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Quiz about Mean What You Say
Quiz about Mean What You Say

Mean What You Say Trivia Quiz


Ever wonder the meaning behind the idioms and sayings we speak?

A multiple-choice quiz by 57wordsmith. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
57wordsmith
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
214,777
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
5957
Last 3 plays: colbymanram (3/10), GlennaRuth (10/10), Guest 104 (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What idiom goes back to an Aesop's fable about a man who swatted a fly on his head, only to raise a bump on it? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What saying may originally have referred to pirates who were going into battle? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What does the expression "apple pie order" mean? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What saying means that no matter how much you try you just can't win? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What saying has to do with getting ahead momentarily but ultimately ending up at a greater loss in the long run? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The saying "getting cold feet" goes back to animals who could not get to shelter because they had stood in the snow for too long.


Question 7 of 10
7. What expression has to do with goatish behavior? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The expression "dog days" refers to this star. Can you name it?

Answer: (six letters)
Question 9 of 10
9. To eat an original " 'umble pie" meant you would be eating a pie consisting of deer liver.


Question 10 of 10
10. What expression comes from having something (not someone) be perfection itself for a task? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 21 2024 : colbymanram: 3/10
Mar 13 2024 : GlennaRuth: 10/10
Mar 08 2024 : Guest 104: 5/10
Mar 02 2024 : Hayes1953: 7/10
Feb 26 2024 : biscutie3773: 4/10
Feb 19 2024 : VegemiteKid: 8/10
Feb 16 2024 : Guest 68: 6/10
Feb 12 2024 : Samoyed7: 10/10
Jan 28 2024 : HumblePie7: 6/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What idiom goes back to an Aesop's fable about a man who swatted a fly on his head, only to raise a bump on it?

Answer: adding insult to injury

This expression refers to adding further harm, for example, making a condescending apology to someone one has wronged. It can also mean someone who does not apologize after insulting a person.
2. What saying may originally have referred to pirates who were going into battle?

Answer: armed to the teeth

Pirates were known to carry a weapon in each hand, as well as carry a knife between their teeth as they went into a fight.
3. What does the expression "apple pie order" mean?

Answer: neat and tidy

There are two possible meanings to this expression. One being that there used to be an expression "alpha beta order" which correlated to the Greek alphabet of alpha being A and beta being B. This saying meant all was in alphabetical order. The other meaning, as we know it better today, was to have things neat and tidy.

This saying comes from the New England procedure of cutting up apple slices evenly and laying them in the pie in an orderly fashion.
4. What saying means that no matter how much you try you just can't win?

Answer: behind the "eight" ball

This one was probably easy to guess. In the game of rotation pool if you should get the eight ball blocking your ball you would have a slim chance of winning as you can't pocket the eight ball. So to get behind the eight ball means you have lost ground, or it looks like you just aren't going to win, no matter how much you try.
5. What saying has to do with getting ahead momentarily but ultimately ending up at a greater loss in the long run?

Answer: burn the candle at both ends

There is a story about a French teacher who needed more light and got some by lighting his candles at both ends. However, he went through twice as many candles using this method. Today the expression of "burning the candle at both ends" can mean working harder than is necessary, and when you think about it, by burning light longer a person could work longer. And so, a gain is made by ultimately at a loss.
6. The saying "getting cold feet" goes back to animals who could not get to shelter because they had stood in the snow for too long.

Answer: False

Getting cold feet refers to being unable to do something, usually out of fear. This phrase goes back to 19th century soldiers who sometimes got frozen feet and could no longer fight. It is thought some soldiers complained of this ailment to get out of fighting.
7. What expression has to do with goatish behavior?

Answer: to cut a caper

If someone if said to cut a caper, then they are acting up in a unexpected manner, that may or may not evoke laughter. "Caper" is derived from "capra" ("goat" in Latin), and goats can sometimes suddenly act up and do silly movements.
8. The expression "dog days" refers to this star. Can you name it?

Answer: Sirius

"Dog days" are from July 3 to August 10, which can be fairly hot in many parts of the world. An old wive's tale is that this is the time when dogs can become rabid (due to the heat?) but it actually refers to when Sirius, the "dog star", can be more clearly seen in the morning just prior to sunrise.
9. To eat an original " 'umble pie" meant you would be eating a pie consisting of deer liver.

Answer: True

"Umbles" were the liver and other organs of a deer, and were the parts given to the servants after the lord of the manor had taken the best parts for his use. So the servants would try to make these less than desirable parts more appetizing by baking them into a pie. To eat 'umble pie then is to have to take part in something that is unappealing but necessary. Swallowing your pride is what most people associate with this saying.
10. What expression comes from having something (not someone) be perfection itself for a task?

Answer: fits to a T

A T-square aides architects and artists in drawing accurate, or perfect lines. If something is noticeably perfect it is probably due to the fact that it was done with precision and accuracy, alluding to how a T-square can render perfection.
Source: Author 57wordsmith

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us