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Quiz about Really the Word Means That
Quiz about Really the Word Means That

Really the Word Means That? Trivia Quiz


Language is more interesting when we learn what words really mean. As you will soon see, everyday words have some rather weird and bizarre derivations.

A multiple-choice quiz by Znarkasaurus. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Znarkasaurus
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
383,186
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
484
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. If you have ever borrowed money, you have likely entered into a "death pledge". What is the usual word that is derived from a death pledge? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In the 1950s and 1960s, music was changed forever by a singer whose name is derived from words meaning "The dwarf in the priest's yard". Who is he/she? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The originators of a popular libation station originally wanted to name their store after Captain Ahab's vessel, the Pequod. Instead, sanity prevailed and they named their establishment after the chief mate of the Pequod. What is the name of this famous chain? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. As a Roman general in the Germanic campaigns, I heard one of my cohorts whispering rebellion. Of course I executed a bunch of them as an example, and a word or phrase describing my technique of discipline persists to this day, although often inaccurately used. What is it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In the 1400s in jolly old England, I would set a pack of (fresh) hounds after a quarry. Now I would engage in an activity of the same name in the Olympics. What am I doing? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Back to names. Did you know that "he who listens to the cows" was a judge on "American Idol"? Who is this seemingly bovine fan? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Probably the one person who made up the most English words is John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost". Which of the following words was one coined by Milton? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Now for an easy one: Why is the Mad Hatter really quite mad? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. I live somewhere in the English speaking world where the locale is named after a country ruled by a beautiful woman, leading an army of ruthless female warriors and warring griffins. Where do I live? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Somewhere between North America and South America there is a country whose name translates to "Place of Many Fish". Where am I? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. If you have ever borrowed money, you have likely entered into a "death pledge". What is the usual word that is derived from a death pledge?

Answer: Mortgage

The word mortgage is made up of "mort", meaning death, and -"gage", which is literally a pledge.
2. In the 1950s and 1960s, music was changed forever by a singer whose name is derived from words meaning "The dwarf in the priest's yard". Who is he/she?

Answer: Elvis Presley

Alvis was a dwarf in Norse mythology, and most etymologists believe that Elvis derived from Alvis. Elvis was the name of Elvis Presley's father. Presley is simply a shortened form of "priestly", which is the estate of a priest. I just added Shep Woolley of "Purple People Eater Fame" because I love his name.
3. The originators of a popular libation station originally wanted to name their store after Captain Ahab's vessel, the Pequod. Instead, sanity prevailed and they named their establishment after the chief mate of the Pequod. What is the name of this famous chain?

Answer: Starbucks

Jerry Baldwin came up with Pequod as the name for their new coffee shop. Leave it to an English teacher to come up with a name linked to a book which has bedeviled generations of high school students. The chief mate of the Pequod in Herman Melville's novel was Starbuck, a young Quaker from Nantucket who is one of the first to realise the madness of Ahab's quest for revenge.
4. As a Roman general in the Germanic campaigns, I heard one of my cohorts whispering rebellion. Of course I executed a bunch of them as an example, and a word or phrase describing my technique of discipline persists to this day, although often inaccurately used. What is it?

Answer: Decimate

Decimate comes from the Latin -"deci" or ten and from -"mate" as a form of "morte" or death. It literally involved the execution of one man in ten as a punishment for mutinous activities. So don't irritate your bosses; they might decimate your ranks.
5. In the 1400s in jolly old England, I would set a pack of (fresh) hounds after a quarry. Now I would engage in an activity of the same name in the Olympics. What am I doing?

Answer: A relay

Relay is from Old French relaier "to exchange tired animals for fresh", and was used to describe releasing the hounds. Now it describes an event in which athletes (usually running or swimming) compete one after the other to cover a set distance.
6. Back to names. Did you know that "he who listens to the cows" was a judge on "American Idol"? Who is this seemingly bovine fan?

Answer: Simon Cowell

Despite what some think, Simon is derived from the Hebrew root meaning listening, and one derivation for the surname Cowell is from "cow hill", describing a place where cattle graze. In some cases, it is an Anglicized version of the Old Gaelic "cathmhaol", meaning a battle chief; this has also evolved into MacCawell, with the addition of the prefix "Mac-" meaning the son of the leader.
7. Probably the one person who made up the most English words is John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost". Which of the following words was one coined by Milton?

Answer: Sensuous

Professor Gavin Alexander claims that Milton has coined up to 630 words that are still in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of the words that are attributed to Milton because they appear in writing for the first time in his work include: terrific, pandemonium, padlock, earthshaking, moon-struck, lovelorn, jubilant, impassive, didactic, stunning, liturgical, unaccountable, self-delusion, dismissive, irresponsible, arch-Fiend, debauchery, fragrance, gloom, embellishing and literalism.
8. Now for an easy one: Why is the Mad Hatter really quite mad?

Answer: From mercury poisoning

Yes, it is quite true. In the 17th Century when felt hats were all the rage, hat makers used mercury to treat the furs. The mercury was a poison and, in many cases, caused the Mad Hatter disease. Mercury vapors were to blame and, according to Wikipedia, the disease caused by mercury poisoning is Erethism. Incidentally mercury replaced camel urine as the "go to" preservative.
9. I live somewhere in the English speaking world where the locale is named after a country ruled by a beautiful woman, leading an army of ruthless female warriors and warring griffins. Where do I live?

Answer: California

California was an island in a novel by Garcia Montalvo first published in the early 16th century. It is interesting to note that when discovered by Spanish explorers, it was assumed that what is now California was an island - the name was given to the peninsula now called Baja California, and then extended north along the coast.
10. Somewhere between North America and South America there is a country whose name translates to "Place of Many Fish". Where am I?

Answer: Panama

In the Guarani language of central America, panama is used to describe a place of many fish. By the way, a Panama hat is made from the leaves of the screw pine and was originally made in Ecuador. So next time you go out in the sun, be sure to wear your hat of many fish.
Source: Author Znarkasaurus

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