English is a Quirky Language Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oxymoron

Webster's Dictionary describes an oxymoron as "a rhetorical figure in which an epigrammatic effect is created by the conjunction of incongruous or contradictory terms". In other words, the adjective that describes the noun is completely contradictory to the meaning of that noun.

In this example, "fire" means the discharge of weapons (usually bullets) and "friendly" denotes that it is not the weapons of the enemy. In other words, a soldier was accidentally killed by his own troops. However, I still fail to see what is friendly about that.

It may not be hostile, but it isn't very friendly.

Answer: Calling members of the Cherokee tribe "Indians"

We live in a very politically correct society today. One slip of the tongue, especially in public, and you may be branded a racist. However, even in this heightened age of political correctness, there does not seem to be much concern that Cherokees, as well as many other tribes, are actually "Native Americans". Most of the people that consider themselves Americans are certainly not native to this continent. Many have ancestors from Europe, Mexico, or several other countries. However, in 1492, when Christopher Columbus landed in the West Indies, he thought that he had traveled across the ocean and landed in India. This is one of the main reasons that Native Americans are referred to as Indians. If you ask me, Indians are from India. Perhaps the reason that there is not the same outcry about this misnomer is because they do not have an outspoken leader that claims to represent their group or culture? Some Native Americans do not mind being referred to as Indians, but many prefer to be described by the tribe of which they are a member, rather than by any generic term that lumps the different cultures into a single entity.

A misnomer is the act of using a wrong name with regard to contracts, to devises and bequests, and to suits or actions. For this example, we can include people as well.

Answer: Cliche

A cliché, in other words, is something that may have been used at one time to describe something, but is now outdated. When is the last time you heard someone say, "Gag me with a spoon?" Unless you are watching "Valley Girl" or some other old 80's movie, I would doubt that you have.

However, I still think that some clichés have a deeper meaning if you can look beyond the generation that it is using it. For example, "Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" is considered a cliché but holds a lot of meaning in those four short words. I do not see why that saying should ever lose its effectiveness.

Answer: False

A palindrome is something when if completely reversed, states the same thing as it did before. For example, "mom" in reverse is still "mom". However, this is not confined to words, as the year 2002 is also considered a palindrome.

Answer: Grays

Webster's Dictionary describes a homophone as "A word that is pronounced the same as another word, but has a different spelling or meaning or derivation."
The plural of the color gray is grays, but cows do not grays, they graze.
Graze and grays sound exactly alike but have 2 entirely different meanings.

Answer: Simile makes a comparison while a metaphor describes equivalence

The simile makes a comparison where there are shared attributes between the tenor and the vehicle ("He is like a snake"). A simile contains "like" or "as". The metaphor states a direct equivalence, or identification, between two things ("He is a snake"). Once again, I got this definition from Webster's Dictionary.

Answer: True

A great example of this is soda OR pop. Depending on where you grew up, you have probably referred to a flavored, carbonated beverage such as "Coca-Cola", as one or the other. You could enjoy the soda or pop with a sub OR a wedge Or a hero OR a grinder. I think that you get the point. ;)

Answer: Slang

If you break down the contraction "ain't" you will not come up with two words, like ain and not. However, you have most likely used the word "ain't" or have heard it being used. "Webster's Dictionary" is adding slang words all the time followed by a (sl). Technical or specialized slang may be called "jargon".

Answer: False

This is an exception to the rule. However, if you take the word "polish" as in "I polish my furniture" and capitalize it, you have the word "Polish". This describes one's cultural background if one is from Poland.

Answer: moose, deer, mice, monkeys

I think that concludes that the English language has some quirks in it ;)