Spit Fire II Trivia Quiz

Answer: The midnight oil

In days gone by those that chose to work late at night would do so by use of candlelight or oil lamp, hence the phrase. The phrase was first mentioned in a 1635 work, "Emblemes" by Francis Quarles. Unsurprisingly, there used to be a word that described this candlelight; elucubrate. However, with the advent of electricity the idiom's use, like candles as a main source of illumination, has fallen by the wayside.

This question was lit up by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: A fire hose

The idiom "drinking from a fire hose" is used to describe a situation in which a person is overwhelmed by more than what one is capable of handling. The phrase is thought to have originated from former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Jerome Wiesner, who remarked that obtaining an education from MIT is like drinking from a fire hose. Comically, in 1991, a group of MIT students connected a fire hose to a water fountain.

This question was hosed by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Military

The saying came from the armed forces: when retreating the army would destroy bridges so the enemy could not follow. Of course if the troops moved forward again the advance would have no bridge to cross. The saying quite logically means to commit oneself to an irreversible course of action often ending in self-destruction.

This question was compiled by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who has spent a lifetime not burning any bridges. In fact he has walked across many.

Answer: You're fired

"Oh dear, you're canned", "you're axed", "you're discharged"... "you're out of a job". Trump could have used any of those but "You're fired" was so direct. Rumour has it that Trump filed a trademark application for the phrase back in 2004.

One story about the origin of the phrase dates back to the 1910s and the National Cash Register (NCR) Company whose founder, John H Patterson, once sent an executive to call on a customer and when the executive returned he found his desk on the front lawn, alight. Another employee, Thomas Watson Sr., who was the company's best salesperson, fell foul of Patterson when he suggested in 1914 that the company should shift its focus to electric cash registers. He too found his desk on the front lawn burning brightly.

Watson would go to rival firm Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) with his idea. CTR would later become IBM, which Watson turned into one of the largest computer/technology companies in the world.

This question got the boot from Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: It's burning a hole in your pocket.

This saying alludes to someone who is unable to refrain from spending money as soon as it arrives. It is an old saying, from at least 1768 in English when it was cited in a book - "Children..cannot rest till they get rid of their money, or, as we say, it burns in their pockets"; a French saying very like it (money burning the hands) may be even older.

This question was hoarded by Phoenix Rising team member VegemiteKid.

Answer: The fat

The phrase is generally used to indicate that something has gone irretrievably wrong;
(Me) Oh dear, I've broken the vase.
(You) Uh-oh, here comes Dad, the fat is in the fire now.

There are claims that the idiom goes back to the days of cooking on an open fire, particularly when roasting meat. The fat from the meat would be collected and used as basting material. To fail to capture this fat was seen as wasteful and likely to cause the fire to flare with disastrous results for the poor piece of meat.

This question was cooked up by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: Privately

A smoke-filled room refers to a private meeting of a select group of people, usually politicians or businessmen. The contents of the meeting are not made known to the general public. The term came about when Raymond Clapper, a news analyst, used it to describe rumours surrounding the nomination process of Warren G. Harding as the Republican candidate for the 1920 Presidential Election.

This question was asked in a cloud of smoke by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Too many irons in the fire

Charles Earl Funk's 1993 publication "2107 Curious Word Origins, Sayings & Expressions from White Elephants to a Song and Dance" offers a blacksmith's operation as being a possible origin for this phrase. A blacksmith who knows his trade well and has brought his apprentice up in the right way will ensure that his junior will have the bellows working perfectly and the irons are placed evenly and set to rotate in time to the anvil for hammering. Placing too many irons in the fire will cause a restart to some parts of the process and produce inefficiencies.

A ball of fire describes a person bursting with energy, fire in the belly is the inner drive and passion to achieve something, and playing with fire means to take risks.

This question was struck several times by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: South

The phrase can be traced back as far as the 1850s in the Southern US. It has always evoked a sense of awe or surprise. Its first appearance in popular culture was in the 1939 movie "Gone with the Wind" where it was used several times by Scarlett. This is an example of where art actually reflects true history since the movie takes place in the South during the Civil War which occurred in the early 1860s.

Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Louisiana. His song was a hit in 1957, both in the US and the UK. It was a hit across three distinct genres of music in the US topping the Country chart, coming in at number two on the Hot 100, and number three on the R & B chart. It sold one million copies in its first ten days and made the phrase "great balls of fire" a worldwide phenomenon.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising team member tazman6619.

Answer: House

"Burn not your house to fright the mouse away" means to not take drastic action to solve a minor problem. The origin of this saying is not clear, but it was first recorded in 1615 by a certain T. Adams, although with different wording. The proverb "take not a musket to kill a butterfly" has the same meaning.

This question was timidly asked by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.