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Quiz about Everything But the Kitchen Sink
Quiz about Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Quiz


English is rich with phrases that make little sense with a literal translation but are nonetheless used every day! Do you recognize the idioms in this quiz? Have a ball!

A multiple-choice quiz by PootyPootwell. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
368,150
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
10 / 10
Plays
3035
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Mimi1950 (10/10), Guest 108 (10/10), bigwoo (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. "Everything but the kitchen sink" is a common phrase. What does it mean? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. If you are telling an amusing story and your listener interrupts by saying, "Would you please cut to the chase?" what is he asking you to do? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. When you ask your friend how her trip to Seattle was, she responds, "It rained cats and dogs." What does she mean? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. You are just about to go on stage as the lead in your local community theater's production of "Pippin." Your best friend looks at you with a smile and says, "Break a leg!" What on earth does he mean by that? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Your uncle has asked you to help him buy a new plasma television at an electronics store. The salesperson is giving reasons why your uncle should spend more than he planned. Your uncle says, "Hey, listen, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck." What is he saying? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. You ask your manager for a new computer and she says, "Not yet. The general rule of thumb is that we replace them every two years." What does she mean about thumbs? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Your aunt tells you she's giving up smoking. "And I'm doing it cold turkey," she says, stubbing out her cigarette. What does cold turkey mean here? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. You have been saving your pennies and are now driving your own car, albeit one that's a bit old. As you pull into your driveway, the engine sputters a bit. Your dad eyes it and says, "Looks like you got yourself a lemon, son." What does he mean by lemon? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. You see a good friend on a park bench. You approach and ask, "How are you doing, buddy?" He replies, "I'm feeling blue." What does he mean by this? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Your cousin calls you one afternoon and invites you over to his house. You ask, "To do what?" He responds, "Just to chew the fat." What does he mean by that? Hint





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Oct 27 2024 : Mimi1950: 10/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "Everything but the kitchen sink" is a common phrase. What does it mean?

Answer: All or mostly all of something

"Everything but the kitchen sink" refers to the entirety of something. Although the exact origin is uncertain, one hypothesis is that it came from World War II when the U.S. used all available metal for its arsenal and people were expected to turn everything in but their porcelain sinks.
2. If you are telling an amusing story and your listener interrupts by saying, "Would you please cut to the chase?" what is he asking you to do?

Answer: Get to the main point

"Cut to the chase" refers to splicing a film so that you can skip right to the most exciting part of the movie, usually a chase scene. It originated during the silent film era of the early 1900s.
3. When you ask your friend how her trip to Seattle was, she responds, "It rained cats and dogs." What does she mean?

Answer: It rained heavily

The phrase that "it's raining cats and dogs" refers to heavy rains. This phrase, using cats or dogs or other animals such as frogs, has been used across countries over many centuries. It is thought that heavy rains would flush out the small animals living in thatched rooftops, thereby making it seem as if animals are raining down from the sky.
4. You are just about to go on stage as the lead in your local community theater's production of "Pippin." Your best friend looks at you with a smile and says, "Break a leg!" What on earth does he mean by that?

Answer: Good luck!

"Break a leg!" is an idiom used in theater and other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck." The phrase has several theories about its origins. One is from ancient Greece, where audience members would stomp their feet rather than clap for applause. Stomping hard enough would lead to breaking one's leg.
5. Your uncle has asked you to help him buy a new plasma television at an electronics store. The salesperson is giving reasons why your uncle should spend more than he planned. Your uncle says, "Hey, listen, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck." What is he saying?

Answer: I'm not naive

"I didn't just fall off the turnip truck" is a way of saying "I'm not naive" or "I'm more experienced than you think." Scholars do not know the origin of this term, but late night television host Johnny Carson is credited with making it commonplace in the American vernacular.
6. You ask your manager for a new computer and she says, "Not yet. The general rule of thumb is that we replace them every two years." What does she mean about thumbs?

Answer: The conventional wisdom

A "rule of thumb" is a conventionally agreed-upon custom. One theory of origin is that carpenters would use their thumbs as measuring devices rather than a ruler; this theory holds water in part because the Dutch word for "thumb" and "inch" are the same: "duim."
7. Your aunt tells you she's giving up smoking. "And I'm doing it cold turkey," she says, stubbing out her cigarette. What does cold turkey mean here?

Answer: Immediately, without help

"Cold turkey" refers to the practice of stopping something immediately or abruptly. In smoking, it would mean giving up cigarettes without relying on, for example, nicotine patches or gum. Scholars are unsure of where it came from, but it seems to have morphed out of the phrase "talking turkey," which means to talk frankly and without filler.
8. You have been saving your pennies and are now driving your own car, albeit one that's a bit old. As you pull into your driveway, the engine sputters a bit. Your dad eyes it and says, "Looks like you got yourself a lemon, son." What does he mean by lemon?

Answer: Defective

Calling something, usually a car, a lemon means it has a lot of flaws and isn't worth what you paid for it. No one knows the exact origin but it became popular in usage by the 1960s. Some U.S. states even passed "lemon laws" so that buyers could return cars within three days of purchase if the car wasn't what they expected.
9. You see a good friend on a park bench. You approach and ask, "How are you doing, buddy?" He replies, "I'm feeling blue." What does he mean by this?

Answer: I'm sad

While no one knows exactly why, "I'm feeling blue" meaning "I'm feeling sad" has been in use for centuries. It is sometimes attributed to the idea that when you are sad or sick, you lose color in your skin and turn a bit bluish.
10. Your cousin calls you one afternoon and invites you over to his house. You ask, "To do what?" He responds, "Just to chew the fat." What does he mean by that?

Answer: To chat about nothing in particular

"Chewing the fat" is what you do when you engage in idle conversation with someone else. It may come from ancient sailors, who would sometimes chew pieces of salted pork while on break, chatting with their fellow sailors.
Source: Author PootyPootwell

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Commission #33:

Home-bodies unite! This series of quizzes, all written for the thirty-third Author's Lounge Commission, all had to have items from around the house in their titles. This Commission commenced in May 2014!

  1. Light a Candle Average
  2. Kick The Bucket Average
  3. What's in the Refrigerator? Very Easy
  4. My Left-Handed Scissors Very Easy
  5. Beat the Clock Average
  6. The Nutcracker Sweet Easier
  7. Daft as A Brush Average
  8. Turn Down That Stereo Average
  9. Cutting the Rug Average
  10. What Should We Do? The Television is Broken! Very Easy
  11. Everything But the Kitchen Sink Very Easy
  12. Is It Under the Couch? Average

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