Up the Pool [Admin]

[Admin]

No-one spoke French. There was a miscarriage of justice and a tragic death. The people were ridiculed. A mascot was created and unexpectedly elected to public office.

[Puzzlecat]

Is this a linear series of events? Where each event was directly caused by the one preceding it?

"a tragic death" = of a human being? Caused by the miscarriage of justice? Was an innocent person sentenced to jail? Or death? Was a guilty person let free?

Are the people who were ridiculed the same as the people who didn't speak French? The people related to the miscarriage of justice/death?

Mascot - of a brand? A sports team? A specific place? Were people intentionally voting for a mascot to to hold public office? Are these local elections? Regional? National?

Does any of this take place in France?

[Admin]

Puzzlecat,

Is this a linear series of events? Where each event was directly caused by the one preceding it?
YES. DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

"a tragic death" = of a human being?
NO

Caused by the miscarriage of justice?
YES

Was an innocent person sentenced to jail? Or death? Was a guilty person let free?
NO

Are the people who were ridiculed the same as the people who didn't speak French?
NO, NOT EXACTLY

The people related to the miscarriage of justice/death?
NO, NOT EXACTLY

Mascot - of a brand? A sports team?
NO, YES

A specific place? Were people intentionally voting for a mascot to to hold public office?
YES, YES

Are these local elections? Regional? National?
YES, NO, NO

Does any of this take place in France?
NO

[JenBurdoo1]

Do these events happen over the course of hours? Days? Years? Decades? Centuries?
Should people have spoken French? Was this a place where people might have been expected to do so?
The tragic death of an animal? Perhaps accused of witchcraft? Later chosen as a mascot?
Were the people responsible for the death? Ridiculed at the time? Afterward?
Were the votes for the mascot ironic? Protest votes?

[Sarisberie]

Is it relevant that no one spoke French? Was the mascot French? Animal, human? Was the mascot sentenced to death? Actually or metaphorically? Was the mascot alive, dead, neither, at any stage? Does 'death' = removed, retired, actually killed, other?

[Admin]

Hi Jen,

Do these events happen over the course of hours? Days? Years? Decades? Centuries?
Centuries

Should people have spoken French? Was this a place where people might have been expected to do so?
Maybe, NO

The tragic death of an animal? Perhaps accused of witchcraft?
NO

Later chosen as a mascot?
YES

Were the people responsible for the death? Ridiculed at the time? Afterward?
AFTERWARD

Were the votes for the mascot ironic? Protest votes?
WHO KNOWS? PROBABLY YES.

[Admin]

Sarisberie,

Is it relevant that no one spoke French?
YES

Was the mascot French?
NO

Animal, human?
YES (IN A WAY), YES (IN A WAY)

Was the mascot sentenced to death?
NO

Actually or metaphorically? Was the mascot alive, dead, neither, at any stage? Does 'death' = removed, retired, actually killed, other?
THERE WAS AN ACTUAL DEATH - BUT NOT THE MASCOT

[Sarisberie]

Was the mascot an animal version of a human, or vice versa? Relevant which animal [list of animals]? Was the mascot spoils of war? Was someone (the in-a-way human, or animal) wearing a costume? Was the death of a person, or animal?

"A mascot was created and unexpectedly elected to public office" - was it Boris Johnson?

[trebor2]

Is the creature that dies from a work of fiction/religion/mythology? Is it an anthropomorphic creature? A human-animal hybrid? A god? (Correct me if I've misunderstood previous answers, but it's neither human nor animal, correct?) Does it die in the real world? Is it a plant? Bacteria? Virus? Something else microscopic?

Is the mascot for a UK team? European? African? Asian? North American? South American? Oceanian? Does the team still exist? Do they play: Football (American/Canadian)? Football (the rest of the world's definition?) Aussie rules football? Rugby? Cricket? Hockey? Field hockey? Baseball? Basketball? Lacrosse? Curling? An sport that has solo and team competitions, like tennis? Golf? Swimming? Is it a mascot for a country at international competitions?

No one spoke French: did this lead to a misunderstanding? To anger? To a war or similar violent conflict? Does this have anything to do with colonialism and competing colonial powers? Does it happen in an area where French is spoken now? Where it has been spoken in the past? Is it relevant that sometimes leaders/monarchs didn't speak the language of the people they were leading?

[Admin]

Trebor,

Is the creature that dies from a work of fiction/religion/mythology? Is it an anthropomorphic creature? A human-animal hybrid? A god? (Correct me if I've misunderstood previous answers, but it's neither human nor animal, correct?)
IT WAS ANIMAL

Does it die in the real world?
YES

Is it a plant? Bacteria? Virus? Something else microscopic?
NO

Is the mascot for a UK team?
YES

European? African? Asian? North American? South American? Oceanian?
NO

Does the team still exist?
YES

Do they play: Football (American/Canadian)? Football (the rest of the world's definition?) Aussie rules football? Rugby? Cricket? Hockey? Field hockey? Baseball? Basketball? Lacrosse? Curling? An sport that has solo and team competitions, like tennis? Golf? Swimming?
FOOTBALL - REST OF WORLD VERSION

Is it a mascot for a country at international competitions?
NO

No one spoke French: did this lead to a misunderstanding?
YES

To anger? To a war or similar violent conflict?
NO

Does this have anything to do with colonialism and competing colonial powers?
LOOSELY YES

Does it happen in an area where French is spoken now? Where it has been spoken in the past? Is it relevant that sometimes leaders/monarchs didn't speak the language of the people they were leading?
NO

[Admin]

SARISBERIE,

Was the mascot an animal version of a human, or vice versa?
VICE VERSA

Relevant which animal [list of animals]?
YES - MONKEY

Was the mascot spoils of war?
NO

Was someone (the in-a-way human, or animal) wearing a costume?
YES

Was the death of a person, or animal?
ANIMAL

"A mascot was created and unexpectedly elected to public office" - was it Boris Johnson?
NO

[Sarisberie]

Is it extinct? Is it a Dodo?

[Admin]

Sarisberie

Is it extinct? Is it a Dodo?
NO

[Sundowner64]

Did any of the events in the chain happen in the UK (or then-UK, including Ireland, or any of its predecessors):
- the event where no-one understood French?
- the miscarriage of justice?
- the tragic death?
- the ridiculing of people?
- the creation of the mascot?
- the election of the mascot into a public office?

Was there a relevant document/order/request/warning/sign in French language? which was not obeyed by relevant people due to lack of language skills?
Legal French relevant?
Did the miscarriage of justice involve: court proceedings? criminal investigation? arresting people? keeping people in prison? banning people or restricting them in a legal way? handling civil claims? handling documents? allowing or denying access to a public office?
Was the miscarriage intentional?
Were the ridiculed people somehow related to the football team? were they team members? supporters? people from the same region?

[Admin]

Sundowner,

Did any of the events in the chain happen in the UK (or then-UK, including Ireland, or any of its predecessors):
- the event where no-one understood French?
- the miscarriage of justice?
- the tragic death?
- the ridiculing of people?
- the creation of the mascot?
- the election of the mascot into a public office?
YES. ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Was there a relevant document/order/request/warning/sign in French language? which was not obeyed by relevant people due to lack of language skills?
NO

Legal French relevant?
NO

Did the miscarriage of justice involve: court proceedings? criminal investigation?
LOOSELY YES

arresting people? keeping people in prison? banning people or restricting them in a legal way? handling civil claims? handling documents? allowing or denying access to a public office?
NO

Was the miscarriage intentional?
WE DON'T KNOW. PROBABLY

Were the ridiculed people somehow related to the football team?
LOOSELY

were they team members? supporters?
NO

people from the same region?
YES

[Sundowner64]

Are the people ridiculed for being responsible for the death of the monkey?
Were local people indeed responsible for the monkey's death? did they kill the monkey?
Is the football team based in Durham County?

[Admin]

Sundowner,

Are the people ridiculed for being responsible for the death of the monkey?
Were local people indeed responsible for the monkey's death? did they kill the monkey?
Is the football team based in Durham County?

YES to all those!

[trebor2]

Was the monkey involved in the miscarriage of justice? Was it a symbol of France? Was it killed by the French? The British?

Did the killing of the monkey become part of the lore of Durham County? Did it become a symbol of some type of resistance or political stance?

Was the mascot created in honour of the monkey? To honour the killing of the monkey? To recognize the stupidity of the people who killed the monkey? To make fun of them?

Did the person who portrayed the mascot run for office? As the mascot? As themselves? Was it a joke campaign?

[Admin]

Trebor,

Thanks for resurrecting this puzzle.

Was the monkey involved in the miscarriage of justice?
YES

Was it a symbol of France?
SORT OF

Was it killed by the French? The British?
NO, YES

Did the killing of the monkey become part of the lore of Durham County?
YES

Did it become a symbol of some type of resistance or political stance?
NO

Was the mascot created in honour of the monkey?
YES

To honour the killing of the monkey? To recognize the stupidity of the people who killed the monkey? To make fun of them?
LOOSELY YES TO THOSE

Did the person who portrayed the mascot run for office? As the mascot?
YES, YES

As themselves?
NO

Was it a joke campaign?
YES

[Admin]

Time to post a * * * SPOILER * * *

Legend has it that during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, a shipwrecked monkey was hanged by the people of Hartlepool, believing him to be a French spy! To this day, people from Hartlepool are affectionately known as ‘monkey hangers’. H'Angus the Monkey is the official mascot of Hartlepool United. The name "H'Angus" is a pun of the word hang and the name Angus, and is derived from the monkey hanger legend of Hartlepool. As a marketing gimmick, H'Angus the monkey ran for mayor of Hartlepool in 2002 and won! Stuart Drummond, the man in the monkey costume, performed his duties as major diligently and was re-elected in 2005 and 2009. He was the first elected mayor in Britain to win a third term.