Fractured Personal Transportation Quiz

Answer: Motor scooter

Said quickly enough, "mow tars cuter" resolves itself into "motor scooter".

Whether you have a Vespa, a moped or some other scooter with an engine, they are all motor scooters and a nifty way to get around town and do your shopping without asking friends or family for a ride.

Answer: Motorcycle

"Mote hers eye call" becomes "motorcycle" when said aloud.

This is a step up from a motor scooter, and depending on the horsepower can be a means of getting from place to place, or an object of pride and possibly even intimidation. Motorcycles have also been used extensively by the military as a quick means of conveying messages and orders.

Answer: Tandem bicycle

One hopes that the sigh part of the "tanned hem buy sigh cull" isn't caused by your partner riding the "tandem bicycle" not pulling their weight.

As the song says, this is a bicycle built for two, and if the person on the rear saddle is lazy, they can stop pedalling and let muggins up front do all the work!

Answer: Unicycle

If your friend Calvin is riding a "unicycle", perhaps you'd encourage him to keep "your knees high Cal" to avoid falling off.

Unicycles are less practical than many of the other forms of transport in this quiz, and most likely to be seen at a circus being ridden by clowns. I only tried to ride one once, and failed miserably.

Answer: Amish scooter

You have to say "haw meshes cue tor" really fast to arrive at "Amish scooter".

Also called an Amish push bike, or kick bike, these interesting vehicles can be seen in certain parts of rural Pennsylvania, and look like bicycles without pedals. I saw girls in long dresses scooting along the roadside at a fair clip using such scooters.

Answer: Recumbent bicycle

"Wreck hum pent byes I kill" sounds rather violent, while a "recumbent bicycle" is anything but.

The rider of such a machine sits low to the ground, with legs stretched out ahead. One such bike can sometimes be seen in my neighbourhood, and the rider always looks relaxed. Readers of Lilian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who..." books might recall that Qwill had a recumbent bike in some of them.

Answer: Adult tricycle

"Had dealt rye sickle" becomes "adult tricycle" when said quickly.

I still have the child's tricycle that both my sister and I used when we were youngsters, but have not yet taken the step of getting a larger version made for adults. I've thought of it, however, both for exercise and to make shopping easier.

Answer: Rollerblades

"Row lab leads" requires a bit of an English accent to reach "rollerblades", but I hope you weren't fooled.

As transportation, rollerblades are probably best left to the younger set, whose balance is still good, and core strong! I've actually seen a young person on these contraptions being pulled along by their dog! I guess the dog was the one needing the exercise.

Answer: Motorised wheelchair

I have been known to mutter when a "mutter iced welsher", a.k.a. "motorised wheelchair" has come silently up behind me on a downtown sidewalk.

These machines must be great for those who use them, as aids to both mobility and independence, but I do sometimes wish they had horns!

Answer: Boneshaker

"Bunch hacker" resolves fairly easily to "boneshaker".

This was a name given to some of the earliest bicycles, that had no form of suspension whatsoever, so that the rider felt every bump in the road as a bone shaking wave of pain.