Language And Wordplay Quiz

Position your cursor over the question mark found beside each question for the answer.


From the Latin verb "lucubrare", meaning, "to work by lamplight", lucubration is typically used for what kind of work?

       a. Intense study
       b. Deep conversation
       c. Mechanical repair
       d. Yard work and formwork


The original dog-and-pony show was a circus act, which often was based on a "one-trick pony". What, typically, is a dog-and-pony show today?

       a. A comedy routine
       b. A fashion runway
       c. A sales presentation
       d. A TV pundit debate


Used in Catholic confessions, what does "mea culpa" mean in Latin?

       a. Not in my right mind
       b. Through my fault
       c. Forgive me
       d. Caught in the act


Many would disagree, but if you were to describe George W Bush as flagitious, what are you saying about him?

       a. He openly breaks the rules
       b. He beats himself up over his mistakes
       c. He is scandalously villainous
       d. He enjoys being whipped


Terpsichore was one of the Muses, and today something terpsichorean refers to what artistic act?

       a. Dancing
       b. Sculpting
       c. Writing poetry
       d. Playing music


Somebody empty-headed and dull might be vapid, but what did "vapid" refer to originally?

       a. Oceans
       b. Countryside
       c. Liquor
       d. Books


The adjective "mantic" comes from the Greek word "mantis", as in the praying mantis insect, and is used in the suffix "-mancy". What is something that is mantic?

       a. Tiny
       b. Prophetic
       c. Holy
       d. Creepy


If you are railing, you're attacking something with harsh language. If you are using raillery instead, what are you doing?

       a. Praising it excessively
       b. Poking good-natured fun at it
       c. Complimenting it in a backhanded way
       d. Comparing its pros and cons


Climacteric can also refer specifically to menopause or to ripening fruit. What does the adjective mean generally?

       a. Something that tastes good
       b. Something religious
       c. Something that is a major turning point
       d. Something that is dangerous


Something hackneyed is unoriginal. But what is a hackney?

       a. A taxi driver
       b. A game in which a bag is tossed with the feet
       c. A horse for riding or driving
       d. An unqualified journalist


Rhythms is the longest word without any of the standard five vowels. What letter acts as a vowel in "rhythms"?

       a. H
       b. Y
       c. M
       d. T


Evacuate, vacation, vacancy, vacuum and vacuous all come the Latin adjective "vacare". What does that adjective mean?

       a. Withdrawn
       b. Relaxed
       c. Empty
       d. Sleepy


Provoke, evoke, revoke, equivocate, vociferous and vocation all comes the Latin verb "vocare". What does it mean?

       a. To think
       b. To debate
       c. To call
       d. To work


Nouns, verbs ... easy stuff. But which kind of word is "which"?

       a. Pronoun
       b. Article
       c. Adverb
       d. Conjunction


The longest isogram in which all the letters are in alphabetical order is aegilops. What is an aegilops?

       a. A genus known as goat grass
       b. A lozenge-shaped shield
       c. A hair in the ear or nose
       d. A rhetorical device




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