I'm Just Saying! Trivia Quiz

Answer: moss.

Have you ever thrown a rock? Of course you have. It was most likely just a rock - no hovering flies, no clinging strands of wool. OK - maybe it was a tiny bit dirty... but you get the idea.

This {parable} tries to make us realize the importance of staying busy, working, leading productive lives. You may know someone who is lazy; they just sit around all day doing nothing. A saying like this one fits them! Those layabouts will be left by the wayside, as the world passes them by. Active, busy people are the ones that get things done!

Remember - the words you see inside braces { } are all synonyms for each other. You get to take a quiz AND increase your word power at the same time. What a great deal!

Answer: flock together.

This old {saw} reminds us that we generally associate with people like ourselves. I like reading and astronomy, so I enjoy spending my time with fellow readers and stargazers. The opposite is also true - since I was never into sports, I don't enjoy being around "sports nuts" if all they ever talk about is sports.

All those wrong answers? A flock of birds perched above a car WILL damage the paint. I think it's their "dootie." During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, turkeys hide as if their lives depend on it. Finally, if you've ever played badminton, you know that odd thing you hit back and forth is called a "birdie" - although it's correctly referred to as a "shuttlecock."

Answer: a penny earned.

Sadly, two of the answers are true, although they are not the "traditional" answer. Today's penny is almost worthless, but "back in the day," stores had a huge selection of penny candies. I could buy three sticks of "Chum Gum" for one cent!.

Pennies used to be almost all copper, but that metal became too expensive; it cost more than a penny to make a penny! So in 1983, pennies were made with 97.5% zinc, and a thin shell of copper (sounds like an M&M's commercial). These pennies are of little value; many people just throw them away!

One of the answers for this old {adage} is a bit tricky. Words that are pronounced the same, but have different spellings and meanings are called homonyms or homophones. An "urn" is a type of metal vase or container, and is pronounced the same as "earn." So those words are homonyms.

Answer: killed the cat.

Don't go crazy. It's just a saying, remember? This harsh sounding {aphorism} can be restated as "being too nosy can get you in trouble."

If your sister writes in her diary, and you ask her about it every day, she is going to watch you like a hawk! There goes any chance you ever had of reading that diary.

When I was in the Navy, I saw a petty officer leading several sailors into the barracks. I was curious, and wondered what neat thing they might be doing - maybe a party? It was a party all right; a WORKING party! I spent the next four hours swabbing decks.

Remember - No cats were harmed in the writing of this question.

Answer: get out of the kitchen.

Cooking isn't the issue in this old {proverb}. The issues are the pressures, fears, and worry that we all face at times.

If I want to be an astronaut, but I'm afraid of heights, I need to forget about that job! In other words, get out of that "space kitchen." Perhaps I would like being a teacher, but I'm scared to talk to large groups of people. What are my choices? I either work to overcome my fear or give up my teaching dream.

The three incorrect choices were thrown in for laughs. DID you laugh? No? Then get out of the kitchen!

Answer: keeps the doctor away.

Although the {slogan} itself is obsolete, the meaning is still accurate. Apples, as well as many other fresh fruits and vegetables, are healthy and nutritious. Eating healthy is obviously a good practice. If we stay healthy, no need for a doctor.

Apples, apples - skinned or with peel
The more you eat, the better you feel.
The better you feel, the more you can play;
An apple sure DOES keep the doctor away!

Keeps the doctor away? From where? Not so long ago, many families did not have automobiles. The town doctor usually owned a car, and was able to move around faster. So the Doc would actually visit a sick person at home!

Answer: cats and dogs.

You've probably heard THIS one before, and know it means there's a lot of rain coming down.

This {cliche} has an interesting explanation. In earlier times, most houses had roofs made of thatch - long pieces of straw or grass. As the story goes, family dogs and cats would often climb up onto the roof and sleep in the soft, warm thatch. But when it rained, the thatch became slippery; the animals would either slide off the roof, OR fall THROUGH the roof, into the house! Either way, Rover and Kitty seemed to have fallen from the sky!

There actually have been strange cases of raining fish, frogs, and even golf balls.

Answer: spilt milk.

The moral of this {maxim}? We can't undo something bad that's already happened; that's a fact! What we CAN do is learn from our mistakes and make sure the same bad thing doesn't happen again.

I left my bike in the driveway, and my dad backed over it with the car! My bike was mangled! I was mad and pouted for three days. But then I realized the old bike was history. I needed to accept that fact, and start saving for a new set of wheels.

Answer: are soon parted.

Grandma gave me $50 for my birthday. If I saved it, I could buy a new bike (I think I mentioned; my dad ran over the old one). But I was hungry. I walked to the bake shop, bought four dozen assorted doughnuts, and ate them all! The next three days, I was sick in bed! And my $50 was gone. And I am still walking, not riding.

This {motto} is so very true - for young and old alike. Money - particularly easy money - is spent foolishly, much to our later regret. This often seems true for some professional athletes. For a few years, they will make millions of dollars, and live like kings. A few years later, we read about these same "kings"; now penniless.

Remember that "penny saved; penny earned" question earlier? Maybe it would apply here too.

By the way - when I DO save up the money, guess where I WILL NOT park my new bike?

Answer: new tricks.

This old saying tells us that the older we are, the harder it is to learn new things. Do you think that's true? How much do your grandparents know about modern electronic devices such as laptops and smart phones? Not much? That's probably true. But how much do YOU know about rock & roll music from the 1960s? It all depends on where you're standing.

If Rover never learned to leave the mailman alone, or to go on the paper, Rover would not have made it to "old dog" status.