Origin Of Phrases Trivia Quiz

Answer: The "doornail" is the solid stud against which a door knocker is struck. The assumption is that anything that takes such a constant pounding must surely be totally lifeless

I appreciate that claims of origin may differ occasionally, therefore I have cross referenced the book "Pig In A Poke" against at least two websites as detailed within each "Interesting Information section.
Variations on the phrase once included "dead as a herring", "dead as Julius Caesar" and "dead as a tent peg". It is the doornail that survived them all.
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/38250.html
www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dea1.htm

Answer: A "pale" is a pointed stake used in a fence. Beyond the "pale" was deemed to be wild and barbarous

A "pale" is a pointed stake in a fence construction which by extension came to refer to the fence itself. It was particularly associated with Ireland in the Middle Ages whilst under the English crown. As the English power shrank so did the areas they controlled and the phrase was coined to refer to areas increasingly beyond English control, i.e. "beyond the pale" that were deemed to be returning to a wild and barbarous state.

Yes I know that a bucket is a "pail" and not "pale" but the false answer was irresistible!
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/64100.html
www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pal2.htm

Answer: Relates to the days when the lord of the manor would grant the right to tenants on his land to gather firewood. The only wood they could take would be that reachable by shepherd's crook or billhook

In medieval times forests were owned by the Sovereign and the wood may not be cut down and taken away. Peasants however would be granted the right to gather in firewood for heating and cooking, a valuable legal entitlement. But it was with the condition that only that wood that could be reached by shepherds' crook and cut with a billhook from the ground may be cut away and taken.
The original context implied that this was a lawful activity. Modern usage suggests that something done "by hook or by crook" is undertaken either rightfully or wrongly in order to achieve the objective.
www.answers.com/topic/by-hook-or-crook
www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010418

Answer: Bands would play on a wagon at early U.S. religious or political rallies. To "climb on the bandwagon" would be to express your support for the cause

This phrase is believed to have been coined in 1896 after U.S. presidential campaigner William Jennings Bryan stood on a wagon with a band to entertain and deliver his speeches to the people. Supporters would climb onto the wagon with him to demonstrate their support for him.
www.joe-ks.com/phrases/phrasesC.htm
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/94500.html

Answer: In early boxing matches the boxers had to stand with one foot touching a line scratched in the ground before each round. If they failed to do so they lost the fight

The boxers starting line is a true origin. Today it has evolved to relate to one who achieves a recognised standard.
There is a similar claim that it originated in athletics. Before the introduction of starting blocks competitors in a race had to "come up" to a line scratched in the ground i.e. "come up to scratch".

Answer: Many card games made use of a marker, "the buck", to denote who had the responsibility for dealing. To "pass the buck" was to relinquish the responsibility to another

The phrase originated as the dealer's marker in a game of cards but was rendered popular when President Harry Truman proclaimed "the buck stops here". His clear meaning was that he accepted responsibility rather than that he didn't, in which case he would have "passed the buck".
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/pass-the-buck.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_(poker)

Answer: A "petard" was an explosive seige weapon liable to premature explosion so killing the setter of the charge i.e. the setter was "hoisted by his own petard"

A "petard" was indeed a siege weapon made of iron and filled with gunpowder. It was used in medieval warfare to blow a breach in a wall or fortified gate. Placing and detonating such weapons was hazardous for the charge setter, firstly from attack from the defending forces, but also from premature explosion. Today it refers to anybody caught by his own trap or subterfuge.
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/hoist%20by%20your%20own%20petard.html
encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861725329

Answer: An unscrupulous market trader dealing in suckling pigs might profiteer by selling a cat sealed in a bag. To "let the cat out of the bag" was to reveal his trickery

A market trader would display a fine example of a suckling pig at his stall yet sell the odd cat in a bag to unsuspecting customers. A customer who checked his purchase first to find a cat would therefore "let the cat out of the bag". i.e. reveal the trick that was being played upon him, reveal a secret.
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/227250.html
www.writersblock.ca/spring1995/origins.htm

Answer: A steam powered pump capable of dispelling 19,000 gallons of water for every 12 bushels of coal burnt was going "nineteen to the dozen"

"Nineteen to the dozen" dates back to the Cornish tin mines in England which were highly susceptible to flooding. The mines were cleared of water using steam powered pumps. To pump 19,000 gallons of water for every 12 bushels of coal burnt was a measure of maximum efficiency at that time.
www.joe-ks.com/phrases/phrasesG.htm
users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/sayingsn.htm

Answer: In early warships space was limited and sailors would often sleep between the cannons. Prostitutes or wives would sleep with the men and many babies were begat as a reult. They were known as "sons of guns"

Early warships had very cramped quarters. Sailors slept between the cannons because that was the only space available.
They sometimes had female company on board. Some ships actually carried prostitutes. Other times a sailor's wife would be allowed on board so that he would not have to leave the ship, and potentially desert.
Many children were conceived, and indeed delivered, between the cannons, or guns. The male children were thus called "son of a gun".
www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/327900.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_a_gun