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Cliches Trivia Quizzes

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Some idioms and proverbs are just soooo familiar that they almost make you scream. Why not play a quiz about them instead?
11 Cliches quizzes and 110 Cliches trivia questions.
1.
  Oh No! Not More Clichés   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Back with some more clichés - So put "your nose to the grindstone", "your shoulder to the wheel" and "your best foot forward", and see if you can complete this quiz in that strange position. Have fun! Contains some US, and some British usage.
Very Easy, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Very Easy
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
23248 plays
2.
  Oh! That's Such a Cliché   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You might say this quiz "is nothing to write home about". Think you know all the answers, then "put your money where your mouth is" - "grit your teeth", "throw caution to the wind" and give it a go. Primarily British usage.
Easier, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Dec 07 23
Easier
musicmonkeyman
Dec 07 23
21582 plays
3.
  Oh No! Even More Clichés   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
"In this day and age" it's good to enjoy "some quality time", so "put on your thinking cap", "take the plunge" and get quizzing!Contains some US, and some British usage.
Easier, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Easier
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
18157 plays
4.
  Clichés Taken Literally editor best quiz   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You know the meaning of the cliché but how about the meaning of the individual words? Demonstrate your mastery of the vocabulary of clichés as you answer questions dependent on the literal meanings of the individual words (utilizing my GENEROUS HINTS).
Tough, 10 Qns, uglybird, Oct 28 17
Tough
uglybird
Oct 28 17
14470 plays
5.
  In Other Words   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
All of us are familiar with the old cliches---after all, they're "as plain as the nose on your face." But, let's see if we can figure out what they are when they are stated in unfamiliar terms. Let's go.
Easier, 10 Qns, bassman68, Nov 16 22
Easier
bassman68
Nov 16 22
6365 plays
6.
  Oh no! More Clichés. Part 5   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Another chance to prove you are "a mine of information". Don't let this opportunity "slip through your fingers". Good luck!
Easier, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Easier
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
7973 plays
7.
  Oh No! Yet More Clichés   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some more clichés for you to "get your teeth into". So "rack your brain" and those points could "be in the bag!"
Easier, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Easier
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
8283 plays
8.
  Oh no! More Clichés. Part 7   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Ready to grapple with some more of those dreaded clichés. "The time is ripe" to show you're "too clever by half" so "grab the tiger by the tail".
Easier, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Easier
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
6424 plays
9.
  All Your Dreams ...    
Fun Fill-It
 10 Qns
Can be Found in an Idiom or Cliché
Here's a few verses about my daunting trek (thus far) through the Ascension Quest using idioms/expressions and just plain old common sayings all with the poor overworked word "dream" (or a close facsimile).
Average, 10 Qns, sally0malley, Feb 09 24
Average
sally0malley gold member
Feb 09 24
266 plays
10.
  Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some more clichés for you "to tuck into" - I'm sure you won't "bite off more than you can chew". Good luck.
Very Easy, 10 Qns, musicmonkeyman, Oct 28 17
Very Easy
musicmonkeyman
Oct 28 17
6639 plays
trivia question Quick Question
And finally, what is the meaning of the cliché- "Have your back to the wall"?

From Quiz "Oh no! More Clichés. Part 7"




11.
  Raining Cats and Dogs   popular trivia quiz  
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Help! We've had a disaster here at the Cliché Museum. It's been raining cats and dogs, and all the cats and dogs have been washed out of our exhibit. Would you be a life saver and match them up with the right clichés please? You will? Thanks ever so!
Very Easy, 10 Qns, Upstart3, Jul 29 18
Recommended for grades: 8,9,10
Very Easy
Upstart3 gold member
Jul 29 18
1262 plays

Cliches Trivia Questions

1. A person who is so miffed that they are "visualizing photic energy with a wavelength of about 650 nanometers" is seeing what?

From Quiz
In Other Words

Answer: red

Red light is that part of the electromagnetic spectrum that has a wavelength of about 650 nanometers, and "photic energy" is light, so this person must be so angry that they are "seeing red." A popular myth surrounding red is that matadors use a red cape because it drives the bulls to an insanity of aggression. This, however, is not true, as bulls are colorblind and cannot even see the hue of the cape. The red cape is used because it signifies danger to us humans, and is, therefore, used for dramatic and entertainment purposes. It has been shown, however, that in humans, red CAN invoke violent and aggressive feelings and behavior in people who are already predisposed to violence or aggression. This is why institutions such as prisons and mental institutions NEVER adopt a red color scheme.

2. What name completes this common cliché? "Keeping up with the ______".

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6

Answer: Joneses

"Keeping up with the Joneses" is to try and live in the same, or better, style than your neighbours or friends. The expression comes from the title of a US newspaper comic strip of the 1920's.

3. Complete this well known expression meaning to shift the responsibility to someone else. "To pass the ______"

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 5

Answer: buck

US President Truman famously had a sign on his desk saying "The buck stops here".

4. Complete this cliché meaning, the common people. "Every Tom, Dick and ______."

From Quiz Oh No! Yet More Clichés

Answer: Harry

This expression is about 200 years old and the names Tom, Dick and Harry were popular at this time. Thus, these names were used to describe the common people or hoi polloi.

5. Solomon Short averred, "A cliché is a sure and certain way to dilute an idea." I wait with bated breath to see how you respond to this assertion. Er... just exactly what is my "bated" breathing like, anyway? (Hint: think of wind abating)

From Quiz Clichés Taken Literally

Answer: My breathing is lessened in intensity

I have always been clear on the fact that "bated breath" referred to a state of tense expectation and/or apprehension, but I had always assumed that to "bate" your breath was to pause in breathing, i.e. to hold your breath. Learning my error led me to more critically consider other clichés. What is dudgeon, anyway? I say to my shame that I had always assumed a "petard" was a yardarm on a ship.

6. Which word completes this cliché? "Rats abandon a ______ ship".

From Quiz Oh No! Even More Clichés

Answer: sinking

This saying comes from nautical belief that if the rats left a ship before it sailed, the voyage was doomed.

7. Which word is missing from this expression? "Save for a ______ day"

From Quiz Oh No! Not More Clichés

Answer: rainy

This cliché dates back over 400 years. "Save for a ______ day" means to put something aside now to be used if hard times occur in the future.

8. "Hominans habitating vitreous domiciles should refrain from the forceful projection of petrescent missiles." In this cliche, there is a construction material cited. Which construction material is it?

From Quiz In Other Words

Answer: glass

This pedantic sentence simply means that "People living in glass houses should not throw stones." Glass occupies a unique niche in our understanding of materials in that there is no clear scientific consensus on whether it is a solid, or a liquid with an extremely high viscosity. For a long time, antique glass (particularly that on old European churches) seemed to provide proof that glass was a liquid. The glass at the bottom of the panes was always thicker than that at the top of the panes on the old glass, but this was not seen in newer glass. This led people to believe that over time, the glass was flowing toward the lowest point, just as a liquid would. This was debunked, however, when panes of glass began being discovered with the heavier side toward the top, rather than the bottom. After investigation, it was shown that the glass on the old churches was made in a process that made uniform thickness very difficult to obtain. Since the heavier side was safest to put at the bottom, that's what they did, and the thicker part at the top was probably a result of improper installation by the workmen. Today, there is a movement to declare glass another, distinct state of matter known as the "vitreous state." This, too, though is still being debated. Hominan=member of the zoological family Hominidae, this branch of which only modern humans have survived. Vitreous=glassy, glasslike Petrescent=rocky, rocklike, rock

9. A person who is no longer effective could be described as "A lame ______".

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6

Answer: duck

This British phrase dates back some 250 years. It is used to describe a person who cannot meet his obligations. In the US the term "lame duck" is often used for a President or holder of an official position who is coming to the end of his term of office and is not, or is unable to stand for re-election.

10. Which word is missing from this cliché? "An iron hand in a ______ glove"

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 5

Answer: velvet

This expression means to be firm, resolute and determined while appearing to be gentle and compassionate.

11. If something makes you angry it could be said to - "make your ______ boil".

From Quiz Oh No! Yet More Clichés

Answer: blood

Heat and anger seem to go together, other expressions with a similar theme are "hot and bothered" and "hot under the collar".

12. What does the cliché "to smell a rat" mean?

From Quiz Oh No! Not More Clichés

Answer: To be suspicious about a situation

"To smell a rat" means that you suspect that something is wrong. Other smelly expressions with a similar meaning are: "Smells fishy" and "Smells to high heaven".

13. What does it mean when we say, "It never rains, but it pours"?

From Quiz Oh! That's Such a Cliché

Answer: Many problems occurring simultaneously

This expression is thought to be about 300 years old. It probably relates to farmers needing rain for their plants, but they get a downpour damaging the crops. As used nowadays, it refers to the fact that once you encounter one problem, others often seem to follow.

14. Though it may be a snap to "direct the trajectory of a member of Equus caballus proximate of hydrogen oxide," this cliche informs us that it may not be so easy to persuade him to do what?

From Quiz In Other Words

Answer: drink

"Equus caballus" is merely the scientific name for the horse, and, of course, hydrogen oxide is nothing but water. So, this cliche would be, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Although there are exceptions, usually whichever way a horse's ears are pointing, that is the way the horse is looking. Since a horse has the facility of monocular vision (seeing in a different direction with each eye) as well as binocular vision (seeing in one direction with both eyes, which it can do only when looking down its nose) if a horse's ears are pointing in two different directions, it is LOOKING in two different directions. However, if a horse's ears are all the way back, this usually indicates anger and not its direction of vision.

15. Can you fill the blank in this well known saying? "All's fair in love and ______."

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 7

Answer: War

This expression means, any tactic is acceptable when it is important to achieve a successful outcome. "All's fair in love and war" can be traced back to the 17th century.

16. What is meant by the expression- "To see eye to eye"?

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6

Answer: To be in agreement with others

If you "see eye to eye", you are of the same mind as others.

17. Can you fill the blank in this saying? "That's the way the ______ crumbles"

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 5

Answer: cookie & cooky & cookey

"That's the way the cookie crumbles" means you must accept your fate, and what is going to happen will happen.

18. When moving from one difficult situation to another the following expression could apply to you. "From pillar to ______."

From Quiz Oh No! Yet More Clichés

Answer: post

This expression is thought to be more than 500 years old. It is probably derived from two forms of public punishment used at that time - the whipping post and the pillory.

19. Which word is missing from this common phrase? "Explore every ______"

From Quiz Oh No! Even More Clichés

Answer: avenue

The cliché "Explore every avenue" means to look at all the options, often when seeking the solution to a problem.

20. If we say, "led up the garden path" what does it mean?

From Quiz Oh! That's Such a Cliché

Answer: To be tricked or misled

The expression, thought to date back to the 1920s, means to be cheated, deceived or given misleading information.

21. Which word completes the cliché- "Time and ______ wait for no man"?

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 7

Answer: tide

"Time and tide wait for no man" means do what you want or need to do now, as the moment will pass and cannot be recaptured. This cliché originated in the 15th century as "tide nor time tarrieth no man".

22. Which word completes this saying- "To kill two ______ with one stone"?

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6

Answer: birds

"To kill two birds with one stone" is to achieve two purposes with a single effort. This was originally an English expression dating back to the 16th century.

23. What word completes this cliché - "Hell has no fury like a ______ scorned."?

From Quiz Oh No! Yet More Clichés

Answer: woman

"Hell has no fury like a woman scorned" simply means to beware of a woman whose dignity has been affronted.

24. What is the meaning of the expression "from the horse's mouth"?

From Quiz Oh No! Even More Clichés

Answer: credible information

It is said that information "from the horses mouth" is reliable. This expression stems from the fact that is easy to tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth. It is therefore difficult to lie about the horse's age. The expression "long in the tooth", meaning old, has a similar equine connection.

25. Complete this expression, "afraid of his own ______"?

From Quiz Oh No! Not More Clichés

Answer: shadow

"Afraid of his own shadow" is said about someone with a very timid nature. The phrase dates back around 500 years.

26. To all of the hardhearts out there, you'd do well to remember that, "You can ensnare more Musca domesticae utilizing an apian, saccharine foodstuff as opposed to the utilization of acetic acid." What disgusting creatures are we trying to catch?

From Quiz In Other Words

Answer: flies

"You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar," is all that's being said here. There are some of us who are inherently good at swatting flies, but most of us are not---and researchers have found out why. With the use of super-fast video film, flies have been observed to anticipate the trajectory of the blow, shift their legs so that they are prepared to jump in the opposite direction, ready their wings, and then evade the swat, all within two hundred milliseconds. This is remarkable given the dimensions of a fly's brain, which is the size of a poppy seed. But all of that visual acuity and swat-evading processing power is also the source of another very annoying thing about flies---how when you shoo them away, they make a circle and come right back, over and over again. Entymologists theorize that the small brain, so heavily engaged in escape and evasion, has had to sacrifice memory for the processing power it uses to avoid swats. So, by the time the fly has gotten out of the way of your swatting hand, it has forgotten all about why it flew off in the first place, and dutifully comes back to what initially attracted it to your vicinity. Musca domestica=taxonomical name of the housefly Apian=of bees Saccharine=sweet Acetic acid=vinegar

27. Which description best fits the expression- "a change of heart"?

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 7

Answer: to alter an opinion

If you have "a change of heart" it means you have changed your attitude or opinion toward a person or situation.

28. "To add insult to ______" - Select the correct word to fill the gap in this phrase.

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 6

Answer: injury

The cliché means to be unkind or harsh to a person who is already suffering. "To add insult to injury" was originally quoted in a fable by Aesop. The saying "to hit a man when he is down" has a similar meaning.

29. What completes this fishy cliché? "Packed in like ______"

From Quiz Oh no! More Clichés. Part 5

Answer: sardines

Used to describe many people jammed into an enclosed space, this expression comes from the number of sardines that will neatly fit into a small tin.

30. "Out of sight out of ______." Which word is missing from this common expression?

From Quiz Oh No! Yet More Clichés

Answer: mind

This cliché can be used in two ways. One meaning - you could be overlooked if you do not make your presence felt. It could also mean - stay out of the way and your misdeeds or mistakes might be forgotten.

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Last Updated Mar 23 2024 5:50 AM
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