Health, Illness and Disease Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brimming

The verb 'brimming' essentially means 'overflowing' or 'to be full'. Its origins lie in the Middle English word, 'brimme', meaning 'bank' or 'shore', and it was originally used to refer to river banks, which would regularly 'brim' over with water after a spot of rain.

However, over time, the word 'brim' has been used to refer to much more than just water, and is now commonly used idiomatically in order to describe all sorts of things. In the case of the teacher mentioned in the question, it is clear that she is still full of energy and vigour, and doesn't seem likely to kick the proverbial bucket just yet.

Answer: Headache

If one is suffering from a 'splitting' headache, then they are suffering with a particularly intense headache, which makes them feel as though their head is being split open with an axe. The origin of this particular idiom is said to lie in Greek mythology, and the story of Athena's birth. According to this myth, Zeus suffered an excruciating headache after swallowing Metis, whom he was frightened would give birth to a son who would eventually overthrow him.

However when he could take no more pain, Zeus summoned Hephaestus, who cut into the former's head with his axe, and out jumped a fully grown Athena.

Answer: Green around the gills

The origins of the idiom 'green around the gills' are relatively simple, in that the expression is thought to have come about due to the smell of uncured, stale fish making individuals feel ill. Moreover the colour green has long been associated with feelings of nausea, and thus fits well with the ill-effects that stale, stinking fish might have on a person.

Answer: Verbal diarrhoea

Though not particularly pleasant, as 'diarrhoea' literally means 'excessive flow', the phrase 'verbal diarrhoea' makes perfect sense when describing someone who talks too much, despite having very little of interest to say. Otherwise known as 'logorrhoea', the term 'verbal diarrhoea' is an informal term for an excessive talker, who may also be idiomatically referred to as a 'blabber-mouth' or a 'chatterbox'.

Answer: Butcher

The idiom 'as fit as a butcher's dog' means to be extremely fit and healthy, and is linked to the fact that, in previous centuries, a butcher's dog would have had plenty of leftovers to eat. Indeed in times of hardship, when many humans themselves, let alone their dogs, would not have had enough nourishment, there would have always been bones and scraps from the shop for a butcher to feed his dog with, hence the development of the idiom.

Answer: A frog

Interestingly, there appear to be several different origins attributed to the idiom, 'frog in the throat'. One claims that during the medieval age, doctors often treated sore throats with the secretions of a frog, believing that this would cure the patient's pain. On the other hand, others refer to the fact that the hoarseness created by a sore throat is reminiscent of a frog's croak, hence the development of the phrase 'frog in the throat'.

Answer: Racked

To be 'racked with pain' is a common English idiom, which is often used to describe the severe physical or emotional pain suffered by a human being. The origin of this phrase lies in a very real torture device, known as the rack, which was used in various different countries and across various different time periods.

This horrific device would gradually stretch its victim, and was often used in conjunction with interrogation, and in some cases other prisoners were even forced to watch another's gruesome torture.

Answer: Groggy

As the word itself suggests, the idiom 'groggy' comes from the word 'grog', meaning 'an alcoholic beverage'. Though originally used to describe a hangover, over time the term has grown to include the feeling of being generally unwell, as well as exhibiting the early signs of a cold or influenza.

Answer: Death warmed up

One of the earliest known written references to the idiom, 'looking like death warmed up' can be found in a 1939 dictionary of military slang. This particular turn of phrase appears to be a predominantly British one, with its American counterpart changing slightly, to 'death warmed over'. Nevertheless, both phrases mean the same thing - that a person looks either extremely ill, or particularly tired.

Answer: Bill

The idiom, 'clean bill of health' appears to have its roots in maritime history, and seems to have originally referred to a document needed by every ship wanting to dock in foreign ports. Indeed in order to ensure that there was nothing contagious on board, each ship was required to have a literal 'clean bill of health', which would then be displayed at each port in order to prove that it had been inspected and found to be free of disease.