Match the Idioms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Turk

To call someone a young Turk today is not a racial slur of any kind. It refers instead to any upcoming, impatient young man eager to make changes and do away with the old way of doing things. As we understand its meaning, this dates back to USA in the 1920s, when it was used to describe a group of twenty or so young Republicans who were in somewhat of a revolt against the "Old Guards" of their party at that time.

Its origins, however, actually go back to Turkey itself, to the period 1789-1807, when Selim III headed the Ottoman Empire.

He wished to modernise his empire - and its army - to bring it more into line with Europe, and his reforms met with the whole-hearted support of a group of young supporters.

Answer: Birdie

"Watch the birdie" and "Say cheese" can be dated back to the fledgling days of early photography, when given instructions to sitters to look into the camera lens and smile. "Say cheese" is particularly associated with Joseph E. Davies, an American lawyer and the second American ambassador to the Soviet Union. He informed a group of photographers on his departure to Moscow that whenever a smile is needed for the camera, all that was needed was for that word to be mouthed. In many cases, though, an over emphasis on this can leave one looking as though they've just emerged from the dentist with clenched teeth.

"Watch the birdie" was directed more to young children when requiring them to smile on cue for the camera. In order for that forced event to occur, early photographers had an artificial animal of some sort that could wiggle and squawk. However, the creative person who first came up with that idea is unrecorded. Over time, the birdie disappeared, but the instruction remained. Do you remember as a young child looking vainly at a camera's lens for a birdie to appear? Talk about a mean trick.

Answer: Case

This term today means anyone who is in such a helpless state, either mentally or physically, that he or she cannot look after his or herself competently, and most definitely needs assistance. Its origins, however, are sorrowful indeed. They date back to the first world war and the horrific injuries many soldiers suffered on those bloody battlefields.

These injuries often included have one or all their limbs blown off, or that were so injured in battle that they had to be amputated. If that was the case, they had to be carried around on a litter.

As a result, they were referred to as basket cases.

Answer: End

Anything that is seen through to the bitter end has used up every ounce of energy or resources at one's disposal, with nothing more to contribute. One possible explanation for the term's origin comes from the nautical life. In 1627, it was recorded in one Captain Smith's "Seaman's Grammar" as "A Bitter is but the turne of a Cable about the Bits, and veare it out by little and little. And the Bitters end is that part of the Cable doth stay within boord".

In other words, it's the last bit of rope left on the post around which it was woven, and which was used for fastening cables and other assorted other objects on the sailing ships of the time.

Answer: Discord

Today this term means any subject or action that is so controversial that it stirs countless arguments and trouble. Its origins appear to date back to the old Greek myths and the origins of the Trojan War. When the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena were arguing with each other as to whom was the fairest of the three, Paris was chosen to select the winner and to award her with a golden apple. With each goddess in turn promising him a reward for choosing her, Paris chose Aphrodite's bribe of being given the most beautiful woman in the world. Being a fellow and all, he chose that, but unfortunately that woman was Helen - and she was already married to King Menelaus. You know the rest of this sorry tale I'm sure - Helen's abduction and the resulting War that ensued - and all because of one golden apple of discord.

Answer: Row

If you're on skid row, you're down and out physically, monetarily, and, often as not, mentally as well because of the sheer weight of negative circumstances. This term originated during the Great Depression in the United States when families and individuals were forced out of their homes and dropped down to a far less affluent lifestyle, or, sadly, became homeless and jobless altogether. It was a terrible period in history.

Interestingly, skid row (or skid road) was also a term given to the manner in which millions of felled trees and logs were moved along tracks to sawmills or ship and train depots during the building boom in the late 19th century in the US. To enable that to happen, the wooden tracks along which they were rolled were very heavily greased. In many of these places, taverns and houses of ill repute then developed to serve the loggers. The taverns and houses then attracted the kind of riff raff that turned these places into the low-class areas we've come to associate with that term today. (Thanks to player Eauhomme for this extra information)

Answer: Riddle

To Jimmy Riddle is a Cockney term meaning to urinate. In Partridge's 1937 edition of "A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English", the meaning of this term is defined as such, along with the information that it has been in use in England since at least the late 19th century. "Jimmy" was part of several examples of Cockney slang from that period in history, and did not refer to any particular person as such.

Answer: Rolling

To keep the ball rolling is to keep up the level of activity and achievement on any undertaking. Known initially as "keep the ball up" this term appears to have been known some time prior to 1781, for, in that year, it was recorded by English philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) in a letter to a friend. He states in this, while referring to trying to maintain a level of conversation at functions, that he puts "a word in now and then to keep the ball up".

You may be interested to learn that Bentham left instructions following his death, that, for his memorial, his body was to be dissected for science, and then preserved and put on display. Worse still, this was done. Following the dissection, his skeleton was padded out with hay, dressed in his finest outfit, hat and all, and sat upon a chair. Apart from his head, that is. The embalmers made a real mess of that. So the hair was removed and stuck on a wax head of his likeness instead. Still perched on his chair in 2016, Jeremy Bentham can be seen by all at the University College in London, where it is absolutely guaranteed to keep any conversation rolling along.

Answer: Down

To let your hair down today is to relax all inhibitions and just have a rollicking good time. Hang the consequences. This term dates back at least to the 17th century when it was customary for all women to grow their hair. Just to be contrary, however, they were then expected to wear it up in tidy rolls, or even hidden demurely from sight.

When it came time to wash and brush their locks, though, this was done in private and known as "dishevelling". The first recorded entry of letting one's hair down appears to be that in John Cotgrave's 1655 work, "The English Treasury of Wit and Language".

He states in this that "Descheveler, to discheuell; to pull the haire about the eares".

Answer: Tiger

"Paper tiger" is a somewhat insulting term to refer to anyone who appears to be powerful and capable of doing damage, but in reality is quite ineffectual. This appears to have originated in China of all places, and in particular with the communist leader, Chairman Mao.

He often used it to describe the capitalist countries of the western world, and the United States in particular. It can be seen listed in his 1964 edition "Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong" (his little red book) as "Imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers" - a fine example of a miaow-miaow from a Mao.