There has to be a word for the Head of the Internal Revenue Service... but this isn't it!
2. Pearmain
Answer: Type of apple
Actually it DOES come from 'par main', but it IS a type of apple, best known in the Worcester Pearmain variety. Confusing.
3. Kleptograph
Answer: Device for photographing people without their knowledge
There's a lot of kleptography going on nowadays with all this CCTV stuff for security! The (s) on math(s) is 'cos in the UK we say maths and in America they don't.
4. Twankay
Answer: A type of green Chinese tea
The pantomime dame character Widow Twankay (in Aladdin) probably gets her name from the tea which is named after a Chinese river. Tunku is a Malay title.
5. Macrogyne
Answer: A large female ant
It comes from Greek for large female, but applies only to the ant.
6. Vespiary
Answer: A nest of wasps
Sounds like breviary, doesn't it? Motor scooters - Vespas: Italian for wasps. (The other main scooter was the Lambretta - known to motor BIKE riders as Lamb Fritters!)
7. Ingustable
Answer: Tasteless
Windproof was a bit way out, really! Able to be digested - that's digestable.
8. Erglewinder
Answer: Doesn't exist
The erglewinder is a completely imaginary device of totally unknown (if any) function. (Thanks to one of the Braithwaite Twins at MTS for this one.)
9. Cupidity
Answer: Greed
From Latin 'cupidus' - desirous. No further comment!
10. Fictile
Answer: Capable of being moulded
Often refers to things being made by a potter (no, not that one!). Fiction is invention, and frequently changing mind is fickle.
11. Moslings
Answer: Little bits of leather left when a skin is dressed
One of my favourite words. (Sad, isn't it?) The young of the mongoose is - a young mongoose, I suppose. The others are Muscovites, of course. But you knew that, didn't you!
12. Pilgarlick
Answer: A bald man
Don't call your teacher or boss this - he may know it! I thought the salt lick one was good - you probably didn't.
13. Dittography
Answer: Unintentional repetition of words
It applies to copying manuscripts, so it doesn't apply, I say, it doesn't apply to certain characters on the television. I don't watch it, so I wouldn't know about them, really....
14. Distrix
Answer: Split ends
A medical term for the splitting of the ends of hair. Don't use it as an excuse for staying off school or work. Strix is a genus of owls, but I don't think there are any double sized ones. Not normally, anyway. The plural of district? What are YOU doing in here?
15. Inhaust
Answer: The opposite of exhaust
Oh, dear, there's taxes again! I bet you thought (at least at first) that this was one of the non-existent ones! I mean, in-horsed - stable? Imperial Geman officials had much longer titles, too. It really does mean 'drawing in of air', which is opposite to 'pushing out air', isn't it? Hope you enjoyed these unlikely and very hard to use words! Only one non-existent one this time....
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
