You Are Such An Idiom Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chalk

This expression describes any statement or event that is a long way from the truth, or from succeeding. Originating in Canada in the 19th century, it eventually made it way over to England, a country that has long term ties with Canada. In the United States, the idiom is usually known as "Not by a long shot". The reference to chalk in this saying was that originally used in pubs and at horse racing meetings when marking up scores or odds on a board for participants or spectators to keep up to date with the progress of each event.

"Do you think Charlie is going to win the darts tournament tonight, Bob?"

"Nah, not by a long chalk, Tom."

Answer: Place

This term, which dates back to the 17th century, refers to the notion that objects that are used for various purposes at any time, should have a permanent place to be kept when not in use, and should always be returned there after their purpose has been met. Various people have been given credit for the origin of this term, including Isabella Beeton and the canny old Benjamin Franklin.

However, Isabella lived from 1836-1865, and the saying was in use prior to her birth, so she can probably be eliminated. Benjamin Franklin lived from 1706 to 1790, so it seems he didn't come up with it either. Whomever came up with this idiom thoroughly meets with this writer's approval.

It's hard to think coherently when surrounded by a mess.

Answer: An enigma & A mystery

This idiom describes any very difficult problem, situation or entity that is hard to understand or decipher. Winston Churchill, Britain's grand old politician who led the country through the terrible years of World War II, gave the world this expression in a radio broadcast in 1939.

He was referring to the uncertainty of knowing which way Russia was going to act in the coming years. The paragraph in full is "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." The more things change, the more they stay the same, it would seem.

Answer: A nut

To use a sledgehammer to crack a nut describes using excessive force or resources to solve a very minor issue that could perhaps be fixed with a band aid instead. You could liken this to a huge and powerful nation sending the might of its defense forces to battle another relatively minor country as to which one owns an insignificant tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean - which is actually of no use to anyone at all except a few seagulls.

This term arose some time in the mid 1800s in the United States.

It first appeared in print in "The Gettysburg Compiler", in June 1878, in which the writer of an article advised its readers not to "...worry over little ills of life. It is like taking a sledge hammer to kill a fly."

Answer: Damn & Curse

A tinker's damn or curse describes anything that isn't worth much money-wise, or some matter that is too insignificant to even worry about. There has been some debate over time whether or not the damn referred to in this idiom is really a "dam" - a small container that holds the melted metal used by tinkers to repair pots and pans - or actually is a "damn" because tinkers had somewhat of a reputation for constantly swearing.

The phrase has been around at least since 1884 when it appeared in an article in the "Reno Gazette" in that year, defending a Methodist preacher accused of profanity for using the term. I bet you don't give a tinker's damn about that fact.

Answer: The books

A turn up for the books is a term describing an unexpected bit of good luck, or some startling unexpected news. This is originally a gambling term, referring to turning over the cards in any game of chance, and appears to have been in use since at least the 1820s.

The original term though was "a turn up for the book" (singular) and dates back to horse racing meetings of the 1700s in England. When a bet was placed, the punter's name and bet was written down in a book. A winning horse that was wagered upon, and recorded in the book, meant a payout for the gambler.

However, if nobody had selected the horse unlikely to win, but that gallant beast pipped the rest at the post, then the person running the book had a "turn up" and kept all the wagered money himself. Either way, the bookie wins. If ten horses are running, for example, and every horse has had a bet placed on it, then he only has to pay out to the people betting on the winner. If too many people bet on the one horse, then he shortens the odds of it winning, so the payout is less if it takes out the race.

It's a mug's game really - except for the bookie.

Answer: Bicycle

This idiom is a provocative feminist slogan, and refers to the fact, in western society today at least, that a woman can lead a perfectly happy, contented and fulfilled life, without a man by her side. Many people believe the famous American feminist and political activist, Gloria Steinem, coined the phrase, but in fact, the credit for it goes to Australian political activist, journalist and general all round stirrer, Irina Dunn, in 1970. Gloria Steinem popularised it.

In a letter she wrote to "Time" magazine in 2000, Gloria stated "In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney.

She paraphrased the philosopher who said, 'Man needs God like fish needs a bicycle.' Dunn deserves credit for creating such a popular and durable spoof of the old idea that women need men more than vice versa."

Answer: Lloyds

If anything is described as being A1 at Lloyds, this means that it is of the highest value. This term was originally nautical in nature, as A1 was one of the categories used in Lloyds Register of Shipping, part of the famous Lloyds of London, an organisation dating back to 1760.

Their classification categories were used for insurance purposes. A ship classed as A1 was a very sound vessel indeed. The full definition of maritime classification in their Register reads as "The character A denotes New ships, or Ships Renewed or Restored.

The Stores of Vessels are designated by the figures 1 and 2; 1 signifying that the Vessel is well and sufficiently found." Did you know that the original Lloyd was one Edward Lloyd, the owner of a coffee shop in London which he opened up in 1688?

Answer: Fancy

This credit for this term goes to English poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) and first appears in his long poem, "Locksley Hall" (1835) which relates the sorrowful tale of a rejected suitor when he was a young man. Told from the perspective of the now much older man, he's quite vindictive about his one time love and her eventual choice of a husband. Mingled throughout the work as well is an ongoing contrast between the beauty of nature and the beauty of civilisation. One of the lines in this long-winded work tells how "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love". Extracted from the tome is the abbreviated expression "A young man's fancy" which has made its way into idiomatic expression today. It suggests that when life is springing up anew all around one in the early days of spring, it sets up romantic impulses in the breasts of young men. They, of course, don't have the market cornered on that emotion.

One of the reference book on the internet (Wikipedia) sums up this long poem as follows: "Locksley Hall" is a dramatic monologue written as a set of 97 rhyming couplets. Each line follows a modified version of trochaic octameter in which the last unstressed syllable has been eliminated; moreover, there is generally a caesura, whether explicit or implicit, after the first four trochees in the line. Each couplet is separated as its own stanza." What an impossibly dull description. The perfect way to kill the love of the written word in all its wonderful forms for everyone.

Answer: Hoyle

According to Hoyle is a term that reinforces a notion that somebody is the highest authority or expert on any given topic, and not just card games, as the term once implied. Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) was an English barrister who was also a writer of several books on the various rules of card play and how to win at the table. Even today, his word still holds true in points of dispute over the multiple rules of this form of entertainment. Now, however, we can also use the term in a more general sense when disputing points in question in any area, or, if we wished to be more specific, we would use a known authority on a particular issue, but still preface our statement with the words, "According to....".

For example, we could say that, according to Edward Gibbon, the fall of the Roman Empire came about because of a combination of barbarian invasions and weakening of civic authority within the Empire.

This is because, for many years, Gibbon was considered an expert on the subject.