Household Objects And Superstition Quiz

Answer: An argument

According to "A Dictionary of Superstitions", edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem, the presence of raw, cut onions and onion peels lying about one's house create an atmosphere of discord among those who enter it.

Answer: You'll soon return as a patient

The negative energy attached to flowers removed from sick rooms is also assigned to flowers that one finds lying on the side of the road. An old Suffolk tradition warns that to pick up flowers is to pick up illness. Perhaps it all comes down to common sense regarding objects that have been exposed to germs.

Answer: Your friendship will end

Superstitious tradition has long warned of the severing power embodied in knives and other forms of cutlery. So think carefully before choosing your next gift for a friend!

Answer: Let someone else pick it up

Unfortunately, this superstition makes no allowances for those spoon-users who happen to live on their own. In the very worst cases, one imagines a kitchen floor littered with spoons from decades of spoon dropping.

Answer: A death

Superstitions regarding candles have filled books on their own. A disproportionate amount seem to be concerned with death. My personal favourite claims that a blue-tinted candle flame is a sign that spirits are present in the room.

Answer: Sleepless night

Actually, this superstition, which belongs to the Scottish tradition, warns that "a much worse evil" than a sleepless night may befall a person interrupted while making a bed. (I, personally, think that a sleepless night rates as evil enough on its own.)

Answer: Lock it

This superstition has its roots in the folklore that grew up around Scottish fishing communities. When someone went off to sea, their trunk was left unlocked with the key in place, waiting for its owner to return.

Answer: Over the head of a bed

Ancient lore warns art lovers that pictures hung over the head of a bed will bring death. Also included in this prohibition against picture hanging are the spaces over doors, especially in theater dressing rooms.

Answer: Broom

The laying of a broom across one's doorstep was originally meant to ward off members of the community thought to be witches. For the broom to do its work effectively, it had to be positioned with the straw tip pointing outward. Seeing it, the unfortunately targeted individual was supposed to turn heel and run.

Answer: Break another egg

To paraphrase an old Irish rhyme: "Break an egg and break your leg, break three, bad luck to thee, break two, love comes to you."