Original Objects Trivia Quiz

Answer: Plants with pink flowers of the genus dianthus

The derivation of the expression "in the pink of health" had nothing to do with the rose in the cheeks of a healthy person. Although US army officers did, indeed, once wear pink colored trousers in winter called "pinks", and despite the fact that pink can refer to a particular kind of sailboat, it is from the pink flowers in the plants of the genus dianthus that the expression "in the pink" comes.

The expression initially referred to a state of perfection. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio applies it to his manners when he claims, "Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy." When Romeo asks, "Pink for flower?" Mercutio replies, "Right." (Romeo and Juliet: II, iv) This is the first known instance of "pink" being used to signal perfection, and it is thought that the usage was much copied and applied to other qualities. It is now most often used to denote the epitome of good health. The usage of "pink" to describe a color was actually derived from the color of the flowers. ("PLANT and PLANTED were the hints, of course.)

Answer: The line of stakes

In present day usage, when one's speech is "beyond the pale" it is usually the boundaries of propriety that one's sharp words have crossed. However, in medieval times, the English used stakes (pales) to mark out the boundaries of their territory in Ireland and France.

"Pale" denoting a pointed stick and "pale" as in "pallid" are homographs - words with shared spellings but different meanings. "Pale" used to designate "stake" derives from the Latin "palus" meaning "stake". This Latin root is also incorporated into the word "impale". The word "pale" in the sense of dim light or color derives from the Latin "pallidus". The "pale" derived from "palus" also can refer to a wide vertical line on a heraldic shield. (Hopefully the "stake" in the last question "pointed" you in the right direction.)

Answer: You're trembling.

Dither now connotes both anxiety and indecision. The word derives from the Middle English "didderen", which means to tremble. The coining of blither, which is most likely a combining of dither and blather, probably increases the natural tendency to confuse dither and blather. Since you babble when you blather and tremble when you dither I suppose one must do both when blithering. ("Quivering" in the prior question was to get you "all a-tremble" for this one.)

Answer: The goatskin shield or breastplate of Zeus

The original "aegis" was the shield or breastplate of Zeus. The Attic Greek word "aigeos" meant goatskin; and in some versions of Greek myth, Zeus's shield is indeed the skin of Almathea, a she-goat who suckled Zeus when he was an infant. Other myths place the head of Gorgon in the shield's center and add tassels.

When he loaned the shield to either Athena or Apollo they were then under his aegis in a literal sense. (I hope the scapegoat helped you get this goat.)

Answer: Between the end of the harbor and the horizon

The expression "in the offing" now refers to events that are about to occur and references time rather than distance. A sign in the dung of an animal is, of course, "in the offal" not "in the offing". "In the offing" has no relation to the theater, although it seems plausible that it might.

The "offing" is literally the part of the sea that is visible from shore and beyond the area where ships are anchored. In times past, if one had been surprised to see a ship in the deep water beyond the area where other ships were anchored, one might have shouted, "There is a ship in the offing!" ("Harbor" was the common word hint from the last question.)

Answer: A place in which the un-baptized righteous waited to enter heaven

In Catholic theology the "Limbus Patrum" was the place in which the righteous who had lived prior to the coming of Christ awaited admission to heaven. According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia" certain scriptural mentions of "paradise" or "Abraham's bosom" or "the kingdom of heaven" were actually references to what came to be called the "Limbus Patrum".

In Catholic theology there is also a "Limbus Infantium" for those dying in infancy having committed no personal sin and, therefore, bearing only the burden of "original sin".

In the Catholic view limbo was not a featureless place where people waited for an uncertain destiny. Rather, limbo (unlike purgatory) was a place of rest and bliss where those already accorded righteousness waited to be ushered into heaven at the proper time. (The clue was more indirect this time with the "justification" of the last question connecting to the "righteousness" in the answer for this question.)

Answer: Baying hounds would surround you.

This figurative expression derives from the metaphor of a game animal surrounded by baying hounds. The English word "bay" comes from the French "aboi" meaning "bark". The middle English "abai" came to refer to the cornering of an animal. "Bay" meaning a body of water derived from a different French word.

It is speculated that both French words may originally derived from a Latin word meaning to yawn.(The "hound" clue should have narrowed the choice to two for you.)

Answer: Our candidate would first need to read from the cuff of his sleeve.

At one time, it is said, the cuffs of formal white shirts were used as notepads. A person speaking after consulting his sleeve was talking "off the cuff". This is the commonly given explanation for the origin of the phrase "off the cuff". It seems paradoxical that an expression that indicates preparation - reading from notes on a sleeve - has come to designate a purely extemporaneous response.

A comment by Evan Morris in his "Word Detective" column is interesting in this regard. "Very few speakers have ever actually depended on their shirt cuffs for material in an important speech, although to pretend that one is speaking extemporaneously confers a definite advantage on speakers by lowering their listeners' expectations.

It is likely that many, if not most, "off the cuff" speeches are the product of a speechwriter up the sleeve." (http://www.word-detective.com/072302.html) Clearly, material read from a sleeve is not truly extemporaneous whatever drift has occurred in the meaning of this cliché. (Hopefully the "shirt" on the last question was enough to get you connected to the "sleeve" of the correct answer.)

Answer: There are roses painted on the ceiling of a banquet room where a raucous banquet is in progress.

In Greek myth, Harpocrates was spreading tales regarding the romantic activities of Aphrodite (Venus). Eros (Cupid), having received a rose from his mother Aphrodite, gave it to Harpocrates in return for that god's silence regarding his mother's love life.

The rose thus became a symbol for silence and was painted on Roman banquet hall ceilings to remind dinner guests not to spread tales about what occurred during dinner parties. In the Middle Ages, roses were hung from the ceilings of council chambers to remind participants of the need for confidentiality. (The connection between "banquet" in the last question and the "banquet" of the correct answer for this one was the connection I hoped you'd make.)

Answer: Horseracing

In the late 1800s wires were strung over the finish lines at American racetracks for a reference point. Looking down on the wire, the racing stewards could better determine which horse's nose crossed the finish line first. Another wire at the starting post was of similar benefit for determining false starts.

A race that was in doubt to the very end was going "down to the wire". A horse that lead from start to finish had a "wire to wire" victory. The terminology came to be applied generously to the writing about and announcing of many sports. (The intended clue connection here was "hoarse" for "horse".)