No X-rated Cliches Here Trivia Quiz

Answer: X marks the spot.

"X marks the spot" is frequently used to designate the exact point where something or someone is located. Occasionally, a literal "X" may even be drawn on a piece of paper or some other item to mark the precise location of something. Some argue that the exact wording of the expression "X marks the spot" occurred in America during the early twentieth century. Apparently, newspapers that wished to print photographs of murder scenes during the gangster era would remove images of corpses from the photograph and replace them with X's to designate where the corpses had been lying.

However, the use of the letter X--or perhaps simply two crossed lines--to designate where something had been or could be found most certainly predates the United States gangster era. Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel "Treasure Island" very famously makes use of a map marked with an X to designate where hidden treasure is located.

In fact, this technique was used by a number of map makers much, much earlier than Stevenson. Furthermore, once upon a time, the British army often marked those condemned to execution with an X or placed an item marked with an X on them.

It's difficult to imagine that no one before Chicago newspaper printers or readers thought of saying "X marks the spot".

Answer: Mathematics

The popularity of televised talent shows--such as 'American Idol', 'America's Got Talent', and even the appropriately named 'The X Factor'--has contributed to the increased use of the phrase "the X factor" to refer to an extraordinary talent or an inexpressible quality of a person.

However, the origin of the phrase is found in mathematics and science. The letter "x" has long been used in mathematics, such as algebra, to represent a variable or unknown quantity. As this particular variable or factor changes, so does the outcome of a calculation involving this x factor.

For example, given the simple equation x + 2 = y, y changes as x does; thus, whatever quantity is represented by x alters the outcome of the entire equation. Many individuals in careers that rely on mathematics and science eventually began to use the idiom "X factor" to refer to an unknown entity or quantity that caused or influenced a particular outcome.

In other words, they might be able to observe a particular event or existence but not completely understand the causal factor.

Answer: The president left the room as quickly but as inconspicuously as possible.

The idiom "exit stage left" does mean "to leave a room or situation as quickly and as quietly as possible without drawing any attention to oneself." The expression comes from the world of drama, as one would imagine. In a play performed on a stage, the direction to "exit stage left" means to leave the stage in a normal manner, which often is to the left and without any ceremony. Eventually, people began to use the phrase to request that others leave any given area or situation in an orderly and uneventful manner.

As the idiomatic expression's meaning has continued to evolve, it has also come to refer to the departure of someone who is attempting to leave without anyone's paying attention.

Answer: next Tuesday

The expression is "from here till next Tuesday". Why "Tuesday" and not "Wednesday" or "Saturday" or any other day of the week is not known. However, the expression is meant to imply that either a long time is passing, as in the example in the question, or a long distance is being traversed, such as in the following statement: "I'm so angry I'm going to kick him from here till next Tuesday".

Answer: various unknown reasons, often not worth speculating about

"For XYZ reasons" is a phrase people use to express that there are perhaps many reasons why something is the way it is but those reasons are too many and various to understand, know, or explain. It is an idiomatic expression used mostly in the United States and South Africa.

The Internet's Free Dictionary uses the following sentence as an example of the idiom's use: "Many people don't like country music for XYZ reasons, but I've always really enjoyed it".

Answer: the Bible

To perform a task or job particularly, spectacularly well or to go "above and beyond" what is required or needed is to "go the extra mile". The expression comes most likely from the book of Matthew in the New Testament of the Bible. Matthew 5:41 records Jesus saying during the Sermon on the Mount, "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain [two]" (KJV). Only a few lines before, Jesus had commanded, ". . . "[W]hosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" (Matthew 5:39-40, KJV).

Answer: let the fox guard the henhouse

To "let the fox guard the henhouse" is to assign a task to someone who will, as a result, be in a position to exploit it for selfish gain. A fox in charge of protecting a henhouse from predators will only become the predator itself. Thus, a person placing a fox in such a position is making a very foolish mistake.

The source of the expression is unclear, but it is obviously a very old one; a very similar Latin expression states that "one should not set a wolf to guard the sheep".

Answer: walk to my intended destination

To go "by ankle express" is an American idiom meaning "to walk". Apparently, there is an endless number of idiomatic expressions for this activity, including "hoof it", "ride shank's mare", "hike it", "leg it", "hotfoot it", "beat it", "beat a path", "mosey along", "put my feet in the street", "use my ponies", "toddle along", "take my foot in hand", "take the Scotchman's bicycle", "use my shoe leather", and "ride with Pat and Charlie".

Answer: Excuse my French.

"Excuse my French" is essentially a half-hearted attempt to say, "Forgive me, my use of offensive language". If the individual truly felt guilt, the individual most likely would not have used such offensive language in the first place. One who apologizes before or while committing an act isn't truly remorseful, right?

The expression used as an apology for vulgar speech seems to have arisen during the early twentieth century in Great Britain; therefore, many reasonably assume the expression is meant to be one that relies on a derogatory reference to France, given the history of conflict between the English and the French. However, this is not the case. Instead, the origin seems to be from a literal use of the statement. Apparently, during the nineteenth century, if not before, the English often apologized for using French expressions while speaking to others who may not have the best understanding of the French vocabulary. Consider the following example from an 1830 piece found in the British fashion periodical "The Lady's Magazine": "Bless me, how fat you are grown!--absolutely as round as a ball:--you'll soon be as 'enbon-point' (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major". ("En bon poin" means "plum" or "well nourished"). Perhaps the irony here is that the speaker feels no motivation to apologize for being harshly insulting but does express remorse for displaying his or her sophistication or refinement. Perhaps this apology is meant to be insulting as well. Of course, many often used, as they do now, a French word or phrase because the English language lacked an equivalent. Perhaps, something possessed a certain "je ne sais quoi" (excuse my French).

Answer: Xerxes' tears

Bartleby.com gives a good explanation of the meaning and source of the expression: "It is said that when Xerxes, King of Persia, reviewed his magnificent and enormous army before starting for Greece, he wept at the thought of slaughter about to take place. 'Of all this multitude, who shall say how many will return?' Emerson, in his English Traits, chap. iv., speaks of the Emperor Charlemagne viewing the fleet of the Norsemen in the Mediterranean Sea with tears in his eyes, and adds, 'There was reason for these Xerxes' tears'".

"Xerxes' tears", which refers to genuine sorrow, should not be confused with "crocodile tears", which refers to a pretense of sorrow.