H is for Hummus (or Hamos, Hommos, Hommus, Homos, Houmous, Hummos, Hummous or Humus)

Poker Night Trivia (CJ / Jed)

The President surveyed the cards he had in one hand, as with the other he plunged a carrot baton into a bowl of hummus. Then he paused, and looked around the table at his Senior Staff, assembled for a late night game of poker.

"Who can tell me," he ignored the discontented and unimpressed sounding sighs and ploughed on with his question, "How many alternative spellings there are for humus?"

At his side Toby chuckled sardonically, "Well I don't know Sir, which do you consider to be the official one?"

Being the President and all, he would have liked to think that Toby was genuinely interested in his little game, but truth be known he suspected that actually his Communications Director was displaying his penchant for sarcasm that had become world famous.

Not that he'd let a little thing like that stop him.

"H-U-M-M-U-S."

"Oh well in that case Sir," CJ said, grinning at him from her seat opposite his, "there would be another eight. Those being, H-A-M-O-S, H-O-M-M-O-S, HO-M-M-U-S, H-O-M-O-S, H-O-U-M-O-U-S, H-U-M-M-O-S, H-U-M-M-O-U-S and H-U-M-U-S. And they're all derived from the Arabic for Chickpea."

The President narrowed his eyes, looking at her with a distinct lack of amusement, "Claudia Jean, when your boss is trying to display his intellectual prowess, is it wise to try and out do him with your own?"

CJ opened her mouth to respond but Toby beat her to it, "I'm sorry Sir? Intellectual prowess? About chickpea mush?"

"It takes all sorts." The President retorted, then got to his feet as Mrs Landingham appeared in the doorway, signalling that he needed to take a call. He was almost out of the room when he heard a whispered exchange from behind him.

"You are freakishly knowledgeable about Hummus Ms Cregg."

"Yes Toby, I am. Largely as a result of looking it up on Wikipedia when I saw the bowl on the table tonight because our boss is just too darn predictable."

He paused, before turning to face her, dislaying his best 'angry face', "You cheated Claudia Jean. You cheated and you lied. And you, the Press Secretary to the President of the United States of America."

His Press Secretary grinned at him, slightly abashed, and then answered in the manner most befitting her position,

"No comment Mr President, no comment."