A Few Choice Words

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Let's begin with a word that describes a garment that medieval ladies once wore as a cloth wound round their head and folded underneath their chins; that Longfellow used to describe the movement of the seas, and that Shakespeare's character Biron used to defame a young man. Certain orders of nuns still wear the garment. What is it called? Tabard Wimple Amigaut Pigache

2. For which of the following sports figures is it most important to be natant? Tiger Woods (professional golfer) Bobby Bonds (baseball player) Peyton Manning (American football quarterback) Michael Phelps (Olympic swimmer)

3. Advocates of "ZPG" (zero population growth) may be fans of our next word, which designates a South American vine with large leaves and an edible tuber. It is also termed a "cush-cush" or "napi". The tuber is darker than a sweet potato. Steroids derived from the plant are used in the manufacture of contraceptives. Which of the following is another name for this plant? Cilantro Amaranth Yampee Poblano

4. You hold in your hand a tube of laky fluid. From which of the following does the liquid most likely derive its laky appearance? Bioluminescent blue-green algae Flocculation of denatured proteins Raw sewage The break down (hemolysis) of red blood cells

5. You're in the market for a horse drawn carriage and prefer one with a convertible top. Which of the following is a term for a collapsible top that also can refer to a carriage equipped with one? Brougham Calash Tilbury Postillion

6. You have just returned brought in your net on the Shetland Islands. Your net is bursting with cod, ling and tusk. Which word best describes the activity in which you have engaged? Haaf Blaff Dacoit Jaup

7. Charles fixes you with an emotionless, impassive stare. Charles is a well-known prig and you are sure that he is feeling smug. Which of the following would be an INAPPROPRIATE term for his facial expression? Snooty Convivial Supercilious Po-faced

8. As the neophyte skydiver leapt from the plane for the first time, he experienced an almost indescribable rush of excitement. A word originating from the Latin word meaning cold and an old French word for shivering denotes a moment of intense excitement. Which of the following words is it? Frit Friseur Frisson Fribble

9. From an Indian word meaning ripe, or to cook comes a word meaning authentic or first rate. The word found its way into "The Observer" in 2000 and into Salman Rushdie's "The Ground Beneath Her Feet". Which of the following words is it? Muzhik Pukka Jagra Kabaya

10. You have carefully listened, trying to be as accepting and fair-minded as possible. You are forced to conclude, however, that all you have heard is rodomontade. Having never heard anyone other than William F. Buckley use the word, you decide that you should express yourself another way. Which of the following phrases best captures the sense of "rodomontade"? Incoherent, arcane drivel A nefarious, calculated falsehood A pompous, vociferous tirade An unsubstantiated, vicious rumor