Everything But the Kitchen Sink Quiz

Answer: All or mostly all of something

"Everything but the kitchen sink" refers to the entirety of something. Although the exact origin is uncertain, one hypothesis is that it came from World War II when the U.S. used all available metal for its arsenal and people were expected to turn everything in but their porcelain sinks.

Answer: Get to the main point

"Cut to the chase" refers to splicing a film so that you can skip right to the most exciting part of the movie, usually a chase scene. It originated during the silent film era of the early 1900s.

Answer: It rained heavily

The phrase that "it's raining cats and dogs" refers to heavy rains. This phrase, using cats or dogs or other animals such as frogs, has been used across countries over many centuries. It is thought that heavy rains would flush out the small animals living in thatched rooftops, thereby making it seem as if animals are raining down from the sky.

Answer: Good luck!

"Break a leg!" is an idiom used in theater and other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck." The phrase has several theories about its origins. One is from ancient Greece, where audience members would stomp their feet rather than clap for applause. Stomping hard enough would lead to breaking one's leg.

Answer: I'm not naive

"I didn't just fall off the turnip truck" is a way of saying "I'm not naive" or "I'm more experienced than you think." Scholars do not know the origin of this term, but late night television host Johnny Carson is credited with making it commonplace in the American vernacular.

Answer: The conventional wisdom

A "rule of thumb" is a conventionally agreed-upon custom. One theory of origin is that carpenters would use their thumbs as measuring devices rather than a ruler; this theory holds water in part because the Dutch word for "thumb" and "inch" are the same: "duim."

Answer: Immediately, without help

"Cold turkey" refers to the practice of stopping something immediately or abruptly. In smoking, it would mean giving up cigarettes without relying on, for example, nicotine patches or gum. Scholars are unsure of where it came from, but it seems to have morphed out of the phrase "talking turkey," which means to talk frankly and without filler.

Answer: Defective

Calling something, usually a car, a lemon means it has a lot of flaws and isn't worth what you paid for it. No one knows the exact origin but it became popular in usage by the 1960s. Some U.S. states even passed "lemon laws" so that buyers could return cars within three days of purchase if the car wasn't what they expected.

Answer: I'm sad

While no one knows exactly why, "I'm feeling blue" meaning "I'm feeling sad" has been in use for centuries. It is sometimes attributed to the idea that when you are sad or sick, you lose color in your skin and turn a bit bluish.

Answer: To chat about nothing in particular

"Chewing the fat" is what you do when you engage in idle conversation with someone else. It may come from ancient sailors, who would sometimes chew pieces of salted pork while on break, chatting with their fellow sailors.