Names in Idioms Trivia Quiz

Answer: Raising Cain

Raising and bringing up are synonymous expressions, which can both refer to parental actions towards a child.
According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had three named sons: Abel, Cain and Seth.
The phrase raising Cain refers to angry behaviour that creates a disturbance (as Cain certainly did when he killed Abel).

Answer: Jolly Roger

Someone who is very cheerful might be said to be jolly.
While there are plenty of people with the surname Moore, the suggestion that he was a saint should have suggested Roger Moore, who played Simon Templar in the UK television show 'The Saint' from 1962 until 1969. He also played James Bond in seven movies between 1973 and 1985.
The flag flown by a pirate ship is called (among other things) a Jolly Roger. The most familiar one, featuring a skull and crossbones, was popular among pirates in the 18th century.

Answer: Round Robin

Something which is circular is round in shape, like a circle.
The fact that our Mr Williams is from Ork suggests he is Robin Williams, who first rose to prominence playing the character of Mork from Ork, originally as a guest character on the show 'Happy Days', and then in the spin-off 'Mork and Mindy'. He was known for his improvisational ability, and his television and movie scripts were often written to be flexible!
A round robin tournament is one in which all contestants play against each other. An example is often found in the first stage of a competition involving a large number of competitors, such as the FIFA World Cup. The competitors are divided into smaller groups which compete in a round robin to determine which one or ones will proceed to the next stage, which is an elimination tournament.

Answer: Jim Dandy

The suggestion that he might wear a mask should have helped you narrow the field of people named Carrey down to Jim Carrey, who played the title role in the film 'The Mask'.
A man who is extremely conscious of fashion may be called a dandy. The term is somewhat pejorative, suggesting that it is inappropriate, and is not commonly heard any more.
Something which is jim dandy (also seen as jim-dandy) is a crackerjack, a lollapaloosa, the bee's knees - in short, excellent.

Answer: Water Lily

When something is exposed to water, it becomes moist.
Lily Tomlin's first television appearances came in 'Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In', where she presented a number of memorable characters including Ernestine (a telephone operator who started her conversations with, "Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking?") and Edith Ann (a child sitting on an oversized rocking chair who ended her monologues with, "And that's the truth", followed by a raspberry). She went on to make some memorable movies, starting with 'Nashville' in 1975.
A water lily is one of over 50 different species which grow in water, from a rhizome anchored in the soil, with leaves and flowers that float on the surface. The French artist Claude Monet famously painted a series of around 250 studies of the water lilies in the garden of his home.

Answer: Tin Lizzie

Since tin is a metal, something made of tin is metallic.
Lizzie Borden was infamously convicted of killing her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts in the year 1892. (Gail Borden founded the Borden dairy company, whose mascot for many years was a cow named Elsie, but neither of those names fits in with the car in the question.)
The Model T Ford is one of the most famous cars in American history, making car ownership financially viable for the middle class, not just the elite, due to its assembly line production. It was colloquially known as a "Tin Lizzie", "Leaping Lena" or "flivver".

Answer: Lazy Susan

Sloth, or laziness, is one of the Seven Deadly Sins in a list compiled by Pope Gregory I in 590 CE. Each of them is the antithesis of one of the Seven Cardinal Virtues. Sloth is the opposite of diligence.
C.S. Lewis wrote a series of books about the land of Narnia. In the first book (as he wrote them, not in the final chronology of Narnia), Lucy is the first to discover the way to Narnia through a magical wardrobe, and she convinces her siblings Edmund, Susan and Peter to join her. Visitors in other books include Eustace, Jill, Digory and Polly. Of these, only Susan's name fits.
A lazy susan is a rotating platform that may be placed in the centre of a table so that those seated around can rotate it to bring the item they want closer to them. It is also useful in a kitchen cupboard or pantry for ease of access to the jars that get hidden at the back of the shelf.

Answer: Charley Horse

There are obviously many men with the same surname as that actor who created The Little Tramp and became an icon of the silent film era, but this Charley is the one we want.
Originally the term nag just meant a horse used for pleasure riding as opposed to a working horse. Because most horses were working animals, horses available for pleasure riding tended to be those that were unsuited to work either due to their conformation, their health, or their age. Over time it came to be used exclusively in reference to an old, worn-out horse, often with a bad temper and needing a lot of attention.
Putting them together gives a charley horse, which is a term used to describe a muscular spasm, usually in the leg or foot, that produces a severe pain that may last for only a few seconds, or may continue for hours. If it does not pass quickly, relief can be obtained from massage and exercise (painful though that may be in the first instance).

Answer: Doubting Thomas

One who is uncertain is in doubt, possibly concerning an appropriate course of action.
Tom Hanks, born Thomas Hanks (hence the reference to him being formal, using his full name), is a versatile actor who has won multiple awards for his performance in movies such as 'Philadelphia' and 'Forrest Gump'.
The term doubting Thomas, used to describe someone who is demanding more concrete evidence of something before deciding to believe it, can be traced back to the New Testament, where it is recorded that the disciple Thomas refused to believe that Jesus had been resurrected until he saw and felt him personally.

Answer: By George

To be close to someone is to be near them, beside them, or by their side. Hence we can select the word by that will fit a colloquial expression when paired with a name.
George Peppard starred with Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', but may be familiar to more people from his role as Hannibal Smith in the 1980s' television show 'The A-Team'.
The exclamation "By George" apparently started as a shortened form of the oath "By God and Saint George", made by British soldiers as they prepared to enter a battle. It then came to be used as an expression of surprise, as in "By George, I think she's got it!", Henry Higgins's reaction when Eliza Doolittle finally manages to pronounce her vowels as required in the song 'The Rain in Spain' in the musical 'My Fair Lady'.