the etymology quiz

52
School Quiz By Atulaa Krishnamurthy Etymology of Words.

Upload: sharanyan-ravi

Post on 07-May-2015

4.199 views

Category:

Entertainment & Humor


3 download

DESCRIPTION

A set of 25 questions on words, their origins and meanings by Atulaa Krishnamurthy

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: The etymology quiz

School Quiz

By Atulaa Krishnamurthy

Etymology of Words.

Page 2: The etymology quiz

1) The Rath Yatra at Puri, Orissa has led to the creation of an English word, which means ‘any large, overpowering, destructive force or object’. What word, and from what exactly has it been coined?

Page 3: The etymology quiz

Juggernaut, from Jagannath.

Devotees are said to have thrown themselves to be crushed under the wheels of the Rath, hence the word.

Page 4: The etymology quiz

2) A word derived from an animal. It means ‘any crudely or irregularly operated court, esp. one so controlled as to render a fair trial impossible.’

Speculated origins of the word are that the Brits thought the Australian penal code couldn’t achieve anything.

Page 5: The etymology quiz

Kangaroo Court.

It is because this setup describes courts whose opinions wander ‘all over the place’ and ‘bounce’ too frequently to ensure a fair trial.

Page 6: The etymology quiz

3)X is a word which is said to be got from the Hindi word Chedda (hole), and it means a small piece of paper generated from punching holes in a paper. Some claim X to be an acronym of Card Hole Agglomerate Debris.

X is?

Page 7: The etymology quiz

Chad.

Page 8: The etymology quiz

4) Sitter. This is a word coined by Milton Sirota, nine year old nephew of mathematician Edward Kassner. It is used to describe a number equal to 1 followed by hundred zeroes.

Page 9: The etymology quiz

Googol.

Page 10: The etymology quiz

5) X means ‘a brief description or review, especially on the cover of a book.’ It was coined by Frank Burgess, a humorist and illustrator. The original X was a Miss Blinda X on Burgess’ book covers, and X first referred to pictures of big women, but is now used to denote praise on the cover of books. What is X?

Page 11: The etymology quiz

Blurb.

Page 12: The etymology quiz

6) A verb which means ‘to leave in a hurry.’

It is derived from the Spanish word ‘vamos’ (let’s go), and from Latin vadere (to go).

Page 13: The etymology quiz

Vamoose.

Page 14: The etymology quiz

7) Words with colour as metaphor are always interesting. A _____ is ‘a brilliant passage in an otherwise dull and uninspiring work’. It is derived from Latin pannus purpureus, a phrase used by poet Horace to suggest a patch of royal fabric on ordinary cloth. Fill in the blank.

Page 15: The etymology quiz

Purple passage/ purple prose.

(Purple was the colour of royalty)

Page 16: The etymology quiz

8) More colour. ___ is an adjective pertaining to the type of jobs, such as telephone operator or secretary, traditionally held by women.

Derived from a colour traditionally associated with women. Fill up.

Page 17: The etymology quiz

Pink collar job.

Built on the model of phrases blue collar and white collar. The feminist brigade won’t like this I’m sure.

Page 18: The etymology quiz

9) “I put my right hand in the hold and found the pipe that fed the radiator- God, it was hot. I took the pipe in hand and overrode the reflex to pull away. Two dols, no, seven dols- maybe even eight dols. Wait. Five dols, four dols. Minutes later it was still a comfortable four dols.” – Richard Kopperdahl, in “Bettervue Hospital”

‘Dol’ is a unit for measuring what?

Page 19: The etymology quiz

Pain intensity.

From Latin ‘dolor’ (pain). Sorry for the weird passage.

Page 20: The etymology quiz

10) Spell it right, or no marks.

This word comes from the Tamil word paraiyan, meaning drummer, considered to be lower in rank in the caste system in India.

Page 21: The etymology quiz

Pariah. Noun, meaning ‘an outcast’.

Page 22: The etymology quiz

11) What is singular for the word ‘opera’?

Page 23: The etymology quiz

Opus.

FYI, the diminutive form of opus is opuscule. Its what we call a minor novel or symphony. A great work is, yes, a magnum opus.

Page 24: The etymology quiz

12) If progenitor means ‘an ancestor or a forefather’, what is the word for the earliest ancestor?

It is derived from the Latin word for first + genitor (begetter)

Page 25: The etymology quiz

Primogenitor.

Latin for first is primo.

Page 26: The etymology quiz

13) What is the collective noun for CDs?

And no, its not a stack. But if you’re thinking visually, you’ll get there.

Page 27: The etymology quiz

A cylinder of CDs.

Other collective nouns from the world of computers are,

a sneer of Mac users, a clique of computer mice, a 404 of websites, a hindrance of tech support people.

Page 28: The etymology quiz

14) X is word which can mean a ‘group of birds’, ‘a collection of ladies or female animals’ or ‘an abbreviation for beverage in the United Kingdom.

What is X?

Page 29: The etymology quiz

Bevy.

From Middle English ‘bevey’.

Page 30: The etymology quiz

15) Again, spell it right. ___ is a noun, meaning ‘a look’, derived from the Hindi word ‘dekho’, imperative of dekhna (to look).

Page 31: The etymology quiz

Dekko.

Page 32: The etymology quiz

16) Athanaeum (ath-uh-NEE-yum) or atheneum, is noun derived from the Greek word Athenaion (a temple for Athena, the goddess of wisdom.)

Athenaeum is actually a lesser known synonym of a common everyday word. What word?

Page 33: The etymology quiz

Library.

It is also used to refer to a literary or knowledge-related club.

Page 34: The etymology quiz

17) The shortest word with each vowel used once is the name of perhaps the largest tree. Name it.

Page 35: The etymology quiz

Sequoia.

A few interesting words that contain all the vowels are armigerous, epuration, inquorate, ossuary, uvarovite, to name a few. Facetious, abstemious and annelidous contain the vowels in order, and uncomplimentary and subcontinental contain them in reverse order.

Page 36: The etymology quiz

18) X means ‘a low-paying, non-challenging job with few benefits or opportunities, typically in the service sector.’ Coined by Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel ‘Generation X’ after a famous food chain.

Page 37: The etymology quiz

McJob.

Page 38: The etymology quiz

19)Another word from an animal. It means ‘a period of economic hardship’, and was coined by Winston Churchill to refer to the mid-’30s in Britain, after the Bible passage “the years that the X hath eaten” (Joel 2:25)

Page 39: The etymology quiz

Locust Years.

Page 40: The etymology quiz

20) A ___ is a pessimist-cum-alarmist, one who constantly warns of the possibility of calamities. From a children’s tale.

Fill in the blank.

Page 41: The etymology quiz

Chicken Little.

Page 42: The etymology quiz

21) If an epiphany is the occurrence of a sudden thought or a deeper understanding, what is theophany the appearance of? Think Dhritarashtra.

Page 43: The etymology quiz

The appearance of god to a person.

Page 44: The etymology quiz

22)In an orchestra, the position of concertmaster is given to the first chair violinist, based on whose instrument everyone tunes theirs to, and from whom they take their cues when playing without a conductor. So the one sitting right behind him is in a subordinate position. This has led to a oft-used phrase. What?

Page 45: The etymology quiz

Second fiddle.

The composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was once asked what he thought was the most difficult instrument to play. He said, “Second fiddle”, not referring to the skill required but the difficulty most of us have to be in a secondary position.

Page 46: The etymology quiz

23) What is Retail Therapy?

Page 47: The etymology quiz

The use of shopping as a means of relaxation or cheering up. :D

Page 48: The etymology quiz

24) X is a legendary place in South America sought after for its treasures by 16th century explorers. It is used today to refer to places that offer fabulous wealth or opportunity. In Spanish, this literally means ‘the gilded one’. What’s the good word?

Page 49: The etymology quiz

El Dorado.

Page 50: The etymology quiz

25) A __ is the transposition of usually initial sounds of words, producing a humourous result. Named for William Archibald Spooner, a master of the art. Fill in the blank.

Page 51: The etymology quiz

Spoonerism.

Examples are- to a truant student, “You have tasted two worms, and hissed most of my mystery lectures, you will now leave by the town drain.”

Toasting the queen, “here’s to our queer old dean!”

Page 52: The etymology quiz

Theeeee End.

Thank you Anu Garg and your Wordsmith.org.