Here are today’s questions. Answers will be published on Monday. The theme for this week ran from Mon-Thu; a new theme will come up on Monday.

And the questions follow:

1. Shibboleths are words or customs whose variations in pronunciation or style can be used to differentiate members of some groups from others. This has often been used in war and sectarian conflicts. Which dictator, who ruled his country from 1930-61, used the difference in Spanish and French pronunciations of the word for ‘parsley’ to massacre undocumented Haitian migrants in 1937?
2. The pronunciation of the local word for ‘chickpeas’ was used by the people of which Mediterranean island to ferret out Angevin French soldiers in the late 13th century, eventually leading to the island’s freedom from Angevin rule?
3. The pronunciation of which letter of the English alphabet differs in the USA and the British Commonwealth? This quirk reportedly helped identify American males who fled to Canada to escape the military draft in the 1950s and 60s.
4. Which US state capital city, named after a fur trader of French origin, is pronounced by the locals to rhyme with a popular drink, and not the French pronunciation of the word?
5. Shibboleths are sometimes non-verbal. Which film featured the hand gesture for the number three as a prominent plot element, whereby a group of Allied spies posing as Germans is exposed?

Here are the answers to 2026: Week 31, Quiz 4:

1. 3D printing
2. Odin
3. Damien Thorn
4. Jules Rimet
5. Theme: The West Indies’ pace bowling quartet of the 1970-80s
   • Jennifer ‘Garner’
   • Julia ‘Roberts’
   • Lara ‘Croft’
   • (Michael) Holding