What's a Name In? (Part 17) Trivia Quiz

Answer: pinnacle

The CLIMAX is the highest point or pinnacle of something that is progressing or developing. The sense of the word CLIMAX that came to be associated with a "sexual orgasm" originated in 1880, most likely from Marie Stopes (1880-1958) who was a prominent birth-control pioneer at that time. They felt that perhaps CLIMAX was an easier word to deal with for people than "orgasm".

Answer: to name again

To RECHRISTEN something is to rename it. The word originates from the Old English "cristnian" which meant to baptize; predictably it meant literally "to make Christian." It was around the 1500s that the general sense of the word emerged to mean renaming something not necessarily Christian.

Answer: expressing gratitude

To be THANKFUL is to expressing one's gratitude, one's appreciation for what they have or were given. Astronaut Jim Lovell of the famous Apollo 13 mission once said, "Be THANKFUL for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job."

Answer: short poem

The LIMERICK is a short five line poem with the rhyme scheme AABBA. An example:
There was a young woman Olivia
Who was said to have hailed from Bolivia
Said she with great glee
"It should be easy to see
That I love the web site Funtrivia!"

Answer: humor writer

A SATIRIST writes humorously sarcastic pieces that seek to ultimately teach us lessons about the ills of society. One of the very earliest SATIRISTS was the Roman writer Lucilius who criticized literature and society by writing satirical verses in hexameter. He picked on political scandals of the day, but unfortunately very little of his writing has become known to us today.

Answer: Canadian region

LABRADOR comprises the mainland portion of the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec lies to the west and south of it. Labrador is named after the Portuguese explorer Joćo Fernandes Lavrador, who from 1498 to 1499 explored the coastlines of the Labrador Peninsula.

Answer: taking off one's clothes

DISROBING is when a person is removing their clothing. Humorist David Sedaris once wrote, "I find it ridiculous to assign a gender to an inanimate object incapable of disrobing and making an occasional fool of itself. Why refer to lady crack pipe or good sir dishrag when these things could never live up to all that their sex implied?" You might know David's sister--she's the comic actress Amy Sedaris who starred in "Strangers With Candy".

Answer: au pairs

NANNIES, like au pairs, are caregivers to young children. I was a nanny, or manny myself to my little nephew when he was born. That funny term dates back roughly to the early part of this millennium. Some of the early references found are around 2005. The word nanny dates back to the early 18th century, being a pet form of the name Ann.

Answer: scandalous

DISGRACEFUL means despicably unacceptable, shocking in a ethically negative way.
The ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus wrote, "If a man suffers ill, let it be without shame; for this is the only profit when we are dead. You will never say a good word about deeds that are evil and disgraceful. If a man suffers ill, let it be without shame." Aeschylus is often called The Father of Tragedy.

Answer: end

Well the cute thing about this last word is that the correct answer can apply to either of the two words that probably occurred to you when you saw the missing-lettered-word. If you assumed it was the word CURTAIL, then the word end is synonymous with that, and if you saw the word as CURTAIN, well then we can think of "end" as also describing that word as when the curtain comes down to end a play.