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Quiz about Weird Words Born in the USA
Quiz about Weird Words Born in the USA

Weird Words Born in the USA Trivia Quiz


I'll provide the definition and you pick the good old American word to which it refers or vice-versa.

A multiple-choice quiz by nyirene330. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
nyirene330
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
372,766
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
1280
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Which distinctly American word can be defined as 'to leave abruptly'? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. How would you define the word 'hornswoggle'? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which of the following words might throw you into 'a state of confusion'? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What might you say to define the word 'bumptious'? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A new one to me, which word is NOT used to define 'sockdolager'? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Which definition does NOT describe the word 'grifter'? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What word is an Americanism from the early 1900s meaning an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of the following words can be defined, as Shakespeare would say, as "much ado about nothing"? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which word is an adjective meaning askew or awry? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Finally, which of the following does NOT define 'ornery'? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which distinctly American word can be defined as 'to leave abruptly'?

Answer: absquatulate

Absquatulate means to depart in a hurry, often taking something along, or to abscond. It came from a trend in America in the 1830s when people decided to put words together to sound like they came from Latin origins; so added to the word 'squat' or stay, was the prefix 'ab-' meaning off or away and the verb ending '-ulate' suggesting a quick departure.

It is rarely used nowadays, but I find it quite expressive and am hoping for a comeback.
2. How would you define the word 'hornswoggle'?

Answer: to bamboozle

From the Northern and Western United States, we get the verb 'hornswoggle' which can be defined as to deceive, cheat, swindle or hoodwink. In fact, our language has so many words with this meaning, you'd think it was an everyday occurrence, as in: looks like we've been hornswoggled by the politicians again.
3. Which of the following words might throw you into 'a state of confusion'?

Answer: discombobulate

'Discombobulate' is a great word since it means exactly what it sounds like - you can't be in full possession of your faculties if you are discombobulated (it's even fun to say!). The word itself started out as 'discombobracate', then 'discomboobulate' before it evolved into its current form. You might be befuddled or bewildered, puzzled perplexed or dumbfounded, but, whatever you are, you are not in your normal state of mind. Somehow, Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam come to mind.
4. What might you say to define the word 'bumptious'?

Answer: offensively self-assertive

The first known use of bumptious was as far back as 1803 when they might have used 'uppity' or 'highfalutin' as synonyms. Nowadays they might call this person imperious, presumptuous or supercilious, but whichever word you use, this person seems to have a sense of entitlement that alienates everyone in his/her path.
5. A new one to me, which word is NOT used to define 'sockdolager'?

Answer: a garter belt

'Sockdolager' is another of those American words of the 1800s mixing Latin roots with slang. Partially from sock, meaning to punch, and doxology, the end of a church service, they combined to mean a final blow or cutting remark; it has also been used to mean a 'whopper' (but not of the 'fast food' kind) or in fishing. I include this word only for the historical possibility that it may have been one of the last words Lincoln heard before his assassination.
6. Which definition does NOT describe the word 'grifter'?

Answer: granular igneous rock

A grifter can mean someone who practices confidence scams, a hustler who runs a sideshow at a carnival or the superhero name of the fictional comic book character known as Cole Cash (how very appropriate!). The word can also refer to an indie rock band, a novel or a film starring John Cusack. What it definitely does not describe is gabbro, a granular igneous rock; hope you didn't get flim-flammed which, by the way, is of Scandanavian origin.
7. What word is an Americanism from the early 1900s meaning an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event?

Answer: lollapalooza

'Lollapalooza' is a US slang term broadly defined as something excellent. In recent years (dating back to 1991), it has also come to mean a North American alternative pop music concert or festival. In case you're interested (or even if you're not), a latibule is a hiding place; lulibub is an archaic word for a lollipop, and lubberwort can be defined as junk food.
8. Which of the following words can be defined, as Shakespeare would say, as "much ado about nothing"?

Answer: foofaraw

'Foofaraw' is a term from the American West and its first usage is listed as around 1934. The derivation of the word seems to come from the Spanish word 'fanfaron' which means show-off. It implies a great fuss over something insignificant or, alternatively, an excessive amount of decoration; it even sounds like a big fuss.

As for the incorrect choices, a fanion is a small flag used for surveying or a cloth worn on a priest's arm for handling holy vessels; fantod is a state of irritability or tension; farrago is a disorderly mixture. So I guess a foofaraw could create a fantod or lead to a farrago...
9. Which word is an adjective meaning askew or awry?

Answer: catawampus

'Catawampus' seems to have originated in the South or Midwest in the 1840s, and may have some relation to catty-cornered, on a bias or crooked, and perhaps 'wampish', a Scottish word to wiggle or twist. It was originally used as an adverb, i.e., catawampusly, and simply added to the intensity, e.g., utterly or completely. Additionally, 'catawampus' was used as a noun in 1843 as a name for an imaginary hobgoblin or bogeyman; personally, I'd rather be chased by a bogeyman than a catawampus - the stuff of nightmares.
10. Finally, which of the following does NOT define 'ornery'?

Answer: ordinary

'Ornery' is an adjective first used around 1816 and implies having an irritable disposition. Somehow I picture an old Western town with a saloon and an ornery guy disrupting the peace. It is often associated with advanced age, as in "an ornery old man who always yells at the neighborhood kids to keep off his lawn" (but he's just lonely and misunderstood, right?).
Source: Author nyirene330

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