The Dog Ate My Dictionary! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Big and muscular

As an adjective, the word "husky" can have several distinct meanings: one describes a physique that is large, brawny and muscular, and another refers to gruffness or hoarseness of voice. Or, most appropriately, something that is husky might just be made out of husks, as in cornhusks!

But, the reason Lexi left this word legible is that a husky (or huskie) is a breed of dog known for pulling sleds in cold climates, such as those of Siberia and Alaska.

Answer: Marsh

"Slough" is truly a versatile word! A slough (usually pronounced "slew") can be a mud pit, a swampy marsh or bayou, or an inlet, depending on where you live. Also, the "Slough of Despond" has been used in literature to describe deeply depressed spirits; the phrase originated in the allegorical novel, "The Pilgrim's Progress" (1678). Or, to slough (changing pronunciation to "sluff") can be to shed, as in snakes shedding their skin.

Replacing the "i" that Lexi chewed up brings us back to our theme: the Sloughi is a North African sighthound.

Answer: On textiles

"Houndstooth" is a kind of checked pattern found on woven textiles, traditionally in black-and-white. Variations of the name include hound's-tooth check, dog's-tooth check, and guncheck. The checks have jagged edges that resemble a dog's back teeth, hence the name. While it has its roots in 19th century Scottish textile patterns, houndstooth's heyday began in the 1930s on such items as scarves and jackets. After lasting into the mid-20th century, the pattern's popularity was revived in the 2000s.

Lexi keeps hounding me to get all the fashionable pet products available in hound's-tooth check: collars, bowls, pet carriers; you name it, somebody probably makes it! But alas, I'm not the trendy pet owner Lexi wishes for.

Answer: Snub nose

A "pug nose" (or "snub nose") is quintessentially short, flat, and upturned. Snub-nosed can also describe a short-barreled gun. But getting back to the olfactory organ and its many variations of shape: in Exhibit A, we have the hawk nose that resembles a hawk's beak; next, notice the Roman (also Aquiline or hook) nose, with its convex bridge and downward curve; and finally, keeping on the straight and narrow, the Greek nose.

I think Lexi was referring to, not me, but the toy dog who lives next door, whose breed was originally from China. That dog sports an original pug nose!

Answer: Cairn

A "cairn" is made from stones piled up in the shape of a tower. Cairns can vary from a simple stack of stones to more complex balancing acts, but are made without mortar. Though prevalent in Scotland and taking their name from Scottish Gaelic, cairns, both ancient and new, have been used across the globe to mark graves, memorialize important sites, direct hikers or bikers to the proper trails, or simply to add aesthetic appeal.

Lexi has turned my front yard into a maze of cairns! So, as you might guess, her friend is a Cairn Terrier from that breed's native Scotland. She claims to be related to Terry, the Cairn Terrier "dog actress" who played Toto in the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz"; but I'm skeptical about that.

Answer: Poodle

In the 1950s, America was keen on French poodles, evidenced in poodle knickknacks, poodle skirts, and the poodle cut. Short, curly hairstyles were all the rage and females took great pains to achieve looks like the poodle cut, famously sported by Lucille Ball. For those besides the lucky few with natural curls, such curly styles involved permanent waves, patience-testing hours spent in uncomfortable rollers and pin curlers (even sleeping in them!), and would always be hairsprayed into stiff submission.

Going to the groomer's makes Lexi jealous of the poodles getting fancy haircuts like the Continental Clip and the Lamb Clip. If her breed were suited to it, though, I'd undoubtedly get Lexi the Teddy Bear Clip, leaving her hair long and adorably fluffy.

Answer: Something you make with cornmeal

Hush puppies: a scrumptious side to a classically southern American meal, especially one of fried catfish! They come in various shapes, usually round, and are made by deep-frying cornmeal batter. It has been suggested that the name "hush puppy" came from the habit of feeding these cornmeal balls to barking dogs to "hush" them. This story has been attributed to Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, or, perhaps more believably, folks cooking out-of-doors with hungry dogs looking on!

I've just realized that the scraps containing this word didn't come from my dictionary at all, but from an old shoe catalog! In that case, Hush Puppies is a brand of casual shoes known for its Basset Hound mascot, giving that dog breed the nickname "Hush Puppy."

Answer: Cursor

The "cursor" is that little arrow on the computer screen you probably used to point at and select an answer for this question! Or, if you're inserting text, the cursor might change into an underscore or a blinking vertical bar. A cursor is also the clear sliding pane on a slide rule. Originally a Latin word, "cursor" meant messenger or runner in that dead language.

Now that my office is filled with English Pointers answering Lexi's call for aid, I have to explain to these eager canines that we're not in need of gun dogs or, as they're sometimes known due to their prowess at locating prey such as quail or pheasant, bird dogs. Why me?

Answer: Wind

A "chinook" is a kind of wind that occurs in western regions of North America. The warmth of a dry chinook wind can give a welcome, sudden break to harsh winter, able to melt a foot of snow in one day. In 1980, a chinook set a record in Montana at the Great Falls International Airport: the temperature raised 47 degrees in seven minutes! Aptly called a snow-eater, the chinook bears the name of the Chinook Indians, native to the area.

Lexi's trivial knowledge surprises me -- maybe dog trivia is in her blood! The Chinook is the state dog of New Hampshire. It was first bred in that U.S. state to be a sled dog, in 1917.

Answer: Hang around idly

As logic would imply, a "tarrier" is one who tarries. To tarry (rhymes with "marry") can mean to dilly-dally, loiter idly, or to linger in a place, perhaps while waiting for something. Changing pronunciation, tarry (rhymes with "starry") describes something that is -- surprise! -- like tar. For instance, there's a kind of smoked black tea from Taiwan called Tarry Lapsang Souchong; it apparently does have a tarry flavor.

OK, I'll come clean: Lexi doesn't exist. I have no dog, only a mild dog phobia. I'd hoped writing this quiz would cure me, but I still couldn't face the likes of an Airedale, the largest breed of terrier, or heaven forbid, a bigger dog! I really am an animal lover. Just don't put me next to a dog. :)