From Peak to Peak Musically Trivia Quiz

Answer: chromatic

Chromatic can be applied to either colors or the musical scale where the progression is by semitones or modified tones. For example, going from A to A sharp or A flat. Chromatic comes from the Greek root chroma meaning color but its musical meaning (ca 1590) pre-dates its application to colors (ca 1830).

Answer: thoracic

Thoracic comes from the Greek thorakikos which comes from the Greek root thorax. In medicine, specifically surgery, thoracic is combined with cardio to make cardiothoracic surgery. This involves surgery on the organs and/or vessels contained within the chest, most notably the heart and lungs.

Answer: chariot

The earliest known relics of the war chariot can be traced back to 2,000 BC in modern Russia and Kazakhstan, and arose because of the invention of the spoked wheel. Some scholars argue, however, that chariots developed in the Near East around the same time. But evidence of this only dates back to the 1600s BC and no further.

Answer: aortic

The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It goes from the heart down into the abdomen where it bisects into the two common iliacs. Anything that relates to the aorta is called aortic.

Answer: actor

One of the most notorious actors in history was John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln. John assumed after the assassination he would be portrayed sympathetically as, in his opinion, Brutus was in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar". But the ties to the play run even deeper.

His father was actually named after Brutus, his name was Junius Brutus Booth, Sr. There is also a famous picture of John along with his brothers, Edwin and Junius, Jr., in costume during the performance of the play in New York in 1864. John's expectations were completely misguided and he was hunted down as a common cutthroat, a fact he lamented in his diary after the assassination.

Answer: coat

Coat is an interesting word because of its different meanings. A coat can be an outer garment worn to provide warmth, it can be the hair on the hide of an animal that also provides warmth, it can be a layer of something applied like paint, and it can be a mucous layer coating a part of the body like the tongue.

It can also be a verb meaning to apply a layer of something like paint or varnish, and it can mean to cover thickly.

Answer: tao

Tao is one transliteration of the Chinese word for way or path. Dao is also used. Taoism or Daoism was developed by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu over 4000 years ago. Acupuncture grew out of this philosophy and the theory of qi or chi.

Answer: to

To is a preposition that is very versatile. Dictionary.com lists 22 definitions for it as a preposition and another four for its use as an adverb. It is also the internet domain for Tonga.

Answer: ort

Ort is one of those words you run into quite often if you do very many crossword puzzles. It is a nice short word with a definition that makes for a short clue. As an acronym, ORT meant the bombing campaign of North Vietnam by the US during the Vietnam War that lasted from 1965 to 1968. It stood for Operation Rolling Thunder.

Answer: rots

The verb form of rot comes from Old English, and that from German before 900. Interestingly, the noun form of rot probably is from Scandinavian origin circa 1300. One of the most famous quotes with a form of this word would be "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" from "Hamlet".

Answer: store

"The Store" is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Thomas Sigismund Stribling. Written in 1932, it won the prize in 1933. It is the second novel in a trilogy that also includes "The Forge" and "Unfinished Cathedral". "The Forge" was the first novel and it was set during the American Civil War. "The Store" takes place during reconstruction. "Unfinished Cathedral" takes place during the 1920s.

The three books follow the lives of the Vaiden family.

Answer: tenors

The Three Tenors were Spaniards Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, and Italian Luciano Pavarotti who joined forces in the 1990s. Their collaboration was a huge commercial success and they brought classical and operatic music to the masses who may not have otherwise heard it.

Answer: orients

The verb orient came to its more modern meaning of determining one's bearings in the mid-1880s (1842-1850). Orienteering is a family of sports that evolved from military training in which officers had to find their way from point A to point B with only a map and a compass. From there it spread to civilians.

In 1961, the International Orienteering Federation was formed to govern the sport.

Answer: senorita

"Senorita" is a 2003 song by Justin Timberlake in which he sings about falling for a brown-eyed girl. The song is an R&B song with a Latin flavor very much fitting the title.

Answer: baritones

The term baritone developed ca 1600 in Italy to describe any male singing voice. Its meaning today of a voice slightly higher than a bass but lower than a tenor came about in the 1700s and was established by 1821. In the 1700s operatic parts were being written for baritones. Gilbert and Sullivan featured baritone roles in many of their musicals.

There have also been many famous non-classical baritones throughout the years. These include Bing Crosby, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Jimi Hendricks, Ringo Starr, Elvis, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few.