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A Clutch of Cryptics Trivia Quiz

For years, I've loved solving cryptic crosswords, so naturally this is my first Cryptics quiz, using some of my favorite words.

A multiple-choice quiz by tjoebigham. Estimated time: 8 mins.

Author
tjoebigham

Time
8 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
96,311

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Impossible

Avg Score
2 / 10

Plays
531

Question 1 of 10

1. A feline sounds like Robert Newton, resulting in rheum. (7)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 2 of 10

2. Put a stop in a fee? Charisma, Spanish style! (6)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 3 of 10

3. A big cat belonging to this type of group makes for some big nerve! (8)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 4 of 10

4. This warrior group makes short work of irreverance! (4)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 5 of 10

5. Hear nicknamed girl join famed movement in jeans, showing an unusual element! (10)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 6 of 10

6. Put aliens inside an atomic strike and you get this Oriental object. (7)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 7 of 10

7. Mid-East country houses writer Lawrence and gold, Hibernian idiot! (8)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 8 of 10

8. Replace the writer and gold with a thousand pals in clue 7 and get someone to complain to! (9)

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 9 of 10

9. If back in yielding, an underside. (6)

Answer: (One Word)

10. Click your tongue twice on both sides of a ring and before a truncated key for this trinket! (9) (NOTE: though there are two alternate spellings of different lengths, the correct answer here is the 9-letter one)

Answer: (One Word)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A feline sounds like Robert Newton, resulting in rheum. (7)

Answer: catarrh

A feline (CAT) sounds like Robert Newton (ARRH-remember his Long John Silver?). Catarrh is another word for rhuem or excess mucus. Alexander Wollcott punned on the word when he said an audience "strummed its catarrhs">

2. Put a stop in a fee? Charisma, Spanish style! (6)

Answer: duende

Put a stop (END) in a fee (DUE). Duende comes from the Spanish for "goblin" and means charm or magnetism, such as possessed by, say, Julio Inglesias.

3. A big cat belonging to this type of group makes for some big nerve! (8)

Answer: ganglion

Big cat (LION) belonging to group (GANG). A ganglion is a great nerve cluster (though it comes from a word for tumor).

4. This warrior group makes short work of irreverance! (4)

Answer: impi

Impiety shortened becomes impi, the Zulu group of armed warriors that battled the British army in 1879.

5. Hear nicknamed girl join famed movement in jeans, showing an unusual element! (10)

Answer: molybdenum

Girl (MO, short for Maureen) joins famed movement (LYB, for Woman's Lib) in jeans (denim or DENUM). Molybdenum is used in hardening steel and is vital to all plant life.

6. Put aliens inside an atomic strike and you get this Oriental object. (7)

Answer: netsuke

Put aliens (ETS) inside an atomic strike (NUKE in slang) and you get netsuke, the ornamental toggle the Japanese used to attach purses to the obi (sash) of their kimonos.

7. Mid-East country houses writer Lawrence and gold, Hibernian idiot! (8)

Answer: omadhaun

Mid-East country (OMAN) houses writer Lawrence (DH) and gold (AU). Omadhaun is a wonderful old Irish word for idiot that should be more prevalent!

8. Replace the writer and gold with a thousand pals in clue 7 and get someone to complain to! (9)

Answer: ombudsman

OMAN with M (Roman numeral for one thousand) and BUDS (pals). An ombudsman is an official in charge of handling complaints.

9. If back in yielding, an underside. (6)

Answer: soffit

IF back in yielding (SOFT). A soffit is the underside to such structures as staircases and corniches.

Answer: tchotchke

Click your tongue twice (TCH) on both sides of a ring (O) and before a truncated key (KE). Tchotchke is Yiddish for trinket and is one of my all-time favorite words! Chotchke and tsaake are alternate spellings.

Source: Author tjoebigham

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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