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Quiz about Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Quiz about Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Pot Calling the Kettle Black Trivia Quiz


The 'pot calling the kettle black' is just one of the idioms involving items from around the house. This quiz has questions about other household items which can be used this way. A couple may be UK specific.

A multiple-choice quiz by rossian. Estimated time: 2 mins.
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Author
rossian
Time
2 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
387,229
Updated
Feb 15 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
2115
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: turaguy (9/10), mulder52 (9/10), Guest 62 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. If you have secrets you want to keep quiet, you are said to have a skeleton in which part of the house? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The expression 'my cup runneth over' was originally used in which of these? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Finding yourself in a worse situation than the one you've just left is summed up by which expression? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In the UK, in particular, a woman storing items away for her future marriage is said to keep them where? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. 'Falling between two stools' means that you've made a success of a task.


Question 6 of 10
6. What are you described as 'throwing in' to concede defeat? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Someone who causes chaos and prevents the smooth running of a plan is said to have thrown what into the works? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. If you want to take advantage of a situation by acting at once, which item, which sounds as if you'd use it in the house, are you advised to strike? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The expression meaning a very small part of the whole item refers to a drop in which household item? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which of these is a modern expression used to describe a particular type of literature about middle class life in the UK? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 19 2024 : turaguy: 9/10
Mar 17 2024 : mulder52: 9/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 62: 9/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 86: 8/10
Mar 15 2024 : Guest 108: 9/10
Mar 09 2024 : Guest 173: 8/10
Feb 13 2024 : nicechicki: 7/10
Feb 10 2024 : bocrow000: 7/10
Feb 09 2024 : Guest 68: 5/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. If you have secrets you want to keep quiet, you are said to have a skeleton in which part of the house?

Answer: Closet

The expression can also be a 'skeleton in the cupboard', but either way it refers to something which is likely to cause huge embarrassment if it becomes public. The first use of the phrase found in print dates from 1816.
2. The expression 'my cup runneth over' was originally used in which of these?

Answer: The Bible

This comes from Psalm 23, probably the best known of all, which begins with the line 'The Lord is my shepherd'. In many cases, the person using the expression is being thankful and grateful for their blessings, although it can also be used in the sarcastic sense - perhaps when your boss gives you yet more work to finish before you can go home.
3. Finding yourself in a worse situation than the one you've just left is summed up by which expression?

Answer: Out of the frying pan into the fire

To be in the 'frying pan' would be a situation of some discomfort, but jumping out of it and landing in 'the fire' would be even worse. The English version of this expression date from the early sixteenth century.

'To fight fire with fire' is to use the same methods as your adversary, while to 'kick the bucket' means dying. 'Raining stair-rods' refers to a heavy downpour.
4. In the UK, in particular, a woman storing items away for her future marriage is said to keep them where?

Answer: Bottom drawer

The phrase has been around since the nineteenth century and most often refers to cotton or linen items, such as bedding and tablecloths. The items were bought to be saved until after the wedding, although probably not literally in a bottom drawer. According to notes I've received, Americans would call this a 'hope chest' and Australians refer to it as a 'glory box'.
5. 'Falling between two stools' means that you've made a success of a task.

Answer: False

Unfortunately, it means that you've failed. The expression refers to someone trying to please too many people at the same time. For example, organising a party to appeal to both senior citizens and teenagers is likely to end up pleasing neither, thus 'falling between two stools'.
6. What are you described as 'throwing in' to concede defeat?

Answer: Towel

Taken from boxing, when a towel is literally thrown into the ring to prevent the losing competitor from taking more punishment, the expression has passed into everyday use as a metaphor for giving up.

Throwing your 'hat into the ring' refers to someone deciding to take part in a contest, so is the opposite. Throwing 'toys out of the pram' refers to having a tantrum while 'throwing stones' is to make an accusation against someone.
7. Someone who causes chaos and prevents the smooth running of a plan is said to have thrown what into the works?

Answer: Spanner

The expression is recorded in print in 'Right Ho, Jeeves' in 1934, one of the books about the rather hopeless Bertie Wooster written by P. G. Wodehouse. The phrase can refer to anything which causes a change of arrangements, from an unexpectedly cancelled train to an illness meaning a holiday has to be rearranged.
8. If you want to take advantage of a situation by acting at once, which item, which sounds as if you'd use it in the house, are you advised to strike?

Answer: Iron

I'm referring to the saying 'strike while the iron is hot' which isn't really based on the iron used in the home, but that of the blacksmith's forge. The expression has been around for many years, with one reference dating back to the mid-sixteenth century.
9. The expression meaning a very small part of the whole item refers to a drop in which household item?

Answer: Bucket

This is an expression which originates from the Bible, appearing in Isaiah 40:15: 'Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance'. Used just as often, and meaning the same thing, is 'a drop in the ocean'.
10. Which of these is a modern expression used to describe a particular type of literature about middle class life in the UK?

Answer: Aga saga

'Aga saga' is used to describe stories set in villages and featuring a certain type of family - those who are likely to have the particular type of cast iron cooker which needs a fairly large kitchen to accommodate it. It's often used in a slightly derogatory manner, and was first coined in 1992.

'Kitchen sink' drama is much more 'working class' based, 'soap opera' refers to television shows and the 'gutter press' relates to newspapers.
Source: Author rossian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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