Crystal Ball Stumpers 8 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Metal plate binding and reinforcing rails or beams

This was one of the winning words in the Crystal Ball on 7 March, 2018, but it was guessed by nobody. The definition of "fishplate" is, according to Fun Trivia and Wikipedia, a "metal plate bolted along sides of two rails or beams" to reinforce them and hold them together. You'll usually see fishplates along the joins of railway tracks where they are connected on either sides of the track with steel rivets. The word derives from a nautical term for a piece of wood - called a fish for some peculiar reason - used to strength the mast on a sailing ship.

Fishplates were invented by English locomotive engineer and author, William Bridges Adams (1797-1872) in 1842, because he wasn't happy with the then current methods by which the rails were joined. Interestingly, his daughter from his third marriage (his first two wives predeceased him) - Hope Bridges Adams Lehmann - became the first female GP and gynaecologist in Munich, Germany, obtaining her degrees in that country in 1880. However, she was not allowed to refer to herself as a doctor until the turn of the following century because of the then repressive attitudes towards women. This resulted in Hope becoming a strong advocate for female equality - which isn't altogether surprising.

Answer: Secretion of milk from the lacteral glands

Guessed by quantockgal of "The British" team on 8 March, 2018, "galactosis" is defined in the dictionary as "the formation of milk by the lacteal glands". Lactation itself is a physiological occurrence that takes places in females after giving birth, when they begin to secrete milk in order to nourish their offspring. It's quite astonishing really when you think about it, that whole process of creating a new life within their bodies, and then the ability to feed new born children from themselves until they're old enough to chew solids. Women are walking miracles.

This word is derived from the Greek "galact" (for milk) and the French "ose" to describe the amount of sugar in that fluid.

Answer: Yelp or squawk or utter a harsh cry

That's when "yawp" is used as a verb. It can also be utilised as a noun to describe a raucous lot of talking or complaining or speech. Yawp was guessed by drewh2os of The Moops team on 9 March, 2018. This word, when used as a verb, originated during the Middle English period of history when it meant "imitative".

It began to be used as noun to describe a harsh speech from the early 19th century.

Answer: The act of recording wind speed

Won by satguru of the classical music/mensan team on 1 April, 2018, this word is defined more fully in the dictionary as "the recording of the measurement of wind speed by an anemometer", but that definition would have given you the answer on a silver platter.

The word itself, if not the meaning applied to it today, comes down to us from two ancient Greek words of "anemos", meaning wind, and "grafia", meaning to write or draw.

Answer: A bad headache on one side of the head

This interesting word was won by ponycargirl of team Adz Mates on 3 April, 2018. The older school education systems once taught Latin and Greek roots to students, so if you were lucky enough to have learned these (along with prefixes and suffixes) you'll easily be able to work out the meanings of most multi syllabic words.

Hemicrania, then, can be broken down into two of these - "hemi", meaning half, and "kranion" and its derivatives, meaning skull. In other words, you will have a headache (and usually a bad one) on one side of your head if you have hemicrania.

Answer: Vain and empty boasting

This word was won by snapcracker by the Retired And Loving It team on 3 April, 2018. It was coined in the 16th century by the English poet, Edmund Spenser (c.1552-1599). It appears in his famous 1599 work "The Faerie Queene" and is based on the name of one of his characters therein, the boastful Braggadocchio.

Answer: Pith helmet

Won by ClarkyB of The Moops team on 10 April, 2018, the definition of "topee", which comes down to us from the Hindu word "topi", is "a lightweight helmet-shaped hat made of pith or cork". Covered in cloth, these weather protection helmets became part of the standard issue for English military personnel serving overseas in hot climates.

This was during the great age of colonialism, when various leading countries of the western world made grabs for large chunks of land in areas such as Africa and the Caribbean.

Not only did the topee protect one from the rain, it also protected from the sun. Its wear eventually spread from the military to other members of society, both men and women. You'll frequently see these helmets still worn by members of the English Royal Marines on ceremonial occasions and parades. Pith is a natural material made from the tissue of various plants.

Answer: Pork sausage

This word was won by Looking4IQ of the United States of Trivia team on 11 April, 2018. Originating in Portugal, "linguica" is a sausage made from pork, and mixed in with garlic and paprika for extra flavour. Typically it is dished up with rice, beans and other taste treats made from the oinker as well.

In some other Portuguese speaking country, it is also flavoured with chillies and peppercorns and turmeric. Ohhh, the indigestion.

Answer: An inflammatory eye disease

This word was guessed successfully by eunice2 of the Midwest USA Players team on 12 April, 2018. "Episcleritis" is an inflammatory disease of the eye. It would not be a good idea to look at images of this self-healing condition on the internet if you have a weak stomach.

The good news though is that it is benign. Onset symptoms or this condition include mild eyeball pain, redness and watering. Go and visit your local doctor if you experience these. Episcleritis, if mild, is usually treated with artificial tear drops to help combat the discomfort, and, if stronger, with either anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids.

Answer: A garment worn by Muslim women

Won by Knud77 of The Mossbacks team on 13 April, 2018, a "chuddar", also known as a "chador", is a long, dark coloured garment worn by women of fundamentalist Muslim countries when they're out in public. It covers them from head to toe, and even their faces in many cases.

Originally this enforced outfit was worn by the wives of daughters of high ranking members of the nobility in ancient Mesopotamia as a visual display of their status, but eventually spread to other members of society. Some countries in the modern world have tried to do away with the wearing of same.

In 1936, the Shah of Iran, for example, banned the chuddar for women in an attempt to modernise his country, but after the Iranian Revolution of 1980, it was re-introduced, and women were right back where they had started.