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Meta-Linguistics: Words About Words

Created by xaosdog

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Vocabulary
MetaLinguistics Words About Words game quiz
"Tests your knowledge of words whose definitions refer to words. Xaosdog attests that each word appearing in this quiz has been accepted as a legitimate English word by at least one major dictionary AND one minor dictionary."

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  



1. The phrase 'mot juste' refers most accurately to which of the following:
    the simplest way of expressing something
    the most appropriate term
    a particularly beautiful expression
    a statement unsupported by explanation


2. The word 'logomachy' refers to:
    highly technical language
    the binary code by which computers communicate
    use of a distinct font as a corporate trademark
    a dispute over words


3. The phrase 'vox barbara' is most likely to refer to:
    the complete utterances or collected sayings of tele-journalist Barbara Walters
    ersatz scholarly language creating a false impression of proper derivation from Latin or Greek
    high-level intellectual discourse; the sort of language employed by bearded philosophers
    pointed gibes and cutting insults designed more to wound sensibilities than merely to offend


4. If a word is 'polysemous' then it must:
    have more than one distinct meaning
    refer to something monstrous
    be derivable from several different etymologies
    possess a variety of correct spellings


5. What English word, derived from Old Norse through Old English, refers to a figurative word or phrase used to describe a thing in place of its usual name?
    Answer: (one word, for which a cognate term can be found in the Scots dialect word meaning ?to know?)


6. Something characterized as 'obiter dictum' can be described most accurately as which of the following?
    an oral communication marked by formality language normally reserved for writing
    a command or pronouncement issued by the highest possible authority
    a remark made in passing, to which significance ought not be attached
    a routine observation, expressing something so obvious as to be self-evident


7. The word 'verbigeration' refers to:
    the obsessive repetition of meaningless words or phrases
    the adoption of foreign words as accepted terms in standard dialect
    the use of the name of a person, place or thing to denote an action
    the tendency to employ complex and formal language to express simple ideas


8. The word 'amphibology' refers to:
    the science or study of words with application in multiple disciplines
    speech tending to exaggerate rather than reflect accurate observation
    esoteric scientific terminology incomprehensible to the layman
    language subject to more than one correct interpretation


9. Which of the following is a 'hyponym' of the word 'quadrilateral'?
    form
    angles
    square
    geometry


10. What do you suffer from if you are subject to a pathological compulsion to repeat any words spoken in your hearing?
    Answer: (One word derived from the name of a nymph of Hera and the Greek word for speech)


11. The word 'battology' refers to:
    the use of hostile, confrontational language
    the insertion of an irrelevant word into an otherwise grammatical utterance
    the technical nomenclature of weaponry
    the pointless repetition of words in speaking or writing


12. If I am characterized by 'lethonomia' then:
    I am functionally illiterate.
    My name is of classical antiquity.
    I am unlikely to remember your name.
    My pronunciation is so bad I ?destroy? my words.


13. If someone points out an instance of 'acyrology' they have indicated:
    an example of fine rhetoric
    a euphemistic use of language
    a scatological term
    an incorrect choice of diction


14. The term 'lexiphanicism' is illustrated by this very quiz in what way?
    The subjects of the quiz are words referring to words.
    The quiz author is showing off his big vocabulary.
    The quiz tests knowledge of obscure words.
    The subjects of the quiz are words which are difficult to spell.


15. We close with a tricky one, requiring knowledge of three different terms referring to the structural arrangement of words: epistrophe plus anaphora equals..?
    Answer: (one eight-letter word derived from Greek roots meaning ?to twine together?)


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Compiled Jun 28 12