I'm Missing Trivia Quiz

Answer: birthright

'Birth' comes through Middle English from the Old Norse word 'byrth'. 'Right' is related to the Latin 'rectus' meaning 'ruled'.

The book of Genesis in the Bible tells the story of how Esau, who was starving after a day out, asked his brother, Jacob, for a bowl of the stew he was cooking. Jacob, the younger twin, only agreed to let Esau have it in exchange for his birthright, so Jacob became Isaac's heir.

Answer: civility

'Civility' has its origins in the Latin word 'civis' - a citizen.

In his inaugural address in January 1961, President Kennedy said, "So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."

Answer: district

The origin of the word 'district' is the Latin word 'distringere' which means to draw apart.

Districts in countries can vary in size, both within a country, and from one country to another. They may refer to an area managed by local government such as Strathclyde in Scotland or Birmingham in England, or to a congressional district in the USA. It can also refer to a geographical area such as the Peak District in Derbyshire in the UK.

Answer: first

The Old English word 'fyrest' is of Germanic origin.

The word 'first' can also be used to designate the best (e.g. a first class degree), most senior (such as a first lieutenant) or the highest part in a piece of music.

Answer: Gigi

The story of "Gigi" was based on a 1944 novella by Colette. It was first filmed in 1949, and adapted for the stage in 1951. Leslie Caron played the title role in the 1958 film, which won the Oscar for 'Best Picture'. It featured songs by Lerner and Loewe, which were arranged and conducted by André Previn. Well known songs include "Thank Heaven for Little Girls", "I Remember It Well" and "The Night They Invented Champagne".

Answer: highlight

The word 'highlight' comes from two Old English words 'hëah' and 'lëoht', both of Germanic origin.

The word can also refer to the most outstanding part of a performance, for example. In the plural it often describes part of the hair which has been dyed in a paler shade than the rest.

Answer: jinx

The word appeared in the twentieth century in the United States of America; it probably comes from 'jynx' meaning 'wryneck', which was a bird used in sorcery and witchcraft.

It should not be confused with 'jinks', usually high, which are antics often seen at drinking parties. A 'jink' is a sudden change in direction.

Answer: kidskin

Kidskin is leather which has been made from a young goat. Because it is soft and light, it is particularly suitable for making gloves.

Answer: livid

The word 'livid' comes through Middle English and French from the Latin word 'livere' meaning 'to be bluish'. It can also be used to describe dark inflamed skin.

I find it interesting that all the letters of the word are Roman numerals - L = 50, I = 1, V = 5 and D = 500.

Answer: minim

The origin of the word is the Latin 'minimus' meaning smallest, which is interesting, since a one beat note is a crotchet, a half-beat is a quaver, and they can be further divided into semiquavers, demisemiquavers etc.

The word is also used for a small ancient Roman coin and to refer to a sixtieth of a fluid dram.

Answer: niggling

'To niggle' meaning to cause slight but persistence annoyance or to find fault in a petty way, is of seventeenth century Scandinavian origin.

'Niggling' is often used to describe pain such as toothache.

Answer: pippin

Cox's Orange Pippin is probably the best known of the apples with Pippin in their name, but there are many others - Allington Pippin, Arlington Pippin, Baddow Pippin, Beeley Pippin, Beverley Pippin, Broad-eyed or Holland Pippin, Christmas Pippin, Fall Pippin, Fearn's Pippin, Five Crown Pippin, Golden Pippin, Hauer Pippin, Herrings Pippin, Kerry Pippin, King's Acre Pippin, Kirton Pippin, Lemon Pippin, New Rock Pippin, Newtown or Albermarle Pippin, Park's Pippin, Pine Golden Pippin, Red Pippin, Ribston Pippin, Saint Edmund's Pippin, Scarlet Pippin, Strawberry Pippin, Sturmer Pippin, Tallow Pippin, Wyken Pippin and Yellow Newtown.

In North America a 'pippin' is an excellent person or thing.

Answer: rhinitis

The word is derived from the Greek word 'rhin' meaning nose.

The inflammation may be due to a viral infection such as the common cold, or to an allergy like hayfever.

Answer: shilling

'Shilling' is of Germanic origin from the word 'scilling'.

The shilling was one twentieth of a pound. After decimilisation in February 1971, the pound stayed the same, but it was divided into one hundred new pence, each worth 2.4 of the old pennies. British schoolchildren used to be very good at both twelve times and twenty times tables. The shilling is still used as the unit of currency in parts of east Africa.

Answer: thirst

The word 'thirst' is from the Old English 'thurst' and is of Germanic origin. By extension it can refer to a desire for other things, such as a thirst for knowledge.

In her poem "Feast", Pulitzer prize-winner Edna St. Vincent Millay writes
"I drank at every vine.
The last was like the first.
I came upon no wine
So wonderful as thirst."

Answer: visiting

The origin of the word is from Middle English through Old French from the Latin 'visitare' meaning to go to see. It refers to a temporary sojourn with someone socially.

In her poem, "Silence", Marianne Moore writes
"My father used to say,
'Superior people never make long visits,'"
I wonder if the family suffered from people outstaying their welcome and agreed with Benjamin Franklin that "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days".

Answer: within

'Within' comes from the Old English word 'withinnan' meaning on the inside.

"Within" is also the title of an American movie from 2009 about Rachel, a girl who can see evil spirits inside other people.

Answer: xi

Xi is the fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is transliterated as 'X'.

In mathematics 'xi' is used for the damping ratio. 'Xi' can also be a very useful word in the game of Scrabble.

Answer: Yiddish

'Yiddish' is a nineteenth century word from the German for 'Jewish'.

Many Yiddish words are used in everyday English, such as bagel (a ring shaped bread), glitch (a malfunction) and klutz ( a clumsy person).

Answer: zip

'Zip' is short for zipper or zip fastener. As an American postal code, 'ZIP' is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan.

'Zip' can also be a word meaning to move quickly. In computing it's a term for compressing files to use less storage space.