Trivia

Today’s Instagram Trivia Answers

Here are the questions and answers from today’s Atlantic Trivia on Instagram.

By Drew Goins
Illustration of a magnifying glass.
Illustration by Sophy Hollington

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Tuesday, December 23, 2025

  1. What expression defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger” did the Oxford University Press choose as its 2025 word of the year?
  2. The protective coat that gradually develops on metal and prevents rusting is known by what word also used for the sheen that wooden furniture acquires over time?
  3. What controversial practice shunned by many in Spain over animal-cruelty concerns has been adopted as a symbol by the country’s traditionalist far right?

Answers:

  1. Rage bait. The critics have come out in force, complaining that the choice is too meme-y or beneath the dignity of Oxford, but Amogh Dimri writes that the word is a great one, because—like cancel or ghosting or selfie before it—it usefully fills a niche. Read more.
  2. Patina. The coating is crucial to proper carbon-steel-knife care, Tyler Austin Harper writes in an ode to his fussy blades. Knives of carbon steel are not nearly as low-maintenance as more accessible stainless-steel options, he says, but that’s exactly the point. Read more.
  3. Bullfighting. In an essay accompanied by some stunning photos, Begoña Gómez Urzaiz follows a bullfighter who is definitionally untraditional, for one big reason: She is a woman. Read more.

How did you do? Come back after the holidays for more questions, and if you think up a great one after reading an Atlantic story, send it my way at [email protected].

Monday, December 22, 2025

  1. What 2025 sequel directed by Danny Boyle is set a little under three decades after the first film—which takes place precisely four weeks after a zombie apocalypse?
  2. A popular Filipino condiment developed amid World War II shortages replaces the tomato in ketchup with what fruit plentiful in the tropics?
  3. The writer Irving Kristol quipped that “a liberal who has been mugged by reality” is the best definition of what political label applicable to him (and to his son, Bill)?

Answers:

  1. 28 Years Later. David Sims writes that the follow-up to 2002’s 28 Days Later is proof that major studio releases can still push audiences in creative, exciting ways (and be a lot of fun too). It’s No. 6 on his Top 10 list. Read more.
  2. Banana. Yasmin Tayag reports that banana ketchup crops up a lot in recipes that attempt to re-create the fast-food chain Jollibee’s punchy flavors, which in her estimation knock American fast food on its backside. That punch is at once a strength and a weakness for Jollibee in U.S. markets. Read more.
  3. Neoconservative. It might behoove opponents of Donald Trump to look back to the neocons for some ideas on how to think and talk about their mission, David Brooks argues. He writes that the “moral and spiritual tenor” of the original neoconservatives “could be a tonic” for a society in crisis. Read more.

About the Author

Drew Goins is a senior editor focused on trivia and other creative projects. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, Drew was a newsletter writer and editor for The Washington Post’s Opinions section—as well as a 10-game player on the quiz show Jeopardy.