Vocabulary Menagerie Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Mousetrap

Agatha Christie's 'The Mousetrap' premiered at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham in October 1952. Following its initial tour it arrived in London's West End in November that year, first at the New Ambassadors Theatre and subsequently transferring to St Martin's Theatre in 1974 without a break to preserve its continuous status. As of 2011 the play still holds the record for the longest initial run.

Dame Agatha Christie DBE (1890-1976) was the creator of the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and the elderly spinster sleuth Miss Jane Marple. Many of her novels and short stories have been made into films and also televised. 'The Mousetrap' has a surprise ending, which the audience are requested not to reveal. And no, I'm not going to tell you 'whodunit'!

A mousetrap is a piece of equipment which is baited with some tasty morsel to attract the mouse. Originally the only variety available was spring-loaded; when the mouse stepped on the trap to obtain the treat the spring-loaded bar would trip, killing them instantly. Nowadays many other types of mousetrap are also available including, fortunately, a humane trap, so the mouse, when captured, can be safely released outside the house.

Answer: dogfight

Although the term had been used for hundreds of years to describe any hotly- contested battle, it took on a new meaning towards the end of World War I and was further popularised in World War II to describe short-range aerial combat between two or more planes.

The French WWI fighter pilot Roland Garros was instrumental in the further development of the interrupter gear used to enable machine-guns to be mounted on military aircraft facing forwards without interfering with the motion of the propellor. The tennis stadium Stade de Roland Garros in Paris, the venue for the Grand Slam event the French Open, was named after him.

Answer: Hippocratic Oath

Although the Hippocratic Oath is certainly named after the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who lived from c 460-370 BC, there is some debate on the subject of by whom it was actually written, but the oath is generally believed to have stemmed from his teachings and written either by him or by one of his students. Hippocrates was known as the 'Father of Western Medicine' and his Oath is taken in many, but not all, countries by doctors at graduation, when they swear among other things to abide by medical ethics and to respect all human life.

Answer: skateboard

Most skateboards comprise a plywood deck made of laminated maple wood with two pairs of wheels, generally made of polyurethane, which are connected to the deck by means of a metal 'truck'. There are many different models of skateboard available, at widely varying prices.

Tony Hawk (born 1968) is an American skateboarding champion, now retired. He is widely credited with being the person who did most to bring the sport to the attention of the public and the media, and increase its popularity. He held the title of world champion for twelve years and was the first skater to land a 900, which he achieved in 1999. He has appeared in skateboarding and other roles in films and on television. He is a philanthropist, having started his own foundation, the Tony Hawk Foundation, which is involved in helping underprivileged children and is a co-founder of the American charity 'Athletes for Hope' alongside Andre Agassi and others, including Lance Armstrong and Muhammad Ali.

The skate is an edible cartilaginous flatfish found in most parts of the world. It is a member of the ray family. There is concern they are being overfished because they take longer than many other fish to reach breeding age.

Answer: bookworm

Interestingly, the term 'bookworm' comes from a small insect that is believed to burrow through wood and paper, feeding on the paste contained in the bindings and mould where there are damp conditions, not from the earthworm as is sometimes thought!

'Lowly Worm' is a character in children's literature created by Richard Scarry; he also appears in an animated series based on the books.

Answer: catacombs

The word catacombs originated in Rome as 'catacumbae', referring to the catacombs under the Appian Way. There are several catacombs around the world, mainly in Europe. In Paris, the catacombs began to be used as burial-places due to the rapid rise of the population and high cost of burials, and disused stone mines were utilised for this purpose.

They house the remains of approximately six million people. Today they are an interesting, if somewhat grisly, tourist attraction.

Answer: rabbit ears

Rabbit ears is the name given to an indoor dipole television antenna, having two individually adjustable rods which can be rotated until the optimum picture is achieved. They have been largely superseded by modern digital technology.

Rabbit ears are aptly named due to their V-shape, giving the appearance of rabbit ears. Also, the rabbit has the ability to move its ears independently to maximise its all-round hearing, which gives it an excellent opportunity to hear approaching danger early and make good its escape.

Answer: battlement

Battlements were traditionally used in the building of castles and fortresses to allow access for the occupants to fire arrows or other missiles at their enemies through the cut out sections whilst affording themselves some protection from retaliatory attack.

They have been in use in one form or another for thousands of years, even from Ancient Egyptian and Greek times. The name 'battlement' was derived from the French word 'batailler' around the 14th century.

Answer: dogged

'Dogged determination' is a Middle English phrase which originated in the late 13th to early 14th century. It means literally to have the perseverance of a dog in tracking, hunting etc., in the way a dog has an unwavering determination to keep going until its object is achieved.

Answer: rational

Rats belong to the superfamily Muroidea; 'true rats' belong to the genus Rattus. A famous 'rat' in literature is Ratty in 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame, although strictly speaking the character is not a rat but a water vole!

A rational number is a number that can be expressed as a ratio of two integers.