Every Picture Tells a Story #2 Quiz

Answer: Pioneer

Pioneers can be found any field of endeavour. For instance, Louis Pasteur and Edward Jenner were pioneers of vaccination, while Pablo Picasso was a pioneer of cubism. The USA launched several space probes called Pioneer which explored Jupiter and Saturn. These were launched on their trek between 1958 and 1973.

Answer: Cobblestone

If one was to be fastidious about the use of the word 'cobble', it would be restricted to any stone measuring 6-25 cm (2.5-10 in) in geologic terms. For most people though, we know the interchangeable terms cobble and cobblestone in reference to cobblestone streets. 'Cobble' originally referred to smooth, rounded stone which had been shaped by flowing water.

Cobblestone roads have the wonderful advantage of being useable year round, not creating mud or dust in different weather conditions. They can be quite noisy and bumpy though, so by the early 20th century, covering roads in asphalt and/or concrete had become the standard.

Answer: Phonetic

I was at a trivia night and the hostess asked a question about the 'phone tick' alphabet. It took a few seconds to realise she meant 'phonetic'. Phonetic comes to English from the Greek 'phōnein' which meant 'to speak'.

Answer: Silicone

Silicone (with an 'e') is a synthetic compound which contains silicon (no 'e') along with oxygen, hydrogen and/or other elements. Silicones have numerous properties which make them useful for many applications. They don't conduct heat, they are waterproof, they don't allow the growth of microorganisms, and they can be used in electrical applications as they are insulators rather than conductors.

Silicon dioxide, known as silica, is found in sand and sandstone, and is the base product from which silicone is made. And this is getting all rather silly now!

Answer: Stationer

Need some pens and papers, some envelopes, folders and the like? You'll find them all at a stationer. The word 'stationery' comes originally from Latin and meant a person was based at a military station. In the Middle Ages, many retailers moved from town to town selling their wares but certain items such as books were too heavy to transport and had a limited market outside of large towns, so those sellers had fixed premises. Being close to the universities of the time, these stores became known as stationarius, given the Latin name by the professors of the day. By the 14th century, the term 'stationer' was recorded for these retailers.

The Medieval book sellers didn't just sell books. They would bind and copy books (in the days before the printing press, this was all done by hand), and sell ink, pens and paper. Once printed books came into being, the business tended to become either a book seller or seller of the implements, hence the word stationer coming to mean a supplier of stationery.

Don't you just love etymology? I do. :-)

Answer: Marchioness

In days of yore, a marquess was entrusted with land on the edge of a territory. His responsibility was to defend the border against enemies of the territory. A count on the other hand, had lands inside the realm and wasn't as responsible for defending the kingdom. Hence, a marquess (whose land was called a march) had a higher ranking than a count. A marchioness may rule the roost on her own (in the same way a queen regnant would rule), or she may be married to a marquess.

Just in case you need to know, here are the rankings of royal, noble and chivalric ranks in descending order: Emperor, king, grand duke or grand prince, prince, duke, sovereign prince, marquess, count/earl, viscount, baron, baronet or hereditary knight and finally, a knight.

Answer: Moneybag

Unsurprisingly, a money bag is a bag which holds money. Nothing wrong with that. The more delicious option though is a tender ball of minced meat, spices, some finely diced herbs and vegetables placed on a fine pastry square. The corners are gathered together, the neck is tied, often with chives or similar, and the money bag is fried until crisp. Delicious with some sauce!

Moneybags is a character from one of the Spyro video games.

Answer: Honeymoon

I hate to be the one shatter any romantic illusions of the origins of the word 'honeymoon', but contrary to what you may have heard previously, it has nothing to do with newly married couples drinking a sweet drink every night for a month after their wedding.

The word honeymoon refers to the period in which a couple loves each other fervently until the reality sets in and the love begins to wane. Horribly cynical, but that meaning of honeymoon goes back to the 16th century when Richard Huloet wrote a jaundiced view of honeymoons, and probably further back than that.

Answer: Exonerate

To exonerate someone is to clear them of any blame. The word comes from 'ex' meaning 'from' and 'oner' or 'onus', meaning a burden. Being exonerated in a court of law doesn't necessarily mean you've been exonerated in the court of public opinion. A court requires a verdict beyond reasonable doubt so jurors may think a person is guilty but there isn't enough evidence to prove it. Public opinion, fuelled by media speculation and scuttlebutt, may vary from the official verdict.

Answer: Herringbone

A herringbone pattern takes the form of a 'V' when woven into fabric, knitted into a jumper, or even when bricks are laid in a 'V' formation for paving stones or in a wall. When woven into a fabric, the pattern is often quite fine and from that pattern comes the name as there is a resemblance to a herring's skeleton - one with many fine bones arising from the backbone.