Phrases and Terms from a Younger USA Quiz

Answer: A covered wagon used by pioneers

Conestoga wagons carried pioneers, but also were used for cargo transport beginning in the late 1700s and continuing well into the 1800s. They were named after the Conestoga River in Pennsylvania, and are believed to have been first constructed by Mennonite settlers in the area around Lancaster.

Answer: One of the first people to mine for gold in the California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush really took off in 1849, but the first men to work the gold veins got there in 1848. Most of these fortunate individuals already lived in California.

Answer: With a touch of fear

An Arkansas toothpick was/is a knife with a blade between 12 and 20 inches, whose invention is sometimes credited to James Bowie, who also invented the knife that bears his name. It was used by "mountain men" in the early to mid-nineteenth century for hunting and protection against predators, both human and otherwise. Arkansas toothpicks are balanced so as to be useful as a thrown weapon.

Answer: To nab a crook

The term "copper" referred to the composition of the badges worn by policemen in New York City, and is the source of today's term "cop". Note: There are other times and places where police had a relationship to copper, but not in the US.

Answer: Inhabitants of the USA

To our friends across the big pond, "Yankees" can refer to anyone in the US. Within the US, however, it is common for Southerners to refer to people living north of the Mason-Dixon Line as "Yankees". And, of course, love them or otherwise, the Yankees are arguably the greatest major-league baseball team ever.

The origin of the term is not known for sure, but the most widely-held theory is that the word derives from the Dutch, who populated New York City and State in Colonial times. Their given names Jan (John) and Kees (Cornelius) were sometimes combined to "Jan Kees", and the Dutch equivalent of "Johnny" was Janneke or Janke. The Dutch pronounced "J" as "Y", hence, "Yankee".

Answer: John Adams

Adams wrote this in a letter to Abigail Adams from London in 1786; the letter can be found in the archives of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in this context "virgin" was a somewhat coarse term for a hot water bottle, and had nothing to do with deflowering young women or being unfaithful to one's spouse.

Answer: A Confederate song

"Bonnie Blue Flag" was a popular song of the South in the Civil War. It was named for an early unofficial Confederate flag, which had a single white star on a blue field. The lyrics listed in order each of the states that had seceded from the Union. It was employed as a marching song in the Confederate army. The song is also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers".

Answer: A mule newly pressed into service as a pack animal

It was common practice in the nineteenth century for people to shave the tails of mules that were new members of their teams, to distinguish them from experienced animals. Newer animals were considered more likely to kick, and the shorn tails served as a warning not to get too close.

The term has also been used as a mildly derogatory reference to second lieutenants, who are low-ranking officers in the military.

Answer: No

A dandy was a young man of the late 1800s and early 1900s who was focused on dressing fashionably, doing very little in the way of work, and concentrating on having fun. The term applied primarily to young British men. A flapper was a young woman of the 1920s era who wore short dresses, danced in dance halls, smoked, drank, and generally comported herself in ways considered unseemly by the establishment of the time. Flappers existed mostly in the USA. Since one term refers to men and the other to women, one could not be both -- but a late-era dandy might have become infatuated with an early flapper, or vice versa.

Answer: A small dwelling made of grass thatch

Back when American settlers were moving west, they used what materials were at hand to construct their homes. On the prairie, they had limited access to rock and lumber, but they had a whole lot of grass. Soddies were made of chunks of grass along with their roots, which were quite strong.

They didn't cost much and they insulated well, but they often leaked and needed a lot of maintenance. The sod portion of the buildings formed the walls - roofs, doors, and windows were made of other materials. Sometimes people lined the sod with materials like stucco, canvas or plaster.