A Diquiz to Die For

Answer: dime

A dime is a ten-cent coin in both the U.S. and in Canada. The U.S. version features President Franklin D. Roosevelt on one side and a design involving torches and olive branches on the other; the Canadian one has the Queen as "heads" and a schooner as "tails." Both are the tiniest coins of their nations (about 18 mm or 0.7 inches in diameter), making them useful not only in transactions but also in colorful metaphors.

For example, if I am boasting about my car's brakes, I might claim that it can "stop on a dime!"

Answer: diverse

A verse tells a portion of the story: it's a stanza or section of a poem or song. Diversity, meanwhile refers to the presence of many disparate elements; for example, a diverse group of people might include individuals of several faiths, ethnic backgrounds and walks of life.

A single verse, or even a whole poem, is unlikely to be particularly diverse. But if it's possible, I leave diverse verse as a challenge to the player!

Answer: dilute

In days of yore, guests at a banquet would have smiled when a bard brought out a lute and began to sing, but they would certainly not have smiled had they found their drinks to be diluted, or watered down! Dilution was never as happy an event as the appearance of two lutes would have been.

Answer: distance

It is, of course, possible to adjust one's stance so as to increase the distance between feet, but at a certain point one will simply fall over. Perhaps this is why the stance-based system of measurement (centistance, distance, kilostance, etc) never really caught on.

Answer: dilate

The pupils of our eyes dilate, or widen, in low-light conditions in order to allow more light into the eye. (This can also be achieved with chemical help: eye doctors dilate pupils to get a good look inside, an effect which lasts for hours.) There is currently no conclusive evidence linking dilation to a failure to be on time (i.e., late); sadly, this is not a well-studied area.

Answer: divan

Although some passenger vans do have comfortable seating, we can safely predict that a divan -- a type of couch with no back, sometimes doubling as a bed -- will be more comfortable than any two vans put together. (Well, that's for one person: if those two vans are seating twenty-four passengers, they may find themselves a bit cramped on the divan!)

Answer: distill

The distillation process -- by which liquids as varied as water, vinegar, and whisky are highly purified via boiling -- is not necessarily still or quiet. Instead, it shares its root with another type of still: the vessel used to distill these liquids.

A still always contains a boiler, a condenser (for returning vapors to a liquid state), and a receiver to collect the purified condensate. Some stills are less official than others; illegal ones are generally used to make illicit alcohol, or moonshine. Who knew "di-" words could be associated with such troublemakers?

Answer: diagnostic

The words "agnostic" and "diagnostic" both stem from the same Greek word -- "gnosis," meaning "knowledge" -- but their meanings are quite different. An agnostic is without knowledge of the existence of God, believing that the answer to such a question is not known, and perhaps cannot be known.

A diagnostic is a tool for asking questions: it's a test or rubric used for identifying problems, from human health to software function, but as far as I know there's no diagnostic for faith.

Answer: diode

An ode is a form of lyrical poem, often a meditation on an object, a concept, or perhaps an attractive individual. Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is a famous example of the modern form. The poet's thoughts may ramble in any direction, but the electronic device called a "diode," far from doubling this profusion, is notable for allowing electrical current to flow in only one direction.

Answer: divine

Something "divine" is by definition godly, or so magnificent as to be something a deity might be proud to associate with. (It is no surprise that it is often applied to chocolate.) No matter how much the winemakers of the world might protest, however, a pair of grape vines -- even very fine ones, destined for a noble purpose -- do not quite equate to divinity yet.