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Quiz about Double sound words are fun Come cancan with me

Double sound words are fun. Come "can-can" with me Quiz

We love to shorten words but English also has a nice reservoir of words where we have doubled the sound to make an attractive new word. Can you guess the meaning of these double-sound words ?

A multiple-choice quiz by Philian. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Philian

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
130,399

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
5249

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: woodychandler (9/10), GoodwinPD (10/10), Isipingo (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is "beriberi"? Hint

A member of an African tribe.

A dialect of the Bantu language

A shrub with bright red berries

A tropical disease caused by vitamin B deficiency

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of these is a meaning of the word "willy-nilly"? Hint

nobody objects to the decision that is taken

the last person to arrive makes the decision

as slowly as possible

whether we want to or not

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Question 3 of 10

3. Give one meaning of the expression "mumbo jumbo" Hint

the noise made by a large aircraft

background noise heard in lifts and elevators

the noise made by an elephant's hoofs

meaningless or unnecessarily complicated language

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of the following is actually the name of a musical instrument? Hint

ron ron

john john

tom tom

bill bill

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Question 5 of 10

5. A "pompom" has many meanings. One is a tuft of ribbon, wool or feather decorating a hat. What is another? Hint

A rapid fire gun fitted to naval vessels of World War Two.

One of the leather sections of a saddle.

A special barrel used to keep apples.

A special type of liquorice.

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Question 6 of 10

6. From the Greek we have the word "hoi polloi" but what does it mean? Hint

The very top people in society

The religious leaders of the community

The foreigners who live in one's country

The common people or the masses

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the following means "arrogant and haughty"? Hint

hushy pushy

hoity toity

uppy puppy

lardy dardy

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Question 8 of 10

8. Can you find the double sound word which means "trickery or mystifying jargon"? Hint

hector-lector

heeby-jeeby

hocus pocus

hodge-podge

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Question 9 of 10

9. Another name for a lot of "trickery and nonsense" is which of the following? Hint

huggery-muggery

higgledy-piggledy

jiggery-pokery

hennery-pennery

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Question 10 of 10

10. What is the meaning of "willy-willy"? Hint

A flowering shrub of the acacia family.

A waterhole in Australia.

A stormy wind in Australia.

The ocean current off New Zealand.

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 16 2024 : woodychandler: 9/10
Nov 10 2024 : GoodwinPD: 10/10
Nov 10 2024 : Isipingo: 10/10
Nov 10 2024 : leith90: 10/10
Nov 10 2024 : doh1: 9/10
Nov 10 2024 : cyndi50: 6/10
Nov 10 2024 : Geoff30: 8/10
Nov 10 2024 : jeremygilbert: 6/10
Nov 10 2024 : fylgregory: 6/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is "beriberi"?

Answer: A tropical disease caused by vitamin B deficiency

Not a very pleasant word to start us off. A shrub with bright red berries might be "berberis" which doesn't come too far away in the dictionary.

2. Which of these is a meaning of the word "willy-nilly"?

Answer: whether we want to or not

This is believed to have derived from the words in the phrase "will he" or "not will he". So in one way it cuts the phrase down whilst making use of the double sound. ("Willy-nilly" can also mean haphazard or arbitrary.)

3. Give one meaning of the expression "mumbo jumbo"

Answer: meaningless or unnecessarily complicated language

Another meaning that dictionaries often give alongside the correct one above is "foolish religious reverence or incantation". It backs up the point of this quiz - a lot of us are in love with the sound of words even when we give them a contemptuous meaning.

4. Which of the following is actually the name of a musical instrument?

Answer: tom tom

The dictionary tells us that a "tom tom" or "tam tam" is a drum associated with Native Americans or with the peoples of Asia.

5. A "pompom" has many meanings. One is a tuft of ribbon, wool or feather decorating a hat. What is another?

Answer: A rapid fire gun fitted to naval vessels of World War Two.

The name of the gun probably came from the sound it made when fired. The French for apple is "pomme" but this has nothing to do with that. The "pommel" is part of a saddle and a "Pomfret" cake is a special sort of liquorice sweet. Pom Pom guns, however, did not usually fire "Ack-ack".

6. From the Greek we have the word "hoi polloi" but what does it mean?

Answer: The common people or the masses

The Greek words mean "the many" or "the majority". This is always used as a term of contempt and shows the versatility of "double sound" words which can have their origins in Classical languages or the language of remote tribes. They can be as old as the Greek civilization or as modern as a "poop scoop" or "pooper scooper".

7. Which of the following means "arrogant and haughty"?

Answer: hoity toity

There also the version "hoi-ti-toi", rather like "la-di-da" or "lah-di-dah" (but not "lar-di-dar") which means affecting exaggeratedly genteel manners or speech. People who are "hoity-toity" tend to think of themselves as the "bees-knees".

8. Can you find the double sound word which means "trickery or mystifying jargon"?

Answer: hocus pocus

You can see how someone using "hocus-pocus" might spout "mumbo-jumbo" and end up giving you the "heeby-jeebies" (upsetting and frightening feelings). A "hodge-podge", on the other hand, is just a mixture of things. A "hector-lector" does not exist.

9. Another name for a lot of "trickery and nonsense" is which of the following?

Answer: jiggery-pokery

To leave things "higgledy-piggledy" means to leave them in total disorder. There is an expression "hugger-mugger" which is used in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" but the expression "huggery-muggery"does not really exist. "Hennery-penny" certainly doesn't.

10. What is the meaning of "willy-willy"?

Answer: A stormy wind in Australia.

It also is sometimes spelled "willie-willie". I wonder if they ever get "willy-willies" in Wagga Wagga. They certainly wouldn't have them in Baden-Baden.

Source: Author Philian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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