Word Tweeners Trivia Quiz

Lap Top Notch

Did you know that Alan Osborne is credited with making the first laptop computer in 1981? Called the Osborne 1, it cost $1795.

According to "Etymonline", topnotch, a word meaning first rate or top point, came into use during the 1840s. It was the name used for a part in making umbrellas!

A top is a child's toy that can spin on an axis. The tops in the picture are dreidels, 4-sided tops used by children in a game during Hannukah.

Shot Gun Control

Shotgun is a term used in architecture to describe a very narrow house with rooms that are one behind the other from the front door to back. They were popular in the South, especially in New Orleans, after the Civil War, but can be seen all over the United States. The idea is that if both the doors in the house are open, a person can shoot a shotgun cleanly from one door and out through the other.

Many countries today have placed restrictions on the buying, selling, and possession of firearms by civilians. The Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed in the United States after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has been updated throughout the years when necessary.

While the public called the Colt Single Action Army the Peacemaker, the company called the gun "Model P". It was the Army's standard-issued weapon from 1873-1892.

Dry Wall Paper

Drywall is used by builders to construct the interior walls and ceilings of buildings. It is made with gypsum and two sides of thick paper. It became popular in the United States in the 1950s, as it was much faster than the old process used which was called lath and plaster.

Wallpaper became a popular wall covering in the homes of wealthy Europeans during the Renaissance as it was much cheaper, but not warmer, than hanging tapestries. England and France were the leading manufacturers, however, in England there were several obstacles to the wallpaper trade. Oliver Cromwell's government thought that its use was too frivolous, and Queen Anne levied an additional tax per square yard purchased.

The Great Wall of China was built over a series of several centuries (as early as in the 7th century BC) to protect China's northern border and help control foreign trade. It stretches approximately 13,170 miles (21,196.18 km).

Arm Wrestling Match

Arm wrestling is probably one of the oldest sports in the world. Two opponents lock hands, place their bent elbows on a hard surface, and attempt to pin the other's hand. Some sources talk about this sport first occurring in ancient Egypt or Greece, as ancient writers attempted to describe what took place. It was popular in seventeenth century Japan, and, in some areas of the world, it is a competitive sport today.

Wrestling matches have been an important part of sporting competition since the ancient Olympics in Greece. Wrestling was part of the pentathlon as well as an event held in its own right there. Opponents, who were not allowed to bite or attack their opponent's nether region, had to manage to throw their opponent to the ground three times in order to become the victor. In another match the wrestling continued until one was just too exhausted to keep going. I can just see the victor parading around the stadium with an adult bull on his shoulders!

The bronze statue of the wrestlers seen in the picture dates back to ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC.

Black Board Game

While blackboards, also called chalkboards, have become largely obsolete in school classrooms, the use of similar objects, like writing slate tablets, goes back to the early 11th century in India. Larger versions probably appeared in the mid-1700s. While there are many advantages to using blackboards - like low cost, low maintenance, and no chalk odor - they have since been mostly replaced by white boards.

Board games have been existence since c. 3500 BC, when Senet appeared in ancient Egypt. Another game called Mehen was also invented there around the same time. Although parts of the actual games have been discovered - there were four well-preserved Senet games in King Tut's tomb - little is known about how they were played.

In the picture is a circuit board, which is used to connect electrical components in electronics and other equipment.

Milton Bradley University

Milton Bradley, who lived from 1836-1911, is credited with creating the modern board game industry in the United States. His first game was called "The Checkered Game of Life" and was released in 1860. His company went on to produce favorites, such as "The Game of Life" (1960), "Candy Land" (1948), and "Battleship" (1967).

Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, the university has five schools and offers hundreds of majors today. In 2008 it was recognized by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking as one of the top 15 schools in the U.S. for student engagement.

Okay! I will admit this one was tough, but how many pictures of a person named Bradley are usable right now today? Anyway, meet Joseph P. Bradley, who served as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1870-1892. He also was a member of the Electoral Commission.

Back Draft Authority

"Back Draft" (1991) was a Ron Howard movie about a group of Chicago firefighters who follow the trail of an serial arsonist. Kurt Russell and William Baldwin starred as two firefighter brothers who also have personal issues to resolve.

A draft authority is a signed document which gives an insurance agent the power to settle certain types of claims on an insurer's behalf.

Many people believe that draft beer is better than canned or bottled because it is typically fresher and tastes better.

Dixie Cup Cake

Dixie cups are a convenience of the modern age. Lawrence Luellen invented the paper cup in 1907 as a way to prevent the spread of disease. He and a partner, Hugh Moore, established the Drinking Cup Company in 1919, producing a product called Health Kups. In 1916 Moore asked the Dixie Doll Company if he could use the name Dixie, and the rest is history! After the pandemic of 1918 the company began making the cups for use in private homes. The Dixie Cups are also a 1960s girl group from the United States.

Cupcakes are small individual cakes; in the UK they are called fairy cakes. Dating back to about 1796 when they first appeared in "American Cookery" by Andrea Simmons, the treat is so popular that there are businesses today that only sell the decorated goodie.

The golden cup in the picture was made by the ancient Mycenaeans who lived in ancient Greece from approximately 1750-1050 BC. They were known for their fine metalworking skills, especially the production of gold items that were normally placed in the tombs of the wealthy.

English Channel Surfing

The English Channel is a narrow strait of water that separates the British Isles from the continent of Europe. At its narrowest point it is 21 miles (34 kilometers) across from one side to the other. In 1875 Matthew Webb became the first known person to swim the distance from Dover to Calais.

Channel surfing is a relatively new phenomena made possible on the television by the use of remote controls. Do you have someone in your family who drives you crazy with the constant change of channels to find interesting programming? The first use of the term was documented in 1986, although I must admit to doing it on my car radio way before that!

Did you know that the flutes seen on fluted columns are also called channels? Come on - I had to make it a little bit tough!

Fish Net Scape

Fishing nets have been around for centuries; the oldest found so far, dating from 8300 BC in Finland, was made of willow bark. They continue to be important equipment for modern fishermen, coming in many different materials for different purposes. Fishnet stockings became popular in the United States in the 1920s.

Netscape is a computer services company in the United States that is known for creating the browser, Netscape Navigator, which is no longer used, and creating new internet browsers, along with other server software.

In the picture you can see a fishing net used by a rather large fishing operation.