Wordwise IV 3 Trivia Quiz

Answer: bull in a china shop

The phrase 'a bull in a china shop' refers to someone who charges in to a situation without thinking and behaves carelessly, usually causing some damage - much like what would happen were a bull to be let loose in a shop selling breakable china.

Answer: climb down

To climb down means to give up a held position or change one's opinion, usually in terms of an argument or negotiation.

Answer: fifth column

The term fifth column refers to a subversive group within a country who secretly support that country's enemy and work to undermine the nation from within in support of the aims of that enemy. The term originated during the Spanish Civil War but the exact origins of it are unclear.

Answer: Backup

A backup is the name for a person or thing that supports or can replace another if needed. The term is often used in sports for a player who can come in to replace a player who is unable to play due to injury or other reason such as the backup quarterback in American football.

More recently the term has become used for a copy of data that is held separately and can be used to restore a system if the data on that system becomes damaged or lost.

Answer: kickback

A kickback is a form of bribe in which money is paid to someone in order to illegally gain their help or favour. For example if a company paid a city official to get them to back that company to gain an important contract.

Answer: checkup

A checkup is a term used for an evaluation to make sure everything is OK. It is usually used in a medical or dental context.

Answer: tennis

Tennis is a sport involving hitting a ball with a racquet over a net, with the aim being to score points against your opponent by stopping them from being able to return the ball legally. There are many professional tennis tournaments around the world and the game is also played by many people at amateur level.

Answer: fall between two stools

To 'fall between two stools' is a phrase used to describe something that fails to achieve either of its two stated aims.

Answer: harmony

The word harmony can mean a situation in which people agree with each other peacefully or to describe things which fit nicely together. The word also has a more technical definition in the field of music where it refers to the sound made by different musical notes being played or sung together.

Answer: pair of scissors

A pair of scissors is a tool for cutting things which has two blades joined by a pivot so they can be opened and closed in order to bring the blades together and cut through the material.