SNOW: A Four Letter Word Trivia Quiz

Answer: snowing

Howard Nemerov wrote a short poem with the proportionately long title "Because You Asked about the Line Between Prose and Poetry" that uses the "moment when you couldn't tell" when freezing rain turned into snow as a metaphor for that fine line between literary genres. The poem is easy to find. Read it!

Answer: sowing

The painting I chose to illustrate this question is "Der Saemann" ("The Sower") by Austrian artist Peter Fendi (1796-1842). Fendi is known as a "genre" painter, and this image epitomizes that sort of idealized rustic scene. I like that the sower's bag of seeds resembles a swaddled baby in this picture.

Answer: gowns

"The Milkmaid's Garland, or Humours of May Day" by Francis Hayman was painted in 1741-42 in England to decorate an outdoor structure used for parties at Spring Gardens, Vauxhall. Hayman's paintings essentially served as the walls of elegant tents for socialites.

It's unlikely that real milkmaids would have had such fine silken garments as they wear in the painting, but they would have celebrated May Day, marking the disappearance of the winter snows and the coming of spring by dancing in their best dresses, competing for prizes collected from customers as they paraded through the town.

Answer: song

The 1898 painting of a "café singer" illustrating this question is by Edgar Degas. She seems to be belting it out with feeling, doesn't she?

Answer: son

The son in the photograph seems to be enjoying a trip to the aquarium with his dad. Maybe it's a Father's Day outing. Father's Day, now celebrated in many countries, began in 1910 in the United States, inspired by the popularity of Mother's Day. A daughter of a Civil War veteran who brought up six children alone wanted to honor her nurturing father in the same way mothers were being honored, and she was supported in her efforts by tie manufacturers and others who sold traditional men's items.

In the U.S. more gifts for men are purchased for Father's Day than for any holiday other than Christmas.

But don't get Dad a tie.

Answer: nose

Pinocchio, created in a children's novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi, was voiced by Dickie Jones in the Disney animated version of the story. In both the book and the movie, the wooden puppet Pinocchio begins with a short nose that grows when he is feeling guilty about something, especially lying. Pinocchio is the subject of several pieces of outdoor sculpture around the world, including the one I have used here.

Another character with a long nose is Cyrano de Bergerac, a character based on a real 17th century person, made famous again in an 1897 play by Edmond Rostand. Cyrano woos the beautiful Roxane for a handsome friend, even though he is in love with her, too.

Answer: pones

The picture shows pieces of cornbread, but pones actually would look more like pancakes or scones. Cornpones are a simple quick bread, traditionally made with cornmeal, salt, baking powder, milk, and bacon drippings; unlike cornbread, cornpones usually don't include eggs. Early Native Americans made pones with only cornmeal and water. Cornbread is baked, but batter for pones is scooped onto a hot, oiled cast iron skillet or griddle.

In urban slang, the word "cornpone" is a term of ridicule for a country bumpkin, but that's just rude.

Answer: sponge

Good likeness, but where are the square pants?

Answer: pigeons

There are around 310 species of doves and pigeons, and they vary from turkey-sized to sparrow-sized. The rock pigeon, the familiar feral bird city folk know only too well, has long been a domesticated species, kept as homing pigeons, racing pigeons, and carrier pigeons. Most pigeons are monogamous and have two offspring at a time.

Answer: exposing

Aren't you glad I cropped the picture? Let's just say that Santa Claus would be embarrassed otherwise. Not judging, of course. After all, snow is a four-letter word.