Mixed Up Idioms 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: A diamond is forever

This expression is actually an advertisement for De Beers Diamonds, a large diamond MINING and retail organisation which had businesses in almost thirty different countries by the turn of the 21st century. The advertisement first appeared in "The Chronicle Telegram" newspaper in Ohio, in 1950. Prior to that, the expression was used in the 1925 work "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" by Anita Loos in which one of that characters states "So I really think that American gentlemen are the best after all, because kissing your hand may make you feel very very good but a diamond and safire (sic) bracelet lasts forever".

Answer: A fish out of water

If one is feeling like "a fish out of water" that person is in a situation completely unfamiliar to them and in which he or she feels uncomfortable and unsure of what to do next, or what is expected. This saying dates at least back to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" which he is believed to have written between 1386 and 1389.

In the prologue to this work he writes "...a monk when he is cloisterless; is like to a fish that is waterless".

Answer: Foregone conclusion

A foregone conclusion is an inevitable decision or ending to something that doesn't need any facts to back it up really, because the result is already common knowledge. An example of this could be - even though one is innocent until proven guilty - a guilty verdict being brought against a defendant in a trial, against whom the evidence is overwhelming.

Answer: Hard

This is a more recent phrase that first appeared in the 1918 song "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" by Eddie Green in which the singer bemoans the difficulty in finding a decent hard-working man these days. Sold for ninety cents, some of the rather depressing lyrics include the following:

"A good man is hard to find
You always get the other kind
Just when you think that he is your pal
You look for him and find him fooling 'round some other gal
Then you rave, you even crave
To see him laying in his grave
So, if your man is nice, take my advice
And hug him in the morning, kiss him ev'ry night,
Give him plenty lovin', treat him right
For a good man nowadays is hard to find,
A good man nowadays is hard to find."

Answer: A little bird

"A little bird told me" or, in the case of this question, "A little bird", is an expression that means somebody has well and truly blabbed about something that is supposed to be confidential or a secret. Tsk. This term is believed to date back to the biblical times and the KJV version of Ecclesiastes 10-20, where it is stated "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter".

Answer: A man after my own heart

This is not a romantic term by any means, but "A man (or woman) after my own heart" refers to a kindred spirit, some person with whom you are in complete agreement. Surprisingly this dates right back to the Bible (KJV) and Samuel 13:14, where it states that "But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee".

Answer: A nation of shopkeepers

This semi-insulting term refers to people from England and England in general. Napoleon Bonaparte made use of the term in in his long term engagements against the English when he dismissed the idea that that nation would be capable of defeating France in battle - but the term appeared in print several times earlier than that.

It is, for example, found in Adam Smith's 1776 "Wealth of Nations" in which he writes "To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers, may at first sight, appear a project fit only for a nation of shopkeepers.

It is, however, a project altogether unfit for a nation of shopkeepers, but extremely fit for a nation whose government is influenced by shopkeepers."

Answer: A penny for your thoughts

"A penny for your thoughts" is a question one usually asks of a person who is deeply absorbed in private contemplation, to invite them to share what they are thinking. Though in use some time prior to this, it first appeared in print circa 1534 in Sir Thomas More's "A Treatyce upon the last thynges" in which he states "In such wise yt not wtoute som note & reproch of suche vagaraunte mind, other folk sodainly say to them: a peny for your thought." If, like me, you have trouble understanding any of that, it has been roughly translated as "When people notice that someone appears disengaged and wish them to rejoin the conversation they ask 'a penny for your thoughts'.")

Answer: Rose

"A rose is a rose is a rose" is thought to mean that, however you may dress up a subject with fancy words, or decorate a plain old room, or drape all the fineries and make up you wish onto a ordinary sort of person, underneath all those trimmings the essence of the subject, the room and the person remain unchanged. Gertrude Stein's 1922 poem "Sacred Emily" gives us a weird version of this with the words "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, Loveliness extreme. Extra gaiters, Loveliness extreme, Sweetest ice-cream, Pages ages page ages page ages". I think she was in her cups when she wrote that fine piece of peculiarity, but apparently she was trying to convey the impression that a thing once written about by the great poets was really there, but memory had changed it into something else. Fortunately, Shakespeare has given us an earlier translation with his "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" in "Romeo and Juliet" when Juliet argues that although Romeo is from the hated house of Montague, Montague is only a name and doesn't represent the real Romeo.

Answer: A shot in the arm

The idiom "A shot in the arm" has nothing to do with bullets or gangsters or violence of any kind. It refers to a health giving or protecting injection of some kind into a person or organisation's life - or even a needed boost of some kind into a venture that is in danger of failing.

The "shot" part of this term refers to a needle. When used literally, it IS usually given in the arm. Used figuratively, it means assistance of some kind.