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All the listed words are part of compound words that begin with Red, Yellow or Green. All you have to do is work out which of them goes with which. Good luck and have fun.
Digby
A classification quiz
by Lord_Digby.
Estimated time: 3 mins.
The use of the word greengrocer developed in the early 1700s and first appeared in 1723. Back then, 'greens' was associated with vegetables like cabbage, leeks, and potatoes, while 'grocer' described a wholesale merchant dealing in spices and sugar. So when you take the compound word green, meaning vegetables, and add that to grocer, meaning wholesale dealer, you get the word greengrocer.
A greengrocer primarily sells fruit and vegetables but nowadays also sells other products like tinned foods, eggs and flowers. Since the supermarkets took hold in selling food items and fruit and vegetables in towns and cities, there has been a decline in the UK of small fruit and vegetable shops. However, they are still about and maybe making a recovery. Farm shops are popping up all over the UK, and most sell fresh local fruit and vegetables. Local meat can usually be bought too, and they are independent, not like the large multinational supermarkets.
2. House
Answer: Green
The term greenhouse as a noun first appeared in 1664. The term house dates back as a word to the Old English period (pre-1150), it comes from the word "hus", which means home, shelter or dwelling. Green is a colour which is the fourth colour in the spectrum. Plants were put into specially built houses to cultivate plants, flowers and anything that would benefit from the warmth of the sun. As many plants, flowers and vegetables have green in their structure, the term greenhouse evolved from the word green and house.
Traditional greenhouses were made from wood and glass, and some even had a few rows of brick at the base. Over time some were built with a mixture of wood, iron and glass. Nowadays, other materials can be used, like polycarbonate and aluminium.
A greenhouse traps the heat of the sun, which helps to grow things in colder conditions. One of the main advantages of the greenhouse is that it is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity inside the structure. Many have vents in the top of the roof to allow some of the heat to escape if needed.
3. Fly
Answer: Green
Greenfly originated in the late 1600s in the English language as a compound word combining green and fly. It is a descriptive common name for certain species of aphids, which are often green in colour. The earliest evidence for 'greenfly' is from before 1680, in the writing of Thomas Goodwin, a nonconformist minister.
The greenfly is an aphid which is a common pest of crops and garden plants. The greenfly consumes the sugar-rich sap of plants and then secretes honeydew, a sticky, sugar-rich liquid, from this. It needs a lot of sap because the necessary nutrients are only provided in small amounts.
As a result, the presence of greenfly can lead to a significant depletion of a plant's vitality. This not only affects the health of the plant itself but can also attract other pests and diseases, creating other issues in the ecosystem. Because the females are parthenogenic, they can produce an embryo from an unfertilised egg and don't need sperm from a male.
4. Back
Answer: Green
The term greenback is a slang word that refers to the American dollar. The American Civil War was financed by printing the one-dollar bill, noted for its use of green ink.
The term greenback began to be used in the USA during the 1860s, when the first federal paper currency, called United States Notes, was introduced. These notes were legally accepted for settling public and private debts but were not supported by gold or silver reserves.
5. Hammer
Answer: Yellow
The term yellowhammer first appeared in 1538. Yellowhammer is a compound word that combines yellow, describing the bird's bright feathers, and "ammer," an old Germanic term for bunting or a specific type of bird. It is a common example of an open compound - two words joined together - that functions as a single noun for a bird species recognized by its striking yellow head.
The yellowhammer belongs to the bunting family. Male yellowhammers are easily recognised by their bright yellow head and undercarriage, chestnut rump, and black-streaked brown back. This beautiful looking bird has been in decline over the last fifty years in the UK due to the loss of habitat and the food supply. Modern farming has also played a part in the decline.
6. Jacket
Answer: Yellow
The term yellowjacket is a compound word (sometimes written as two separate words, yellow jacket) formed by merging the adjective yellow with the noun jacket to describe a specific type of stinging wasp known for its bright yellow and black stripes. The first known use of this term was in 1796 by Benjamin Latrobe, who was a British-American neoclassical architect and naturalist who left Britain for the US. In one of Latrobe's journals, he drew a picture of a wasp, in which he described it as like wearing a yellow jacket.
The yellowjacket is a kind of wasp, a term mostly used in North America. In the UK, these insects are simply called wasps. The most frequently seen wasp in the UK has black and yellow stripes. The hornet is the largest social wasp found in Britain.
Although wasps are a nuisance in the summer months in your garden, they are quite beneficial because they eat insects like caterpillars, grubs, and aphids. They also catch these insects to feed some of their young.
7. Belly
Answer: Yellow
Since at least 1897, golden perch have often been known as "yellowbelly". In that year, D. O'Connor's publication "Fish Acclimatisation in Queensland" referred to the species as "the Yellow-belly". The term originates from the fish's colouration: mature golden perch usually have a yellow underside and a brown to greenish upperside. The term "yellowbelly", "yellow belly", "golden perch", and "callop" are frequently used interchangeably, with "callop" being mainly used in South Australia.
In the UK, the term "yellow belly" was first documented in Francis Grose's 1797 book "A Provincial Glossary", which detailed regional sayings, informal expressions, and slang. This word is most frequently used as a general word for cowards or (more obscurely) as a nickname for someone from Lincolnshire, UK. It does, however, also appear in the part of the common names of various animal species, like the golden perch and several bird species that have yellow plumage.
The origin of using the term to describe people from Lincolnshire is disputed; however, one of the several theories includes that the former Lincolnshire Regiment (the 10th Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot) wore green tunics with yellow facings, collars, and cuffs. Because of their valour in combat, the yellow flash was a source of pride, rather than cowardice.
8. Stone
Answer: Yellow
The current name Yellowstone, instead of "Yellow Stone" as used by David Thompson and William Clark, first appeared on J. S. Daugherty's manuscript map in 1810. However, it did not become widely adopted until after the fur trade ended around 1840. It has been suggested that the origin of the name came from the French-Canadian trappers, who called the Yellowstone River Yellow Rock River. The French words "Roche Jaune" or "Pierre Jaune", in an anglicized form, becomes Yellow Rock. Eventually in America it became known as a single word, Yellowstone.
Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming. The park was opened by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. The park actually sits on top of a volcano, although the last time it erupted was 650,000 years ago. Here you will find the world-famous geyser that is known as Old Faithful.
There are many places to see at the park, including the Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone Lake and even a 100-year-old pub (inn). Also in the park, you will find elk at the Madison River Valley. You can see the herds at any time of the year because they never leave the park to migrate.
9. Head
Answer: Red
The word redhead can be traced back to its use as a surname in 1256. The first recorded use of the exact compound word redhead (or red head) as a descriptive term for a person with red hair, in writing, dates back to 1510, as documented by J. Stanbridge.
Generally speaking, the term redhead is commonly used to describe women with reddish hair, but as I'm sure you all know, men could also be referred to as a redhead. A redhead is also referred to as a "ginger" in the UK, but this name is typically considered a derogatory term.
10. Start
Answer: Red
The Old English phrase "red steort", which means red tail, is an Anglo-Saxon word that was used in the language prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066. The modern term was changed to "redstart" around 1550. The bird called a redstart takes its name from its characteristic, distinctive reddish-orange tail feathers.
11. Neck
Answer: Red
The term redneck was first published in Great Britain in 1773 in the work of English entomologist and artist Moses Harris. At that time, redneck was used descriptively, referring to the appearance of an insect, rather than as an insult. The earliest known printed use in America is from 1830, when traveller Anne Newport Royall referred to Presbyterians in Fayetteville, North Carolina, as "Red Necks" in her book "Mrs. Royall's Southern Tour".
Originally, rednecks were people who worked outside in the sunshine and got sunburnt. There is also a reference about coal miners who wore red neckties (bandanas) to identify themselves while fighting the establishment.
To be called a redneck is not a nice thing to say. It's a derogatory term for someone who is unsophisticated or is lacking in class and probably lives in the backwoods or rural areas.
12. Cap
Answer: Red
Redcap is a single, closed compound word made up of red and cap. The term redcap was first printed as a noun around the year 1539. The earliest recorded use of the word referred to a Catholic cardinal, named after the characteristic red cap (or red hat) they wear.
The historical figure Lord William de Soulis, who was imprisoned in 1320 for conspiring against Robert the Bruce, is intimately associated with the folklore tradition of the well-known spirit known as "Robin Redcap". It was claimed that Robin Redcap was Lord William de Soulis' familiar spirit. Information about this specific spirit can be found in Sir Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.
Today, the term redcap was used to refer to a railway porter in the United States who wore a red hat to be easily identified by travellers needing assistance with their luggage at train stations. In the United Kingdom, however, "redcap" is a common informal term for a military policeman (MP), derived from the distinctive red cover on their service hats.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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