Oxymorons I have Known and Loved Quiz

Answer: Oliver Hardy

Laurel, an Englishman, and Hardy, an American, were both film actors in the early years of the 20th century. They initially worked separately, teaming up in 1927 to form a comedic duo that lasted until the 1950s, and whose work is still enjoyed by millions today.

Answer: Paul Simon

Simon wrote "The Sound of Silence" over the course of several months in 1963 and 1964. It was released in March 1964 on Simon and Garfunkel's debut album, "Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.". The album did not enjoy commercial success, and the two musicians actually split up and went their separate ways.

However, "The Sound of Silence" began getting airtime and gaining in popularity in the following months, and was released as a single in September 1965. It rose to number one on the Billboard charts; Simon and Garfunkel reunited as a result of its success, and went on to music superstardom.

Answer: True Lies

Cameron directed "True Lies", which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, and was released in 1994. The movie received a single Oscar nomination, for visual effects, but did not win.

Answer: freezer burning

Freezer burn occurs when frozen food is damaged by oxidation and dehydration as a result of air coming into contact with the food. Food with freezer burn is not inedible or harmful to one's health, just unappetizing. Affected areas will change color-in meats, for instance, pink tissue turns a grayish-brown. Once cooked, areas that have had freezer burn will be dry.

Flash freezing and steam grilling are both legitimate techniques related to food preservation and preparation, respectively. As far as I know, I made up the term "slow broiling".

Answer: healthy tan

In the mid-to-late 20th century, a tan was thought to indicate vigorous good health. Research on skin cancers, however, has shown us that tanning is harmful to our skin and should be avoided.

Answer: Paid volunteer

Peace Corps Volunteers are paid a small amount for their participation in the program. However, they are required to cover all their living expenses-rent, utilities, food, transportation, clothing, etc-and often the amount they receive is barely sufficient to cover those things. No volunteers are getting rich working at Peace Corp assignments! An initial Peace Corps Volunteer assignment is for two years-without some remuneration, it would be impossible for most people to enter the program.

Answer: Peanuts

While the phrase is usually attributed to Charlie Brown, a number of the other characters in the "Peanuts" strip have been known to utter a resounding "Good grief!" on occasion. Another favorite expletive of the Peanuts gang is, "Rats!"

Answer: Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra certainly had a way with words! He was known for saying things that, taken at face value, didn't make sense, but came close enough that one could get his drift-and a chuckle.

Answer: houseboat

Of the four choices, none except "houseboat" splits into two conflicting parts-generally, a house and a boat are functionally two very different things.

Answer: Samuel Goldwyn

Sam Goldwyn was famous for remarks that were oxymoronic, or just plain hilarious, so much so that the term "Goldwynism" was coined to refer to such phrases. His remark about verbal contracts is one of the most widely cited, but it may have been a misquote. An alternative account of the incident that led to the remark is that he was talking about the veracity of a fellow producer and said, "His verbal contract is worth more than the paper it's written on".