FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Idiomatic Canines
Quiz about Idiomatic Canines

Idiomatic Canines Trivia Quiz


Gretel is a Shorthaired German Pointer. She is good at sniffing out games and is also interested in words. She has discovered that her canine relatives appear in many common sayings. How many pooches can you find in her word kennel?

A multiple-choice quiz by gable. Estimated time: 3 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Humanities Trivia
  6. »
  7. Idioms and Proverbs
  8. »
  9. Animals in Idiom

Author
gable
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,149
Updated
Nov 22 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
492
Last 3 plays: Allons-y (10/10), daisygirl20 (10/10), chianti59 (10/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Gretel has heard her master composing some ridiculous short form verse. What is the name of this type of versification which makes Gretel think it was written by a canine? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Gretel lives in a warm climate. Her master, however, keeps her inside in the middle of the day. Which nationality has she heard will go out in the noonday sun with mad dogs? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Gretel has a pretty good appetite. Which of her daily meals is her master's Aussie friend referring to when describing a plate which has been licked clean as "done up like a dog's _______". Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What animal accompanies the dog in a show meant to show off a new product or idea: "the dog and _______" show? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What does it mean when something is described as "going to the dogs"? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. If a person says their "dogs are barking" which part of their anatomy is painful? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. If a person is described as being a "dog in the manger" what is she/he doing? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. If someone comments that their work environment is "dog eat dog" what does it mean? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What happens when the tail is wagging the dog? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What misfortune do students often blame on their canine? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 28 2024 : Allons-y: 10/10
Oct 24 2024 : daisygirl20: 10/10
Oct 23 2024 : chianti59: 10/10
Oct 22 2024 : piet: 10/10
Oct 22 2024 : egads53: 9/10
Oct 19 2024 : gracie3: 10/10
Oct 15 2024 : Guest 107: 8/10
Oct 12 2024 : batowers: 7/10
Oct 11 2024 : frinkzappa: 10/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Gretel has heard her master composing some ridiculous short form verse. What is the name of this type of versification which makes Gretel think it was written by a canine?

Answer: Doggerel

Doggerel is a silly rhyming verse without much literary value. The term was originally used by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 13th or 14th century. Humor is usually the primary goal in constructing such rhymes. The meter may be uneven and the author may stretch words to create rhymes. It often appears in children's books or nursery rhymes.
2. Gretel lives in a warm climate. Her master, however, keeps her inside in the middle of the day. Which nationality has she heard will go out in the noonday sun with mad dogs?

Answer: Englishmen

This phrase originated during the British colonization of India. In the hot sticky weather natives of India stayed in their homes, but saw the Brits going about their business come what may. The phrase took on a broader meaning, pointing to individuals who appeared to act without much common sense. Noel Coward also wrote a song with this phrase in the lyrics.
3. Gretel has a pretty good appetite. Which of her daily meals is her master's Aussie friend referring to when describing a plate which has been licked clean as "done up like a dog's _______".

Answer: Dinner

This phrase describes someone whose attire makes them overdressed for the occasion -- like an employee wearing a cocktail dress or a tuxedo to the office. The "Oxford English Dictionary" traces it back to 1871 and the expression to "put on the dog."
4. What animal accompanies the dog in a show meant to show off a new product or idea: "the dog and _______" show?

Answer: Pony

The term dog and pony show refers to a fancy persuasive presentation that pulls out all the stops. It could be in any environment: advertising, politics, business, or education. Think of using multimedia, celebrity endorsers, lots of glitz and energy to get the point across.

The term refers back to a time when small circuses featuring dogs and ponies traveled and performed around the rural United States.
5. What does it mean when something is described as "going to the dogs"?

Answer: Falling apart or to disrepair

When something is "going to the dogs" it is going downhill, deteriorating. It could be a once Michelin starred restaurant where the food is disappointing or a prestigious institution which no longer performs at a previously high level. Scholars trace this expression back to the 16th century, a time when refrigerators and freezers did not exist. Food tended to spoil and they would throw it to the dogs rather than serve it to the humans.
6. If a person says their "dogs are barking" which part of their anatomy is painful?

Answer: Feet

This expression is often used by folks who walk a lot or have a job which keeps them on their feet all day. Some say it originated in the Appalachian Region of the United States. The creation of the footwear brand "Hush Puppies" may be based on this saying.

The first person to coin the expression was a "New York Evening Journal" writer, T. Dorgan, in 1910. Later on it was used by US servicemen who spent a lot of time on their feet.
7. If a person is described as being a "dog in the manger" what is she/he doing?

Answer: Spitefully holding on to something they don't need

A German printer named Heinrich Steinhowel published a collection of Aesop's Fables in 1484 which included a story about a dog in a pile of hay who would not let the ox eat the hay even though it wasn't anything the dog wanted to eat. The dog was just reveling in being a spoilsport, hence the modern usage.
8. If someone comments that their work environment is "dog eat dog" what does it mean?

Answer: Ruthlessly competitive

If a situation becomes so competitive that folks will do anything to succeed, regardless of the impact of their strategy on others, it can be described as "dog eat dog." The term found its way into the title of a 2002 American game show and songs by Ted Nugent, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Adam and the Ants. Origins for this saying go back to Rome in 43BC when scholar and satirist Marcus Terentius Varro wrote "canis caninam non est" or "a dog does not eat the flesh of a dog."
9. What happens when the tail is wagging the dog?

Answer: Something small is controlling a larger situation

If the "tail is wagging the dog" something trivial is having undue interference with progress. It is like a bride waiting at the altar because her groom couldn't find his boutonniere. The earliest appearance of this phrase was in the 1858 play "Our American Cousin" written by Tom Taylor, a British playwright. It was at a performance of this play that Abraham Lincoln was shot.
10. What misfortune do students often blame on their canine?

Answer: The dog ate my homework

This is an excuse concocted our of a lack of responsibility and desire to blame the most innocent being around. The "Oxford English Dictionary" pegs the first use of this word to a 1929 publication, but includes the speculation that the expression was frequently used before that time.
Source: Author gable

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. Calm your Farm! Very Easy
2. Flying Creatures Idiomatically Very Easy
3. Swimming with Sharks Very Easy
4. Animals Gone Missing Very Easy
5. We're Missing Some Animals Very Easy
6. Sad Pandas Very Easy
7. Animal Talk 3 Very Easy
8. The Bird is the Word Very Easy
9. Eating Crow Very Easy
10. The Human Zoo Very Easy
11. The Year of the Sheep Very Easy
12. Similes Referring to Animals Easier

10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us