Portmanteau? Don't Mind if I Do Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The spoon and fork have two portmanteau words that can be used. "Spork" is one and what is the other?

Answer: Foon

A "spork" has the round shape of a spoon with tines like a fork. Samuel Francis patented the first spork in 1874. His design also included the edge of a knife. "Spork" didn't make it into the dictionary until 1909.

2. You may not think of the word "velcro" as a portmanteau, but it is. "Velcro" is a combination of the word crochet and what other word?

Answer: Velvet

"Velcro" is a portmanteau of velvet and crochet. "Velcro" was invented in 1948 by a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral. George created velcro as an easier solution to the shoe lace. "Velcro" is a fastener composed of two different sides. One side consists of tiny nylon loops while the other side consists of nylon hooks that catch the loops when they are pieced together.

3. Everyone who has heard of "smog" knows what it looks like and knows that it's fog mixed with what substance?

Answer: Smoke

The word "smog" was coined by Dr. Henry Des Voeux while writing a paper to the English Public Health Congress in 1905. Doctor Des Voeux knew that he needed to illustrate the difference between regular fog and the coal infused fog that draped over London during the Industrial Revolution so the word "smog" was formed. "Smog" is identified as emissions and fumes from cars and how they react to sunlight.

4. At one time or another everyone has eaten this meal which consists of breakfast and lunch combined. For this meal, what would the portmanteau be?

Answer: Brunch

"Brunch" is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. The word first came out in an 1895 article found in "Hunter's Weekly". The article was written by Guy Beringer and titled "Brunch: A Plea". Within the article, Beringer describes "brunch" as a meal that would be much easier for the Saturday night carousers to eat because it would be eaten later in the morning.

The word "brunch" was entered into the dictionary in 1896.

5. What does the word "madcap" mean?

Answer: Impulsive, reckless, lively

"Madcap" is a portmanteau that has been around since the late 1500s. Madcap combines the word mad, meaning out of one's mind, with the word cap, taken from the Latin word "caput", meaning head.

6. What is the portmanteau for a web log?

Answer: Blog

The portmanteau for web log is "blog". The word "blog" can be a noun or a verb. A "blog" is an online journal written by an author about anything the author wants to write about.

7. When one bird just won't suffice for Thanksgiving, some people eat a "turducken" which is a portmanteau of turkey, duck, and what other fowl?

Answer: Chicken

"Turducken" is three birds in one: turkey, duck, and chicken. A deboned duck is stuffed inside a deboned turkey and then a deboned chicken is stuffed inside the deboned duck.

8. "Podcast" is a portmanteau first heard in 2004. The word is a combination of iPod and what else?

Answer: Broadcast

The portmanteau "podcast" was first heard in an article written in the "Guardian" by Ben Hammersley. A "podcast" is simply a radio or TV show that can be listened to or watched on your iPod or iPad. A "podcast" can be downloaded for easy listening or viewing pleasure in a person's own time and most podcasts are fee based. International Podcast Day is September 30.

9. A lot of people watch TV at night and most shows on TV are half hour shows known as "sitcom". This portmanteau is a combination of situation and what additional word?

Answer: Comedy

A "sitcom" is normally a half hour show about situations that TV characters can get into whether by their own hand or someone else's hand. The first "sitcom" to air in the United States was called "Mary Kay and Johnny". The show was fifteen minutes long and aired on NBC, CBS, and DuMont. "Mary Kay and Johnny" was a "sitcom" about the life of newlyweds living in New York.

The actors in the sitcom were married in real life as well as on screen. The show aired from November 1947 to March 1950

10. And last but not least I come to the topic of our quiz which is a "portmanteau" in and of itself. Port is a shortened form of porter which means to carry, but what is a manteau?

Answer: A mantle or cloak

The word "portmanteau" was originally the name given to a carrying case made of hard leather. When Lewis Carroll wrote "Through the Looking Glass", Humpty Dumpty explained to Alice that the compound words she was hearing in Wonderland were like a "portmanteau", meaning there were two words packed up to make one word.

Source: Author pennie1478

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Portmanteau is a combination of one or more words. Find the ten portmanteau words that go with the question.

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