Picture Phrases Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black sheep

The 'black sheep' usually means an odd member of a family or group. The idiom is normally applied negatively. In what is known as the 'black sheep effect' in the field of psychology, in-group members treat in-group 'black sheep' more harshly than out-group 'black sheep'. Unless specifically bred for colour, flocks of sheep are typically white with the dominant gene switching off colour. The colour black is caused by a recessive gene in such flocks and a black-fleeced lamb is relatively rare.

Answer: Red tape

The phrase 'red tape' usually means excessive or unnecessary government bureaucracy. It generally causes the applicant time and compliance costs over and above that strictly necessary for a procedure or policy. If onerous enough, it can act as a barrier to the ability of companies to compete with larger competitors or to create new jobs.

The photo is of a cassette tape or compact cassette, a technology using a magnetic tape typically for recording music on. It had its heyday during the 1970s and 1980s.

Answer: Pink slip

Making an error such as spilling a can of paint (as shown in the image) might lead to being fired from a job. The idiom referred to here is 'pink slip', in use in the US from the early 20th century. In some US states it can also be a reference to the car ownership document.

The "you're fired" meaning has various origin stories recorded, one being that in the printing business staff were handed pink slips by editors where typographical errors were picked up. These became in effect formal warnings and, if you accumulated too many, you lost your job.

Answer: Silver spoon

'Silver spoon' comes from the expression 'to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth', which means to be born into a wealthy family. The expression 'silver spoon' by itself indicates wealth or privilege. One origin story is that it comes from the 16th century at a time when it became customary for godparents in England to give baptismal spoons.

These became seen as a sign of wealth. The expression appears in a 1719 translation of the novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes, suggesting it was commonplace at the time.

Answer: Green belt

The martial art belt in the image is coloured green, hence it is a 'green belt'. Benefits put forward for green belts (agricultural or wild areas near urban areas) include giving city folk easy access to country areas, protecting the environment and providing cities with cleaner air and water. There are biblical references to such areas so the idea has a long history.

Answer: Yellow press

Sensationalist journalism comes with various labels such as gutter press, tabloid journalism and the 'colour' ones: yellow journalism or yellow press. 'Yellow journalism' and 'yellow press' are more commonly used in the US. Eye-catching headlines, sensationalised stories, unverified claims and a focus on crime and scandal are typical, the aim being to increase newspaper circulation.

The practice was started by Joseph Pulitzer when he bought the "New York World" in 1883 and became a competition when William Randolph Hearst bought the rival "New York Journal" in 1895. The 'yellow' label came from the "Yellow Kid" comic strip which appeared in both of these papers.

Answer: Black swan

A 'black swan' event is an unforeseen event and is nothing to do with the 2010 film of the same name. Its original use dates back to Roman times when the colour was used to describe something impossible or extremely rare as only white swans were known to exist. And so it was until Dutch explorers discovered black swans on (what is now) Swan River in Australia at the end of the 17th century.

When black swans were brought back to Europe, the meaning of the idiom changed to reflect this unexpected event.

Answer: White elephant

A 'white elephant' is a possession which is costly to keep relative to its usefulness. The term comes from the white elephants kept by some Southeast Asian monarchs as a symbol of their justice and power. Such monarchs could afford the considerable expense of looking after them. White elephants were considered sacred and protected from having to work by law. So it was both a blessing and a curse if you were gifted one by a monarch.

These days it might apply to a prestigious but expensive infrastructure project which has high running costs or fails to perform its function. Examples include some airports, dams and football stadiums.

Answer: Red herring

The background to this phrase 'red herring', according to some sources, can be traced to dog training. Strongly smoked kipper, as well as being reddish, smells. When training dogs to follow scent, a smelly kipper is a useful way to lay a false trail. If properly trained, the dog will ignore the false trail and stick to the scent it is meant to follow.

Answer: Once in a blue moon

The expression 'once in a blue moon' is a reference to the rare occasions the moon appears to be blue in colour rather than a month in which there are two full moons, which occurs roughly every thirty-second month and so is not that rare.

The atmospheric effects causing blue moons can arise as a result of volcanic eruptions or large-scale fires. The smoke particles need to be of just the right size (about 1 micrometre) to scatter the red light. Red moons are more common as smoke particles tend to be smaller, scattering blue light instead.

First appearing in print in the 16th century, the prhase meaning then was closer to something only a fool would trust (such as the moon is made of green cheese). The modern usage occurred from the early 19th century.