FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Quiz about Famous English Phrases from the Ancients

Famous English Phrases from the Ancients Quiz

Some of our most common phrases and expressions in the English language came to us originally from the Romans and Greeks. Within whose work will you first find the following?

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

Author
thejazzkickazz

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
16,162

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
5

Difficulty
Very Difficult

Avg Score
2 / 5

Plays
481

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 5

1. From whence do we get the lovely phrase: Achilles' heel? Hint

Homer

Statius

Publius

Lucullus

NEXT>

Question 2 of 5

2. The very commonly employed phrase, 'to add insult to injury' comes to us from whose writings? Hint

Xenophon

Phaedrus

Aristophanes

Aristotle

NEXT>

Question 3 of 5

3. Who said (before Alexander Pope): To err is human, to forgive is divine? Hint

Lucian

Plautus

Plato

Terence

NEXT>

Question 4 of 5

4. 'One hand washes the other' was first cleverly utilized by which of the following? Hint

Livius Drusus

Socrates

Petronius

Catiline

NEXT>

Question 5 of 5

5. Which ancient figure coined the wonderful phrase: 'One man's meat is another's poison'? Hint

Virgil

Origen

Lucretius

Menander

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. From whence do we get the lovely phrase: Achilles' heel?

Answer: Statius

This phrase comes from the famous story of Achilles as a baby. His mother, Thetis, dipped the child in the river Styx hoping that he would become impervious to harm. Unfortunately, all but his heel were doused in the river's waters, and Achilles met his bitter end via an arrow to that very heel! (Who ever heard of someone dying by an injured heel, by the way?)

2. The very commonly employed phrase, 'to add insult to injury' comes to us from whose writings?

Answer: Phaedrus

Phaedrus was a Roman writer of fables, and a slave to boot...right along the same lines as Aesop. Working under the auspices of Augustus, he produced some of the most charming little fables the world has ever seen.

3. Who said (before Alexander Pope): To err is human, to forgive is divine?

Answer: Lucian

Though this very common and beloved quote is often credited to the famed British writer Alexander Pope, a version of it was employed by the ancient Roman Lucian a couple of millenia earlier, c.125-180AD.
Latin: errare humanum est ("to err is human"), is attributed to Seneca the Younger (4BC - 65AD), before Lucian.

4. 'One hand washes the other' was first cleverly utilized by which of the following?

Answer: Petronius

Petronius Arbiter was the ancient Latin writer responsible for the 'Satyricon'. We have yet to wash our hands of his influence...

5. Which ancient figure coined the wonderful phrase: 'One man's meat is another's poison'?

Answer: Lucretius

Lucretius was a member of the Epicurian movement, so it's a small wonder that he would mention poisoned meat. It simply goes to reinforce the notion that Epicurians were not overindulgent, a characteristic with which they are popularly and unfortunately saddled. I hope this quiz was interesting and informative for you...thank you for making the attempt!

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.