Household Items in Idiom Trivia

1. When it comes down to accepting consequences for your actions, "you've made your bed ..." Complete the idiomatic phrase.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: ...and now you'll have to lie in it.

This idiom is quite commonly used to rebuke those who are always complaining about problems they brought upon themselves. It's believed that phrase came from a 15th Century French proverb, which says "Comme on faict son lict, on le treuve," directly translating to "As one makes one's bed, so one finds it." There are various ways of saying this particular idiom, but the meaning remains the same.

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: Bee

Someone with "a bee in their bonnet" has taken an interest in or is concerned over a certain thing or idea, possibly to the point of obsession. A bee can also be planted in someone else's bonnet - in other words, you can get them concerned about whatever it is that's taken your fancy! Having a bee in your bonnet can also mean you are angry. The term is considered to have originated from a 1648 poem by Robert Herick, "Mad Maid's Song." (I've since heard that Mr. Drone has finally finished painting the house - Mrs. Drone's been obsessed with it for ages, gotten angry, and finally got him interested as well! That must've been what the bee was about.)

From Quiz Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Answer: Out of the frying pan into the fire

To be in the 'frying pan' would be a situation of some discomfort, but jumping out of it and landing in 'the fire' would be even worse. The English version of this expression date from the early sixteenth century. 'To fight fire with fire' is to use the same methods as your adversary, while to 'kick the bucket' means dying. 'Raining stair-rods' refers to a heavy downpour.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: Nails

I somehow don't think that a "bed of nails" would be the nicest place to lay down, hence the idiomatic phrase "bed of nails" describes something that would be fairly unpleasant. However, according to physics, someone lying down on a bed of nails might not be harmed at all, provided that their weight was distributed evenly, meaning that the force exerted on the nail would not be strong enough to pierce through the person and harm them. In magician's shows, a typical trick might be to get a volunteer to lie on a bed of nails, while wooden blocks are laid on top of them, and then smashed with a sledge hammer. Sometimes, a bed of nails is even used for meditation purposes in certain parts of Asia.

From Quiz Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Answer: Bottom drawer

The phrase has been around since the nineteenth century and most often refers to cotton or linen items, such as bedding and tablecloths. The items were bought to be saved until after the wedding, although probably not literally in a bottom drawer. According to notes I've received, Americans would call this a 'hope chest' and Australians refer to it as a 'glory box'.

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: Pins and needles

When someone is on "pins and needles" (or "tenterhooks"), they are very nervous and/or anxiously waiting for something to happen. The implication of this phrase is, being in a situation where one is unable to make themself comfortable - I, for one, certainly won't be able to relax until my mending job is done! "Pins and needles" can also describe a tingling sensation in one's extremities.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: They're in a foul mood

If someone "got out on the wrong side of the bed," it means that they're in a fairly rubbish mood and are easily annoyed for that day. According to an old Roman superstition, the left side of the bed is the wrong side. Augustus Caesar, apparently, made sure that he got out on the right hand side of his bed. Precisely why this was believed is not clear. However, one does have to ask: which is which? Those who sleep on their backs will have the same right side, as the left side for those who sleep on their stomachs. Hmm...

From Quiz Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Answer: Towel

Taken from boxing, when a towel is literally thrown into the ring to prevent the losing competitor from taking more punishment, the expression has passed into everyday use as a metaphor for giving up. Throwing your 'hat into the ring' refers to someone deciding to take part in a contest, so is the opposite. Throwing 'toys out of the pram' refers to having a tantrum while 'throwing stones' is to make an accusation against someone.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: You finish dealing with something

While "putting someone to bed" literally means that you help them get ready to go to sleep and head off to lala land, "putting SOMETHING" to bed" just about means the same thing, in that it's over with (for the time being, at least), and doesn't need to be dealt with any further.

From Quiz Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Answer: Spanner

The expression is recorded in print in 'Right Ho, Jeeves' in 1934, one of the books about the rather hopeless Bertie Wooster written by P. G. Wodehouse. The phrase can refer to anything which causes a change of arrangements, from an unexpectedly cancelled train to an illness meaning a holiday has to be rearranged.

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: Rolls them up

When you "roll up your sleeves," you're getting ready to do some hard work. Though often used figuratively, the expression also has a literal meaning when one is performing physical labor. I suggest you roll up your sleeves now, and help me finish this laundry so that I can get back to quizzing!

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: ... bugs bite.

Possibly one of the most commonly used idiomatic "bed" phrases, the full saying goes "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." Unfortunately, bed bugs are quite real - and they're nasty little things as well. They're small nocturnal insects, that live by feeding off warm-blooded creatures. While bed bugs do not only live in beds, they are commonly found in mattresses that haven't been washed for a while, and other places such as furniture coverings, cracks of wall plaster, and (a place they love), theatre seats.

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: Money

When someone spends (or wastes) money as soon it comes into their possession and has difficulty saving it, it might be said that "the money is burning a hole in their pocket." At the rate such a person gets rid of money, you'd think it *was* on fire and about to burn them! Sir Thomas More of the 16th century stated it this way (paraphrased): "A little wanton money, which burned out the bottom of his purse."

From Quiz Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Answer: Bucket

This is an expression which originates from the Bible, appearing in Isaiah 40:15: 'Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance'. Used just as often, and meaning the same thing, is 'a drop in the ocean'.

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: It has many notches

A person who makes an achievement, especially something that could prove useful at a future time, is said to have gained another "notch on his belt" or "feather in his cap." Of course, extra notches on one's belt could also indicate an expanding waistline.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: Roses

Everybody loves roses. Roses represent happiness, love and joy. So how better to describe something grand and lovely as a "bed of roses?" It's believed that this expression originated from "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" by Christopher Marlowe, which was published in 1599; six years after his death. The following is the verse from which this phrase was believed to have originated: "And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies, A cap of flowers, and a kirtle Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle"

From Quiz Laundry Day

Answer: Up his sleeve

If you seem to have reached the end of the line and cannot think of a way out, you'd better hope someone has a "card (or ace/trick) up their sleeve" - a resource they've kept hidden, perhaps, for just such a rough time. The Shark really isn't dishonest (we'll say that, anyway...), but this expression comes from a practice of gamblers who cheated by keeping a winning card hidden in their sleeve. While North American usage refers to these people as card sharks, British usage is more commonly card sharp.

From Quiz In Bed with Idioms

Answer: They're very dishonest

I find that no culture can express themselves quite as clearly as the Australians, and upon discovering this saying, I've found myself using it quite a bit! Basically, if someone "can't lie straight in bed," you should be very careful about how much you entrust to them. Thanks for playing my quiz. I'd appreciate all comments and constructive criticisms. Have a super duper day!

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