Picture Phrases Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black sheep of the family

The black sheep is the disreputable or odd member of the family.

These particular sheep are from a small hardy breed known as Hebridean after the archipelago lying to the west of Scotland. It has a short tail and both males and females have horns, sometimes four or more.

Answer: Red tape

Red tape usually equates to excessive bureaucracy.

The photo is of a cassette tape or compact cassette, a technology using a magnetic tape typically for recording music on. It had its heyday during the 1970s and 1980s.

Answer: Have a yellow streak

It is not clear how the colour came to be synonymous with cowardice and treachery. Some link it to the four humours from the Middle Ages, which (it was believed) determined the mental and physical state of people. These were blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. Whatever the source, the association has a long history.

Answer: Silver screen

The term comes from the 1920s when metal was used in the screen-making process to improve the reflectivity of the screen. This sometimes literally involved silver dust being stuck to the screen. The name has become synonymous with the film industry.

Answer: Green belt

Benefits put forward for green belts (agricultural or wild areas near urban areas) include giving city folk easy access to country areas, protecting the environment and providing cities with cleaner air and water. There are biblical references to such areas so the idea has a long history.

Answer: Paint the town red

Another phrase with several potential origins. The preferred one attributes the red colour to the light cast by celebratory fires rather than paint. Either way, the expression means to go out and celebrate.

Answer: Black gold

The term 'black gold' has been applied to a few things such as coal, oil and even coffee. In this sense it is generally something considered valuable (like the metal gold) which is black in colour.

Answer: As white as a sheet

This phrase is best described as a simile. 'As white as a ghost' is similar although the photo showing some paper points to 'a sheet'.

Answer: Red herring

The background to this phrase, according to some sources, can be traced to dog training. Strongly smoked kipper, as well as being reddish, smells. When training dogs to follow scent, a smelly kipper is a useful way to lay a false trail. If properly trained, the dog will ignore the false trail and stick to the scent it is meant to follow.

Answer: Black and white

The phrase, meaning clear-cut, is likely based on the contrast between the colours. They are opposites. The same sort of logic applies to 'grey area', being a mix of black and white.