冷知識、益智問答與遊戲節目在英國為何如此受歡迎？
Trivial Pursuits: Why Brits Love Knowing Useless Things
This month, I’ve been getting a lot of targeted ads trying to sell me board games and quiz books. This is pretty par for the course (a golf-related idiom meaning “normal” or “usual”) at this time of year, with Christmas on the horizon. Indoor games are a staple of the cold, rainy winter season, and they’re a very British tradition, too.
這個月，我一直收到不少推銷桌遊和益智問答書的精準投放廣告。聖誕節將近，每年這個時候出現這些廣告，可說是再正常不過的事。（原文 par for the course 是源自高爾夫球的慣用語，意思是「正常」或「常見」。）在寒冷、多雨的冬季，室內遊戲是不可或缺的消遣，也是很有英國特色的傳統。
Take my dad, for example. He recently received a book of cryptic crosswords for his birthday. These are the really difficult ones, where you have to find a definition, but also solve a much trickier clue at the same time, like anagrams, hidden words, or homophones. Most national newspapers, like The Times and The Guardian, run one every day.
拿我爸來說，他最近收到一本隱語填字謎，作為生日禮物。這種填字謎非常難：你不但要找出符合詞義的答案，還得同時破解更曲折的提示，例如重新排列字母、找出藏在文字中的單字，或利用同音詞解謎。《泰晤士報》和《衛報》等多數全國性報紙，每天都會刊登一道這類填字謎。
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The problem was, my dad spent all day every day sitting in his armchair trying to solve these puzzles to the exclusion of eating, sleeping, or exercising. It drove my mum up the wall and, in the end, she threatened to chuck the book in the bin if he didn’t look up from it at least once in a while.
問題是，我爸每天從早到晚都坐在扶手椅上解謎，連吃飯、睡覺和運動都拋到腦後。這讓我媽氣得快抓狂，最後她威脅說，如果他不偶爾抬起頭、休息一下，她就要把那本書扔進垃圾桶。
So, now that the festive season is just round the corner, I thought I’d take a moment to dive into the intriguing yet puzzling world of British games. (Did you get the pun?)
如今佳節即將到來，我想趁這個機會，帶大家探索英國遊戲這個既引人入勝、又令人費解的世界。（你有看出這個雙關嗎？原文 puzzling 既有「令人困惑」的意思，也呼應了前面提到的解謎遊戲。）
Cultural observation #1: Trivia is not trivial
“Trivia” is what we call minor facts or obscure pieces of information that are interesting to know but not essential to daily life. So… the capital of Burkina Faso or the name of a 1980s alt-rock band. The word does sound pretty close to “trivial”, an adjective describing things that have little value or importance. But, when you’re in the UK, don’t make the mistake of thinking trivia = trivial.
「Trivia」指的是一些瑣碎的事實或冷門資訊，知道了很有趣，但對日常生活並非不可或缺。例如，布吉納法索的首都是哪裡，或某個 1980 年代另類搖滾樂團的名字。這個字聽起來確實很像「trivial」，也就是形容事物沒什麼價值或不太重要的形容詞。不過，在英國，可別誤以為「冷知識＝不重要」。
Trivia actually functions as important social currency over here. You might go to a regular pub quiz with your friends, or have a quiz round at the office Christmas party, or else end up playing a game of Trivial Pursuit once you’ve eaten more than your fair share of mince pies at a family gathering.
在這裡，冷知識其實是重要的社交資本。你可能會和朋友定期參加酒吧的益智問答活動，在公司的聖誕派對上玩一輪問答，或是在家庭聚會吃了太多聖誕百果餡餅後，玩起《Trivial Pursuit》這款桌遊。
(Trivial Pursuit, by the way, is a classic board game involving general knowledge questions. It’s technically from Canada, but it’s hugely popular in the UK, and its name is a pun: it plays on the similarity between trivia and trivial.)
（順帶一提，《Trivial Pursuit》是一款以常識問答為主的經典桌遊。它其實源自加拿大，卻在英國非常受歡迎。遊戲名稱也是個雙關，巧妙利用了 trivia「冷知識」與 trivial「無關緊要」之間的相似之處。）
Knowing some trivia carries real status at these events. If you’re the kind of person who loves to collect niche bits of knowledge, you can whip them out at the right moment and dazzle everyone.
在這些場合，懂得一些冷知識真的能讓你很有面子。如果你平常就喜歡蒐集冷門知識，便能在適當時機拿出來，讓大家驚豔不已。
But don’t panic if quizzing isn’t your thing because…
不過，如果益智問答不是你的強項，也別慌，因為……
Cultural observation #2: … It’s totally fine if you’re rubbish at it
Having a lot of knowledge is respected, but showing off about it definitely isn’t. The humour around quizzing is about self-deprecation and mock rivalry rather than real drama. If you know all the answers and win, try to wear it lightly. If you don’t, it’s no big deal either.
知識豐富會受到尊重，但炫耀自己的知識就不受歡迎了。益智問答的幽默，在於自嘲和假裝較勁，而不是真的爭得面紅耳赤。如果你知道所有答案，也贏了比賽，就試著保持淡然，別太得意。如果答不出來，也沒什麼大不了。
But what should you say if you can’t answer a question? Here are some handy phrases to help you play it off naturally:
那麼，答不出問題時該說什麼呢？以下幾句實用的說法，可以幫你自然地化解尷尬：
"No idea. Not the foggiest." 「不知道，完全沒頭緒。」
“Not the foggiest” is very British. This is for casual quizzes – if you said this in a job interview, it might come across as too flippant, like you don’t really care about the answer.
「Not the foggiest」是很英式的說法，適合輕鬆的問答遊戲。如果在求職面試時這樣說，可能會顯得過於輕率、漫不經心，好像你根本不在乎答案。"My mind's gone completely blank, sorry." 「不好意思，我腦袋突然一片空白。」
A nice, honest admission. And a signal for someone else to jump in and help.
這是自然又坦率的承認，也是在示意其他人可以接話、幫忙回答。“Argh, it’s on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t get it.” 「啊，答案就在嘴邊，但我就是想不起來！」
Similar to above – you’re showing that you’re putting in the effort, but the answer’s not there.
和上一句類似，這表示你有努力回想，只是一時想不起答案。"Go on, put me out of my misery." 「快啦，直接告訴我答案，別再折磨我了！」
This means “Just tell me the answer, I can’t bear not knowing!” Again, it’s a casual phrase, perhaps a bit too dramatic for a job interview or formal situations.
意思是：「告訴我答案吧，不知道答案實在太難受了！」這也是比較隨意的說法，用在求職面試或正式場合，可能會顯得有點太誇張。
Cultural observation #3: British TV is full of it
There are so many British quiz and game shows that I genuinely think it’s impossible to grow up in this country without being able to name at least five. There are financial reasons for this – game shows are cheap to make, and UK formats like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Taskmaster have been sold all over the world, meaning broadcasters have a strong commercial incentive to keep inventing new ones.
英國的益智問答和遊戲節目多到，我真的覺得，在這個國家長大的人，不可能連五個節目名稱都說不出來。這背後有經濟上的原因：遊戲節目的製作成本低，而《Who Wants to Be a Millionaire》和《Taskmaster》等英國節目的模式，也已經賣到世界各地。因此，電視台有很強的商業誘因，不斷開發新節目。
But there are cultural reasons, too. We love mixing quizzes with comedy, in shows like QI, Have I Got News for You, and Would I Lie to You?, where being quick-witted matters as much as being right.
不過，文化因素也是原因之一。我們喜歡把益智問答和喜劇結合，例如《QI》、《Have I Got News for You》和《Would I Lie to You?》。在這些節目裡，反應機敏、接話靈活和答對問題一樣重要。
Also, remember what I said about wearing it lightly? There may be a historical reason for that. Until the 1990s, UK regulators capped how much a TV show could give away, so British game shows grew up offering pretty modest prizes. On Countdown, for example, winners took home a goody bag and a teapot! The result was a culture where the glory matters more than the money. I think this suits the “it’s not about winning” self-image that Brits like to have (even when we’re secretly desperate to win).
還記得我前面說，贏了也別太得意嗎？這可能也有歷史上的原因。直到 1990 年代，英國監管機構都對電視節目能送出的獎金與獎品價值設有上限，因此英國遊戲節目早期提供的獎品都相當樸實。以《Countdown》為例，贏家帶回家的，是一袋小禮物和一個茶壺！這逐漸形成了一種「榮譽比金錢更重要」的文化。我覺得，這很符合英國人喜歡維持的「勝負不是重點」的自我形象，即使我們心裡其實非常想贏。
More recently, there’s been a shift from knowledge games to “people” games. Shows like Taskmaster and The Traitors reward personality, strategy, and bluffing more than general knowledge, which may say something about what the UK values now. Still, with ITV launching a channel purely for quiz and game show fans, the classic quiz format clearly isn’t going anywhere.
近年來，節目逐漸從比知識，轉向比個性和人際角力。《Taskmaster》和《The Traitors》等節目，比起一般常識，更看重個性、策略，以及虛張聲勢、唬人的本事。這或許也反映了今日英國重視的特質。不過，ITV 推出了專為益智問答和遊戲節目愛好者打造的頻道，可見經典的問答節目形式仍會繼續存在。
So, what should you do if you get roped into a British quiz this Christmas? Don’t be afraid to have a go, laugh at yourself if you get it wrong, and (most importantly) if you manage to win the whole thing… act cool, casual, and pretend it doesn’t matter to you at all (even though it really does 😉).
那麼，如果今年聖誕節你被拉去參加英式益智問答，該怎麼辦呢？別怕，試試看就對了；答錯時，也不妨笑笑自己。最重要的是，如果你最後贏了整場比賽……記得表現得淡定、隨意，假裝自己完全不在乎輸贏（雖然你其實在乎得很 😉）
🇬🇧 And if the idea of being put on the spot makes you a little nervous, why not try our UK Culture course? It’s a relaxed way to build your knowledge and your English! Every week, you’ll get a new video exploring a different side of British life, from TV and humour to traditions and everyday quirks, which you can watch whenever and wherever suits you. You might even pick up some trivia to dazzle everyone with at your next quiz night!
🇬🇧 如果一想到要當場被點名回答，就讓你有點緊張，不妨試試我們的英國文化課程。你可以輕鬆增進知識和英語能力！每週，你都會收到一部新影片，探索英國生活的不同面向，從電視、幽默，到傳統和日常生活中的趣味小習慣。你可以在自己方便的時間和地點觀看，說不定還能學到一些冷知識，在下次的益智問答之夜讓大家驚豔不已！
Vocabulary:
Par for the course (idiom) 正常的事；意料之中
Cryptic crossword (n.) 隱語填字謎
To drive (sb) up the wall (idiom) 讓某人抓狂
Puzzling (adj.) 令人困惑的；費解的
Trivia (n.) 冷知識；趣味小知識
Trivial (adj.) 瑣碎的；無關緊要的
To dazzle (sb) (v.) 讓某人驚豔
To wear (sth) lightly (idiom) 淡然看待；不拿來炫耀
Flippant (adj.) 輕率的；漫不經心的
Not the foggiest (idiom) 完全不知道；毫無頭緒
My mind’s gone blank (phr.) 我的腦袋突然一片空白
On the tip of (sb’s) tongue (idiom) 話到嘴邊卻想不起來
To put (sb) out of their misery (idiom) 幫某人解脫；別再讓某人苦苦猜測
Quick-witted (adj.) 反應機敏的
To bluff (v.) 虛張聲勢；唬人
To rope (sb) into (sth) (phr. v.) 拉某人參與某事
