'Tea'-terring on the Brink Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anteater

anTEAter

There are four species of anteaters, and all have tongues that can extend up to two feet. They also have very sharp claws and no teeth. The anteater is the mascot of University of California at Irvine.

The word 'anteater' was first recorded in the mid-1700s to describe literally the animals which catch ants and termites with their long sticky tongues.

Answer: Teak

TEAk

The word 'teak' derives from the Tamil and Malayalam word 'tekku'. While other hardwoods are used for shipbuilding, teak from India was sought after for many centuries for this purpose. Teak is a flowering tree from the genus Tectona, and the wood is resistant to termite attack.

Answer: Protease

proTEAse

The protease group of enzymes breaks long chains of protein molecules into shorter fragments called peptides, and then into amino acids. The word was coined in 1903, a combination of the word 'protein' and the word-forming element employed in naming enzymes, -ase.

Answer: Plateau

plaTEAu

A plateau is an area of flat land, characterised by low relative relief, but with some elevation. Good examples of this are Table Mountain in South Africa and Cerro Negro in Argentina. The word derives from the old French 'plat', meaning level.

Answer: Steady

sTEAdy

The idiom 'slow and steady wins the race' probably comes from the fable of the Hare and Tortoise. The word steady can also mean a regular girlfriend or boyfriend. The old English word 'staep' means 'unwavering, without deviation'. There are comparable words, all with similar meanings, in early Danish, Dutch and Icelandic languages.

Steable is a made up word - sorry if you chose that!

Answer: Steamboat

sTEAmboat

Steamboat is a compound word from around 1780, stemming the time paddle boats used steam power for propulsion.

'Steamboat Willie' was created in 1928 and was the first cartoon that had synchronised sound; it was also the first one with Mickey Mouse. It was released on November 18, now seen as Mickey's birthday.

Answer: Gateau

gaTEAu

The first known use of the word gateau was in 1764. It has numerous roots, and is related to the word 'wastil' (to consume) and 'wist' (to provision, or feast). Literally translated from French, it means 'cake'. The plural of gateau is gateaux. A gateau is usually characterised by several layers of cake interspersed with cream (sometimes flavoured) and/or fruit.

Answer: Tearjerker

TEArjerker

A tearjerker is a sentimental story or film, intended to move the audience to tears. Some well-known tearjerkers are "Schindler's List" (1993), "Pay if Forward" (2000) and "The Notebook" (2004).

Tearjerker is a compound word (tear and jerker) and denotes excessive sentimentalism or emotional appeal. The use of the term is believed to have originated in 1911 in reference to newspapers stories about dreadful occurrences.

Answer: Chateaubriand

chaTEAubriand

Chateaubriand originated in France in the late 1800s and is named for François-René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand, although he didn't create it - his chef did! It is a thick piece of fillet, grilled and served with a sauce made from veal bones and flavoured with tarragon.

Answer: Teacher

TEAcher

A teacher is one who helps others in the acquisition of knowledge. The word has a Greek root meaning 'to show' or 'sample'. It is related to the old English 'tacen', or 'token', which has the idea of something of importance, worth noting.

'Grasshopper' is a reference to the movie, "The Karate Kid" (1984), where the student is called this by the sensei (teacher). It has come to refer to one who has a lot to learn.