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Quiz about And Now a Few Words From Our Guild
Quiz about And Now a Few Words From Our Guild

And Now, a Few Words From Our Guild Quiz


Welcome to Guilder's World of Words, where you can find all kinds of words to suit all your vocabulary needs! We have some wonderful specials here at the World of Words. This week's specials are:

A multiple-choice quiz by ertrum. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
ertrum
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
234,417
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
562
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Here we have an adjective which Webster defines as meaning "Partially split or divided". It is often used to describe a fissure which occasionally occurs in the mouth. I won't speak with forked tongue about this word; the verb from which it is derived has two completely contradictory meanings; it is its own antonym.
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Here's a word you won't want to pass up! Serendipity means finding something useful, desirable or delightful, whilst looking for something else, or when you are not expecting it. This word is derived from a Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip". Serendip is an obsolete name for which of the following countries?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. At Guilder's World of Words, we have many unique words. Here, we present ephod! An ephod is an article of clothing. Which is it? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. American slang is ever evolving, and certain words and phrases are instantly identifiable with a particular time and place. Or are they? In the 60s, hippies frequently used the phrase "out of sight" to describe an especially "groovy" person, thing, or place. But in which early 20th century novel was the same phrase uttered for the same purpose by a decidedly non-hippie main character?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Please let us show you this financial word. To buy a home, you need to come up with a hefty sum of money. Lacking the resources, many people go to their banks and apply for a mortgage. But what exactly does the word 'mortgage' originally mean? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. I have a soft spot in my heart for this word, and will only part with it if the price is right. Oxymoron is a word that I've always liked the sound of, especially the adjective, oxymoronic, which sounds like it should roll off the tongue in a Scottish burr. I was interested to learn that the plural of oxymoron is oxymora, which sounds like a village in Ireland. When I consult my 'Penguin Concise English Dictionary', what do I find that oxymoron means? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Here we have a choice word! What eight letter word for 'airy', 'light', 'heavenly' and 'unearthly' contains the word earth?

Answer: (Don't get light headed over this one!)
Question 8 of 10
8. Here at Guilder's, we have words of all descriptions! Which of these words has meant "blue" or "blue stuff" for at least the past 3,200 years? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. I offer for your consideration... four words -- only three of which share a peculiar property. Can you pick from the words that follow the one word that DOES NOT have the same Indo-European root as "peculiar"?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Here we have a new collection of imported words, fresh from Australia! Australian slang is indeed a wondrous and at times totally indecipherable thing to an outsider. If you were asked by an Aussie to take a quick look at something which of the following expressions would be used? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Here we have an adjective which Webster defines as meaning "Partially split or divided". It is often used to describe a fissure which occasionally occurs in the mouth. I won't speak with forked tongue about this word; the verb from which it is derived has two completely contradictory meanings; it is its own antonym.

Answer: Cleft

Cleft (or cloven) is the past tense of "cleave", which can mean "To divide by or as if by a cutting blow; split". A cleft palate is a congenital anomaly of the palate which affects the speech. A cloven foot (or hoof) is a feature of certain animals, such as sheep and goats (also the Devil, according to folklore). Other related words are cleaver, cleavable, and the ever-popular cleavage.

Cleave, however, has an entirely different meaning; according to Webster, it also means "To adhere firmly and closely, or loyally and unwaveringly". In this sense, it is used in two well-known Biblical passages- in Psalm 137: "Let my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not" (verse 6), and the quotation, beloved by feminists, from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians: "A woman shall cleave unto her husband." (1 Cor. 7:10)

Jouen58 traded cleft in for a new word. Low mileage! Clean!
2. Here's a word you won't want to pass up! Serendipity means finding something useful, desirable or delightful, whilst looking for something else, or when you are not expecting it. This word is derived from a Persian fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip". Serendip is an obsolete name for which of the following countries?

Answer: Sri Lanka (previously Ceylon)

According to the On-line Etymology Dictionary (www.etymonline.com), "serendipity" was coined by Horace Walpole (1717-92) in a letter to Sir Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754). Walpole said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of." Serendip is an old name for Sri Lanka, also known as Ceylon. It means "Dwelling Place of Lions Island." Sri Lanka has also been known as Teardrop of India, Resplendent Island, Island of Dharma, and Pearl of the Orient

This lovely word was brought to you by MotherGoose
3. At Guilder's World of Words, we have many unique words. Here, we present ephod! An ephod is an article of clothing. Which is it?

Answer: A short linen kilt?

David, we're told, danced before the Ark of the Lord clad only in an ephod (much to the disgust of his wife Michal). An ephod is a very brief linen kilt-like loin cloth affair. Conjures up interesting mental images, doesn't it! Who says the Bible is dull?

Cymruambyth told us that since ephod is an antique, we should get a better price for it, but we're letting it go for a song!
4. American slang is ever evolving, and certain words and phrases are instantly identifiable with a particular time and place. Or are they? In the 60s, hippies frequently used the phrase "out of sight" to describe an especially "groovy" person, thing, or place. But in which early 20th century novel was the same phrase uttered for the same purpose by a decidedly non-hippie main character?

Answer: Sister Carrie

In "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser, Carrie's new gentleman friend, a drummer (i.e. salesman) tells her about various places he has been in city of Chicago, exclaiming at one point, "It's out of sight!" The novel was written by Dreiser in the early 1900s, but takes place in the 1870s. The seemingly anomalous utterance is never repeated in the novel, nor have I been able to find it used again in the same way in other literary works of the same period.

Gretas brought us this truly one of a kind word! This is just one of the millions of unique words you'll find here at Guilder's!
5. Please let us show you this financial word. To buy a home, you need to come up with a hefty sum of money. Lacking the resources, many people go to their banks and apply for a mortgage. But what exactly does the word 'mortgage' originally mean?

Answer: Pledge of death

Coming from the Latin words 'mort' (death) and 'gage' (pledge) this word has been recorded in the English language as far back as the 14th century.

Apparently, once you get a mortgage, you're going to be stuck with it until you die! The actual origin is a bit more obscure, but basically you pledge your property against the loan of money that you receive. If you cannot make the payments on your loan, the property will transfer ownership to the creditor. Back in England of the Middle-ages, it was unsure whether you could actually pay off your debt before passing away, so your property was given as security for the debt.

Unlike LeoDaVinci's mortgage, the finance terms here at Guilder's are very reasonable! Come on down!
6. I have a soft spot in my heart for this word, and will only part with it if the price is right. Oxymoron is a word that I've always liked the sound of, especially the adjective, oxymoronic, which sounds like it should roll off the tongue in a Scottish burr. I was interested to learn that the plural of oxymoron is oxymora, which sounds like a village in Ireland. When I consult my 'Penguin Concise English Dictionary', what do I find that oxymoron means?

Answer: A combination of contradictory or incongruous words

As Gaelic as the word might sound, it is actually Greek in origin, derived from the words 'Oxy', which means sharp and 'moros', which means dull. Oxymora are fun because the contradictory pairing of the words is often deliberate in intent. They are usually created when one of the pair of words is a homonym ('two or more words that have the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings') and the wrong meaning of the word is taken. For example, the expression 'pretty ugly' is an oxymoron when you interpret 'pretty' as meaning 'attractive or aesthetically pleasing', which makes it the opposite of ugly. However if you use the second definition of pretty, which is 'to some degree, or moderately', then the expression 'pretty ugly' is no longer an oxymoron. 'The use of a word intended to be an imitation of the sound' is the definition of onomatopoeia, and 'a word or a sentence that reads the same backwards or forwards' is a palindrome. All definitions are taken from 'The Penguin Concise English Dictionary'.

Skunkee says "This is the best word I've ever gotten! Excellent service, fast delivery! You guys are the best!"
7. Here we have a choice word! What eight letter word for 'airy', 'light', 'heavenly' and 'unearthly' contains the word earth?

Answer: ETHEREAL

The origin of ethereal is Greek, (of course) for aitherios or upper air. Technology has used this name for a network protocol analyzer or 'sniffer'. The world of gaming has used this to name a race of aliens in the game called X-Com: UFO Defense. Religion uses this for obvious reasons for heavenly music or text.

Bruyere uses Guilder's exclusively, and wouldn't shop for words anywhere else.
8. Here at Guilder's, we have words of all descriptions! Which of these words has meant "blue" or "blue stuff" for at least the past 3,200 years?

Answer: Cyan

"Cyan" was one of those ubiquitous Bronze Age western Mediterranean culture words. In Hittite it was "kuwanas," and in Mycenaean Greek it was "kuwanos," which actually referred to a sort of dark blue glass inlay material. In historical times the word came to be used for just the color "blue." Isn't it weird to think that you're using a word whose meaning has remained basically unchanged for that long?

Guilder's has been named the official supplier of words to pu2-ke-qi-ri.
9. I offer for your consideration... four words -- only three of which share a peculiar property. Can you pick from the words that follow the one word that DOES NOT have the same Indo-European root as "peculiar"?

Answer: Pique

The Indo-European root "peku" refers to movable wealth or property. That which is "peculiar" is uniquely one's own. "Pecuniary" and "fief" are connected to property. But what of "fellow" and "pique"? In Norway a "felagi" was a "fellow" member of a group that shared ownership of property, and it is from this Old Norse word that "fellow" is believed to have originated. "Pique" derived from a Vulgar Latin root meaning "pricked".

When uglybird bought these, we offered him a quantity discount. Guilder's takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal!
10. Here we have a new collection of imported words, fresh from Australia! Australian slang is indeed a wondrous and at times totally indecipherable thing to an outsider. If you were asked by an Aussie to take a quick look at something which of the following expressions would be used?

Answer: all of these

Typically, origins of Australian slang are often obscure and difficult to determine. As far as I can ascertain, a "squiz" seems for some inexplicable reason to have originated from the word "quiz" or more possibly "quizzical". Dekko is another colloquialism that seems to have more definite roots in the Hindi "dekho" meaning "to look". "Butcher's" is of course rhyming slang and is short for "butcher's hook" rhyming with "look". While rhyming slang is almost certainly Cockney in origin, its usage was readily seized upon by convicts in colonial Australia. Using only the first word in a pair such as "apples and pears = stairs", "apples" would then be taken to mean "stairs". The use of this rhyming language was used widely to confuse prison guards and other superiors in the young colony.

All three words discussed in this question are still in common usage in Australia today.

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Thank you for your visit to Guilder's World of Words! We hope you have enjoyed your time here, and that you will consider Guilder's for all your future word needs.

This quiz was a joint effort of the Quiz Makers' Guild. To find our other quizzes, search for "Guild". Many thanks to all Guild writers!
-- Guilder
Source: Author ertrum

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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