More Marvellous Meanings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Red ochre

This is a name for red ochre. It was used to mark sheep (and still is in some places), particularly after mating to show which ewes had been served. Thomas Hardy describes its use in his book "The Return of the Native" where there is a character called Diggory Venn who is a ruddleman or reddleman. Because his clothes and person are stained red some believe him to be the devil.

It can also be used as a verb - as in to colour with ruddle, to ruddle.

Answer: An African bird

A bird of the genus Turacus - a genus of plantain-eating (musophagiformes) birds with a horny shield on the head and bright feathers. They have a red pigment called turacin in their secondary feathers and some forest species have a unique green pigment known as turacoverdin. There is actually an international society devoted to these birds.

Answer: Dialect name for the yellowhammer

It's a Northern English and Scottish dialect name for the yellowhammer (a small bird) and can also be yowlring. It is thought to derive from the Old English word geolu which means yellow. Compare with the modern German word gelb (yellow) too.

Answer: Small cannon

Zumbooruk (or zambooruk) is a small cannon which is mounted on the back of a camel. It possibly derives from the African word zambur which means hornet. I think I'd rather face a hornet than a camel with a gun!

Answer: A whirlwind

Tourbillon means a swirl, whirlwind or vortex or can be a whirling firework. It comes from the French word "tourbillon", which means whirlwind and can be traced to the Greek "turbe" and Latin "turbo" (noise or confusion). For makers of mechanical clocks and watches, the term refers to an attachment to the escapement (which keeps the gear train moving at a constant rate) which acts to keep gravity from introducing error into the movement.

Answer: Listening to the sounds from inside the body

Auscultation is often facilitated by the use of a stethoscope, which helps one listen to the heart and lungs (and other internal organs, including a foetal heartbeat and bowel contractions). So, your doctor auscultates when he or she examines you! From the Latin auscultare - to listen. Simple really.

Answer: Pampas Grass

I wish it was one of the other answers but it really is the name given to an American and tropical genus of grasses of which Pampas Grass is a member. Derives from the Greek word paspalos (millet).

Answer: Miller's fee

This is the name given to the fee paid to a miller for grinding grain. It was often paid in kind (eg corn in exchange for flour) rather than as money and there were specific boxes known as multure-arks or multure-chests to keep it in. It is mentioned in the Domesday book and can also refer to the right of a person to such a fee. Derives from the Old French molture and Latin molitura (grinding).

Answer: Iron Pyrites

Mundic is a Cornish word for iron pyrites or fool's gold. It was found in tin and copper mines all over Cornwall and so was part of the mine waste. This waste has been used to make aggregate which is said to be of poor quality.

Answer: A lampooner or satirist

It's a lampooner or satirist and is said to come from Pasquil or Parquin which was the name of an ancient statue dug up in Rome in 1501. It became customary to attach lampoons and satires to it - hence a pasquinader.