Help Boris Decode the Code Trivia Quiz

Answer: A wolf in sheep's clothing

"Wolf in sheep's clothing" is a saying going right back to bibical times. It is recorded in Matthew 7:15 and has Jesus warning us to "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves". The meaning of this in today's vernacular is that not everyone is necessarily the person he or she portrays, but could be someone hiding ulterior motives. Politicians are an excellent example of this. Or a false friend, a car salesman even, or, perhaps as indicated in Matthew, a church leader gone bad, but who operates under the guise of a true Christian.

This does not mean, however, that one should go through life suspecting each and everyone of diabolical schemes, but just to use a little commonsense in your everyday dealings with people. Trust, but maintain your perspective and keep a firm grip on reality.

Answer: Discretion is the better part of valour

This saying means that sometimes it is better to choose an alternative method of dealing with something unexpected, rather than rushing in without any thought at all for the consequences of your impetuous actions. "Look before you leap" covers this quite nicely as well.

Answer: A barking dog seldom bites

This centres around the belief that people who make a lot of noise and threats about what they're going to do will seldom follow through on any action, but are all hot air instead. Anyone who blindly believes in that little piece of foolish philosophy needs his or her head read. If any threat has been made, by either a person, or a barking dog, or in any dangerous situation, it should be treated with due caution.

Answer: Paddle your own canoe

There are two interpretations of this saying. One is that a person can get through life without needing help from anyone else, but by their own initiative and determination. The other is that a friend, or someone in need, has been ignored by others and left to deal with their problems alone. The earliest origin of the saying appears to go back to 1807 to coffee-planters in Malaysia who refused to band together to form a powerful and effective organisation, but left other planters to succeed or fail on their own. The unnamed author of "The Selangor Journal: Jottings, Past and Present, 1807" wrote that:

"If the planters would unite and use their united influence they could start a bank to advance money to deserving young planters... but they won't do it. They let each poor fellow paddle his own canoe, and if he capsizes and stretches out his hand in despair for someone to save him... they won't do it".

Answer: Blood is thicker than water

This basically means that one is able to rely more on the help and support of relatives and family members when push comes to shove, rather than on people who are not connected by similar DNA links. That belief should be seriously questioned and is way too much of a sweeping generalisation to be taken literally. My two daughters fight like cat and dog, for example, and rather than either one of them rushing to each other's aid in a crisis, saving one another from a burning building, either one would probably have been the first to light the match that set off the fire in the first place.

Answer: The early bird catches the worm

This means that if one is prepared to put in the hard yards and the work needed to succeed, than you will most certainly be rewarded with some form of success. In Lollipop Land anyhow. Real life is a lot more unpredictable than that. However, it is a nice commonsense piece of advice that is reasonably true, if one eliminates the possibility of sheer bad luck rearing its grizzled head.

The earliest written reference to this saying appears to be in the work "A Collection of English Proverbs 1670, 1678", by one John Ray. He notes in this work that "The early bird catcheth the worm".

Answer: An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Any piece of fruit is usually good for one, and eating an apple every night before retiring to bed was considered very sound advice back in Wales in 1866 when this was originally penned. In the February edition of a magazine called "Notes and Queries" in that year, it was noted that if you "eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread".

Apples are very good for us in fact, so this saying is more than just a piece of home-spun wisdom from the good old days. It was grounded in sheer good sense. They contain Vitamin C, help reduce cholesterol, help clean bacteria off teeth, and are even being researched for their potential ability to help ward off Alzheimer's Disease. Not only that, they taste yummy, they're a great diuretic, and they help sweeten the breath for hours. So what more are you waiting for, folks? Apples! Apples! Get your apples here! Doctor Mother Nature's cure-all!

Answer: Beggars can't be choosers

This hard-hearted expression came about in the dark times of long ago, when not everyone had work to feed themselves, or were sick or old, and had to rely totally on the kindness of others to live. No state security, no pensions existed then. It was a hard, cruel life for the weak. You took what you were given, or starved to death basically. You had to be grateful for any scraps that fell your way.

The first written record of this expression appears to be in a 1562 English book simply titled "Proverbs".

It notes that "Beggars should be no choosers". That's grim reality with a vengeance.

Answer: Misery loves company

The meaning of this phrase is that sometimes it is easier to bear ill fortune with others who are in the same boat as oneself, and who therefore understand what is happening, rather than struggling on alone and uncomforted. Perhaps the modern equivalent of this would be the various support groups that are available these days for people who are trying to deal with various traumas or misfortunes in their lives.

It's good to have a shoulder to lean on sometimes. Blow this stiff upper lip business. Give me tissues and an understanding shoulder instead.

Answer: Curiosity killed the cat

Too much nosing around into matters that do not really concern a person can sometimes land that person into a whole lot of trouble. That's the basic meaning of this phrase which has been around, in one form or another, since Shakespearean times. Put simply it could mean mind your own business.

(Back to our dim-witted Boris. He returned from Cairo, after slaying all the camels in the city by mistake. He never did get to complete his mission - which had simply been to hand in his tax return in time. Instead, he shot Natasha in the gun battle that had ensued between the two. He was subsequently given the highest award that Russia could offer, and promoted to the top position in their English department of the University of KISS).