What is significant about this paragraph:

'I once found two tiny ferrets, bruised with dirt over them. I decided to help the poor mites by rinsing them off using some tinctured liquid. They soon seemed brighter. Within two weeks I set them free, into the wild. They seemed very delighted with this. I enjoyed it very much.'

Many contestants entered the unicycle race, but only the best multi-tasking clown came out on top, considering that each had to juggle clubs while trying to win the race! Most of the pack were soon disqualified after dropping a club or falling off the unicycle. In the end, four of the best clowns crossed the finish line. From this information and the clues below, can you determine each clown's full (real) name, club color (one is silver), and ...

A bag contains 64 balls of eight different colours. There are eight of each colour (including red). What is the least number you would have to pick, without looking, to be sure of selecting 3 red balls?

Below are 3 pairs of words. Find the words that fit in the middle of each pair of words to create two new words, one front-ended and one back-ended.

Example: EVER - ______ - HORN
Answer: EVER - GREEN - HORN

1. BREAD - _________ - CAKE
2. WATER - _________ - READ
3. CHECK - _________ - LESS

Pirate Pete had been captured by a Spanish general and sentenced to death by firing squad. The fifty-man squad were infamous for their terrible aim, and often failed to kill their victim immediately. The general's habit was to leave the prisoner to die -- slowly and painfully -- when this happened. Knowing this, Pete finally begged for mercy.

"Very well," said the general, "I have some compassion. You may choose where the men stand when ...

Inside each set of the following words, there are a pair of smaller words. By putting & between them, lo & behold, you'll make a familiar phrase. For example, "Thighbone/Swallowtail" conceals "High & Low."

1. Skyrocketing/Trolleyman
2. Thermometer/Apoplexy
3. Delaware/Bordering
4. Surprised/Trashiness
5. Throughout/Stumblebum