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Quiz about Lady Mondegreen Ate Nine Eggcorns
Quiz about Lady Mondegreen Ate Nine Eggcorns

Lady Mondegreen Ate Nine Eggcorns Quiz


Mondegreens and eggcorns are unintentional puns resulting from mishearing words. If you don't know what mondegreens and eggcorns are, don't let it phase (oops! faze) you! You can still ace this quiz.

A multiple-choice quiz by nannywoo. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
nannywoo
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
354,915
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
1319
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 46 (4/10), joseslaughter (0/10), ubermom (10/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Sylvia Wright coined the word "mondegreen" to describe the experience of mishearing a line of a song or a poem, because as a child she thought a folk song went: "They hae slain the Earl O'Moray, And Lady Mondegreen." What did the song really say? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The word "eggcorn" for a misheard word derives from the mishearing of a nutty word. What is the real word, used for the fruit of an oak tree? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What is the correct spelling of the cliché describing a world in which people must fight like dogs to get ahead? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" as a child, nannywoo wondered what "jelly hosts" tasted like. What are the actual lyrics of the Christmas carol? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What are the actual words of verse six in the King James Version of Psalm 23? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. People in numerous regions of the United States have been heard to complain about getting up early, using a well-worn phrase but getting it wrong. What is the correct version of the phrase? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. When we seek to make jargon or esoteric language comprehensible for everyday speakers outside a specialized field, we use what kind of terms? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. A young medical worker at the hospital thought he was supposed to go to a nurse named Helen Waite when he needed something, but when he tried to find her everyone laughed at him. What were the more jaded staff members facetiously telling him? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Ironically, most building codes no longer allow this sticky material to be used on the heating conduits from which its mid-20th century name derives, but many people thought it was named for a waterfowl, anyway. What is the current generic name for this useful product? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In "The World According to Garp" the main character recalls being afraid at the beach that a scary amphibian might pull him under and take him out to sea. What were the adults really warning him about? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Sylvia Wright coined the word "mondegreen" to describe the experience of mishearing a line of a song or a poem, because as a child she thought a folk song went: "They hae slain the Earl O'Moray, And Lady Mondegreen." What did the song really say?

Answer: And laid him on the green.

Sylvia Wright invented the word for an article in "Harper's Magazine" in 1954. You can find other mondegreens from songs in a funtrivia quiz by Ben3--just search for "mondegreen"!
2. The word "eggcorn" for a misheard word derives from the mishearing of a nutty word. What is the real word, used for the fruit of an oak tree?

Answer: acorn

Linguists Geoffrey Pullum and Mark Lieberman are credited with inventing the term "eggcorn" in 2003 to describe a misheard word or phrase that has an ironic sort of logic about it. The difference between an eggcorn and a mondegreen is vague, but mondegreens are usually mishearings of verse, in a song or a poem, while an eggcorn is the mishearing of an ordinary word or phrase that makes a quirky kind of sense and is usually not discovered until the person tries to look it up or someone else laughs at it.
3. What is the correct spelling of the cliché describing a world in which people must fight like dogs to get ahead?

Answer: It's a dog-eat-dog world.

Linguistics professor Richard Veit was credited in a 'Jeopardy' question for his scholarly discussion of the ubiquitous phenomenon of "doggy dog" for "dog-eat-dog" in a plethora of college English papers. (In fact, some students manage to get "doggy dog" and "plethora" into the same paragraph!) Dr. Veit, who was nannywoo's professor and later her colleague, took great pride in being in a 'Jeopardy' question.
4. Singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" as a child, nannywoo wondered what "jelly hosts" tasted like. What are the actual lyrics of the Christmas carol?

Answer: With th'angelic host proclaim....

The eldest member of nannywoo's church, Harold Dubach, thought the hymn was titled "Hark, the Harold Angels Sing" and was proud to be included in the angelic host.
5. What are the actual words of verse six in the King James Version of Psalm 23?

Answer: Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life....

The "Good Mrs. Murphy" version appeared in the article in which Sylvia Wright first coined the word "mondegreen" (based on her own mishearing of the lyrics of a folk song). The substitution of the name "Shirley" for the adverb "surely" has led to many jokes, including Leslie Nielson's classic line "And, don't call me Shirley" in the movie "Airplane" in 1980.
6. People in numerous regions of the United States have been heard to complain about getting up early, using a well-worn phrase but getting it wrong. What is the correct version of the phrase?

Answer: Getting up at the crack of dawn.

The origin of the phrase "crack of dawn" is debated, but it may have to do with the "breaking" of dawn coming in an instant, the idea of "getting cracking" or getting started quickly, or "cracking more sail" in nautical terms. Incredibly, many people in the U.S. have merged the "crack of dawn" idiom with the anatomically descriptive "butt crack" (or even less savory terms), actually thinking this is the original saying.
7. When we seek to make jargon or esoteric language comprehensible for everyday speakers outside a specialized field, we use what kind of terms?

Answer: layman's terms

While "layman's terms" is correct, "lame man's terms" is increasingly heard, the logic presumably being that one is a bit "lame" if one must have the language dummied down. However, there is nothing pejorative about "layman's terms": no one can be expected to know the jargon and specialized language of every area of work or study.

The term originated from "laity" vs. "clergy" in the church, but came to mean non-professionals vs. professionals in any field.
8. A young medical worker at the hospital thought he was supposed to go to a nurse named Helen Waite when he needed something, but when he tried to find her everyone laughed at him. What were the more jaded staff members facetiously telling him?

Answer: Go to hell and wait, because it will be a long time before you get it, if ever.

A physical therapy assistant at the hospital told nannywoo that this practical joke was played on him and now he can't meet a woman named Helen and keep a straight face.
9. Ironically, most building codes no longer allow this sticky material to be used on the heating conduits from which its mid-20th century name derives, but many people thought it was named for a waterfowl, anyway. What is the current generic name for this useful product?

Answer: duct tape

An American company has capitalized on the ambiguous origins of the word and now uses "Duck Tape" as a brand name for its tape, but "duct tape" has the generic name for the product since the 1950s, immediately after its wide use during World War II. It may have originally been made with cotton "duck" material but has nothing to do with waterfowl. Duct tape, which now comes in vibrant colors, has thousands of uses, although only a heat-resistant variety of tape, not the original, is used for coupling sections of venting duct together.
10. In "The World According to Garp" the main character recalls being afraid at the beach that a scary amphibian might pull him under and take him out to sea. What were the adults really warning him about?

Answer: the undertow

While John Irving may or may not have made up this linguistically derived fear, many eggcorns (misunderstood words) have their origins in childhood. The "scary" children's song "Seven Ate Nine" recorded by Barenaked Ladies plays with the possible horror (and humor) lurking for children learning to count their numbers!
Source: Author nannywoo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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