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Upwords & Downwords XIII Trivia Quiz

Starting with a seven letter word, lose a letter and anagram the remaining letters to get the next answer. When you're down to two letters, start adding up.

A multiple-choice quiz by JCSon. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
JCSon

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
291,192

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
589

Question 1 of 10

1. Overindulgence, excessive amount

Answer: (One word, seven letters)

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Question 2 of 10

2. Trouble or antagonism

Answer: (One word, six letters)

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Question 3 of 10

3. Letter finisher

Answer: (One word, five letters)

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Question 4 of 10

4. Booty, or the seizure of it; confused fire

Answer: (One word, four letters)

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Question 5 of 10

5. A popular yuletide Douglas

Answer: (One word, three letters)

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Question 6 of 10

6. Kipling poem

Answer: (One word, two letters)

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Question 7 of 10

7. Expression of disgust or outrage; a favorite of Shakespeare's

Answer: (One word, three letters)

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Question 8 of 10

8. Liver, in culinary terms

Answer: (One word, four letters)

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Question 9 of 10

9. Mental illness or disorder

Answer: (One word, five letters)

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Question 10 of 10

10. Minor character flaw or deficit

Answer: (One word, six letters)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Overindulgence, excessive amount

Answer: surfeit

'Surfeit' may also refer to the sickness or condition resulting from overindulgence.

It is said that King Henry I of England died of a surfeit of lampreys in 1135.

2. Trouble or antagonism

Answer: strife

Archaically, 'strife' was used to signify a vigorous effort, or striving.

3. Letter finisher

Answer: serif

Serifs are small lines added to the main strokes of letters and symbols (usually in printed media) for clarification or detailing. An example is the small horizontal line added to the base of the letter 'i', or to the main stroke of the letter 'l'.

Sans serif ('without serif') texts are sometimes considered more legible for computer usage.

4. Booty, or the seizure of it; confused fire

Answer: reif

'Reif' derives from the Old English 'reaf' and is related to the more familiar 'reave' or 'bereave'. It is considered an obsolete form.

It is an anagram of the word 'fire', hence the hint, "confused fire".

5. A popular yuletide Douglas

Answer: fir

The Douglas fir is one of the most popular Christmas tree species in the United States. It has been a major selection in the Pacific Northwest region since the 1920s.

6. Kipling poem

Answer: If

Rudyard Kipling, in his autobiographical "Something of Myself", credited Dr. Leander Starr Jameson for inspiring "If". Jameson led about 500 British troops in a failed raid against the Boers in South Africa. This raid was considered a major contributing factor to the start of the Boer War.

"If" is a an inspirational and motivational verse that discusses personal integrity and self-development, morality and right action.

7. Expression of disgust or outrage; a favorite of Shakespeare's

Answer: fie

From Shakespeare's Hamlet:

"...How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this!..."

(I,ii)

It seems that Hamlet, in the throes of frustration and bitter depression, condemns the world as contemptible, and as contributing to a fruitless existence.

8. Liver, in culinary terms

Answer: foie

'Foie gras' is French for 'fat liver'. It generally refers to the liver of a duck or goose that has been fattened by gavage (force-feeding).

9. Mental illness or disorder

Answer: folie

'Folie' is said to be a more neutral term than 'mental illness'. It is closely related to the word 'folly'.

Folie a deux is a rare psychiatric disorder in which psychotic symptoms (such as paranoia and delusions) are shared (transmitted) between two individuals.

10. Minor character flaw or deficit

Answer: foible

In fencing, 'foible' refers to the weakest part of the blade of a sword, located between the middle and the point.

Source: Author JCSon

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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This quiz is part of series Upwords/Downwords 3:

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