Time For Tea Trivia Quiz

Answer: teacher

TEAcher

A teacher is anyone who helps others to learn things. While this is something done at an informal level, the term 'teacher' is generally attached to the educational profession, interchangeable with the term 'educator'. Historically, teachers for the wealthy were hired tutors, like Confucius, for example, but it took some time for the establishment of teacher training at colleges and universities. The first examples came during the Middle Ages with the founding of universities, such as Cambridge University, founded in 1209.

'Teach' is derived from the Old English word 'tæcan', meaning to show, point out, declare, or demonstrate.

Answer: Plateau

plaTEAu

A plateau can be described as a large, flat, and elevated physical geographical feature, but it can also refer to something non-physical, like hitting a plateau in your exercise - a level at which you get stuck without further progress.
Probably one of the most well-known plateaus is the Tibetan Plateau, which is the largest and highest in the world with an area of 2.5 million square kilometers! It has been dubbed 'The Roof of the World'.

'Plateau' is derived from the Old French word 'platel', meaning a flat piece of metal or wood.

Answer: anteater

anTEAter

There are four extant species of anteater in existence: the giant anteater, the silky anteater, the southern tamandua (collared anteater), and the northern tamandua.

This compound word takes 'ant' and 'eater', which have the following origins:

'Ant' is derived from the Old English word 'æmette', which ultimately translated as 'biter-off'. 'Eat' is derived from the Old English word 'etan', which means to consume food, devour, or consume.

Answer: Instead

insTEAd

'Instead' was originally 'in stead', with 'stead' coming from the old English 'stede', meaning 'place, position, standing, firmness, stability, or fixity'.
That positional 'stead' is also found in words like 'homestead' and 'steadfast', and my personal favourite, 'roadstead', which actually refers to a sheltered mooring place for a ship.

Other synonyms for alternatively include 'preferably' and 'rather'.

Answer: teak

TEAk

Teak (Tectona grandis) is tropical hardwood native to southeast Asia, but has since been cultivated in many other parts of the world. In addition to being used for shipbuilding for over 2000 years, teak is also a popular choice for various types of furniture.

Etymologically, 'teak' comes from the Tamil and Malayalam word 'tēkku', through the Portuguese 'teca' in the late 17th century, meaning 'the teak tree'.

Answer: Steam

sTEAm

Steam arises when water is heated to boiling and becomes a water vapour. Steam power was one of the driving forces behind the Industrial Revolution that began in the mid-18th century, but the earliest recorded steam-powered device dates back to the 1st century. Called the aeolipile, it was nothing more than a rotating ball spun by steam jets, as described and invented by Hero of Alexandria.

'Steam' is derived from the Old English words 'stiemen', or 'stymen', meaning to emit a vapour, scent, or odour.

Answer: gluteal

gluTEAl

There are three types of gluteal muscles:

The gluteus maximus (the main extensor muscles of the hip);
The gluteus medius (radiating muscle on the outer surface of the pelvis); and
The gluteus minimus (smallest gluteal muscle located beneath the medius).

'Gluteus' is the Latin word for 'buttocks', and 'gluteal' pertains to anything involving the gluteus maximus, medius, or minimus muscles.

Answer: Portmanteau

portmanTEAu

The use of the word 'portmanteau' to refer to the combining of two other words (like putting 'smoke' and 'fog' together to make 'smog') has its origins in the physical portmanteau - a large, stiff leather travel case that typically opened into two halves.

It was Lewis Carroll who introduced the word 'portmanteau' in its word-use meaning in "Through the Looking-Glass" (1871) when Humpty Dumpty explained certain words in "Jabberwocky".

Middle French used the word 'portemeanteau' to describe a court official who carried a prince's mantle.

Answer: Unsteady

unsTEAdy

Using the same root word as the previous 'instead', when a person is unsteady, he is lacking in stability. Of course, it can refer to any object that is unstable, not just people.

The first known use of 'unsteady' as a transitive verb was in 1532, while its use as an adjective was not seen until 1551.

Answer: Teapot

TEApot

"I'm a little teapot, short and stout.
Here is my handle; here is my spout.
When I get all steamed up, hear me shout:
"Tip me over and pour me out!""

While the teapot has been immortalized through song, there are also the compound words teaspoon, teacup, teakettle, teahouse, tearoom, teacake, etc.

The origins of the English word 'tea' seams to have a couple of different paths. One is through the Portuguese by way of Macao and the word 'cha', while the other comes through the Dutch by way of the Malay word 'teh'.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea!