FunTrivia Humanities Mix: Vol 27 Quiz

Answer: credenza

A credenza is traditionally a piece of furniture located in the dining room. Usually made from wood with inlaid decoration and sometimes with a top made from marble or other heat-resistant surface, it can act as a sideboard on which food can be placed for service, and for storage of serving equipment, plates and glassware.

The word 'credenza' derives from the word 'credence' and is likely related to when an important person had a servant to taste their food to ensure it wasn't poisoned. Other synonyms for center (or centre!) are bull's-eye, heart or mean.

Question by player VegemiteKid

Answer: Plague

"Plague of rats" seems appropriate. Rats carried the fleas that spread the Black Death plague throughout Europe in the 1300s. Some estimates are that 200 million died of the plague.


Question by player PootyPootwell

Answer: Tsunami

The Mohiriikkwchep was one of the first beings to be created, according to Japanese mythology. It supports the world on its back and is so huge it must be kept secure in the mud under the ocean. When it wriggles away from from the sea gods watching it, tsunamis occur until the creature is brought back under control.

Question by player stephgm67

Answer: King Arthur

It is doubtful whether King Arthur ever had a round table but the story goes that he chose that shape to show that all sitting at it were equal. The replica weighs more than a ton.

Question by player Toeknee448

Answer: Power

Dynamite comes from the Greek 'dýnamis' which means power or strength. Even though the word dynamite (power + 'ite') was invented by Alfred Nobel - a Swede - the earliest patent was filed in the UK in May 1867 and so the word was actually first introduced in English, as opposed to Swedish. Dynamite itself is an explosive that is made primarily from nitroglycerin which is made safer by being absorbed in a porous material (originally clay). Rather interestingly, as at 2023 only one company in North America made dynamite - the Dyno Nobel company.

Question by player heatherlois

Answer: wildcat

Although a wildcat can refer to an exploratory oil well, it is also "Felis silvestris", found from Africa to Europe to central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. It has interbred with the house cat in many areas. Some people mistakenly call the Eurasian lynx a bobcat, and the Canadian lynx a wildcat, but they are really quite distinct.

The bearcat is another name for the binturong, a tree-dwelling mammal found in Southeast Asia. A muscat is a delicious wine grape which may be white to nearly black. "Hellcat" can refer to a tank destroyer (M18), a fighter plane (F6F), or the 12th Armored Division of the U.S. Army -- all active during World War II.

Question by player gracious1

Answer: cajole, coax, sweet-talk

To inveigle is to win one's way with gentle words, urging rather than demanding, using influence rather than direct pressure, sometime flattering, sometimes using guile. The term entered English from the Anglo-Norman French verb "aveugler", meaning to blind. The Old French took it from a Late Latin word meaning without eyes. Modernly, it sometimes carries the connotation of trickery, ruse, or fraud.


Question by player FatherSteve

Answer: Diego Velázquez

"The Triumph of Bacchus" is a captivating painting created by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez in the 17th century. In this artwork, Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry, is depicted surrounded by a group of intoxicated men. What makes this painting unique for its time is how Velázquez interposed the mythical figure of Bacchus with ordinary 17th-century drunkards. Typically, paintings of this era portrayed mythological or religious subjects in grand and idealized settings.

However, Velázquez's portrayal of Bacchus amidst contemporary figures was highly unconventional; by blending mythology with reality, Velázquez created a scene that resonated with the everyday experiences of his audience.

Question by player trident

Answer: Grotesque

Gargoyles and Grotesques are sculptures with a frightening face. A gargoyle incorporates a water spout to carry rainwater away from the side of a building in order to reduce erosion of the stone. A Grotesque is very similar but has no spout.

Question by player Spontini

Answer: India

These words and many more have their origins in the Indian sub-continent. They were disclosed in the "Hobson-Jobson" dictionary, which was first published in 1872. Other familiar words with a similar origin include atoll, catamaran, dinghy, doolally, nirvana, shampoo, veranda and yoga. [See more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18796493]

Question by player darksplash