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Idiomatically Speaking. Trivia Quiz

A quiz to test your knowledge of idioms and where they came from. There may be a slight UK bias in some questions. Best of luck and as ever have fun.

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

Author
Fiachra

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
132,671

Updated
Sep 19 23

# Qns
20

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
12 / 20

Plays
3382

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 20

1. Most of us enjoy a Kit-Kat at a tea/coffee break, where did the original name come from? Hint

Mutton Pie

Biscuit

Candy

Cat food

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Question 2 of 20

2. To be 'mad as a March hare', means to be Hint

Feverish

Insane

Unruly

Sick

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Question 3 of 20

3. What season is sometimes called the 'silly season'? Hint

Autumn/Fall

Winter

Summer

Spring

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Question 4 of 20

4. Complete this trio, 'bell, ----- and candle'. Hint

Cat

Incense

Book

Priest

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Question 5 of 20

5. When would you write a 'bread and butter letter'? Hint

To say thanks

To ask for money

To ask for food

To ask for a job

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Question 6 of 20

6. If you 'are on your uppers', are you Hint

Flat-footed

Poor

Lame

Toothless

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Question 7 of 20

7. If your voice is described as 'stentorian', do you speak very Hint

Loudly

Softly

Indistinctly

Cautiously

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Question 8 of 20

8. Which of these comes from Aesop's fable of the dog and the ox? Hint

Gone to the dogs

The hair of the dog that bit you

Dog's nose

Dog in the manger

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Question 9 of 20

9. From which of Shakespeare's plays does the idiom 'pound of flesh' come? Hint

Othello

Cymbeline

Hamlet

The Merchant of Venice

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Question 10 of 20

10. Being 'on tenterhooks', means being in Hint

Prison

Suspense

Agony

Horror

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Question 11 of 20

11. If something is described as 'caviar to the general', is it Hint

Appreciated by a few

Appreciated by the armed forces

Appreciated by all

Appreciated by fishermen

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Question 12 of 20

12. Where does the expression to 'haul over the coals' come from? Hint

Mining

Finance

Church

Law

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Question 13 of 20

13. Complete this phrase 'hanging by a -------- like the sword of Damocles'. Hint

Thread

Hair

Web

String

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Question 14 of 20

14. What were (h)umbles in the expression to eat (h)umble pie? Hint

Entrails

Herbs

Bones

Vegetables

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Question 15 of 20

15. 'The lion's share' also comes from Aesop. According to the fable, how much did the lion demand "by right" (instead of for other reasons)? Hint

75%

50%

100%

25%

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Question 16 of 20

16. What colour herring do you need for laying a false trail? Hint

Red

Golden

Brown

White

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Question 17 of 20

17. Can you re-cross 'the Rubicon'?

Yes

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Question 18 of 20

18. How much is a peppercorn rent? Hint

A tithe

Nominal

Fixed

Index linked

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Question 19 of 20

19. After whom is 'the kiss of betrayal' called? Hint

Joseph

Judas

John

James

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Question 20 of 20

20. Is a 'cock and bull' story exaggerated?

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Most of us enjoy a Kit-Kat at a tea/coffee break, where did the original name come from?

Answer: Mutton Pie

It got its name from Christopher Cat, a pastry chef, who was a genius at making them. It was called a Kit Cat.

2. To be 'mad as a March hare', means to be

Answer: Unruly

Hares are usually shy timid creatures, but not in March, when the males even box one another. The reason apparently being, they come into season in March, but the females do not for another month.

3. What season is sometimes called the 'silly season'?

Answer: Summer

This phrase comes from the media and means the slack Summer months when serious news seems to be in short supply.

4. Complete this trio, 'bell, ----- and candle'.

Answer: Book

This comes from excommunication when a bell is rung, a book closed and a candle snuffed out.

5. When would you write a 'bread and butter letter'?

Answer: To say thanks

This can be found in Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice', where Mr. Collins was always conscientious about sending such letters to his hosts.

6. If you 'are on your uppers', are you

Answer: Poor

You had two choices if you were that poor, go barefoot or walk on the uppers of your shoes to hide your poverty.

7. If your voice is described as 'stentorian', do you speak very

Answer: Loudly

This is a really old idiom. It goes back to Homer, who tells us that Stentor, the Greek herald, had a voice as loud as 50 men.

8. Which of these comes from Aesop's fable of the dog and the ox?

Answer: Dog in the manger

It means being a spoilsport, who keeps something from another although s/he does not want it or need it. In the fable, the dog kept the ox from the hay in the manger by snarling every time he came near.

9. From which of Shakespeare's plays does the idiom 'pound of flesh' come?

Answer: The Merchant of Venice

Shylock, the notorious moneylender, was determined to get rid of Antonio, his arch business rival. In court he demanded the bond, of a pound of flesh, be honoured.

10. Being 'on tenterhooks', means being in

Answer: Suspense

This phrase comes from cloth making. Cloth, apparently was stretched (tentered) on hooks in a frame to make it set evenly.

11. If something is described as 'caviar to the general', is it

Answer: Appreciated by a few

This comes from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', and means something so good only the experts or the few could appreciate it.

12. Where does the expression to 'haul over the coals' come from?

Answer: Finance

In the Middle Ages, kings and lords demanded money from Jews. If it was not forthcoming then the victims were hauled over coals from a slow fire, to give them a roasting. Savage times!

13. Complete this phrase 'hanging by a -------- like the sword of Damocles'.

Answer: Hair

Dionysus invited Damocles to a sumptuous feast and to prove how precarious a ruler's position was, he seated him under a sword suspended by a hair.

14. What were (h)umbles in the expression to eat (h)umble pie?

Answer: Entrails

The lord had the best venison, his servants had the entrails.

15. 'The lion's share' also comes from Aesop. According to the fable, how much did the lion demand "by right" (instead of for other reasons)?

Answer: 25%

He demanded 75% in total. Of that, 25% was by right, 25% was for his superior courage, 25% was for his family. As for the rest? 'Let who will dispute it with me'.

16. What colour herring do you need for laying a false trail?

Answer: Red

The phrase comes from hunting, when a smoked herring was dragged along to distract the fox and stop him/her smelling the hounds. I'm with Oscar Wilde here, 'the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable'.

17. Can you re-cross 'the Rubicon'?

Answer: No

It means taking a step from which there is no going back. Julius Caesar became an invader of his homeland, having crossed this river .

18. How much is a peppercorn rent?

Answer: Nominal

It's a nominal rent valued at a single peppercorn. In dates back to the Middle Ages when a piece of property was deeded as a reward for service. The nominal rent meant that the recipient did not own the property outright. Rose rents were another variety of this practice.

19. After whom is 'the kiss of betrayal' called?

Answer: Judas

Judas betrayed Jesus to His enemies with a kiss.

20. Is a 'cock and bull' story exaggerated?

Answer: Yes

The phrase, according to Brewer, comes from concocted or made up and 'bullen' a Danish word for exaggerated.

Source: Author Fiachra

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ILuv2Teach before going online.
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