Searching for Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Toxic

The word "toxic", which means "pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison", is derived from the Greek word "toxikòn", which is short for "toxikòn phármakon", which literally translates to "bow poison". According to a 2010 History Channel documentary, entitled "The Clash of the Gods: Hercules", there is thought to be an etymological link between the word "toxic" and the legend of Hercules.

When Hercules slew the Hydra, he dipped his arrows in its blood, thus lining it with poison.

This is one of the reasons put forward to explain the subsequent link between poison and the Greek word "toxon", which means "bow".

Answer: Skulduggery

"Skulduggery" is defined as "underhanded or unscrupulous behaviour", and comes from the eighteenth-century Scottish word "sculdudrie", meaning "indecency" or "breach of chastity". However, although "sculdudrie" is thought to have once been a serious, legal term in Scotland, various written examples suggest that the word eventually became nothing more than facetious slang. Meanwhile "skulduggery" (or rather "skullduggery" as it is spelt in US English) was first recorded in Albert D. Richardson's 1867 book, "Beyond the Mississippi".

In it, he wrote "From Minnesota had been imported the mysterious term 'scull-duggery', used to signify political or other trickery".

Answer: Posse

The noun "posse" is a shortened version of the Medieval Latin phrase "posse comitatus", which translates to "power of the county". Originally a legal term, it stems from the days of raising a "hue and cry", which involved rousing fellow citizens in order to pursue and capture criminals. Though trained individuals were eventually recruited for this purpose, the notion of "posse comitatus" continued, meaning that sheriffs could still rely upon males aged fifteen and over for help if they ever needed to.

Answer: Abracadabra

The first known reference to "Abracadabra" was in physician Quintus Sammonicus Serenus' second-century book, "Liber Medicinalis". In it he revealed that those suffering from malaria would be healed if they wore an amulet with the word "Abracadabra" on it.

However, in an interesting twist, he insisted that the word needed to be written in the form of a triangle for its healing properties to work. Many believe that the word is Aramaic in origin, with "Abra" meaning "to create", and "cadabra" meaning "as I say".

When put together, "Abracadabra" translates to "Create as I say", hence its usage in modern-day magic acts.

Answer: Weird

While the modern-day definition of "weird" is "unusual or strange", not only was it originally spelt differently, it had different connotations too. A product of Anglo-Saxon culture, "wyrd" related to "fate" or "destiny" and derived from the Common Germanic word "wurðíz", meaning "karma".

Answer: Ventriloquist

A ventriloquist is a performer who appears to make their puppet or dummy talk, all the while without moving their own lips. The word itself is Latin in origin, and is made up of two different words; "venter" meaning "belly" and "loqui" meaning "speak". Therefore the combination of the two words gives us the word "ventriloquy", which literally means "speaking from the belly".

Answer: Thug

The word "Thuggee" (and later "thug") is derived from the Hindi word "thag", meaning "thief". Originating in India, the "Thuggee" were a group of ruthless bandits, who befriended travellers before murdering them via strangulation, and then robbing them of their valuables. Over time the word "thug" became part of the English lexicon, which was partly due to the publication of Phillip Meadows Taylor's 1839 novel "Confessions of a Thug".

Answer: Mime

The word "mime" comes from the Greek word "pantomimus", which literally translates to "imitating all". A true mime can tell an entire story, from start to finish, without saying a single word.

Answer: Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two normally contradictory terms are placed next to each other. Common examples include "false truth", "bitter sweet", "clearly misunderstood" and "deafening silence". Moreover the Greek derivatives that make up the word, "oxy" meaning "sharp" and "moros" meaning "dull", are (very fittingly) opposites in themselves.

Answer: Histrionic

The term "histrionic" is derived from the Latin word "histrion", which means "actor". For most, the word "histrionic" is associated with the flashy, over the top, high drama of the theatre. However this does not always have to be the case, as even in its modern-day context it may simply be used to refer to a run of the mill (and therefore not overdone) actor.