Add a Letter Posers IV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cane crane

A cane is also known as a walking stick, and the word can also refer to the woody stems of fruits such as the raspberry or blackberry. The word has been used in English since the mid fourteenth century and may have originally come from the Hebrew word for reed.

A crane is a long legged bird or a large machine used for lifting heavy items, for building or moving goods. The word itself has been in use since around 1000 AD - in Old English it was cran.

Answer: Print sprint

To print something usually refers to machine created impressions on paper, either of words or pictures, but it can also be used for writing by hand, especially when very legible writing is needed. The word passed into English from Old French - the past participle of preindre, meaning 'to press'.

A sprint is a very fast run over, usually, a short distance. Think of Usain Bolt to get an idea of just how fast a sprint can be. The word dates from the sixteenth century.

Answer: Burro burrow

A burro is a small donkey used for carrying goods. The name comes originally from the Latin word for a small horse, burricus, via the Spanish word for a donkey - burrico.

A burrow is created by animals and can be a series of underground passages, such as those used by rabbits, or just a small hole in the ground. Both are meant to provide shelter from predators. Despite the similarity between burro and burrow, the origin of the latter is different, coming from the Middle English word borow.

Answer: Caper camper

A caper is a jump in the air and can also refer to a prank carried out for fun. The derivation is believed to be from the word capriole which refers to a standing leap made by a horse.

A camper is someone living, usually only for a short time, in a tent. The word can also refer to a motor vehicle fitted out for holidays, although this is often called a campervan. The origin of the word is the Latin word for field, campus, which passed into English via Old French.

Answer: Order border

Order has several meanings, including the one given in the clue. I was interested to discover that command and order are not exact synonyms - a command tells you what to do while an order is a command which includes the sequence in which matters should be done. This latter sense ties in with the other uses of the word, meaning to keep things tidy.

A border can be a decorative trim on the edge of something or a demarcation line between countries. The word has been used since the Middle English period, having come into English from Old French.

Answer: Rand brand

The South African currency is the rand, short for Witwatersrand, where gold was discovered.

A brand can be a means of marking ownership, perhaps of cattle, although ear tags are more likely to be used in our more enlightened times. It can also refer to a name which has been registered for a particular product. The word comes from the Old English version of the Old High German word brant, meaning burn.

Answer: Cave crave

A cave is a fissure in rock, normally with a way out to the outside. The word comes originally from the Latin word cavus, meaning hollow, from Middle English via Old French.

To crave something is to have a desperate desire for it. The Middle English version was craven and prior to that it was crafian in Old English, meaning 'to beg'.

Answer: Rib crib

The ribs are the bones which form the chest and protect the vital organs, especially the heart. The word can also be used for any protective structure, such as the curved ribs of a ship's keel. The word is an Old English one, when it was spelled as ribb.

A crib normally has high sides to stop a baby or toddler falling out. In a different sense, to crib can be used for cheating, especially by copying someone else's work. This is also Old English - cribb.

Answer: Wave waive

Wave can be used for a hand gesture, or for the movement of tree branches in the wind. It can also mean a ridge of water in the sea or a curl in someone's hair. The Old English word was waifian, which became waven in Middle English.

Waive means to abandon, such as giving up your rights to an inheritance. The Middle English word was weiven, meaning abandon which came into English from Old French. Waif has the same derivation.

Answer: Waddle swaddle

To waddle refers to a walk where the body moves from side to side while taking short steps. The movement looks much like the way a duck moves on land. It has been used in English since Middle English times.

Swaddle means to wrap someone up tightly, and usually refers to babies being fully enclosed by, perhaps, a shawl to reduce their movement. In Old English, the word was swathian, giving us swathe which means pretty much the same as swaddle.