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Words by Decade 1941-1950 Trivia Quiz

Some people regard the 1940s as the pivotal decade of the century. World War II and the prospect of nuclear explosions continued to keep the new vocabulary flowing.

A multiple-choice quiz by Philian. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Philian

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
155,819

Updated
Nov 02 24

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2339

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In World War II a "bazooka" was a tubular anti-tank rocker launcher but what was the original meaning of this word in the 1930s? Hint

It was the name of a trombone-like jazz instrument.

It was the name for a water hose connected to a locomotive.

It was the name for a suction device on a grain elevator.

It was the name of a socket-shaped monkey wrench.

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Question 2 of 10

2. A bikini is a brief two-piece swimsuit for women. Which nation first introduced this word and meaning into the language? Hint

U.S.A.

France

Great Britain

Fiji

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Question 3 of 10

3. The word "contrail" entered the language in 1945. Which of the following is the correct definition? Hint

The criminal records of a suspect.

A series of disastrous disappointments.

A chain of a missile early warning stations.

The vapour trail of an aircraft.

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Question 4 of 10

4. The word "boondocks" means an isolated or wild region, far from the centre of civilization. From which language did the word derive? Hint

Spanish

Tagalog - the native language of the Philippines

Creole - a dialect of the West Indies

The Cajun dialect of Louisiana

5. The expression "flavor-of-the-month" is now used to describe anything that is currently popular. From the 1940s American advertising gimmick for which product did this expression first derive? Hint

margarine

spinach

soup

ice-cream

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Question 6 of 10

6. During World War II what was the specialised meaning given to the word "goon"? Hint

The name given by Americans to small landing craft.

The name given by Allied prisoners to their German guards.

The name given by parachutists to the emergency parachute.

The name given to the German stick grenade.

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Question 7 of 10

7. What was the alternative name given to the French Resistance Movement during the occupation by the Germans in World War II? Hint

The Grey Fleas

Raquis

Maquis

Parquet

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Question 8 of 10

8. What was the name given to the prefabricated floating harbour used by the Allies to follow up on D-Day? Hint

Mulberry Harbour

Huckleberry Harbour

Blackberry Harbour

Loganberry Harbour

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Question 9 of 10

9. Why were the prefabricated huts called "Quonset huts" so named? Hint

It was from the Inuit name for a dwelling place.

It was after the name of the inventor - Samuel Quonset.

It was after the place in the U.S.A. where the components were made.

It was the name of the first place in Canada where one was built.

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Question 10 of 10

10. The American humorist H.L.Mencken coined the word "ecdysiast" in 1940. What sort of entertainer or artist was he trying to name? Hint

a strip-tease dancer

a film extra

a saxophone player

a modern painter

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In World War II a "bazooka" was a tubular anti-tank rocker launcher but what was the original meaning of this word in the 1930s?

Answer: It was the name of a trombone-like jazz instrument.

The trombone-like bazooka was invented by a Mr.Burns. There is some speculation that its name was created in imitation of the word "kazoo", another instrument that produces a buzzing sound.

2. A bikini is a brief two-piece swimsuit for women. Which nation first introduced this word and meaning into the language?

Answer: France

The story is that the term first appeared in "Le Monde Illustre" in 1947 when the journalist compared the effect of a bikini on French males to the explosion caused by the U.S. atom bomb test on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands in July 1946.

3. The word "contrail" entered the language in 1945. Which of the following is the correct definition?

Answer: The vapour trail of an aircraft.

It is another word for the white streaks produced by the passage of an aircraft through the sky. The word is a conflation of the words "condensation" and "trail". The increased number of jet aircraft made the phenomenon more common.

4. The word "boondocks" means an isolated or wild region, far from the centre of civilization. From which language did the word derive?

Answer: Tagalog - the native language of the Philippines

It was picked up by American personnel serving in the Philippines from the word "bundok" which originally meant "mountain". To say that some one is "from the boondocks" is also to suggest somehow that they are ill-educated or even backward and out of their depth in a mainstream environment like a city.

5. The expression "flavor-of-the-month" is now used to describe anything that is currently popular. From the 1940s American advertising gimmick for which product did this expression first derive?

Answer: ice-cream

This was originally a marketing device in the American ice-cream industry where particular flavors were given high exposure during particular months. Its first recorded usage is in 1946.

6. During World War II what was the specialised meaning given to the word "goon"?

Answer: The name given by Allied prisoners to their German guards.

It was probably derived from the two previous meanings of "goon" - either a "fool" or a "thug". Strangely enough it is believed that it was an Australian who first coined the term for camp guards. "Goon-baiting" or provoking their captors was a well-known activity amongst P.O.W.s.

Another explanation comes from the U.S.A. and suggests that the goons that appeared in the cartoon strip "Popeye" were the inspiration for this term. These goons were a group of zombie-like creeps who had their own language, which showed as nothing but scribble lines within the balloons.

But goons weren't particularly noted for conversation; they just stood around and looked threatening.

7. What was the alternative name given to the French Resistance Movement during the occupation by the Germans in World War II?

Answer: Maquis

The maquis were actually named after a scrub or bush that grows most prolifically on the French island of Corsica. It is rumoured that the underground fighters drew some of their inspiration from the activities of Corsican bandits.

8. What was the name given to the prefabricated floating harbour used by the Allies to follow up on D-Day?

Answer: Mulberry Harbour

The Germans had expected that any invasion of France would be concentrated around the Allies' need to take existing French port facilities. The provision of a Mulberry Harbour made this requirement less essential.It was given the name "Mulberry" because it was the next name on the Admiralty's list of ships' names available for use.

9. Why were the prefabricated huts called "Quonset huts" so named?

Answer: It was after the place in the U.S.A. where the components were made.

The name comes from Quonset Point on Rhode Island which is where the first huts were manufactured. Quonset huts were made of semi-cylindrical pieces of corrugated metal roof on a bolted steel foundation. The British equivalent is the Nissen hut which was indeed named after its inventor Peter Norman Nissen.

10. The American humorist H.L.Mencken coined the word "ecdysiast" in 1940. What sort of entertainer or artist was he trying to name?

Answer: a strip-tease dancer

He made up the word when in a facetious frame of mind to suggest it might be a good idea to use the Greek term for molting to describe the activity of a strip-tease dancer. "Ekdusis" is a Greek word for stripping according to John Ayto in "20th Century Words".

Source: Author Philian

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