Puns and Word Play 8 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Puffin

Puffins are unusual, medium sized birds classed as auks, from the genus Fratercula. They are described as stocky in build, mainly black and white in colour but with large beaks that, most fascinatingly, become brightly coloured during breeding season. Puffins mate for life, and each pair produces one egg at a time, with both parents sharing parental responsibility. This includes both feeding the chick, in a task known as puffling. After the baby birds learn to fly, they then spend the first years of their lives at sea, only returning back to land some five years later.

And the pun? Puffin, the exhausted marathon runner from the island of Lundy was "puffin'" - because he had run out of breath.

Answer: Wail

Perhaps it also blubbered as well? Cetaceans are warm-blooded mammals that live in the water of our world, both fresh in some species, but mainly at sea. They include the three main categories of whales, dolphins and porpoises. As with all mammals, they nurse their offspring, and can be fiercely protective of them. Capable of reaching great speeds in the water, cetaceans are classed as carnivores because of their diet.

The pun for this question combines the words "whale" with the verb "wail" because that's what the little calf did when it couldn't find its mother.

Answer: The tuna

Tuna are salt water fish in the genus Thunnus, greatly valued by humans, as a source of protein and other vitamins necessary for a well balanced diet. They can be found in all oceans of the world, but usually thrive best in tropical or temperate waters. A musical tuner is a professional skilled in the art of tuning assorted musical instrments, so that when the instrument is played, the pitch or key of its melody is accurate, and neither too sharp, flat or off key altogether.

This pun combines the words "tuna" the fish, with the word "tuner", a musically trained expert with a highly trained ear, who brings assorted instruments into tune.

Answer: You drive me nuts

Did you know that a male squirrel is known as a buck or a boar - and the little female is known as a doe or a sow? Squirrels are members of the rodent family (how rude), and they are native to Africa, Eurasia and the American continent - but were introduced to Australia. This Australian has, sadly, never seen a squirrel, but one lives in hope. Did you also know that the Bhutan giant squirrel can grow to over four feet in length! Although cartoonists usually depict squirrels as eating nuts non-stop, their fare is more varied than that. For example, they also eat tree buds, seeds, cones, fruit and insects.

However, the pun for this question links the popular version of nut eating squirrels to a slang term - nuts - whenever anyone is being driven crazy by the behaviour of another.

Answer: A kookaburra

A kookaburra is a medium sized Australian bird with a VERY sharp beak, and a high piercing call that sounds a lot like maniacal laughter - and which initially terrified the early convicts and settlers to Australia when they first heard it. "Burra" is a word often confused with the Spanish word for "burro", a sweet little hardworking animal utilised by man for thousands of years. It is also a word in one of the many dialects of indigenous Australians that means "eel".

For this pun the hungry Australian explorers, lost in the vast dry expanse of our thirsty land, had decided to kill and eat one of their little donkeys. Oh, how could they! That gives you the "burra" part of the pun - while the other part, the "kook" - is a homophone for "cook", a person trained, more or less, in the skill of producing meals.

Answer: Roar

Male lions are magnificent looking fellows with beautiful looking manes around their necks, but did you know that not all males have these? The hotter the climate, the smaller the mane apparently, or its absence altogether. They'd probably be bald in Australia, that being the case. Genetics or illness can also play a part in the absence of manes. It is thought by many that male lions are very lazy, living a life of mating and eating only - but this is a fallacy. Although the little woman does do most of the hunting, the males will take part in bringing down larger animals, they protect their group from intruders, and they fight off rivals for the affections of their mates.

The pun for this question uses "roar" as a homophone for "raw" - which is how lions eat their meat.

Answer: It was an octopus

An octopus is a marine creature, rather alarming looking, with eight legs, a large bulging head and brain, and a beaked mouth. Although frightening to encounter, these creatures are said to be very intelligent. They have the ability, for example, to use tools, such as coconut shells, to build their nests. They also are known to often break out of whatever aquarium in which man has housed them, to go searching for prey - an even more alarming thought.

"Octo" means eight (as in legs) and "pus" is a derivative of the ancient Greek word for "foot" - so the pun combines the homophone for puss (a cat) with "pus" - with eight (octo) whiskers.

Answer: Rang the barbel

Barbels are carp-associated fish that live in the bottom of freshwater rivers with a moderate flow. They have an enormous range in size - ranging from a few ounces to over 440 lbs - wow! Found mostly in cooler climates of the world, smaller sized barbels are also noted in Spain, north Africa, Australia and the south of France. This fish can be eaten by man, but their eggs most definitely should not - as they are toxic.

The pun intertwines the definition of the barbel fish, with the bell on the bar of a hotel or pub, which is used in order to draw the attention of the drinks serving person working there.

Answer: Whinny

A stallion is a male horse, a masculine strutting sort of chap, and quite amenable to mating whenever given the chance. And what is a stallion without a wife, I ask you? After all, as Jane Austen could have pointed out, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single horse, still having the good fortune to be in possession of all his parts, must be in want of a mate". Or she would have if she'd written "Black Beauty". A whinny is one of various sounds that beautiful horses can make, along with neigh, nicker, groan, snort and so on.

The pun combines the sound a horse can make - a whinny - with Winnie, a human female name derived from the old English or Welsh names of Winifred or Gwendolyn.

Answer: Being a cheetah

And of course he was also accused of "lion" about it. Of all the land animals on our beautiful planet, a cheetah is the fastest, reaching speeds of up to 65 mph or 104 kph. These lovely creatures have evolved long, slender legs for this purpose. Cheetahs have exquisite pale fur covered by black dots which are evenly spaced apart. They have such pretty little faces, with a long black streak under each eye, which makes them look at though shedding a tear. Unfortunately, today these lovely creatures, with their long history of careless and cruel treatment by humans, are now classed as vulnerable. Perhaps they really are weeping.

The pun for this question is a homophone combining "cheetah" the animal, with a "cheater", a naughty philandering mate - but of course this cheetah was innocent.