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Alphabetical Idioms Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Alphabetical Idioms Quizzes, Trivia

Alphabetical Idioms Trivia

Alphabetical Idioms Trivia Quizzes

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"A"ctions speak louder than words, so get "b"ack to the drawing board, and don't "c"ry over spilled milk! It's as easy as ABC!
27 Alphabetical Idioms quizzes and 285 Alphabetical Idioms trivia questions.
1.
  From An Apple A Day to Zip It, It's Idioms A-Z   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
I don't know why, but I always like hearing different idioms and learning about them. Here's how it works: you fill in the blank of the sentence by choosing what choice it is.
Very Easy, 25 Qns, HotShot_SS, Jun 09 22
Very Easy
HotShot_SS
Jun 09 22
6992 plays
2.
  No X-rated Cliches Here   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Perhaps I am crazy like a fox to attempt to wax poetic about expressions containing the letter "X", but that is exactly what I am trying to do. Each question is about a cliche, idiom, etc. that contains a key word with a letter "X". Excelsior!
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Dec 30 22
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
Dec 30 22
1153 plays
3.
  Speak of the Devil! It's More Cliches!   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Signed, sealed, and delivered, this quiz is a shot in the arm and a sight for sore eyes! Every question is concerned with a cliched expression with a key word beginning with the letter "S". So snap to it and strike while the iron is hot!
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Feb 24 17
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
1317 plays
4.
  More Cliches Yada Yada   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll enjoy this quiz about clichés, idioms, expressions--you name it--all of which rely on a key word beginning with the letter "Y". Remember--you pays your money, you takes your chances.
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Jul 27 17
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
1268 plays
5.
  Prick up Your Ears! It's More Cliches!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If you put your shoulder to the wheel and play your cards right, you'll pull it off and find your place in the sun with this quiz! All the questions are concerned with cliches and idioms with a key word beginning with the letter "P".
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Sep 10 16
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
1276 plays
6.
  Zoinks! One Last Cliche Quiz to Zip Through!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Whether you're in your comfort zone, a war zone, or the twilight zone, get in the zone and play a quiz about clichés, idioms, and expressions with a key word beginning with the letter "Z".
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Aug 16 17
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
843 plays
7.
  Quote, Unquote Cliches   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Are you a quick study? Are you quick on the uptake? Then quit horsing around and be queen for a day! Take a quiz about cliches, idioms, etc. that have a key word beginning with the letter Q.
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Oct 07 16
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
1318 plays
8.
  Dull as Dishwater Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It's time to do or die--dot your i's and cross your t's. How much do you know about cliches, idioms, etc. that have a key word that begins with the letter "D"?
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Jul 25 16
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
1611 plays
9.
  Kick Up Your Heels for Cliches   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
It's time to knuckle down and see what you know about these clichés with a key word starting with "K". You'll do well if you keep your fingers crossed.
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1232 plays
10.
  Ups-A-Daisy! It's More Cliches!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Get up and about and up in arms! Here's another cliche quiz up for grabs. Each of these cliche expressions contains an important word beginning with the letter "U". Use your head, and see if you can get the upper hand!
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Mar 10 17
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
921 plays
trivia question Quick Question
I got my grandpa a new CD player but he still listens to his old record player. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him _______".

From Quiz "From An Apple A Day to Zip It, It's Idioms A-Z"




11.
  Tried and True Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If you've time on your hands, then take a load off your feet and try your luck with this quiz about cliched expressions with a key word beginning with the letter "T". Time and tide wait for no man, and the time is ripe to have the time of your life!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Feb 08 17
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1123 plays
12.
  Run of the Mill Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Rise and shine and rally round the flag! It's time to rack your brains for another cliche quiz. Each of the questions concerns a cliche, idiom, or expression with a main word starting with the letter "R".
Easier, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Oct 20 16
Easier
alaspooryoric gold member
901 plays
13.
  Nothing New under the Sun--Just More Cliches   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Needless to say, the name of the game is cliches with a key word beginning with the letter "N". So, don't be a Nervous Nellie! Instead, let's get down to the nitty gritty!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Jun 18 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1270 plays
14.
  Lo and Behold! More Cliches?   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
At long last, here is a quiz you can lick your chops over! All of the questions are concerned with clichés and idioms with a key word beginning with "L". Lay on, Macduff, but don't lay an egg!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Aug 24 24
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
Aug 24 24
1437 plays
15.
  Idle Chitchat about Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
One way to improve with each shining hour is to take this quiz about cliches, idioms, expressions, etc. that begin with the letter "I". I believe you'll find you're in your element and not in over your head.
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1241 plays
16.
  What's the Cat's Meow? Cliches, That's What!   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If cliches are your cup of tea, then hopefully you'll find you can cut the mustard by answering these questions about popular idioms and expressions in the English language that use a key word beginning with the letter "C".
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1661 plays
17.
  Heavens to Betsy! More Cliches!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If you have half a mind to take a quiz about cliches with a significant word beginning with "H", then heave a sigh of relief. You'll enjoy this one to your heart's content and fall head over heels.
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1409 plays
18.
  Without Further Ado . . . More Cliches!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Will wonders never cease! Here's another wild and woolly quiz in this series. Each question is about an idiom or cliche in the English language that has a key word beginning with the letter "W". If you find yourself at wit's end, just wing it!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, May 18 17
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
939 plays
19.
  Can You Pass This Cliche Quiz with Flying Colors?   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Whether you achieve a feather in your cap, do fair to middling, or fall from grace, I hope you enjoy learning a few facts about some cliches that have a key word beginning with the letter "F".
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1289 plays
20.
  Get on the Gravy Train with Cliches!   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Go like the wind, go bananas, go for broke, go whole hog, go hog wild, go out on a limb, go against the grain, or just go along for the ride, but go and enjoy a quiz about cliches with a key word beginning with the letter "G".
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1083 plays
21.
  The Very Thing You Need--More Cliches!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
If you're not in the mood to veg out and you're full of vim and vigor, or vice versa, then have a go at this quiz. Each question is concerned with a cliche or idiom that uses a key word beginning with the letter "V". May you romp to victory!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, May 13 17
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
798 plays
22.
  Cliches to Make Your Mouth Water!   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Not to mince matters and to make no bones about it, there's more to this than meets the eye. This is a quiz about clichéd expressions that have a key word beginning with the letter "M". Make haste, for the more the merrier!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Jun 18 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
847 plays
23.
  Old Saws and Cliches   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some of these cliched expressions may be off the beaten track, and some, old hat. However, they all have a key word beginning with the letter "O". So, there's no reason to be on tenterhooks; be off and running. Onward and upward.
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, May 07 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
835 plays
24.
  A-1 Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Please do not Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here. This is a simple quiz about English language cliches, idioms, etc. that begin with the letter "A" or begin with a word that begins with the letter "A".
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1255 plays
25.
  Easy as Pie Cliches    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I hope you are eager for the fray, for this quiz may be easy pickings. It's a quiz about English language cliches, idioms, etc. that begin with the letter "E" or contain a significant word that begins with the letter "E".
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1259 plays
26.
  Jump on the Bandwagon with Cliches   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Hello there, Johnny on the spot! You're just in time for a quiz about cliches and expressions with a significant word beginning with the letter "J". All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so jump in with both feet!
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1150 plays
27.
  The Black Sheep of Cliches   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I do not wish to bite off more than I can chew, but I'm presenting you a quiz about cliches, idioms, etc. that begin with the letter B or begin with a word that begins with the letter B. Hopefully, there's no need to batten down the hatches.
Average, 10 Qns, alaspooryoric, Apr 14 16
Average
alaspooryoric gold member
1458 plays

Alphabetical Idioms Trivia Questions

1. When you are quite certain of a particular outcome, what is it that "you can bet", according to an overly used American expression?

From Quiz
More Cliches Yada Yada

Answer: your bottom dollar

"You can bet your bottom dollar" is what you might say to someone when you wish to convey to that person that he or she can be sure of something. The speaker of the phrase is claiming that he or she is so certain of a particular outcome that if he or she had only one dollar left to spend in life, he or she would still bet that one dollar. I suppose, too, that you could picture a stack of paper money and that the speaker has lost or spent all of that money except for the dollar at the bottom of that stack; nevertheless, the speaker is so certain of a particular outcome that he or she would have no problem betting that very last dollar. We're talking about absolute confidence here. One of the earliest written recordings of the expression is found in an 1856 publication of the "La Crosse Independent Republican": "I'm goin' to vote for you--you can bet your bottom dollar on that!"

2. To "wait with bated breath" is to be caught within a moment of feeling suspense or anticipation. What in the world is "bated breath"?

From Quiz Without Further Ado . . . More Cliches!

Answer: decreased or suspended breathing

Many misspell the word "bated" as "baited" so as to write "wait with baited breath". However, "bate" is an abbreviated or contracted form of "abate", which means "to become less intense of widespread" or "to decrease, diminish, or halt". Thus, to "wait with bated breath" refers to the typical physical reaction of those who are waiting with anticipation or suspense. People in this situation tend to stand or sit very still while their breathing becomes less intense or shallow if it doesn't, in fact, momentarily cease. William Shakespeare wrote the following lines in "The Merchant of Venice": "Shall I bend low and in a bondman's key, / With bated breath and whispering humbleness, Say this . . .". Much later, George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) wrote in "Adam Bede", "To his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the story". Through examples such as these, one can see that "bate" refers to decreasing or restraining the breath in some fashion.

3. Winifred was anxious while the health inspector examined her restaurant. After an hour, he approached Winifred and said, "Your establishment is up to par". What did he mean?

From Quiz Ups-A-Daisy! It's More Cliches!

Answer: Her restaurant met the expected standards.

To say something is "up to par" is to say that it is "normal", that it has reached the standard that is usually accepted as satisfactory and perhaps as average. Most assume that the origin of the expression "up to par" lies in the sport of golf; however, the word is older than the game. The word comes from the Latin "par", which means "equal", and the English use of the word was originally to refer to something that was equal to the value of something else used as a standard. One of the earlier references to "par" as an idiom occurs in Laurence Sterne's 1767 novel "Tristram Shandy": ". . . the livre or two above par for your supper and bed".

4. To persist in one's support of another through both easy and difficult times or to stay loyal to someone despite any obstacle that occurs is to be with that person "through thick and thin". What is the origin of this cliche?

From Quiz Tried and True Cliches

Answer: traveling through wooded country

Originally, the expression existed as "through thicket and thin wood", and it evolved from a time when England was mostly an island covered with woods and few roads. Travelers, particularly those on horseback, would have to be determined to arrive at their destinations if they were to ride through not only the grassy pockets of land with sparse trees but the thickly wooded areas as well. The phrase occurs in the "Exeter Book", which dates from the late tenth century and is one of the few remaining texts written in Old English. Chaucer later refers to the phrase in "The Reeve's Tale" from his "Canterbury Tales" from around 1386: "And whan the hors was laus, he gynneth gon / Toward the fen, ther wilde mares renne, / And forth with 'wehee,' thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne" [And when the horse was loose, he begins to go / Toward the fen, where wild mares run / And forth with whinny, through thick and through thin]". Edmund Spenser also uses the phrase in his "Faerie Queene" in 1590: "Through thicke and thin, both over banck and bush". These texts plainly demonstrate the literal references to horses traveling through the woods.

5. According to a popular expression in the English language, what is it that a patron visiting a pub or a bar might do with a brew?

From Quiz Quote, Unquote Cliches

Answer: quaff

To "quaff a brew" is to drink a container of beer or ale quite heartily and deeply. "Brew" rather obviously stems from the method in which beers and ales are made. "Quaff" is another matter entirely. The word's use seems to have begun sometime in the early 1500s, but why it began to be used as a synonym for "drinking" is unknown. Some speculate that it is a derivation of the Germanic "quassen", which means "to overindulge in drink or food". Others believe the word to be the result of onomatopoeia; apparently, some must have thought "quaff" represents the sound the back of the throat makes as one gulps or swallows. The expression allows for other potables as well; one may quaff a glass of wine, water, juice, etc.

6. If someone is "on the ropes", he or she is in a situation of great difficulty or on the brink of failure or defeat. Why does this cliched expression mean this, however? More to the point, what are the specific ropes to which this phrase refers?

From Quiz Old Saws and Cliches

Answer: the ropes of a boxing ring

The ropes in "on the ropes" refer to those surrounding a boxing ring. A fighter who is literally on them is usually in trouble and not performing very well in the fight--at least at that moment. Boxers avoid getting near the ropes because there is a great risk of getting pinned against them without much room to move, particularly in the corners. The only time a boxer seems to grab the ropes is during an attempt to keep from falling down or during an attempt to pull him or herself up again. Pierce Egan used the expression in "Boxiana", the title of an 1820s article published in "Blackwood's Magazine": "Lenny found himself hanging on the ropes, where he was milled down".

7. If I had given you a task and if you had performed it well and completed it successfully, I might say to you, "You've made the grade". What is the original source of this American expression, "make the grade"?

From Quiz Cliches to Make Your Mouth Water!

Answer: the use of locomotives and railroads

To "make the grade" is "to come up to a standard" or "to achieve a desired result". When building railroads, those responsible for their construction must consider the angle or steepness of an incline when laying track up and over a hill or across a mountainous terrain. Americans referred to this incline as the "grade". If a locomotive could successfully pull its weight and that of the train of cars it was pulling up a particular incline, then it was said to have "made the grade". The transferred meaning, describing success at anything, seems to have occurred later in the twentieth century. In 1930, an article in "Publishers Weekly" contained the following words: "Can the seasonal bookshop make the grade . . . ?"

8. According to an old expression, when you have information from a source whose identity you don't wish to reveal, who do you say is the clandestine source of that information?

From Quiz Lo and Behold! More Cliches?

Answer: little bird

Suppose someone asks how you know he or she is going to receive an award. You might respond, "Let's just say a little bird told me". The expression is used as a light-hearted and polite way to say you don't wish to reveal your source of information, perhaps because the source wishes to remain anonymous or unnamed. The origin of the phrase lies in the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes 10:20: "Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought: and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter" (KJV). Brian Melbancke's "Philotimus", published in 1583, makes use of a phrase similar to the contemporary one: "I had a little bird, that brought me newes of it".

9. If someone has seen the "hand writing on the wall", then what does this mean?

From Quiz Heavens to Betsy! More Cliches!

Answer: He or she has been given a forewarning of something unfortunate soon to occur.

To see the "hand writing on the wall" is to receive a portent or forewarning, usually of something ominous. The source of this expression is the Old Testament book of Daniel. Belshazzar decides to hold a feast when he becomes king of Babylon. "In the same hour [of the feast] came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote" (Daniel 5:5 KJV). The prophet Daniel is called in to interpret the message, and tells Belshazzar that it means God has numbered the days of his kingdom and it will be divided between the Medes and the Persians. By the way, this expression has sometimes been corrupted to "the handwriting on the wall", but one can easily see from the original story in Daniel that a literal hand is seen.

10. According to a popular expression in the English language, who or what "catches the worm"?

From Quiz Easy as Pie Cliches

Answer: The early bird

The person who gets up, arrives, or starts an action first has a better chance than others of achieving an objective or of taking an advantage of an opportunity. The expression "the early bird catches the worm" appears at least as early as 1636 in William Camden's "Remaines of a Greater Worke Concerning Britaine".

11. If a woman has "set her cap for him", what is it exactly that she has done?

From Quiz What's the Cat's Meow? Cliches, That's What!

Answer: decided to pursue a particular male for a mate

"To set her cap for him" means a woman is seeking to turn a male acquaintance or a man she has only recently seen into a suitor. English women at one time almost always wore some sort of hat or headdress--even when indoors. If she put on a particularly fancy or extravagant one, particularly when a man was present, most would assume that she was deliberately attempting to get that man's attention. One can find a reference to this expression as early as 1773 in Oliver Goldsmith's play "She Stoops to Conquer": "Instead of breaking my heart at his indifference, I'll . . . set my cap to some newer fashion, and look out for some less difficult admirer".

12. What is the source of the saying "a whole new ball of wax", an expression meant to imply a completely changed situation?

From Quiz The Black Sheep of Cliches

Answer: an old method of dividing land among the heirs of an estate

According to "Coke in Littleton", a 1620 text on English law, land was divided among the heirs of an estate from a procedure that involved balls of wax. The executor of a will would write out descriptions of parcels of land on pieces of paper, roll the pieces of paper into balls, cover the balls of paper with wax so that no one could tamper with them, and then put these balls into a hat. The eldest heir would then draw a ball from the hat and receive the parcel of land described on his or her piece of paper. The next eldest would then draw and so on down the line of inheritors. Most believe this practice to be the source of the expression "a whole new ball of wax".

13. In the early 1960s, which organization or institution gave Americans the expression "A-OK," meaning "the situation couldn't be better" or "everything is functioning perfectly"?

From Quiz A-1 Cliches

Answer: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

"A-OK" is definitely a space-age expression. Most sources give John A. "Shorty" Powers, a United States Air Force Lt. Colonel and spokesperson for NASA, the credit for introducing America to the term. He first used it to explain that everything was going perfectly with Alan Shepard's "Freedom 7" Mercury mission in 1961. However, Powers himself gave astronaut Alan Shepard credit for coining the expression. Alternatively, Tom Wolfe in his novel "The Right Stuff" explained that the expression was created by engineers at NASA who found that saying "A" in front of "OK" was easier to hear through the static of radio transmissions.

14. When Randall comes home from a bad day at work, he always vents his spleen. What am I trying to say Randall does?

From Quiz The Very Thing You Need--More Cliches!

Answer: He releases his anger, often by expressing it toward someone who's not the real source of that anger.

"To vent one's spleen" is to "air" one's anger or frustration, to release it. The spleen is an abdominal organ considered to be primarily a part of the immune system. Its function is to filter the blood and to store platelets and white blood cells. However, in days of old, before people understood human anatomy, many believed human organs to be the storehouses and sources of various emotions. The spleen was believed to be the seat of several morose feelings, but it eventually was associated with one's temper, as is obvious from the expression. "To vent" means to "air something out" or "to let something out of an enclosed space". "To vent one's spleen" was considered a literal action at one time--the letting out of bad air or whatever ill substance was being held in the spleen. One of the earliest written accounts of the cliche is from George Rawlinson's "Egypt and Babylon" published in 1885: "This time he . . . vented his spleen on Jews by renewed attacks and oppressions".

15. A store clerk who sells alcoholic beverages to individuals who are not the legal age for purchasing them might be said to be selling these drinks how?

From Quiz Ups-A-Daisy! It's More Cliches!

Answer: under the counter

Something sold "under the counter" is something sold surreptitiously. The expression refers to making a transaction or trade secretly because the parties involved in the exchange know that their actions would be considered unethical or illegal. This idiom arose during World War II when several shopkeepers kept items hidden under the counter to sell to friends or loyal customers when so many things were being rationed or were in short supply. Hiding the items literally under the counter kept the products out of sight but in reach for a very quick exchange.

16. "Salt of the earth" is an expression used to refer to a person one believes to be valuable, dependable, or exceptionally decent. Do you know the origin of this cliched phrase?

From Quiz Speak of the Devil! It's More Cliches!

Answer: the Bible

Someone who is the "salt of the earth" is someone on whom you can most certainly rely. Despite salt having a few negative associations, such as in the expression "pour salt in one's wounds", the mineral has been essential to humans' survival. People have historically relied on salt for the preservation of food, so much so that Roman soldiers were paid based on what they needed to purchase salt--thus, the word "salary". However, the origin of the phrase goes back further than the Romans. The book of Matthew from the Bible's New Testament records Jesus saying, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt hath lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted?" (KJV).

17. When I was a kid, I'd sometimes ask my grandfather to take me fishing on an afternoon when I'd returned home from school. We'd go to a nearby pond, and after a while he'd say, "I've petered out". What did he mean by this?

From Quiz Prick up Your Ears! It's More Cliches!

Answer: He had grown tired.

"To peter out" means "gradually, to give out, grow exhausted, fade away, or fail". The use of the word "peter" as a verb and the use of this expression "peter out" seem to have begun in the early to middle nineteenth century in the United States, and most believe that its origin lies in the mining occupation. In an 1845 Wisconsin newspaper, the "Milwaukee Daily Gazette", someone wrote: "When my mineral petered why they all Petered me. Now it is dig, dig, dig, drill, drill for nothing. My luck is clean gone - tapered down to nothing". Then in 1854, H. H. Riley wrote in "Puddleford and Its People": He hoped this 'spectacle meeting warn't going to Peter-out'". The origin is not really known, but many speculate that, as the word "Peter" was typically capitalized early on, the origin most likely has something to do with an individual named Peter. Some argue that the Peter being referenced is the disciple Peter from the New Testament of the Bible. Charles E. Funk holds with this theory and explains that during the scene at the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is arrested after Judas's betrayal, Peter at first is determined to defend Jesus at any cost as he grabs a sword and attacks a soldier. However, within a few hours all of his fervor and determination had dwindled to the extent that he denies even knowing Jesus on three different occasions. Finally, some argue that the origin of "peter out" has to do with the use of saltpetre as gun powder, which miners used as an explosive in their work. The argument is that fuses would sometimes fail because of diminishing saltpetre or some other fault with the substance. People capitalized "peter" in the expression "Petered out" because they erroneously assumed the word was referring to someone's name.

18. What is the correct spelling of the expression we use to refer to the compensation, whether good or bad, that someone receives as a result of what he or she has done?

From Quiz Jump on the Bandwagon with Cliches

Answer: just deserts

Most people have little problem with the "just" part of the expression, for they understand that the phrase is referring to justice occurring when someone receives what he or she deserves or when someone finally gets what's coming to him or her. On the other hand, many people misspell the "deserts" part, and for good reason. We are taught that "desert" refers to a tremendous area of land that receives little precipitation whereas "dessert" refers to a sweet food item one eats, in American culture, after a meal. However, the word "desert", in the case of the expression, is a noun form of the word "deserve" and means "that which is deserved". Of course, this word is rarely used in this manner today except in the popular cliche. The earliest recording of "just deserts" is in the 1599 publication "Warnings Faire Women": "Upon a pillory--that al the world may see, / A just desert for such impiety".

19. If I were to be fired or dismissed from my current job, I, according to the expression, would get something. What would I get?

From Quiz Get on the Gravy Train with Cliches!

Answer: the sack

To be fired or dismissed from one's job is to "get the sack" (or "get the bag" in older versions of the expression). Roving workmen carried their tools in a sack or bag, and when the work ended or a workman was dismissed, the worker picked up his sack or was handed his sack by the employer, and he moved on. Originally, to "get the sack" was not necessarily a negative thing; it just meant that the job was finished and the employer had no more need of the workman. One of the earliest written recordings of the expression occurs in a 1576 publication entitled "Common Conditions".

20. To be "far from the madding crowd" means to be in a quiet, peaceful place, somewhere away from all of the turmoil and worries of mankind. However, do you know the literary source of this idiom's origin?

From Quiz Can You Pass This Cliche Quiz with Flying Colors?

Answer: Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard"

While many are perhaps more familiar with Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd" and the film adaptations of the story, this novel is not the original source of the expression. Hardy himself borrowed the words for his title from a line in Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard", which was published in 1750. Gray was a scholar and professor at Cambridge University, and his poetry generally falls between the Neo-Classical and Romantic eras. Some of his other poems include "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" and "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes". "Madding", a word rarely used anymore in the English language, means "acting in a frenzied manner".

21. According to another popular saying in the English language, what kind of bird would I eat if were going to humble myself to admit I made a mistake?

From Quiz Easy as Pie Cliches

Answer: crow

Obviously crow would not be a popular dish; in fact, eating crow has often been considered forbidden and illegal at different times, dating all the way back to at least the composition of the book of Leviticus, Chapter 11. Thus, if someone was going to do something that would symbolically represent his or her willingnesss to abase him or herself or take the blame for some mistake or blunder, "eating crow" would certainly show one's humility. The expression may come from a couple of stories published in America around 1850, one in the "Knickerbocker" and the other in the "Saturday Evening Post". According to the stories, an old farmer is boarding a few travelers who complain about the food. The farmer boldly states, "I kin eat anything," at which the boarders respond, "How about crow?" The farmer replies, "I kin eat crow!" The boarders challenge him to eat one and prepare the crow themselves while stuffing it full of tobacco. The farmer eats the crow but then replies, "I kin eat crow, but I be darned if I hanker after it." However, the Atlanta "Constitution" relates the following event that occurred during the War of 1812. An American soldier bagged a crow while hunting. A British officer who witnessed the deed approached the American and complimented him on his shot. He then asked to see the American's gun. Upon receiving it, the officer pointed it at the American, upbraided him for trespassing and firing a weapon during a ceasefire, and then made him eat a bite of the crow. After all of this, the British officer foolishly returned the gun to the American, who then humiliated the officer by forcing him to eat the remainder of the crow at gunpoint.

22. In 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, Prince Louis Napoleon, to satisfy the wishes of his father Napoleon III, was introduced to battle at Saarbruck. This led to the creation of which expression?

From Quiz The Black Sheep of Cliches

Answer: baptism of fire

"Baptism of fire" or sometimes "baptism by fire" is an expression mostly used to refer to a soldier's introduction to battle and is a translation of the French phrase "bapteme du feu". The "fire" may refer to the discharging of missile weapons or it may be the metaphorical reference to a literal burning fire or conflagration. However, the phrase has been used to mean any severe or traumatic experience that would alter one's perspective and test one's endurance or loyalty. The "baptism by fire" expression is more often used to refer to the Christian understanding of spiritual sanctification that may occur due to facing a severe or testing ordeal.

23. Tell me what happened. Stop "beating around the ______".

From Quiz From An Apple A Day to Zip It, It's Idioms A-Z

Answer: Bush

This phrase is derived from the 1500's when hunters hired beaters to drive small animals out of bushes. The beaters did not want to drive the animals out of the bush into the open before the hunters arrived, so they used a long stick to use around the bush.

24. According to an old metaphorical proverb, "zeal without knowledge is" what?

From Quiz Zoinks! One Last Cliche Quiz to Zip Through!

Answer: a runaway horse

"Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse" is a metaphorical manner of suggesting that people with great energy and enthusiasm for the accomplishment of a particular goal are a danger to those around them if they have little or no knowledge of the situations in which they are attempting to act. One can easily picture a runaway horse galloping at great speed and kicking up its heels; such a horse is likely not to pay much attention to its surroundings or the direction in which it is running. The origin of this expression is not really known though Thomas Fuller, the seventeenth-century English preacher and historian is credited with another variation: "Zeal without knowledge is a fire without light".

25. If an individual appears to be trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle so that the individual never improves or is in fact worse, that individual is said, according to one cliche, to be caught in what kind of circle?

From Quiz The Very Thing You Need--More Cliches!

Answer: a vicious circle

A "vicious circle" is a disagreeable situation but, to make matters worse, is one that keeps repeating itself. A person is trapped in a cycle so that as he or she attempts to improve his or her situation, he or she is only able to continue in that same situation or is led to another negative or worse situation. Th origin of the metaphorical image and expression lies with the study of logic. To attempt to prove a claim by returning to some form of that claim as one's evidence is considered a fallacious method of arguing, and this act is called "circular reasoning" or "a vicious circle". One might picture a snake in the shape of a hoop while it is swallowing its own tail. An example of this logical fallacy is something like this: "The boy is lonely because he feels alone". Eventually, the expression began to be used in a much wider and figurative sense. Those in the medical profession began to use "a vicious circle" to refer to the ill health of an individual who experiences one symptom that leads to another so that the individual's health steadily deteriorated. However, many others soon began to use the expression for any steadily deteriorating cycle someone could not escape. The 1792 edition of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" contained the following statement: "He runs into what is termed by logicians a 'vicous circle' (failure to make connection between premise and conclusion)". One hundred years later, Henry James wrote in his "Notebooks", "The whole situation works in a kind of inevitable rotary way--in what would be called a vicious circle".

26. Suppose someone were using a pretense or facade to trick another into revealing his or her strengths or strategy. What phrase could you use to refer metaphorically to what that someone was using?

From Quiz Speak of the Devil! It's More Cliches!

Answer: a stalking horse

A "stalking horse" refers to a front for some scheme or maneuver one has planned; it is a means of causing an opponent to reveal his or her strong points or strategy. The origin of the phrase lies in the act of hunting when the hunters used horses. Occasionally, a hunter on horseback would, when approaching the game, get off his horse and, using the horse as a blind, stalk step by step until he got within shooting distance of the game. From the game's point of view, or anyone else who happened to be looking on, the horse appeared to be stalking something, not the hunter hidden behind the horse. Using a stalking horse must have been a practice in use long before Shakespeare because the playwright uses the phrase in its figurative sense in "As You Like It". The Duke and Jaques are having a conversation about the clown Touchstone when Jaques says, "Is not this a rare fellow, my lord? he's as good at anything and yet a fool". The Duke replies, "He uses his folly like a stalking-horse and under the presentation of that he shoots his wit".

27. To "raise someone's hackles" is to make someone feel angry or fearful. However, what exactly are hackles?

From Quiz Run of the Mill Cliches

Answer: Long, slender feathers along a rooster's neck or back

Hackles are the erectile feathers that line the backs of birds' necks as well as the birds' backs, particularly those of male birds. These feathers stand more erect when certain birds feel threatened. The image of an angry rooster, a very common domestic fowl, is often what comes to most people's minds as they thinking of raised hackles. On the other hand, birds are not the only animals to have hackles. For instance, the hairs on the back of a dog's neck also stand up when this animal feels frightened or alarmed or perhaps even excitement during a hunt. One of the earliest written examples of this cliche occurs in Edward Pennell's "Elmhirst--The Cream of Leicestershire", which was published in 1883: "I almost saw the hackles of a good old squire rise . . . ".

28. To say that something is "not worth a rap" is to say it is worth very little or nothing at all. However, why does the expression mean this? To what exactly does "rap" refer in the context of this cliched saying?

From Quiz Nothing New under the Sun--Just More Cliches

Answer: a counterfeit coin

The rap in the phrase "not worth a rap" refers to essentially a counterfeit coin that fraudulently circulated in Ireland as a halfpenny during the 1700s. The rap succeeded for a while as acceptable currency as real money was scarce. The expressions "without a rap" and "don't care a rap" also came into frequent use during the same time period.

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