Zoinks! One Last Cliche Quiz to Zip Through!

Answer: The climactic moment that would decide her fate was about to arrive.

The phrase "zero hour" refers to the time set for the beginning of a specific action or event or to a critical or decisive moment. The phrase was originally used by the British military and began to be used quite frequently during the time of the Great War or World War I.

A particular military action would be planned, and a time would be set for the beginning of that action. Then a particular measurement of time would be counted backwards all the way to zero, which would mark the time scheduled for the beginning of that military action.

Many Americans might be familiar with this technique if they consider the time for lift off of a rocket or space shuttle scheduled to blast off into space, or they might picture the way a clock counts time backwards right before a bomb explodes in a movie.

Answer: zigged when you should have zagged

To "zig when you should have zagged" means to perform one action when another would have been a better choice. Often, the expression is used to comment on a person's choice following a situation in which the correct choice was essentially impossible to discern. Of course, the expression's source is the older idiomatic term "zig-zag", which refers to a series of short straight lines set at angles and then connected to one another so that the series of short lines creates a longer line.

The origin of "zig-zag" is not confidently known, but the phrase appears to have its origin in a Germanic language.

The German "zickzack" from the early eighteenth century referred to a particular fortification of castle walls that were built in the form we now recognize as "zig-zag". Jonathan Swift's "My Lady's Lamentation", published in 1728, appears to include the earliest written form of "zig-zag" in English: "How proudly he talks / Of zigzags and walks".

Answer: a runaway horse

"Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse" is a metaphorical manner of suggesting that people with great energy and enthusiasm for the accomplishment of a particular goal are a danger to those around them if they have little or no knowledge of the situations in which they are attempting to act. One can easily picture a runaway horse galloping at great speed and kicking up its heels; such a horse is likely not to pay much attention to its surroundings or the direction in which it is running. The origin of this expression is not really known though Thomas Fuller, the seventeenth-century English preacher and historian is credited with another variation: "Zeal without knowledge is a fire without light".

Answer: zoned out

To "zone out" means to lose awareness of one's surroundings, usually because one has quit concentrating or is focused entirely on only one's own thoughts or feelings. Frequently, "zoning out" occurs when one is bored with the situation at hand. After listening to the instructor lecture on and on, Michelle began to zone out. Of course, some individuals who are trying to concentrate fully on only one thing so that they are successful at accomplishing an objective are said to be, conversely, "in the zone".

For example, a figure skater at the Olympics may intentionally ignore the audience and judges around him or her, concentrating only on his or her body or performance; this skater would be said to be "in the zone". The origin of these zone expressions is unclear, but they seem to have become prevalently used during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Answer: Dinner was going to be a noisy, disorderly experience.

"Feeding time at the zoo" means that a meal is going to be an uncontrolled, unorganized event--lots of noise and chaos. The image suggested is one of a large number of people pushing and shoving to get to the food, which is then eaten hurriedly or in an ill-mannered way--as if they were all a bunch of animals. Of course, the expression is not limited to describing the way some families or groups of people eat a meal.

It can be used to describe any situation during which a crowd of people are behaving chaotically and rudely, all of them pushing one another or running over one another to get something. One might think of a popular store offering a significant sale and then picture a crowd of people gathering in a mob outside the store's doors right before the store opens. Once the doors open, the people push one another down trying to get inside, and then they all throw merchandise every which way trying to find something they want at what they believe is a bargain price.

In other words, they behave like a bunch of starving animals after a small amount of food has been tossed into their midst.

Answer: zero tolerance

"Zero tolerance" refers to the attitude of a person or institution that allows no forgiving or overlooking of a particular action that that person or institution considers a violation of a law, policy, value, or belief held by that person or institution.

The phrase has often been associated with the United States' policies concerning illicit drugs and their use. Law enforcement tends to practice a zero tolerance of drug use in the communities it serves, and many businesses practice zero tolerance of drug use among their employees.

However, the phrase has been used by many other people to refer to many other situations. For example, one might say, "She has zero tolerance for intolerant people". Another early appearance of the phrase in print occurred in a Michigan newspaper, "The News-Palladium", in October of 1954: "Hootman said the zero tolerance proposed for mercury sprays might be the most troublesome to growers".

Answer: Pam wanted Julia to be quiet.

"Zip it" is a shortened version of "zip your lip (or lips)", an cliché that means to be quiet or silent, to stop talking immediately, or to keep something secret. The original expression was "button your lips", which can be dated back to at least 1868, a time before zippers had been invented.

The zipper appeared in 1893 at the World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. This fastener was not really valued or appreciated until a more modern version of it was patented in 1917 by Gideon Sundback. During the early 1940s, the zipper began to replace the button as the more preferred method of closing one's mouth.

Answer: It was an attempt at imitating the sound of something moving rapidly.

The word "zoom" is the result of onomatopoeia, an attempt to copy in human speech the sound of a speeding object, most likely something with a humming motor. Etymology Online claims the word was in use as early as 1886. The association of the word "zoom" with something other than sound or speed began to occur in the 1930s after the zoom lens became a popular accessory to cameras.

"Zoom in" or "zoom in on" can also mean to examine or study something more closely, more intensely, or in greater detail.

Answer: She has taken aim at one aspect and focused all her attention on that aspect.

To "zero in on" on someone or something is to aim directly at a selected target, to direct one's attention or focus toward a selected target, to converge or close in on a selected target, or to narrow one's search to one selected target. The source of the phrase is a combination of both mathematics and artillery.

When taking aim at a particular target, one lines up the target with the point at which two lines intersect within a site one uses for the precise purpose of an accurate propelling of a missile. On a graph, where lines x and y intersect perpendicular to each other is a point that is numbered zero. Thus, as one looks through a scope on a rifle, for example, one lines up the point at which the crosshairs inside the scope intersect (the zero point) with the target at which one is aiming. If all instruments have been calibrated correctly, then one should hit one's target precisely.

Answer: go to sleep as quickly as possible

"Zonk out" means to fall asleep, usually rather quickly and completely and usually after one is thoroughly exhausted or significantly affected by alcohol or drugs. The exact origin of the expression is unclear, but some speculate that it is imitative of a combination of the sound of snoring (i.e. the use of "zzzzz") and the sound of one's head or body plonking down quickly after passing out.

The phrase "zonk out" seems to have become popular to use during the 1950s.