Whatchamacallit Trivia Quiz

Answer: Keeper

'Keeper' may well be the most versatile word in this quiz. Aside from the belt loop in the photo, some of the other meanings of keeper include: an abbreviation for a sporting goal or wicketkeeper; a game keeper; or a fish large enough to keep (i.e. above the legal size limit). Keeper can also mean something or someone who's is worth hanging on to, as in 'John's a good employee; he's a keeper.'

Possibly the most famous quote featuring 'keeper' is from the Bible when the Lord asked Cain where his brother was. Cain replied 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?'

Answer: Punt

The punt, also known as a kick or kick-up, has been around for centuries. Why is it there? There are many thoughts on this subject. It was probably there originally as byproduct of the glass blowing process. If a punt wasn't there, the bottom of the bottle could be uneven, resulting in bottles not sitting properly and toppling over.

Now that machines can make bottles, glasses, vases and the like with perfectly flat bottoms, why do we still have punts? Tradition probably plays a role in this, though now that many wineries now use screw-top caps rather than corks, perhaps it's not just tradition. The punt does let the wine's sediment settle around base of the punt. This helps prevent the sediment getting into your glass of wine as it's poured. The punt lets a person pour the wine more easily, the thumb being placed in the punt while the fingers grip the bottle. (Hmm... you don't have to pour wine in that fashion so that can't be the reason the punt has been retained.) The most sensible reason I've heard is that the thicker base and shape of the punt increases the inherent strength of the bottle, enabling it to retain champagne or other sparkling wines without bursting, especially while being transported. The more cynical amongst us might suggest that a punt increases the size of the bottle required to hold a set amount of wine, making purchasers think they are getting more wine than they really are.

Answer: Lunula

Lunula mean 'little moon' in Latin. Part of the root of the nail, the lunulae (plural) are delicate structures which can become permanently damaged, forever changing the nail's appearance. Lunulae are most prominent in the thumb but the absence of one or more lunulae can be completely normal.

On the other hand (pardon the pun), changes in the lunulae can indicate disease. Pale blue lunulae could be a sign of diabetes mellitus, while red lunulae might be an indicator for cardiovascular disease or haematological disorders. Milky white lines going across the lunulae could be a response to an acute illness, heavy metal toxicity or even some types of chemotherapy. The lines will start at the lunulae (where the nail is formed) and travel up the nail until they grow out. This can give medical personnel an indication of when the event occurred. Other colours and/or disfigurations of the nail can indicate myriad diseases, nutritional deficiencies or previous trauma to the nail.

The incorrect answers (which I partially made up) all have derivations related to heavenly bodies. Artemis was the ancient Greek god of the moon. Phoebe is an alternate name for Artemis, while Celeste simply means heavenly.

Answer: Sword belt

Not to be confused with Baldrick, the character from the BBC's 'Blackadder' comedy series, a baldric is a sword belt which goes across the body from shoulder to hip. It's similar to a bandolier but a bandolier is not just a sword belt. It can also carry other useful items such as cartridges for guns or hand grenades. Think of a baldric as a belt and a bandolier (or bandoleer) as a utility belt Batman might have worn.

Answer: Phosphenes

Phosphenes are generated by some sort of stimulation of the optic nerve, be it mechanical, electrical or magnetic. Stimulation of the visual cortex of the brain (in the occipital lobe) can also create phosphenes. Phosphenes or other visual hallucinations can result from epilepsy affecting the visual cortex, or from disease processes such as multiple sclerosis.

Answer: Twilight

Crepuscular rays have several other names such as cloud breaks, Jacob's ladder, sunburst, God's rays, fingers of God and Jesus rays. Despite appearing to come from a central point and radiating outwards, they are actually very close to parallel. The apparent radiation from a single point is purely due to perspective, much in the same way that railroad tracks appear to converge in the distance.

Crepuscular rays appear when sunlight comes through gaps in the clouds. The darker spaces between the rays are where the light has been blocked by the clouds. Crepuscular rays are most noticeable when the air has a good quantity of matter in it, whether it be dust, water molecules or other aerosol particles.

Crepuscular means twilight and can also refer to animals that are active in the hours around dawn and dusk.

Answer: Ideo locator

Aside from the 'You are here' arrow definition, one reference I found stated an ideo locator was also a website designed so readers may interact with the short stories it has.

Answer: Snood

When a male turkey is calm and relaxed, the snood is much paler and shorter than seen in the photo. There are times when it grows in length and the colour becomes much more vivid. During courtship, the snood can hang well below the beak as the male tries to attract the female. When turkeys fight, the snood can become a target and have other turkeys pecking at it and all around the head. Females prefer males with longer, darker snoods, and males will become submissive to another male with a longer, darker snood.

The droopy bit of flesh under the turkey's neck (and some other birds) is called a wattle.

Answer: Grawlix

Mort Walker, author of the 'Beetle Bailey' cartoons, coined the term 'grawlix' in 1964. A grawlix isn't the only device used by cartoonists to represent an idea, and Mort Walker has come up with terms for many of them. Seen drops of sweat on a character to indicate heat or fear? They are called 'plewds'. Think of a hot pie or burger in a cartoon with those wavy lines suggesting a hearty, appetising aroma. They are called 'waftaroms'. There are wiggly lines suggesting shaking. They are called agitrons. If you want to show a character running or racing off in a hurry, you might use 'briffits', those clouds of dust behind a character as they furiously move.

Mort Walker researched all the symbols he and other cartoonists used and put them all together in a book called 'The Lexicon of Comicana' (1980).

Answer: Agraffe

There's more than one word for the contraption that keeps the cork in a champagne bottle. It can be called an agraffe (or agrafe), a muselet, a wirehood or simply a cage. Agraffe can also mean an anchor used to secure the strings of some pianos, a small clamp, a clasp or hook on clothing or armour, and a sculptured pattern on a keystone of the building.

The word originated from the 17th century French word 'agrafer' which meant to hook. The word muselet is also derived from French. In this case, the original word 'museler' which meant to muzzle.