The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread Quiz

Answer: Knee-jerk reaction

A knee-jerk reaction is also medically known as a patellar reflex and is the sudden jerking of the knee when it is unexpectedly hit hard with an object. The phrase "knee-jerk reaction" was first used by physiologist Michael Foster in his "Textbook of Physiology" (1877) and is now used as an idiom.

Answer: Something that is common

There is debate about the origins of this idiom; however, it is believed to have been used since the 1700s. In addition to describing something that is common, it can also be used to describe something that is cheap and easy to get.

Answer: tail

This idiom means that the speaker can't understand or comprehend someone or something. A version of this phrase has been used since Roman times, where it was used to describe confusion. It is believed that the current, English version of the phrase has been used since the 1600s.

Answer: Argue

If someone has an axe to grind with you, then they are most likely angry at you and they want to express their opinions about it.

Answer: Have dinner with you

This idiom has been around for hundreds of years and early versions of this phrase appear in the New Testament. The phrase can be used in reference to the bread that is offered at Christian Communal services, or in reference to a loaf of bread being served at an ordinary meal.

Answer: Honey

The idiom is in reference to it being easier to attract people, win people over and get what you want by being nice, polite, flattering and sweet -- as opposed to being confrontational and arguing. This phrase can be traced back to G. Torriano's "Common Place of Italian Proverbs", which was published in 1666.

Answer: Laugh like a drain

From the UK, this idiom was first recorded in "A dictionary of forces' slang 1939-45" (1948) by Eric Partridge. It means both to laugh loudly and to laugh at others' discomfort.

Answer: Frightened

If you break out in a cold sweat, you are feeling frightened, nervous or anxious, which can cause you to sweat. This is different from a regular sweat, when you're too hot!

Answer: The good parts

If someone is said to be looking through rose-tinted glasses at a situation then they are seeing only the pleasant, good and positive aspects. This phrase has been cited in books that were published as early as the 1800s.

Answer: People must work together

The idiom suggests that in order for something to work out, people need to unify and work together. This phrase has evolved from the Bible (Matthew 12:25). US President Abraham Lincoln used the idiom in 1858 when he was nominated as Illinois' Republican Party candidate for State Senator.