Go for Gold Trivia Quiz

Answer: Goldbrick

The term goldbrick is used to describe someone only pretending to work while actually slacking off. The modern day equivalent could be a person walking around with a stack of papers in an office pretending to be busy or appearing to be on a work call while scrolling through social media.

The term entered common usage in the early 20th century though it is believed to have originated at least a century earlier to describe the con job of painting a brick golden colour and trying to sell it off as gold.

Answer: Gold digger

A gold digger is described as being a person who only shows an interest, usually romantic, in another person for their wealth. The term is often used stereotypically only for women, though it can be applied to either gender. It gained popularity when Avery Hopwood used it as the title for his 1919 play.

Answer: Black gold

Black gold is an informal term for oil. It references the colour of oil (black) and its value as a highly prized commodity. Less commonly, the peppercorn is also referred to as black gold due to its value which in earlier times led to its use as commodity money.

Answer: Fool's gold

In geology, iron pyrite is commonly called fool's gold. This is due to its appearance as an ore of gold, but in reality being composed of iron sulfide, which is of far lesser value. The idiom fool's gold is also used in non-scientific terms to describe something that the owner may consider to be highly valuable but which is actually worthless.

Answer: Golden rule

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - is referred to as the Golden Rule almost universally. It is considered that most religions across the world include this principle among their teachings. In the Bible this is referred to as one of the Great Commandments with Jesus teaching this on two separate occasions in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.

Answer: Golden calf

This phrase has its origins in the Old Testament of the Bible. When Moses was atop Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the Israelites grew restless. They managed to convince Aaron, Moses' brother and the high priest, to create a golden calf for them to worship.

When Moses returned from the mountain, he was enraged to see them engaging in idolatry. A golden calf therefore refers to an unworthy idol.

Answer: Golden handshake

A golden handshake is a corporate term used to describe generous payments offered to a top executive when they are made redundant or fired. These clauses are typically included within the employment contract and could be in the form of cash and/or shares or other benefits. On the other hand, a golden parachute refers to benefits given when the employment is terminated by the employer.

Answer: Golden touch

In Greek mythology, King Midas, when offered a reward, asked for everything he touched to turn to gold. Obviously, this was not a well thought-out wish as he soon found himself unable to eat or drink or even hug his daughter. The idiom golden touch is now used to refer to someone who is able to find success in every (or most) ventures.

Answer: Go for gold

This idiom is quite self-explanatory. In most sports, the ultimate prize is a gold medal that is awarded to the winner. To 'go for gold' therefore implies to reach for the highest possible prize.

Answer: Pot of gold

In Irish mythology, it was believed that leprechauns hid pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. This was not actually attainable because rainbows are caused by optical illusions and it is physically impossible to reach the end of a rainbow. Pot of gold is now used to refer to the realization of a person's dreams or ambitions.