Fun Quiz: How British Are You?

R.I.P Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960s British group Gerry and the Pacemakers that had such hits as “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and the song that became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” He was 78 when he passed away on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021.

Since 2003, Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich owns British soccer team Chelsea F.C.

Bonus Facts:

American billionaire Stanley Kroenke owns English Association football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Arsenal W.F.C., along with a few American teams. Emirati politician Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan owns the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), which acquired Manchester City Football Club in September 2008. American businessman Joel Glazer is the owner of England's Manchester United Football Club.

News Fact:

Chelsea F.C. won the final 2021 UEFA Champions League game against Manchester City 1-0. It will next play the winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, Villarreal, in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup and at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Although it is widely assumed that "chav" is an abbreviation for "council housed and violent," it probably originated from the Romani word "Chavi," meaning "child." In British slang, "chav" is a slur meant for a young working-class person, stereotypically known for aggressively loutish behavior, flashy jewelry, and athletic tracksuits. In recent years the word saw a revival in the fashion world, even more so as an Instagram or Tik-Tok challenge trend. Throughout the 2020-2021 lockdowns, social influencers who have lounged around their houses in matching loungewear sets replaced the word “lazy” with “chav” on their ads.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, AKA The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were married on Apr. 29, 2011, in Westminster Abbey, London.

How did they celebrate?

Last year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary by posting a 39-second video clip on their official Instagram account. In the video, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis engage in fun outdoor activities with their parents, like toasting marshmallows over an open fire, playing in the garden of their Norfolk home, and visiting a nearby beach. Watch it here.

While all mentioned Prime Ministers are the subject of illegal donor-related inquiries, the one named “cash for curtains” in 2021 revolves around British PM Boris Johnson. The latter failed to disclose that a wealthy Conservative Party benefactor had paid for the redecoration of his official residence in London. Although Johnson later settled the bill, on Friday, May 28, a UK government ethics found that the PM acted “unwisely.” Johnson was, however, cleared of misconduct.

Boris Johnson Happy News Fact

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, has married his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, 33, in a small private ceremony held Saturday, May 29, 2021, at the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral. The marriage is Johnson’s third. The couple announced their engagement in February 2020, two months before welcoming their son, Wilfred, to the world. The British PM has at least five other children from previous relationships.

In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, Boris Johnson characterized Donald Trump’s impeachment and acquittal on a charge of inciting insurrection against his government as “toings and froings and all the kerfuffle.” In British English, toings and froings is a state of going back and forth, while kerfuffle is a fuss, usually made by conflicting opinions.

The name of a rock band founded by former UK prime minister Tony Blair was Ugly Rumours. He started the band while studying law at St John's College, Oxford, during the early 1970s.

What’s new?

The former prime minister has spent the past year working with his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change on ways to fight Covid-19 and, like millions of people in Britain, did not go to the hairdresser for months during the lockdown. He told the Evening Standard in an interview Wednesday, April 28, 2021, his hair has not been this long since he was in a rock band decades ago. “I haven’t had a haircut — but this is happening imminently,” he said.

LIBOR stands for London Interbank Offered Rate. It is the primary benchmark, along with Euribor, for short-term interest rates around the world.

Libor 2021 fact:

On Friday, Mars 5, 2021, Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) called a formal end to nearly all Libor rates on December 31. The Libor is being replaced by rates compiled by central banks after lenders were fined billions of dollars for trying to rig what was once “the world’s most important number” used for pricing home loans and credit cards across the world

Winston Churchill was a keen amateur artist who completed some 500 paintings. Still, the Moroccan landscape “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” is the only painting that Britain’s World War II leader completed during the 1939-45 conflict. Christie’s auction house said Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, that the painting — once a gift from Churchill to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt — is being sold by Angelina Jolie at an estimated price of $2.1 million to $3.4 million.

Small Axe, Steve McQueen’s BBC and Amazon anthology drama based on the real-life experiences of London's West Indian community between 1969 and 1982, won an impressive 15 nominations at the 2021 BAFTA TV Awards June 6 ceremony.

What about The Crown?

The Crown is the second most nominated TV show for the 2021 BAFTA TV awards, receiving ten nominations.

Actress Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago, graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, then moved to New York City to further her acting career.

Where did Gillian Anderson acquire her British accent?

When she was 15 months old, her family relocated to London, UK, where she grew up until returning to the US at the age of 11.

What’s new?

Alec Baldwin has deleted his Twitter account following a backlash to a tweet he posted referencing Anderson speaking in her natural American accent at the 2021 Golden Globes, despite usually speaking with a British accent in her roles. In a video posted to Instagram on Mar. 3, 2021, Baldwin says he’s a “huge fan” of Anderson’s, but that Twitter is “where all the assholes in the United States and beyond go to get their advanced degrees in assholiness.”