Sticks and Bones Trivia Quiz

Breadstick (noun): "A long, thin, crisp piece of baked dough, typically served as an appetizer".

Perhaps the only interesting aspect of this definition from the 'OED' relates to orthography rather than definition. The spelling of "appetizer" makes use of the letter Z rather than the letter S which would - in the minds of many speakers or writers of British English - be considered more akin to American English. The 'OED' makes use of the Oxford spelling system and their position is that their preference for -ize over -ise is not to do with a distinction between British and American English, but rather that -ize is more etymologically faithful to the Greek origin of a great deal of modern English.

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Broomstick (noun): "The staff or handle of a broom".

The 'OED' is restrictive with its definition of a broomstick and the dictionary actually refers one to the more archaic synonym "broomstaff" in order to obtain the above definition. The definition is restrictive in the sense that it takes broomstick to refer solely to the stick (or handle) and not the broom itself. This is in contrast to everyday usage whereby broomstick is often used to refer to the entire object.

Source of Definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Ringbone (noun): "Inflammation involved in the pastern bones of a horse's leg, typically resulting in swelling of the pastern with an abnormal bony outgrowth".

The elegant diamond ring in the picture clue does not reflect the pathological nature of ringbone. This reference to equine osteoarthritis starts its etymological journey in Old English where "hringban" was a word used to refer to the eye socket (in other words a circle or ring of bone). By the 14th and 15th century, "hringban" had become "ryngboon" or "ryngbone" (spelling, naturally, was not as standardised then as it is now) and had acquired its association with horses.

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Cross-bones (noun): "A figure two thigh-bones laid across each other in the form of the letter X, usually placed under the figure of a skull, as an emblem of death".

This word is rarely seen outside of the derived term, "skull and crossbones", and it seems that the inconsistent approach that the English language takes to the hyphen has even caught up with the 'OED' here. As a standalone entry, "cross-bones" takes the hyphenated form whereas "skull and crossbones" is listed in the closed compound form. To confuse matters even more, "skull and crossbones" as a complete term takes an open form with no hyphens connecting the three words.

Over time these things should resolve as the modern tendency is to remove hyphens where possible in favour of the closed form for single compound words and the open form for phrases.

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Chopstick (noun, usually plural): "Each of a pair of small, thin, tapered sticks of wood, ivory, plastic, etc., held together between the thumb and fingers of one hand and used as eating utensils especially by the Chinese and the Japanese".

There is a second definition of chopsticks - this time musical - which dates back to the late nineteenth century which is "a quick tune for the piano played with the forefinger of each hand". Such tunes are very much the preserve of schoolchildren learning to play the piano or keyboard; one does not have to be particularly accomplished to perform an entire tune using this two-fingered method.

The picture clue contains a splendid looking pork chop, ready to cook with garlic, rosemary and chilli.

Source of both definitions: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Knitbone (noun): "Any of several comfreys, especially the common comfrey, Symphytum officinale".

In comparison to other words in this quiz, it would be fair to class knitbone as obscure. The definition is fairly mundane and simply outlines that this botanical term is another name for comfreys (the common comfrey, in particular). The common comfrey, a mildly toxic plant from the family Boraginaceae, is native to Europe and thrives on the riverbanks of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Nightstick (noun): "A stick of medium length carried by a police officer or security guard, especially at night"

Nightstick, a fairly straightforward compounding of night and stick, is otherwise known as a truncheon or baton though the online edition of 'OED' posits that a nightstick might more specifically refer to such an object that is longer than a truncheon. One of the earliest recorded usages of the term was in the London publication, 'The Standard', where an account was told of an individual fending off an aggressive dog with a "night-stick".

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Featherbone (noun): "A whalebone substitute made from the quills of geese and turkeys".

It is quite an undertaking to create a full record of every word in the English language so it is not a surprise that some niche or archaic words lack a comprehensive definition and etymology in the 'OED'. The 'OED' does have an entry for "feather-bone" by way of reference to an 1887 edition of the 'Chicago Advance' - a piece on how feather-bone was replacing whalebone in the "manufacture of whips" - but there is no accompanying formal definition.

Whilst sources differ (which explains the different forms of the word used in this question), there appears to be a preference for the hyphenated form of the word

Source of definition: Wiktionary (this source omits the hyphen).

Pig-stick (verb): "To stab (a person, etc.) as if butchering a pig; to wound mortally".

Do not let the cute picture of a pig fool you; pig-stick is a transitive verb (the verb must take an object) with a rather violent meaning! The 'OED' has not held back, opting for a particularly graphic definition of this word that has been used in this context since at least the very early 1900s.

There is a somewhat more literal intransitive (the verb does not require an object) version of this verb which predates its transitive relative by approximately thirty years: "to participate in pig-sticking" (the act of hunting pigs or boar with a spear or lance).

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Herringbone (noun): "A zigzag pattern, especially made by bricks, on a cloth, or by stitches in sewing".

There are a number of senses in which this word can be applied. The first relates to the zigzag pattern that is alluded to in the aforementioned definition, but beyond this "herringbone" can be used to describe a woven fabric expressing the characteristic zigzag pattern, a way of ascending a hill on skis or, literally, a bone from a herring.

The picture clue features a rollmop, which is a delicacy where herring is the main ingredient.

Source of definition: Wiktionary.

Green-bone (noun): "Any of several fishes with greenish bones: (a) the garfish or garpike, Belone belone; (b) the viviparous blenny, Zoarces viviparus; (c) the butterfish, Odax pullus."

The element of this definition that jumps out is "fishes". Whilst the plural of fish is typically fish, there exists a particular usage where "fishes" is a valid means of expressing the plural - namely, when referring to more than one "type" of fish (ie salmon and trout). In this case 'OED' has opted to use "fishes" in its definition - and legitimately so - given that green-bone is used to refer to more than one species of fish (garfish, butterfish and viviparous blenny).

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).

Fiddlestick (noun, usually plural): "An exclamation equivalent to Nonsense! fiddle-de-dee!"

Whilst this humorous application of the word dates back to the early 1600s, its popularity peaked in the Victorian era with authors such as William Makepeace Thackeray ('Miss Tickletoby's Lectures on English History'), Thomas Hughes ('Tom Brown's Schooldays') and Robert Louis Stevenson ('Treasure Island') making use of this compound construction. In the latter's case, he used the word to reflect a doctor's dismissive tone: "'Wounded? A fiddle stick's end!' said the doctor".

Source of definition: 'Oxford English Dictionary' (online).