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Quiz about Word and Phrase Origins
Quiz about Word and Phrase Origins

Word and Phrase Origins Trivia Quiz


Etymology is the study of word and phrase origins. Popular misconceptions about the origin of words and phrases abound. This quiz tries to clear up some of these errors. I hope you either do well, or enjoy learning something about our rich language.

A multiple-choice quiz by Pookiepay. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Pookiepay
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
166,141
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
10 / 15
Plays
791
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Question 1 of 15
1. The word "tip" is an acronym for "to insure promptness".


Question 2 of 15
2. "Goat" in the word "scapegoat" refers to the common barnyard animal.


Question 3 of 15
3. Is the word "frank," meaning candid or open, etymologically related to the verb "frank," describing the privilege of members of congress to send mail for free?


Question 4 of 15
4. The word "history" derives from combining the words "his" and "story."


Question 5 of 15
5. A loosely knitted throw is called an "afghan" because the first ones originally came from Afghanistan.


Question 6 of 15
6. When a parent tells a child to "pipe down", is the parent using a nautically related phrase?


Question 7 of 15
7. Is the word "gobbledygook" etymologically related to "gobble", the word describing the noise a turkey makes?


Question 8 of 15
8. What does "SOS" as a distress signal, stand for? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Did the term "peanut gallery" originate with "The Howdy Doodie Show"?


Question 10 of 15
10. The phrase "rule of thumb" comes from English common law, where a man was privileged to hit his wife with a stick no larger than his thumb.


Question 11 of 15
11. Does the phrase "to fly off the handle" refer to an actual handle?


Question 12 of 15
12. The term "mayday" is derived from the French language.


Question 13 of 15
13. Does the phrase "to give the cold shoulder" refer to a practice of giving guests who had worn out their welcome a cold shoulder of mutton as a hint that it is time for them to leave?


Question 14 of 15
14. Does the term "weigh anchor" have anything to do with determining the weight of the anchor?


Question 15 of 15
15. In the 1500s, a common practice was to run a string connected to a bell to coffins of the recently deceased, just in case the person was not actually dead. From this practice, we get the phrase "dead ringer".



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The word "tip" is an acronym for "to insure promptness".

Answer: False

The most probable theory about the origin of "tip" traces it back to the 1600s, where thieves used the word to mean to lend or give someone a small amount of money or goods. One problem with the acronym theory is that "insure" does not mean to guarantee that something will happen. That word is "ensure." If the acronym theory were correct, we'd be tepping waiters and waitresses.
2. "Goat" in the word "scapegoat" refers to the common barnyard animal.

Answer: True

The word "scapegoat" entered the English language in the 16th century as a result of a mistranslation of the Hebrew word "Azazel." In Leviticus is a description of a Hebrew practice during Yom Kippur of sacrificing one goat and letting another go free into the wilderness.

The one sacrificed is said to be for the lord and the one set free is for Azazel. In his translation of the bible from 1530, William Tyndale mistranslated "Azazel" to his inadvertent neologism "scapegoat."
3. Is the word "frank," meaning candid or open, etymologically related to the verb "frank," describing the privilege of members of congress to send mail for free?

Answer: Yes

Both words derive from the medieval tribe of the Franks.
4. The word "history" derives from combining the words "his" and "story."

Answer: False

The root of the word "history" is the Greek word "historia," meaning a narrative. It has no relation to the word his, which comes from a root word, "hisa," found in an early language that formed the basis for Germanic languages such as Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic and other similar languages.
5. A loosely knitted throw is called an "afghan" because the first ones originally came from Afghanistan.

Answer: True

The "stan" part of Afghanistan means "land." Thus, Afghanistan means "land of the Afghans", and Pakistan means "land of the pure".
6. When a parent tells a child to "pipe down", is the parent using a nautically related phrase?

Answer: Yes

When a bosun on a ship blew "pipe down", it was a signal to the crew to go below decks to their quarters. As you might imagine, since the deck became rather quiet when the crew left, the phrase eventually became ship slang for "be quiet".
7. Is the word "gobbledygook" etymologically related to "gobble", the word describing the noise a turkey makes?

Answer: Yes

"Gobbledygook" was coined during World War II by Maury Maverick, a congressman from Texas. He used it to describe bureaucratic doubletalk and explained that he was reminded of the way that turkeys in Texas were "... always gobbledygobbling and strutting with ludicrous pomposity.

At the end of this gobble there was a sort of gook." Interestingly, Rep. Maverick was the grandson of Sam Maverick, who was the source for the eponymous term for free-roaming cattle and later, by extension, anyone who bucked the norm.
8. What does "SOS" as a distress signal, stand for?

Answer: nothing, it is used simply because it's easy to remember

Three dots, three dashes, three dots, easily recognizable and easy to bring to mind in an emergency; the letters don't have any meaning beyond that.
9. Did the term "peanut gallery" originate with "The Howdy Doodie Show"?

Answer: No

Originally, the "peanut gallery" came from the theatre and referred to the cheap seats, usually highest and farthest from the stage. The folks who sat there were often vocal about their displeasure when they didn't enjoy a particular play, and it was not unusual for them to display their displeasure by throwing peanuts at the actors.
10. The phrase "rule of thumb" comes from English common law, where a man was privileged to hit his wife with a stick no larger than his thumb.

Answer: False

"Rule of thumb" probably derived from a common practice of using the thumb, from the tip to the first knuckle, as a measurement of length approximating an inch. The myth about the stick didn't appear until 1986, according to "The Bias-Free Word Finder".
11. Does the phrase "to fly off the handle" refer to an actual handle?

Answer: Yes

The phrase is a metaphorical reference, referring to a loose hatchet or axe blade which might fly off the handle if one doesn't control how it's used. Thus, it came to mean someone who loses control in anger.
12. The term "mayday" is derived from the French language.

Answer: True

It is a corruption of the French word "m'aider" meaning "help me".
13. Does the phrase "to give the cold shoulder" refer to a practice of giving guests who had worn out their welcome a cold shoulder of mutton as a hint that it is time for them to leave?

Answer: No

It appears that this phrase was coined in Walter Scott's novel "The Antiquary" published in 1816, in this passage: "The Countess's dislike didna gang (didn't go) farther at first than just showing o' the cauld shouther." Thus, it refers to coldly turning one's shoulder away from another.
14. Does the term "weigh anchor" have anything to do with determining the weight of the anchor?

Answer: No

"Weigh" in this sense derives from an Anglo-Saxon word, "wegan" which meant to carry, lift or move.
15. In the 1500s, a common practice was to run a string connected to a bell to coffins of the recently deceased, just in case the person was not actually dead. From this practice, we get the phrase "dead ringer".

Answer: False

This story recently appeared in my email, along with many other equally contrived tales. The phrase "dead ringer" derives from horse racing. A "ringer" was a better running horse that was substituted for a nag that wouldn't run well. Obviously, anyone who had knowledge that a ringer had been substituted for a nag would be in a better position to bet on the winner. "Dead" in "dead ringer" is simply an intensifier meaning "absolute", as used in the phrase "dead heat".

If you believe any of the information I have provided here to be inaccurate, feel free to send me a message, and I'll happily share my source.
Source: Author Pookiepay

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor fringe before going online.
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