FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 12 Quiz

Answer: Level

Other synonyms for flat include horizontal, even, low, plane, and smooth. Most construction projects prefer level ground on which to build, and most agricultural endeavors favor flat land over hilly ground.

For flat and level: Forty acres of the farm were flat and level, making plowing easy.

For hilly and uneven: Ten acres of the farm were hilly and uneven, making plowing very difficult.

Question by player lowtechmaster

Answer: boy, flower

Each set of words is a homonym, words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. A boy is a young lad, while a buoy is a marker in the water. A flower is the blossom on a plant; flour is finely ground meal.

Question by player lowtechmaster

Answer: One who cares nothing for the arts

A philistine is one who isn't interested in culture and the arts, or who knows nothing about them. The word evokes attitudes of smugness and ignorance. A lover of culture and the arts may be called 'a highbrow'. One who likes all things British is an anglophile. Whoever flunked out of ballet school - gets no noun of his/her own! Historically, the Philistines were an ancient Aegean people who opposed Samson, Saul and David.

Question by player ELJ1

Answer: Sponge Bob Square Pants

"Porifera" is the scientific term for the phylum of sponges. The name means "pore-bearing." A "quadrilateral" is a geometric shape that has four sides, and a "regular" quadrilateral has all sides the same width and all interior angles the same-- in other words, a square. Amaze your friends and devastate your enemies with your new-found vocabulary!

Question by player pu2-ke-qi-ri

Answer: Fitzroy

The surname Fitzroy is of royal origins. It was the surname originally given to Henry Fitzroy, the natural son of King Henry VIII by his mistress Elizabeth Blount. He died in 1536 without bearing a son himself. The name has been used numerous times after that to indicate and acknowledge that a male child was the son of the king, and many of those men went on to become members of the aristocracy.

Question by player dcpddc478

Answer: To do something for the first time

Rook is also the name of a card game named after the Eurasian bird in the question. The chess rook is so named because it was taken from the Persian word rokh, which means 'chariot'. The bird rook and the swindling verb are related to each other.

The term rook can be used as a noun (short for rookie) to describe someone who is new in their job, especially a first-year player on a professional sports team. The word cannot, however, be used as a verb to describe the action of doing something for the first time.

Question by player reedy

Answer: Spell

Witches and wizards learn to cast a spell, and if they wish to record their methods, it would certainly help to spell. That Latin can be tricky. The history of the word 'spell' as a noun in terms of witchcraft is thought to come partially from the word 'gospel', which is defined as 'belief' or 'doctrine'. In Wiccan beliefs, one is embodying a doctrine when reciting a spell to conjure up something.

Question by player Spaudrey

Answer: Yar

The term "yar" or "yare" was used in the movie to describe a sailboat. Yar can also mean nimble and lively. The other terms do not have a nautical meaning.

Question by player james1947

Answer: Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro refers to the use of black backgrounds with contrasting whites and colours - a prime example is the painting 'Narcissus', by Caravaggio. Cartes-de-visite were mass-produced photos, sold as collectibles in the mid-19th century. Tempera is a type of paint, which uses egg yolks to bind it to the canvas. Larghetto is a musical term, used to denote a slow, stately tempo.

Question by player ozzz2002

Answer: A pipeline cleaner (not the ear canal)

(OK, this is so funny!) Pigging is the practice of using pigs to clean and inspect an oil or gas pipeline without interrupting the flow of product. Achieved by inserting a pig into the "pig launcher," the pig is then projected through the pipe until it is retrieved by the "pig catcher." As fits the question's requirements, this pig is not a living grunter but is instead a circular barrel-like device designed to clean clogs.

Question by player zombiemom