B) Ill-tempered and unfriendly spirits capable of great mischief.
C) Elves who like to eat sugary cereals.
Answer: It's B. Anyone surprised?
The Blarney Stone is famous because:
A) Kissing it is said to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence.
B) Kissing it is said to bring good luck.
C) King Arthur is said to have pulled a sword from it.
Answer: A. The stone is set in a wall of a castle in the Irish village of Blarney.
The color green is associated with St. Patrick's Day because:
A) It is the color of spring and the shamrock.
B) St. Patrick is said to have worn a green felt hat.
C) It represents the grain used to make Irish beer.
Answer: We fell for C, but the right answer is A..
What is the meaning of "Erin Go Braugh"?
A) "Happy St. Patrick's Day."
B) "May the luck of the Irish be with you."
C) "Ireland Forever."
Answer: If you head to an Irish pub tonight and hear somebody screaming "Erin Go Braugh!" they're telling you C — Ireland forever.
And that's no blarney.
