Don't Bug Me! Word Game Trivia Quiz

Answer: cricket

The Asians revere the cricket and collect their cages. They are considered good luck creatures in many cultures. Sometimes precious materials such as gold and ivory are used for these cages. The origin of the name of the game is debated. There doesn't seem to be any relation to the insect, but instead an Indian origin. And where would a discussion of the cricket without chirping?

Answer: butterfly

Butter + fly = butterfly.
The metamorphosis of the butterfly has long fascinated observers. The origin of the word in English is most often said to come from the belief that it stole milk or butter! Butterfly gardening is practiced more and more, with regional plant varieties planted to attract specific butterflies. This seems much better than the custom of catching them and using their wings for ornaments!

Answer: mantis

Man + t'is = mantis. The praying mantis is another insect that has generated legends because of its benign appearance and ferocious appetite. Some say that it prays towards Mecca, others say that you can find your way home if you go the direction it points. One interesting thing that recent research has found is that they have a hollow place in their bodies that reacts to protect themselves from their main predator, the bat.

Answer: beetle

Beat + L = beetle. The scarab beetle was revered by the Egyptians as sacred. This is why its image appears on jewelry. It actually represents the Sun God Ra (God of crossword puzzlers?).

Answer: flea

Flee=flea. Did you know that flea circuses actually exist? Though skeptics claim there are magnets beneath the tables, some trainers manage to make them pull tiny wagons and play soccer! By the way, the flea market probably got its name from the dubious quality of the merchandise one might purchase there, and it's the same in French, "le marché aux puces" or "puces" for short.

A "puce" in French means flea and the smart card technology as well, the electronic insert in the bank card.

Answer: dragonfly

dragon + fly= dragonfly. There is actually a British Dragonfly society that studies these fascinating creatures in their natural habitats. The damselfly is also studied. One type of dragonfly has a 19 cm wingspan! Some of them have been clocked at 30 mph!

Answer: hornet

Horn + net= hornet. The hornet belongs to the hymenoptera family and actually does not bother stinging humans except for self preservation. They are actually "social wasps". One of the most common varieties encountered in the US is the "bald faced hornet". The one thing to avoid is what gives them their fighsty reputation, messing with their nests!

Answer: spider

spied + her=spider. The "Daddy long legs" spider's bite is one of the most benign, its real name pholcidae. There was an Urban Legend about its venom being very poisonous but it was dispelled by "Myth Busters". Turns out the fangs are barely able to pierce the human skin and it produces a very mild sensation when they do. I've spared you the Black Widow description here.

Answer: mosquito

musk + ski + toe: mosquito. As most people know by now, it's not the mosquitoes making noise that you need to worry about, but the females looking for some blood to feed their young. A bit of research about the Vitamin B, bananas and or garlic scaring them away hasn't proved successful or conclusive. Some tribes do rub banana skins on themselves to scare off the mosquitoes though.
The name for mosquito comes from the Spanish diminutive for fly or mosca.

Answer: locust

Low + cussed = locust. In the Bible, God sent a plague of these creatures to the Egyptians to punish them, so they'd "let the children of Israel go." They do fly in flocks that look like dark clouds.