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Really the Word Means That? Trivia Quiz

Language is more interesting when we learn what words really mean. As you will soon see, everyday words have some rather weird and bizarre derivations.

A multiple-choice quiz by Znarkasaurus. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Znarkasaurus

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
383,186

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
485

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. If you have ever borrowed money, you have likely entered into a "death pledge". What is the usual word that is derived from a death pledge? Hint

Notice of default

Will

Mortgage

Deed in lieu

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Question 2 of 10

2. In the 1950s and 1960s, music was changed forever by a singer whose name is derived from words meaning "The dwarf in the priest's yard". Who is he/she? Hint

Elvis Presley

Shep Woolley

Diana Ross

Leslie Gore

3. The originators of a popular libation station originally wanted to name their store after Captain Ahab's vessel, the Pequod. Instead, sanity prevailed and they named their establishment after the chief mate of the Pequod. What is the name of this famous chain? Hint

McDonalds

Dairy Queen

White Castle

Starbucks

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. As a Roman general in the Germanic campaigns, I heard one of my cohorts whispering rebellion. Of course I executed a bunch of them as an example, and a word or phrase describing my technique of discipline persists to this day, although often inaccurately used. What is it? Hint

Decimate

Black ball

Corpus Mundus

Mastication

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Question 5 of 10

5. In the 1400s in jolly old England, I would set a pack of (fresh) hounds after a quarry. Now I would engage in an activity of the same name in the Olympics. What am I doing? Hint

Running a marathon

A relay

Sprinting

Putting the shot

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Back to names. Did you know that "he who listens to the cows" was a judge on "American Idol"? Who is this seemingly bovine fan? Hint

Paula Abdul

Simon Cowell

Steven Tyler

Nicki Minaj

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Question 7 of 10

7. Probably the one person who made up the most English words is John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost". Which of the following words was one coined by Milton? Hint

Sensation

Sensuous

Sensory

Sentient

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Question 8 of 10

8. Now for an easy one: Why is the Mad Hatter really quite mad? Hint

Because someone crushed his hat

From banging his head against the wall

Because he was a supporter of Mary Queen of Scots

From mercury poisoning

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Question 9 of 10

9. I live somewhere in the English speaking world where the locale is named after a country ruled by a beautiful woman, leading an army of ruthless female warriors and warring griffins. Where do I live? Hint

Gibraltar

California

Ireland

New Jersey

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Question 10 of 10

10. Somewhere between North America and South America there is a country whose name translates to "Place of Many Fish". Where am I? Hint

Honduras

Panama

Belize

Disneyland

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. If you have ever borrowed money, you have likely entered into a "death pledge". What is the usual word that is derived from a death pledge?

Answer: Mortgage

The word mortgage is made up of "mort", meaning death, and -"gage", which is literally a pledge.

2. In the 1950s and 1960s, music was changed forever by a singer whose name is derived from words meaning "The dwarf in the priest's yard". Who is he/she?

Answer: Elvis Presley

Alvis was a dwarf in Norse mythology, and most etymologists believe that Elvis derived from Alvis. Elvis was the name of Elvis Presley's father. Presley is simply a shortened form of "priestly", which is the estate of a priest. I just added Shep Woolley of "Purple People Eater Fame" because I love his name.

Answer: Starbucks

Jerry Baldwin came up with Pequod as the name for their new coffee shop. Leave it to an English teacher to come up with a name linked to a book which has bedeviled generations of high school students. The chief mate of the Pequod in Herman Melville's novel was Starbuck, a young Quaker from Nantucket who is one of the first to realise the madness of Ahab's quest for revenge.

Answer: Decimate

Decimate comes from the Latin -"deci" or ten and from -"mate" as a form of "morte" or death. It literally involved the execution of one man in ten as a punishment for mutinous activities. So don't irritate your bosses; they might decimate your ranks.

5. In the 1400s in jolly old England, I would set a pack of (fresh) hounds after a quarry. Now I would engage in an activity of the same name in the Olympics. What am I doing?

Answer: A relay

Relay is from Old French relaier "to exchange tired animals for fresh", and was used to describe releasing the hounds. Now it describes an event in which athletes (usually running or swimming) compete one after the other to cover a set distance.

6. Back to names. Did you know that "he who listens to the cows" was a judge on "American Idol"? Who is this seemingly bovine fan?

Answer: Simon Cowell

Despite what some think, Simon is derived from the Hebrew root meaning listening, and one derivation for the surname Cowell is from "cow hill", describing a place where cattle graze. In some cases, it is an Anglicized version of the Old Gaelic "cathmhaol", meaning a battle chief; this has also evolved into MacCawell, with the addition of the prefix "Mac-" meaning the son of the leader.

7. Probably the one person who made up the most English words is John Milton, author of "Paradise Lost". Which of the following words was one coined by Milton?

Answer: Sensuous

Professor Gavin Alexander claims that Milton has coined up to 630 words that are still in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of the words that are attributed to Milton because they appear in writing for the first time in his work include: terrific, pandemonium, padlock, earthshaking, moon-struck, lovelorn, jubilant, impassive, didactic, stunning, liturgical, unaccountable, self-delusion, dismissive, irresponsible, arch-Fiend, debauchery, fragrance, gloom, embellishing and literalism.

8. Now for an easy one: Why is the Mad Hatter really quite mad?

Answer: From mercury poisoning

Yes, it is quite true. In the 17th Century when felt hats were all the rage, hat makers used mercury to treat the furs. The mercury was a poison and, in many cases, caused the Mad Hatter disease. Mercury vapors were to blame and, according to Wikipedia, the disease caused by mercury poisoning is Erethism. Incidentally mercury replaced camel urine as the "go to" preservative.

Answer: California

California was an island in a novel by Garcia Montalvo first published in the early 16th century. It is interesting to note that when discovered by Spanish explorers, it was assumed that what is now California was an island - the name was given to the peninsula now called Baja California, and then extended north along the coast.

10. Somewhere between North America and South America there is a country whose name translates to "Place of Many Fish". Where am I?

Answer: Panama

In the Guarani language of central America, panama is used to describe a place of many fish. By the way, a Panama hat is made from the leaves of the screw pine and was originally made in Ecuador. So next time you go out in the sun, be sure to wear your hat of many fish.

Source: Author Znarkasaurus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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