The Thin King Trivia Quiz

Answer: Peddling

The fruit of a hawthorn bush is a haw. Adding king gives hawking, which is a term for itinerant selling or peddling.

The name of the hawthorn fruit comes from the Old English 'haga', which is of Germanic origin. The same word can also be used to refer to a third eyelid in some mammals. A third meaning is when it used in the expression to 'hum and haw' meaning to prevaricate.

Perhaps surprisingly, the verb 'to hawk' is thought to come from the noun 'hawker', which is a sixteenth century word from Dutch or Low German, and related to the word huckster, meaning someone who sells small items either from a stall or by going from door to door. A hawk is also the word for a bird of prey, or a square board used, when building, for carrying plaster or mortar.

The twenty-first century Ghanaian writer, Ernest Agyemang Yeboah, said, "A diligent hawker today, can be a great tycoon tomorrow".

Answer: Requesting

The chemical symbol for the element arsenic is As, which makes asking when added to king. Asking is another word for requesting.

Arsenic is one of the chemical elements whose two-letter symbol uses the first, and the third, but not the second, letter of the word. The word 'as' is also used when making comparisons, or to indicate that events are happening simultaneously. Another meaning of the word 'as' is that it was a copper coin in Ancient Rome.

As well as requesting information, or wanting something to be done, the word ask can also be used for an invitation to a social occasion. The word is of West Germanic origin, from the Old English 'ascian', 'ahsian', or 'axian'.

The American television star and chef, Anne Burrell (born 1969) said, "Part of being successful is about asking questions and listening to the answers".

Answer: Norse warrior

The combination of letters needed to make six in Roman numerals is VI. Adding king to that gives a Viking, which was a term used to describe the Norse warriors.

Apart from the combination of V (5) and I (1) making six in Roman numerals, VI is used as an abbreviation for the Virgin Islands, often in combination with B (BVI for the British Virgin Islands) or US (USVI for the US Virgin Islands). Vi is sometimes used as a diminutive form of the names Violet and Viola.

Vikings were Scandinavian seamen who explored and raided many parts of north-western Europe between the eighth and eleventh centuries. They are also believed to have reached the eastern shores of North America. Viking is from the Old Norse 'vikingr', which is derived from 'vik', which means a creek.

Vikings have been characters in fiction for a long time. Some people describe Beowulf as a Viking; the story is thought to be over a thousand years old, although it wasn't printed until 1815. More recently, Noggin the Nog was created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin and first broadcast on BBC television in 1959. Hägar the Horrible is the main character in an American comic strip first produced by Dik Browne in 1973.

Answer: Playing a trick

Josephine or Joanna might be known as Jo for short. Playing a trick on someone could be described as joking.

As well as being a diminutive for for Joanna or Josephine, jo is an archaic Scottish word for a sweetheart, derived from the word 'joy'; it can be a very useful word when playing Scrabble.

Joke is a seventeenth century word which is possibly derived from the Latin word 'jocus', which means a wordplay or a jest. As a noun it means a trick played for fun, or a thing said for amusement. As a verb it means to make a joke.

Willem Dafoe (born 1955) said about Sam Neill (born 1947), "The thing that I always say about him, and I think it's true, is he's so dry. When he's serious, I think he's joking; when he's joking, I think he's serious."

Answer: Food preparation

Doves are said to coo, so adding king leads to cooking, which is a term for preparing food for eating, usually involving heating it in some way.

The word 'coo' is said to imitate the sound made by a dove. It is also used informally in British English as an expression of surprise. Another use of the word is in the expression 'to bill and coo', which is used to refer to quiet conversation between lovers.

To cook is defined as to prepare food by mixing, combining and heating ingredients. It comes from the Old English 'coc', which is derived from the Latin 'coquus' meaning a person who prepares food. The verb cook is also used informally to mean making a dishonest alteration, as in the expression 'to cook the books'.

Julia Child (1912 - 2004) said, "In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport". American, Guy Fieri (born 1968) said, "Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It's about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity".

Answer: Financial matters

To forbid something is to ban it. A bank is a financial institution, and the business it carries out is referred to as banking.

A ban is an official or legal prohibition. The word is of Germanic origin from the Old English 'bannan' meaning to summon by public proclamation. The same word is used in Romania to refer to an amount of money worth one hundredth of a leu.

Bank is a fifteenth century word from the French 'banque' or the Italian 'banca' derived from the Latin 'bancus', meaning a tradesman's stall, or a money-changer's table. Bank can also mean a mound of earth, particularly by the sides of a river. As a verb it can be used to refer to an aircraft tilting, or to provide additional power to a locomotive when climbing a steep slope.

People can be quite cynical about banks. Bob Hope (1903 - 2003) said, "A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it". Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) seemed equally unimpressed when he said, "A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain".

Answer: Countryside recreation

The short greeting is 'Hi'. Adding the king to the end leads to hiking, which is a recreational activity involving walking in rural areas.

Hi is an informal way of greeting someone. Capitalised, as HI, it is the abbreviation for the state of Hawaii. When combined with fi, as in hi-fi, it is an abbreviation of high; fi is short for fidelity.

Apart from referring to a long walk, a hike can also be a sharp increase, particularly in price. The expression, 'take a hike' is similar in meaning to 'get lost' or 'go away'.

A good description is, "Hiking is not just about reaching a specific summit. It is about the journey itself, about the movement and the experience of nature. Every step is a pleasure, every new bend brings new surprises. Hiking is an adventure that never ceases to amaze us." Unfortunately, I don't know who first described it like that. Many internet sites have it, but none that I've found give any attribution.

Answer: Submersion

A transgression is a sin. When king is added to the end, we get sinking, which is what happens when a ship, person, or anything else gets completely covered by water.

Sin is defined as an immoral act which is a transgression against divine law. The word comes from the Old English 'synn', which probably comes from the Latin 'sons' meaning guilty. Sin is also used as an abbreviation for sine, which is a mathematical term to describe the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse in a right-angled triangle.

As a verb, to sink means to become submerged. The word comes from the Old English 'sincan'. Sink can also be used as a noun, when it refers to a plumbing fixture with with a water supply and a drain pipe, such as is found in a kitchen or bathroom.

There is a commonly used expression about rats leaving a sinking ship which is used to refer to people who are leaving a failing business, for example. The idea has been around for a long time. Pliny the Elder wrote in his 'Natural History' in 77AD, "When a building is about to fall down, all the mice desert it". In Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' (1610), Prospero says, "In few, they hurried us aboard a bark, / Bore us some leagues to sea; where they prepar'd / A rotten carcass of a boat, not rigg'd, / Nor tackle, sail, nor mast; the very rats / Instinctively had quit it."

Answer: Charming or captivating

Ta is used informally instead of 'thank you'. Adding king to the end gives taking.

Probably originating in the eighteenth century as a child's word, 'ta' is used as an abbreviation for 'thank you'. Capitalised, as TA, it is used in the UK for the Territorial Army, which is a reserve force. Partially capitalised, as Ta, it is the chemical symbol for the element tantalum.

As an adjective, taking is defined as captivating in manner, or charming. As a noun, and pluralised, takings refers to the amount of money earned by a business. The word comes from the Old English 'tacan', meaning to get, especially by force, or to capture; tacan comes from the Old Norse word 'taka', which means to grasp or lay hold of.

In Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's 'The Chalet School and the Lintons', Joyce Linton is described as "very pretty and taking .... the girls do follow her .... a picture for looks .... got pretty manners". However, the word 'taking' is more often used to refer to taking a book off a shelf or a biscuit from a tin, or taking something less tangible, such as taking a chance or taking responsibility.

Answer: Making conversation

A German valley is a Tal. Adding a king to the Tal gives talking, which is a good way to make conversation.

"Das Tal" is the German for the valley. It is used in place names such as Wuppertal, which is a town in the valley of the river Wupper. It is also the word which gives rise to the name of a dollar as a unit of currency, since the word is derived from a shortened form of Joachimsthaler which is a coin from the silver mine at Joachimsthal.

To talk is defined as to speak in order to give information or express ideas or feelings. The word comes from the Old English 'talu', which means something which has been told.

American journalist Franklin P. Jones (1908 - 1980) said, "One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody's listening".

Answer: Berthing a ship

When Walt Disney named the seven dwarfs for his animated film, one of them was Doc, and he was depicted wearing a pair of glasses. Adding king to the end of his name gives docking, which is used to refer to a ship mooring in a harbour.

Doc is commonly used informally to refer to, or even address, a medical doctor. It is also used in computing to refer to a document. In Walt Disney's 1937 production of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the leader of the dwarfs was called Doc.

Dock is defined as an enclosed area of water in a port for the loading, unloading, and repair of ships. The word comes through Middle English and Middle Dutch from the Middle Low German 'docke'. Another meaning is when the word is used to refer to an area in a court where the prisoner appears. A broad leaved plant, which is useful for relieving nettle stings, is called a dock. As a verb, it can mean to cut short an animal's tail, or to remove points from a score or reduce an amount of money.

Docking is also the term used when rockets arrive at the International Space Station.

Answer: Loud metallic noise

Traditional groups of Scots were referred to as clans. Adding king to clan gives clanking, a word which is often used to describe the sound made by metal chains.

Clan is defined as a group of close-knit and inter-related families, especially in the Scottish Highlands, or a group with a strong common interest. The word comes through Middle English from the Scottish Gaelic 'clann', which means offspring or family.

Clank is defined as a loud, sharp sound as of pieces of metal being struck together. It comes from Middle English, and is an onomatopoeic word.

Jack Prelutsky (born 1940), an American writer of poems for children wrote, "Clankity clankity clankity clank! / Ankylosaurus was built like a tank, / its hide was a fortress as sturdy as steel, / it tended to be an inedible meal".

Answer: Sound made by dogs

While atmospheres and pascals are both units of pressure, the bar, which equals 100000 pascals, is the one we need here. Putting bar before king leads to barking, a common word to describe the noise made by a dog.

Bar is a word with multiple meanings. It could also be a long wooden rod, or a sandbank at the mouth of a harbour. It is used to refer to a counter where drinks are served, and by extension to the building where that takes place. It might be the rail in front of the dock in a court where the prisoner stands. Music is divided into bars, with the number of beats in the bar related to the time signature of the composition. Capitalised, it refers to the barristers in the United Kingdom, or to the lawyers in the United States. The word comes through Middle English from the Old French 'barre'.

As the sound made by a dog, the word 'bark' comes from the Old English 'beorc'. Bark is also used to refer to the outer covering of a tree trunk or branch; the origin of this form of the word is through Middle English from the Old Norse 'borkr', which is possibly related to a birch. A variant spelling of barque, which is a sailing ship, is bark. Barking is used, in British English, as an informal adjective to describe somebody who is completely mad.

Matt Groening (born 1954), the American writer and cartoonist wrote, "Back in high school, I wrote a novel about a character named Bart Simpson. I thought it was a very unusual name for a kid at the time. I had this idea of an angry father yelling 'Bart,' and Bart sounds kind of like bark - like a barking dog".

Answer: Searching

To use the eyes is to see. This can be combined with king to get seeking, which is another word for searching.

Apart from using the eyes, see is also used in the sense of understanding something, or dealing with a situation, or meeting someone regularly. The word comes from the Old English 'seon', which is of Germanic origin. A see is also the area of jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop. In this case the word is derived through Middle English and Anglo-Norman French from the Latin 'sedes' meaning a seat.

To seek is defined as to attempt to find or obtain something, or to ask for something. The word comes from the Old English 'secan', which is also of Germanic origin.

Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC) said, "You shall, I question not, find a way to the top if you diligently seek for it; for nature hath placed nothing so high that it is out of the reach of industry and valor". "Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable", was written by the French philosopher and author, Albert Camus (1913 - 1960).

Answer: Reaching the summit

Probably the most common small green vegetable is a pea. The word can be placed before king to create peaking, which means reaching a peak or summit.

Although peas are eaten as vegetables, technically the pod containing the peas is the fruit of the plant, and the peas are the seeds within it. The word comes from pease, as used in pease pudding, which is derived from the Latin 'pisum' and the Greek 'pison' which both mean pea.

As a noun, peak can mean the highest point of something, the brim of a cap, or the upper, outer corner of a sail. As a verb, it is used to mean reaching the highest point of something. There is an archaic meaning referring to declining in health or spirits. It seems likely that the adjective, peaky, meaning pale and listless, comes from this derivation.

The international tennis player, Rafael Nadal (born 1986) said, "Even if I have already peaked, I have to believe I can improve. I wake up every morning, and go to practice, with the illusion that I'm going to get better that day".