Do You Know Me? Trivia Quiz

Answer: pschent

This word is from Egyptian, through Greek, and is pronounced skent. It describes a double crown that was intended to emphasis the unification of two independent kingdoms under a single ruler. The White Hedjet Crown (of Upper Egypt) is surrounded by the Red Deshret Crown (of Lower Egypt). Attached on the front were two animal symbols: a cobra in striking position, symbol of the Lower Egyptian goddess Wadjet, and a vulture, symbol of the Upper Egyptian goddess Nekhbet.

These two became joint patronesses of the kingdom.

Answer: phenolphthalein

Phenolphthalein (pronounced more or less as 'fee-nul-thay-leen') is commonly used in school science classes as a test to determine whether a particular substance is an acid or a base. It is clear for solutions with a pH under around 8 or 9; for a more alkaline solution than that, it turns pink (or purple if its concentration is high enough). It is used in a popular demonstration of turning water into wine - but don't drink it!

Phenolphthalein was discovered in 1871 by the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer. The name is derived from the two reactants involved in its production: he combined phenol (also called carbolic acid) and phthalic anhydride, in the presence of sulfuric acid. Phthalic anhydride, in turn, is derived from phthalic acid, which was originally produced from a compound of naphthalene, the main ingredient in mothballs.

Answer: zugzwang

This German word, which translates into English as 'compulsion to move', became integrated into English by way of chess in the early 20th century. It is now used more generally in other games involving turn-based games such as backgammon to describe a situation in which the rules of the game force a player to make a move that is not to their advantage, and may lead directly to a loss.

Answer: tichorrhine

Although the Rhinoceros tichorhinus is described as woolly, its name is derived from its vertical bony septum: the Greek 'teichos' means wall, and the Latin '-rhinus' refers to the nose. The woolly rhinoceros (now classified as Coelodonta antiquitatis, but also known as Rhinoceros lenenesis, Rhinoceros antiquitatis and Rhinoceros tichorhinus) was widespread in the northern parts of Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch (about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago), but had disappeared by the end of that time, which was the end of the Last Glacial Period.

Answer: gegenschein

This word is originally German: 'gegen' means opposite, and 'schein' means shine. The term is used by astronomers to describe a light in the night sky, opposite the position of the sun, which is thought to be caused by the sun's light being reflected by interplanetary gas and dust particles.

The term was first coined by the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, although astronomers now believe he was actually seeing a slightly different atmospheric phenomenon, since it was near the horizon around sunset, rather than nearly overhead around midnight. If you want to see gegenschein, you will need to find a remote spot where urban light pollution is not interfering.

Answer: mynheer

This Dutch term has evolved from the words 'mijn' (my) and 'heer' (lord or sir), and is a polite form of address used in areas where Dutch is spoken. As an English word, it is used to refer to any male Netherlander, and came into use early in the 17th century.

Answer: scarabaeiform

Entomologists classify larvae based on their shape, with names that end in -form. The five main groups are: eruciform (like a caterpillar), scarabaeiform (curved in a C shape), campodeiform (elongated and flattened, with legs), elateriform (like a worm with legs and a hard shell), and vermiform (like a maggot). The scarabaeiform larvae get their name from the scarab beetles (members of the Scarabaeidae family) whose larvae are a typical example. The family name comes from the Latin name for these beetles.

Answer: incurvariid

Incurvariid moths get their family name from the Latin word 'incurvus', meaning curved inwards. They have wings that are held tightly against the body, rather than lying spread above it, when at rest. Many of them have long antennae, which provide another support for the name, as they form long curves, with the tips close together. Most of their larvae are leaf miners, meaning they live in, and eat, the leaves of their host plant. If you live in Europe, you may be familiar with the feathered diamondback; North Americans are more likely to have seen the maple leafcutter moth.

Answer: fuchsia

The plant genus Fuchsia was first identified on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola by the French botanist Charles Plumier, who named it after the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. The -ia ending is typical in the names of plant and animal genera. The bright red-pink colour that is common in their flowers has led to their name being used to describe the colour of a synthetic dye called fuchsine, patented in 1859 by François-Emmanuel Verguin.

The dye colour was later renamed magenta in honour of the French victory in the Battle of Magenta in Italy.

The two names are now sometimes used interchangeably, but sometimes fuchsia is used for shades on the pink end of the range, and magenta for shades tending towards red.

Answer: paronomasia

The word paronomasia, like many rhetorical terms, is Latin (from a Greek word), meaning to name beside. In other words, to have a similar name. While you may see paronomasia defined as a pun, that is not exactly true. Paronomasia is word play that created its effect by using two words that sound almost, but not exactly, the same, while being very different in meaning. Its intent is to heighten the impact of the statement. One example from Shakespeare is found in 'Macbeth' (Act 1, Scene 7), when Macbeth is pondering the consequences of his plan to kill Duncan, and says, "And catch with his surcease success." Surcease is death, success is victory.

A pun, on the other hand, is used with the intent of provoking laughter, and can take a number of forms: "You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish unless it is a bass" uses the fact that 'tune a' and 'tuna' sound the same, and that the word bass can describe both a type of fish and a type of guitar, to create a sense of the ludicrous.