"X" - the Alphabetic Stepchild Quiz

Answer: Xantippe

If you got this one, you're off to a very good start. Also known as Xanthippe, she was the wife of that great ancient Greek scholar, Socrates (since only he could probably spell it!). She bore Socrates three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. Xantippe had a reputation as a quarrelsome harridan which could explain the reason Socrates drank that hemlock so calmly!

Answer: Xylem

Xylem is derived from the Greek word for 'wood', and its basic function is to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Did I fool you with Xanthophyll? Xanthophyll is a coloring matter found in yellow autumn leaves and also produced artificially from chlorophyll. Xanthin has several meanings, among which are a crystal and also a gaseous decomposition product of the xanthates. Xeme (if you're still with me) is an Arctic fork-tailed gull, also know as Xema Sabinii.

Answer: xyphoid

Xyphoid, coming from the Greek for 'swordlike', meaning sword-shaped or ensiform; in the human body it hooks up to form the xiphoid process which is a cartilaginous extension from the breastbone, the lowest and smallest division of the sternum. If you're still awake, I will tell you the meanings of the incorrect choices, i.e. xanthous - yellow or yellowish, xeric - pertaining to or adapting to a dry environment, xenophobic - fear of foreigners or strangers.
There may be a quiz later on...

Answer: xenon

Xenon is a chemical element (good luck finding another with an 'x') whose symbol is Xe and atomic number is 54 (like a deck of cards with two jokers). It is colorless, odorless, dense and part of the noble gas family, formerly called inert gases, in Group 18 on the periodic table.

The noble gases also include helium, neon, argon, radon and the ever-popular krypton (no affiliation with Superman or Krypto).

Answer: Xanadu

Anyone remember the movie "Xanadu"? In the film, Xanadu refers to a nightclub which takes its name from the summer capital of Kublai Khan; Samuel Taylor Coleridge referenced it in his poem "Kubla Khan" (1816) which we had to memorize in school - "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree". Back to the movie "Xanadu"; did you know that it was an inspiration for the creation of the "Golden Raspberry Awards", 'honoring' the worst films of the year?!

Answer: Xylocaine

Xylocaine (lidocaine HCL) is used as an over-the-counter local anesthetic for pain and can also be used to treat emergency heart rhythm problems. The other choices are also drugs: Xyrem is used to treat cataplexy (loss of muscle control) and narcolepsy; Xopenex treats or prevents bronchospasm in patients with asthma or other reversible lung diseases, while Xolair (omalizumab) is another drug used in the treatment of asthma.

As an aside, between 1986 and 2005, those drug brands beginning with an 'x' increased by 130%, according to the British National Formulary (BNF).

Answer: XR

XR is the little guy with all the cool gadgets on "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" (2000-2001), and he is voiced by comedian Larry Miller. Buzz and his teammates fought the evil Emperor Zurg. Xanatos is also a Disney fictional character from the animated TV series "Gargoyles", but he is one of the bad guys. Xehanort (an anagram of 'no heart' with an 'x' added) and Xemnas are both fictional characters in the video game "Kingdom Hearts" series.
(Hey, you try coming up with fictional characters beginning with 'X'!)

Answer: xyst

Sorry, but you only get rid of 4 tiles: xyst is an architectural design, i.e., a long atrium, especially one used in ancient Greece for athletics or in Rome as a covered walk lined with trees. As for the other words, a xebec was a Mediterranean sailing ship used for trading; xenias is defined as "the influence or effect of pollen on a structure other than the embryo, as the seed or fruit"; xerosis, although it may sound serious, is a dermatological term for dry skin.

Answer: Xavier

Xavier Cugat (1900-1990) was born in Spain but spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba; think Ricky Ricardo but real. He was, in large part, responsible for Latin music becoming popular in the United States. He was a classical violinist, a colorful character with his pipe (though he didn't smoke) and his chihuahua Pepito.

He was married five times; his forth wife was singer Abbe Lane and his fifth wife was Spanish guitarist and comic actress Charo ("cuchi-cuchi").

Answer: x-ray

The NATO phonetic alphabet, also known as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet uses the word 'x-ray' to represent the letter 'x'. I could tell you that x-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation discovered by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895 - a feat that earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901, but then you probably already knew that.