Double-duty Words Starting with J Quiz

Answer: Joey

The television series 'Friends' ran from 1994 to 2004. Set in New York, it followed the lives of six friends, of whom the character Joey Tribbiani was one. He was played by the actor Matt LeBlanc, who also played the same character in a spin-off series entitled 'Joey', which ran between 2004 and 2006.

When born a baby kangaroo is only a few centimetres in length and has no hair but it immediately manages to climb into its mother's pouch. Once there it starts to suckle and stays there for some six months until it has developed enough to come out into the world, although it may not leave the pouch entirely for at least another month.

Answer: Joy

Joy and her sisters Babs and Teddie formed the English singing group, The Beverley Sisters, which had a number of successful records, mainly during the 1950s. Later three of their daughters formed their own group, The Foxes. They were less successful than their mothers had been but their existence rekindled interest in The Beverley Sisters, who subsequently made a number of appearances. In 2002 they entered the 'Guinness Book of Records' as the longest lasting vocal group to still contain the original line-up.

The word 'joy' was apparently derived from the Old French word 'joie', which in turn came from the Latin word 'gaudia', which itself was derived from the even earlier Proto-Indo-European root word 'gau' meaning 'rejoice'.

Answer: Jade

Jade Goody was very well-known in the UK. Originally coming to public attention through her appearance in the television programme 'Big Brother' in 2002, Jade went on to have her own shows as well as appearing on other reality programmes. She died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 27 and the publicity she allowed to be given to her illness was believed to have accounted for many more young women having tests for cancer than had previously been the case.

The mineral jade is a semiprecious mineral which is mainly green but can also come in shades of pink and brown. It had been popular in parts of Asia, particularly in China, from ancient times, being used for jewellery and to decorate different objects. It was also mined and worked by the original inhabitants of Central America and New Zealand.

Answer: Josh

Josh Hartnett is an American actor who began his career as a television actor then started appearing in horror films of different kinds from 1998 onwards. He later resumed his television career too, starring in the horror series 'Penny Dreadful' between 2014 and 2016. Josh also starred in well-known films of other types, including 'Pearl Harbour' and 'Black Hawk Down' which were both released in 2001.

The word 'josh' in the sense of 'make fun of', 'tease' or 'banter with' seems to have come into use in the USA towards the middle of the nineteenth century. There appear to be two theories about its origin with some sources suggesting it was derived from the name 'Joshua', and others that it may have been a corruption of the word 'joke'.

Answer: Jess

Jess Conrad is an English singer and actor who has had a long career. As an actor he has had roles in a number of films from the 1950s onwards and appeared in stage shows during the 1970s. He recorded a number of successful records, mainly in the 1960s. Since the 1980s he has appeared in occasional television shows and was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) medal in 2011 for his work for charities.

A jess is a strap tied around the leg of a falcon or hawk and either held by a falconer or used to tether the bird to a perch. The word has a long history as it is believed to have come into English from the Old French term 'ges/gez' during the first half of the fourteenth century.

Answer: Job

The Book of Job in the Bible's Old Testament shows that the eponymous Job was a well-off man who believed in God. Goaded by a figure named as 'satan', God permitted this figure to take away Job's health, wealth and children. Job retained his faith in God, even though he did not understand why God had allowed him to be treated badly. Eventually God restored to Job more than had been taken away.

A job is another, less formal word for a specific task or a particular piece of work or for the type of employment someone has. The word is believed to have come into use during the Late Middle English period of the fifteenth century.

Answer: Jenny

Jenny Lind (1829 to 1887) was a famous Swedish opera singer, who became known as 'The Swedish Nightingale'. She first appeared on stage when she was ten and from the late 1830s until the end of the 1840s she sang in venues in Scandinavia and other European countries. In 1850 she began a two-year tour of the USA and gave her profits to charities, then returned to give some concerts in Europe, settling in England in 1855.

Not only a female donkey but also a female wren and a female owl are known as a jenny. A spinning-jenny is a machine enabling several threads of yarn to be spun at the same time and was invented in England in 1764 by James Hargreaves.

Answer: John

John Travolta has had a long career as an actor, appearing in the television show, 'Welcome Back, Kotter', between 1975 and 1979 and in many films of different kinds. Beginning with a minor part in the 1975 film 'The Devil's Rain', he quickly moved on to starring roles in the 1977 'Saturday Night Fever' and the 1978 'Grease'. He has also been executive producer as well as the star of a few films, such as the 2018 'Gotti'.

The word 'john' is just one of many informal names for a toilet or bathroom and is generally more used in the US than in other countries. Its use in this sense is speculated to be derived from 'jake(s)', a earlier word also used for a toilet. Less commonly, it can also be used for a prostitute's 'client', again mainly in the US.

Answer: Jill

Jill Biden (nee Jacobs) married her second husband, the then senator Joe Biden, in 1977 but continued with her own teaching career while supporting his two unsuccessful attempts at running for President. Her husband did become Vice-president in 2009 and was even more successful later, becoming 46th President of the United States on 20th January, 2021. Even after she had become First Lady, Jill Biden continued to carry out some educational work and has also written a few books, such as 'Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops', which was published in 2012.

Female ferrets are called jills while male ferrets are called hobs. They are believed to have evolved from the wild European and Steppe polecats but are now deemed to be domesticated. Although they can be loving pets they do need careful handling to socialise them.

Answer: Jimmy

Jimmy Carr is an English comedian who began his career in comedy by doing live stand-up comedy tours and he continues to do these. He then became a television host and, at least in the UK, is probably best known for presenting the panel game '8 Out of 10 Cats' from 2005 onwards. He has also hosted and been a guest on a number of other game shows for different television channels and contributes to several radio programmes.

The word 'jimmy' can mean a burglar's crowbar (alternative spelling jemmy) while 'having a jimmy' is a way of saying 'urinating'. In this latter sense, 'jimmy' is a contraction of 'jimmy riddle', which is Cockney rhyming slang for 'piddle' (urinate/urine).