A spider is an arachnid, not an insect… and 48 other fun and obscure facts, names, places and phrases.
In my late teens and early 20s one of my defining personality traits was simply “The Office”. I watched it on repeat, memorised large chunks of the script and recited quotes back and forth in a bad English accent any time I was lucky enough to meet a fellow Office watcher. These were some of the happiest times of my life.
Two decades on I may have lost the fast-twitch Office-quoting reflexes I once possessed, but it’s all still up there. The quotes, the Brentisms (“in a way…”, “so…”, “yeah?”), and a huge wealth of useless trivia about British popular culture from before I was born.
On my most recent rewatch (all episodes are available on TVNZ+, though some of these are from outtakes and deleted scenes exclusive to the DVD version) I wrote down all the things I only know about because of The Office. It was longer than I expected.
Film and television
Countdown
Blockbusters
Quiz shows. No substitute for a few semesters at the University of Life.
Blue Peter
Children’s show with presenters who sometimes pop up in other things (training videos etc).
Kojak
A great detective and a fine actor.
Dixon of Dock Green
Policeman with the catchphrase “Evening all!”
Bullseye
Darts show with the catchphrase “You can’t beat a bit of bully!”
Peak Practice
Medical drama for people who enjoy staying in with their lives.
The Dam Busters
Not to mention the dog’s name.
Telly Addicts
Cross it with Noel’s House Party and what have you got?
Enter the Dragon
Way of the Dragon
Bruce Lee fights Bob Wall in both. Chuck Norris is only in Way of the Dragon.
Bob Wall
American actor and martial artist.
Bluto
The villain from Popeye.
Roy Hudd Rod Hull
And Emu.
Mr Spock is half-Vulcan, half-human
Literature
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
Russian dissident, born 1821 died 1881.
Sir John Betjeman
Author of the poem ‘Slough’.
The Canterbury Tales
Of Chaucer… and Shakespeare.
History
The sword of Damocles
Classical Greek symbolism. Much harder to have a laugh in the work-related arena when it’s hanging over you.
The average age of a soldier in the Vietnam War was 19
See below.
Geography
John o’ Groats
The northernmost tip of Great Britain. Beefy Botham walked from there to Land’s End (the southernmost point) in 1985 to raise money for leukaemia.
Slough
Swindon
Reading
Aldershot
Bracknell
Didcot
Yateley
Winnersh
Taplow
Burghfield
The “Bloody Good Rep” road trip. Hotels!
Alton Towers
It’s rubbish.
Music
Des’ree – ‘Crazy Maze’
“Money don’t make my world go round…”
Paul Hardcastle – ‘19’
If you only know this song via The Office pub quiz, please listen to it. I guarantee it’s not what you expect.
Doctor and the Medics – ‘Spirit in the Sky’
A song for the end of the financial year.
Yazz / Yazoo
Not the same band.
Mike and the Mechanics
Genesis side project/supergroup and one of Gareth Keenan’s favourite bands.
Latin
Ipso facto
Cogito, ergo sum
Vis-à-vis
Still not sure what any of these mean per se but that hasn’t stopped me using them.
Science
A spider is an arachnid not an insect
Eight legs, six legs.
Cows have got four stomachs
So…
There’s more sugar in a lemon than a strawberry
Pound for pound.
Stigmatism
Don’t have a go at the eyes.
Sayings
‘As an actress said to a bishop’
Say this when someone says something accidentally risqué. It’s not sexist.
‘Bunsen burner’
Cockney rhyming slang: “nice little earner”.
Food
Pizza Express
Fast food restaurant; not to be confused with Beer Express.
Fray Bentos
Pies in a tin; not to be confused with Fidel Castro.
Politics
Bishop Muzorewa
Prime minister of Zimbabwe from 1979-1980.
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