Crystal Ball Stumpers 3 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Myringectomy

Won by snapcracker of the Retired and Loving it team on 23 February, 2017, a myringectomy is defined as an excision to remove some bodily structure or organ that is causing medical problems for an individual. "Ectomy" is a suffix that has come down to us today from Ancient Greece.

Its meaning is defined as "the act of cutting something out", so whenever you see a word ending in that suffix, you'll know that it means some part of the human body has been separated surgically from its owner.

Answer: Jawan

Won by Mommakat from The Lost Connection team on 23 February, 2017, a jawan is a non-commissioned officer in the Indian or Pakistani army. The origin of the word "jawan" is from Persia, a country we now know as Iran, and its literal meaning is "young". So a jawan then is probably a rather young NCO in either of those two armies.

Answer: Susurrate

Won by Knud77 of The Mossbacks team on 24 February, 2017, the definition of "susurrate" means to make soft rustling sounds or whispers or murmurs. Examples of this are the soft sounds of an audience murmuring to each other before the lights dim in a theatre and the curtain opens for the show to begin - or, in one of the most serene sounds in the world, leaves in a tree being blown about gently by a breeze.

Answer: Chrisom

Knud77 of The Mossbacks team scored a daily double on 25 February, 2017, when he won this interesting Crystal Ball word. A chrisom is the white gown worn by an infant during its baptism ceremony. An earlier definition of the chrisom was a white cloth laid over a baby's head during the ceremony.

Its purpose was to prevent the holy oils used to bless the child from being rubbed off its head. Over time, though, the word evolved to mean the baptism gown itself.

Answer: Solmization

This word was won by a teamless Wally119 on February 25, 2017. Solmization is defined as giving sounds to each note in a major music scale, and nowhere is this more perfectly depicted than in the lovely 1965 film "The Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

In one scene of this musical, Maria (Julie Andrews), who plays the young governess to Captain Van Trapp's seven young children, is teaching them to sing by giving words to each note in the light-hearted song "Do-Re-Mi".

Answer: Wherry

Won by genoveva of the Devious Demons team on 28 February, 2017, a wherry is a medium sized boat used to ferry cargo and passengers on the rivers and canals of England. Prior to landing stages being constructed along the river bank's pickup and landing stops, these boats were designed with long and wide bows, so that passengers could board and disembark without their tootsies getting wet.

The wherries used in London itself were more like water taxis than anything else, and, in 1555, Parliament decreed that each should be twenty-two and a half feet long, four and a half feet wide at their broadest point, and with the ability to carry five passengers. How's that for government control? These very much in demand boats were used to ferry passengers from one side of the Thames to the other, and, at one time in the theatre district of London itself, more than 2,000 wherries were operating there on a regular basis. 1820 saw 3,000 wherries still plying their trade altogether on the Thames, but these were finally put out of business by the rise of hackney coaches and steamboats and the construction of new bridges across the river.

Answer: Pourboire

Won by ponycargirl of team Adz Mates on 28 February, 2017, a tip - also known as a pourboire, but much easier to spell - is a small sum of money paid to anyone who has provided a service to a satisfied customer. This is given to the worker in addition to the standard fee for the service. Tipping is a normal part of life in countries such as the United States and Canada, but in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand, is not an expected part of the service transaction. Workers instead receive a government protected basic wage.

Answer: Rheology

Won by the teamless Fun Trivia member, namrewsna, on 28 February, 2017, Rheology is the "study of the flow of matter". This matter is usually liquids, but occasionally softer solids, such as mud, are incorporated as well. The term for this "ology" derives from the philosopher, Simplicius of Cilicia, who was noted for his terseness of expression.

He described the flow of matter very briefly as "pata rhei". That translates in English to "everything flows". This science is used in various fields of production, such as measuring cement, paint, polymers, ointments and creams.

Answer: Parasitaemia

Nobody guessed this word at all on 7th March, 2017 - and one can hardly blame them. Parasitaemia is defined as the "quantitative content of parasites in the blood", or a measurable amount of parasitic infection. This is a helpful finding as it helps medical personnel make a quicker diagnosis - and establish a subsequent treatment.

Answer: Chignon

It seemed nobody guessed this 6 March, 2017 word either, which is just a tad surprising this time. Well, if you're a woman, that is. A chignon is a woman's soft and flattering hairstyle, where her hair is drawn back into a lovely bun, but with loose curls usually lingering on her forehead and neck.

There are several version of this hairstyle which dates back to a style that women wore in Ancient Greece. Oh my goodness, you won't believe this - Greek men also wore their hair in chignons at times! Imagine Macedonia's Alexander the Great galloping along on his horse, with his chignon falling down around his ears. Perhaps his favourite horse also wore one as well.