Words And Wordplay Trivia Quiz

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


That's the way to do it! What homicidal puppet's name is invoked by anyone pleased with themselves?

       a. Punch (husband of Judy)
       b. Kermit the Frog
       c. Howdy Doody
       d. Topo Gigio


Eavesdropping gets its name from the eaves under which you would hide if you were spying on somebody. Where would you find eaves?

       a. Around an interior door
       b. On a tree
       c. Outside a house
       d. Behind a bar


How many different ways is "ough" pronounced in this sentence - "It was tough to cough as I ploughed through the dough"?

       a. Four
       b. Five
       c. Three
       d. Two


What letter gets the fewest words in most dictionaries?

       a. Z
       b. Q
       c. X
       d. Y


Getting rundown at school? What term for a set of academic courses comes from the Latin word for "race course"?

       a. Curriculum
       b. Symposium
       c. Syllabus
       d. Quiz


Next time you're feeling feckless, think about this. What the heck is feck?

       a. Getting things done
       b. Managing money well
       c. Staying cheerful in trying circumstances
       d. Wearing nice clothes


Far from being a Klingon proverb, this axiom is actually from "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". What is it?

       a. The report of my death was an exaggeration
       b. A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic
       c. Revenge is a dish best served cold
       d. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission


Aside from being the very last entry in many dictionaries, what is a zyzzyva?

       a. A protein found in enzymes
       b. A process used to ferment beverages
       c. A tropical weevil
       d. A thick-walled spore


What word comes from the gaps in castle walls used by soldiers to fire on advancing armies below?

       a. Foxhole
       b. Loophole
       c. Cubbyhole
       d. Pigeonhole


In the Second International Websters, an entry for "D. or d.", became "Dord". What was "dord" supposed to mean?

       a. Danger
       b. Direct
       c. Density
       d. Division


What does a philodox treasure over just about anything else?

       a. His money
       b. Her array of boyfriends
       c. His own opinions
       d. Her garden


If I'm fascinated by onomastics, what is it about you that would interest me most?

       a. The shape of your face
       b. Your birthday
       c. Your name
       d. Your ethnicity


What does "alibi" literally mean in Latin, a definition that comes in handy when establishing an alibi?

       a. Elsewhere
       b. Innocent
       c. Explanation
       d. You got the wrong guy, copper


If the Who reunite for a single, but produce a threnody, what is it?

       a. A song that covertly copies one of their earlier hits
       b. A song about Keith Moon and John Entwistle, their dead members
       c. A really stinker
       d. A spoken-word piece, with musical background


The original nabobs, nattering or otherwise, were provincial governors in what Urdu-speaking empire?

       a. Mogul
       b. Persian
       c. Ottoman
       d. Holy Roman




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