Puns and Word Play 5 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frayed Knot

Rope is fibre or strands of different material which have been woven together to form much stronger pieces of the same material. It can be used for just about anything requiring tugging, pulling, carrying, lifting, climbing, crossing, holding in place and so forth, and its use has been around since time began, once man first figured out how to manufacture it from the materials at hand. Even Neanderthals knew of its use, as evidenced from a 50,000 year old piece of twine found in France at a well known Neanderthal site. The ancient Egyptians were the first to create tools to make forms of rope from flax, leather and date palms, and it is thought this was used to pull the huge stones that went into the construction of their mighty edifices.

The pun for this question combines the "frayed knot" ends of a piece of rope, with the words "'fraid not" to a question about one's health.

Answer: The banana split

If a criminal splits on hearing the sound of a police car siren approaching, it means he is taking off for the lick of his life because of doing something illegal and not wanting to be caught. It's a peculiar expression really. If anything (in correct English) has been split, it has been broken up into at least two parts, but by 1954, the word was being used in America as slang for fleeing the scene of the crime, or breaking up a relationship and so forth. Regarding the criminal banana splitting, this is a reference to the treat, a banana split, whereby a banana is sliced lengthwise onto a receptacle, covered in three scoops of ice cream, followed by a flavoured topping of choice, and then sprinkled with nuts. It's absolutely delicious and...sigh...woefully fattening. Life is a trial for the rotund.

This question combines a banana "split" with the act of "splitting"(fleeing) the scene of a crime.

Answer: Graduated from military college

"Pips" is a descriptive term that has crept into common use, that describes the epaulette shoulder boards seen on the uniforms of officers of the armed forces and other official bodies of authority. The term is often used when discussing other shoulder mark insignia as well. These attachments were once worn "in the field" as a matter of course for easy identification, but are now usually only displayed on ceremonial occasions. Their use dates right back to the armies of ancient Rome and Greece. Today, whenever seeing an officer in full dress uniform, epaulettes, shoulder mark insignia and all, oh my my, one can understand the reaction of Mrs Bennet and her giddy youngest daughter in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" when the militia comes to Meryton.

So our friend, the orange, in order for him to get his pips, has to graduate from a military collage. Pips, of course, is another way to describe the seeds contained within the body of most oranges today. Did you know, during the great overseas European Age of Discovery (c. 15-17th centuries), that once the value of citrus fruit was realised in preventing scurvy, many such trees were planted along known trade routes for the benefit of sailors?

This question unites the pips within an orange to the pips of insignia found on the uniform of the military.

Answer: She rose to the occasion

If one is described as a retail florist, that person works in the commercial side of floral arrangement, display, sale and delivery of same to the public. Wholesale florists, on the other hand, sell their products to these retail florists. What a perfect job that would be, surrounded by beautiful blooms and perfumes all day long - and, because of the work and imagination involved in arranging flowers into perfect visual displays, very creative as well. This is a real art form in itself. Anyone of course can take a bunch of flowers and plonk them into a vase of water, hoping for the best when it comes to visual appeal, but there are various training establishments that have been around since the late 1890s that offer courses in the professional side of floral design and knowledge to students. The first of these was opened in the Netherlands in 1896. Think of the tulips!

Roses of course, with their sweet and delicate beauty, are a standard bloom in the florist business, and Rose is a girl's name that is starting to creep back into use once more, so the word play for this question unites those two concepts with the image of anyone rising from a seat to take centre stage when making a speech.

Answer: I might hock the poodle too

If you have pawned anything at a pawnbroker store, you have exchanged an object you own, that the broker considers to be worth some money, in exchange for that money. You haven't sold it as such, but if you fail to repay the money to the broker, then too bad, so sad, you've lost your goods. The money, a type of secured loan, that you receive is way less than the value of the object (your collateral) pawned of course, but pawnbrokers don't go into the business to play Santa Claus. Records of this business, such as it is, date right back to the days of ancient Greece, Rome and China.

Items pawned (or hocked as it is sometimes known) can include jewellery, electrical goods, tools, musical goods - anything of value really that the broker, if the loan is defaulted upon, will sell on to a gullible public. At a much higher price of course. Throughout history, during the long persecution of Jewish people, when they were seldom allowed to own any property or work in various trades, pawnbroking became the one avenue in which they could earn a living. This led on in turn to the great banking companies of the world. Usually, dogs aren't pawned, but as this is a fun quiz, they certainly are. "Hock the poodle too" is a play on the "Cock a doodle doooooo!" sound typically associated with a rooster. Some people don't like roosters because they wake them up with their crowing - but geez, what's a cock-to-do?

Answer: Roar

Lions are members of the cat family in the genus panthera. They once were found in quite a few more countries than they are today, but have since disappeared, usually through aggressive hunting by man. To think the king of the beasts should be so treated. Easily identified by their appearance, there is a distinct difference between the male and female, with the male and his magnificent mane recognised everywhere. The female is a bit more demure in appearance. In effect she shaves her legs, you could say. Both male and female lions also have a rakish little tuft of hair on the end of their tales which is rather appealing. This is actually part of the spine, along with the long tail, but its purpose is unknown. Lions roar to advertise their presence, to warn off intruders and sometimes when mating. As these roars can be heard up to five miles away, it's surprising that many females aren't deaf.

The pun for this question rests on the various ways a piece of steak can be cooked - rare, well done and so on. Our lion, however, likes to eat his steak "raw" - with a "roar".

Answer: A Currant Affair

In a nutshell, currants are simply dried grapes, and can be either eaten as is, or cooked into various dishes, or, interestingly, used in brewing alcohol. When one considers that wine is produced from grapes, that's not so surprising after all. Perhaps it even enhances the flavour of the brew. In Australia, we make a distinction between grapes, raisins and sultans, but they're all actually the same fruit. The difference in name is a result of the colour or size of the grape being used. Raisins are produced from dark grapes, sultanas from those light golden coloured ones, while currants are produced from small seedless grapes. Raisins are quite good for your health, and in particular when trying to lose weight (oh thank goodness, something tasty on a diet!) as they help control glucose and regulate blood pressure.

Current affairs are television and radio shows which discuss matters covering a wide variety of interests for selected viewing audiences. These can be political (Zzzzz), world events (almost all disastrous), medical or scientific breakthroughs (fascinating), or assorted scandals, otherwise known as hanging out someone else's dirty laundry. The pun for the question unites a "current" affair program with a romantic affair between two "currants".

Answer: Stoned

Sculpting is the highly developed skill of carving, chipping away at, and modelling various materials into recognisable shapes to please the varying tastes of assorted viewers. Anything goes now when selecting material to sculpt, and anything also goes with the shape of the sometimes peculiar looking finished product, but going back to the days of ancient Rome and Greece, sculpting was done on precious marble, and with the most exquisite rendering of easily recognisable forms as the finished product. Years of training went into this skill, years, but oh my goodness the results were worth it. "Winged Victory" (of Samothrace), for example, is just amazing the way the sculptor has managed to capture the effect of wind blowing throw the folds of the figure's gown - or the agony portrayed in the slumped, defeated body of the "Dying Gaul". It's just heartbreaking. Today, though, and just as a contrast, I don't want to look at a modern sculpture of a horse's eyeball, for example, and be informed it represents, say, the joy of rearing teenagers. The other end of a horse would be just as peculiar, but, quite possibly, more to the point.

That aside, the pun for this question combines the "stone" used in ancient sculptures, with a slang term, "stoned", to describe a drunken sculptor.

Answer: A round trip

A round trip ticket is one that, when purchased, gives the client the right to go on the vehicle of choice to a desired destination, and then, when it's time to return home again, covers that cost as well. The pun for this question combines the image of a tubby gent, very "rounded" in shape, to a "round" trip journey there and back.

Answer: Extinct

Skunks are mammals which are found only in North and South America. We don't have them in Australia. They've been replaced by politicians. Skunks are most akin to polecats and stink badgers. They're such pretty looking little things, but possess a deadly weapon of one almighty stink when they spray their defense liquid upon any threat to their existence, or those of their offspring. These little striped creatures can grow up to 36 inches long and weigh, at the most, about 18 lbs, and they have five toes on every foot. Those feet have an uncanny resemblance to that of a human. Because of their poor eyesight, they don't live very long in the wild (approximately only a year) but can survive for quite a few years more in captivity. Before spraying any threat, skunks give warning first by hissing, stamping their feet and raising their tail, and if you do see that tail being raised ready to let loose the vile spray from their anal glands, run!

The pun for this question is a play on words of the "stink" given off by an enraged skunk, and that of any "extinct" animal.