The idiom "as proud as a peacock" is used to describe a vain person. It is believed that the term may have originated from the colourful plumage of the male peacock which it displays mainly during courting rituals.
2. Wild ____ chase
Answer: Goose
A search that does not yield any fruitful result, or is deemed to be hopeless at the start, is known as a wild goose chase.
3. Quit cold ____
Answer: Turkey
When a person discontinues a habit immediately and at once, it is described as 'quitting cold turkey'. One of the possible origins of the phrase could be a reference to someone quitting an addictive behaviour suddenly exhibiting withdrawal symptoms like their skin becoming cold and having bumps resembling the skin of a plucked turkey.
4. As dead as a ____
Answer: Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird native to Mauritius that became extinct in the 17th century. The phrase 'as dead as a dodo' thus denotes something that is unequivocally dead.
5. Ugly ____
Answer: Duckling
"The Ugly Duckling" is a fairytale written by the Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. In the story, a young chick finds himself to be unlike the other ducklings and thinks of himself as ugly, only to grow up to become a beautiful swan.
6. ____ around someone's neck
Answer: Albatross
Anything described as 'an albatross around the neck' denotes an impediment that is obstructing the progress or success of a venture. It originates from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Time of the Ancient Mariner", in which a sailor who kills an albatross is blamed for the ship's subsequent misfortunes.
7. ____ in the belfry
Answer: Bats
Bats in the belfry is used to denote someone exhibiting crazy or eccentric behaviour. The phrase is American in origin, and was first used about the same time as the word batty, used in a similar fashion.
8. As happy as a ____
Answer: Lark
A possible origin of this phrase is the cheerful song of the lark. The term is thus used to describe someone who is happy and carefree.
9. Count one's _____ before they are hatched
Answer: Chickens
The idiom 'to count one's chickens before they are hatched' means to assume success of any venture before the results are out. In reality, not every egg will hatch to produce a chicken.
10. As the ____ flies
Answer: Crow
'As the crow flies' is used to describe the shortest route between any two points. Another term for the same concept is 'in a beeline'.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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