words – Page 2 – Quizology Online

Words II—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

The theme for today’s questions repeats yesterday’s: five words, each beginning with a different letter — W, O, R, D, and S. Each word appears in the Oxford English Dictionary and is presented below with three possible meanings. Simply choose the correct one for each.

Widdershins

A. Small shears; secateurs  
B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise 
C. Woollen leggings; gaiters

Answer: B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise

adverb mainly Scottish English in a direction contrary to the sun’s course, considered as unlucky; anticlockwise: she danced widdershins around him. 

– ORIGIN early 16th century: from Middle Low German weddersins, from Middle High German widersinnes, from wider ‘against’ + sin ‘direction’; the second element was associated with Scots sin ‘sun’.  

— Oxford English Dictionary

Omasum

A. An estate held in absolute ownership, without acknowledgement to a superior.
B. A hard, dark, glasslike volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization.
C. The muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal

Answer: C. The muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal

noun (plural omasa /əʊˈmeɪsə/) Zoology the muscular third stomach of a ruminant animal, between the reticulum and the abomasum. Also called psalterium 

– ORIGIN mid 16th century: from Latin, literally ‘tripe’, probably from Gaulish. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Rhinal

A. In Palaeontology relating to unicorns
B. The scientific study of water loss from riverine systems
C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

Answer: C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

adjective Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain. 

– ORIGIN mid 19th century: from Greek rhis, rhin- ‘nose’ + -al. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Dubbo

A. One who is an identical twin
B. An adolescent male kangaroo or wallaby
C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

Answer: C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

noun (plural dubbos) Australian English informal, derogatory an unsophisticated or unintelligent person, especially someone from the countryside; a bumpkin: why was she working with such a bunch of dubbos? 

– ORIGIN 1980s: from the name of a famous farming town in New South Wales. 

— Oxford English Dictionary

Shadoof

A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water
B. A shadow-like spectre 
C. A Jewish professional matchmaker or marriage broker

Answer: A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water

noun a pole with a bucket and counterpoise used especially in Egypt for raising water. 

– ORIGIN mid 19th century: from Egyptian Arabic šādūf.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Words II

Widdershins

A. Small shears; secateurs  
B. A direction contrary to the sun’s course; anticlockwise 
C. Woollen leggings; gaiters

Omasum

Rhinal

A. In Palaeontology relating to unicorns
B. The scientific study of water loss from riverine systems
C. Anatomy relating to the nose or the olfactory part of the brain

Dubbo

A. One who is an identical twin
B. An adolescent male kangaroo or wallaby
C. An unsophisticated or unintelligent person; a country bumpkin

Shadoof

A. A pole and bucket system to collect well water
B. A shadow-like spectre 
C. A Jewish professional matchmaker or marriage broker

Good luck! The answers will be posted later.

Words—Answers

Today’s questions focus on five words, each starting with a different letter: W, O, R, D, S. These words are all found in the Oxford English Dictionary. Each word is listed below with three definitions, so simply select the correct one for each.

One

Welkin

A. A barrel with a capacity of 12 pecks (24 gallons)
B. A grandchild
C. The sky or heavens

Answer: The sky or heavens

noun literary the sky or heaven.

– ORIGIN Old English wolcen ‘cloud, sky’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolk and German Wolke.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Two

Ouabain

A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside
B. A two-wheeled cart
C. A witches potion

Answer: A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside

noun [mass noun] Chemistry a toxic compound obtained from certain trees, used as a very rapid cardiac stimulant. It is a polycyclic glycoside.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: via French from Somali wabayo, denoting a tree that yields poison (used on arrow points) containing ouabain.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Three

Regolith

A. Unified register of official documents.
B. An order of reptiles characterised by a bony plate shell covered in horny scales.
C. The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering a planet’s bedrock.

Answer: The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet

noun [mass noun] Geology the layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: from Greek rhēgos ‘rug, blanket’ + -lith.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Four

Deemster

A. An apprentice printer
B. A judge
C. A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge

Answer: A Judge

noun a judge (of whom there are two) in the Isle of Man judiciary.

– ORIGIN Middle English (originally a general word for a judge): from deem + -ster. The current sense dates from the early 17th century.

— Oxford English Dictionary

Five

Starets

A. A magnesium flare

B. A spiritual leader

C. A Vietnamese roasted snake dish

Answer: A spiritual leader

noun A spiritual adviser, often a monk or religious hermit, in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

A religious adviser (not necessarily a priest) in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

— American Heritage Dictionary

Bits and Pieces —Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

One

Thomas Hart Benton’s 1948 painting Poker Night depicts a scene from which Tennessee Williams play?

Answer: A Streetcar Named Desire

Two

What skill can be called funambulism?

Answer: Tightrope walking

Three

A ribauldequin was a type of musical instrument. Is this true or false?

Answer: False

It was a type of multiple barrelled gun

Four

The Taj Mahal is located on the south bank of what river?

Answer: Yamuna

The Taj Mahal, an ivory-white marble mausoleum in Agra, India, was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to house the tomb of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Five

Who is the world’s best-selling fiction writer?

Answer: Agatha Christie

The world’s best-selling fiction writer is the late Dame Agatha Christie (née Miller, later Lady Mallowan, 1890–1976), whose 78 crime novels have sold an estimated 2 billion copies in 44 languages. Agatha Christie (UK) also wrote 19 plays and, under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, six romantic novels. Royalty earnings are estimated to be worth millions per year.

— Guinness World Records 05/10/2025.

Bits and Pieces

Here are five unrelated questions.

One

Thomas Hart Benton’s 1948 painting Poker Night depicts a scene from which Tennessee Williams play?

Two

What skill can be called funambulism?

Three

A ribauldequin was a type of musical instrument. Is this true or false?

Four

The Taj Mahal is located on the south bank of what river?

Five

Who is the world’s best-selling fiction writer?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Words or Numbers | Answers

Regular triskaidecagon or tridecagon, see #4.
Image Wikipedia

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

One

From which Asian language does the word ’jungle‘ originate?

Answer: Sanskrit (Hindi is a close second)

jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡl /
▸ noun
1 an area of land overgrown with dense forest and tangled vegetation, typically in the tropics:
we set off into the jungle
[mass noun] the lakes are hidden in dense jungle.

a wild tangled mass of vegetation or other things:
the garden was a jungle of bluebells.

a situation or place of bewildering complexity or brutal competitiveness:
it’s a jungle out there.

2 [mass noun] (also jungle music) a style of dance music incorporating elements of ragga, hip-hop, and hard core and consisting of very fast electronic drum tracks and slower synthesized bass lines, originating in Britain in the early 1990s.

– PHRASES the law of the jungle the principle that those who are strong and apply ruthless self-interest will be most successful: power politics reflected the law of the jungle.
– DERIVATIVES jungled adjective
– ORIGIN late 18th century: via Hindi from Sanskrit jāṅgala ‘rough and arid (terrain)’.
— Oxford English Dictionary

Two

A Scrabble board has how many squares to place tiles in?

Answer: 225

Scrabble, invented in 1931 by Alfred Mosher Butts, is a word game played on a 15×15 grid. Hasbro produces it in the US and Canada, while Mattel holds the rights for international production.

Three

In four English-speaking countries, a specific word is used to describe a particular capacity, ranging from as low as 237 millilitres to as much as 250 millilitres. What is this term?

Answer: Cup

A measure of capacity used in cooking. In the US and Canada it is equal to half a US pint, therefore 8 fluid ounces or 237 millilitres. In the UK it is 10 fluid ounces or 284 millilitres and Australia it is 250 millilitres.

Four

A triskaidecagon, or tridecagon, has how many sides?

Answer: Thirteen

In geometry, a tridecagon, also known as a triskaidecagon or 13-gon, is a thirteen-sided polygon, see image above.

Five

What ‘H’ is an alphabet containing the word ‘qoph’?

Answer: Hebrew

Qoph is the nineteenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician qōp 𐤒, Hebrew qūp̄ ק‎, Aramaic qop 𐡒, Syriac qōp̄ ܩ, and Arabic qāf ق‎. It is also related to the Ancient North Arabian 𐪄, South Arabian 𐩤, and Ge’ez ቀ.

— Wikipedia

Words or Numbers

All About words and numbers today.

One

From which Asian language does the word ’jungle‘ originate?

Two

A Scrabble board has how many squares to place tiles in?

Three

In four English-speaking countries, a specific word is used to describe a particular capacity, ranging from as low as 237 millilitres to as much as 250 millilitres. What is this term?

Four

A triskaidecagon, or tridecagon, has how many sides?

Five

What ‘H’ is an alphabet containing the word ‘qoph’?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Ancient Myths continued | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

One

What former Royal Air Force aircraft is pictured?

Answer: Vulcan (Avro Vulcan)

The Avro Vulcan, a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing bomber, was operated by the RAF from 1956 to 1984. It served as the backbone of the UK’s airborne nuclear deterrent during the Cold War and was later adapted for maritime reconnaissance and aerial refuelling.
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes, deserts, metalworking and the forge, is often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer. His Greek counterpart is Hephaestus, and his Etruscan counterpart is Sethlans.

Two

King Neptune, *SpongeBob SquarePants*.
Image Pinterest

Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?

Answer: King Neptune

In SpongeBob SquarePants King Neptune, a powerful merman god, rules the sea from Atlantis with his wife and son. He is portrayed as arrogant and selfish, but is a fan of Patrick Star, releasing the Star family from trespassing charges and moving his ball to their house.
In mythology, Neptune, the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. He is associated with horses and horse-racing, and his festival, Neptunalia, is celebrated on July 23rd.

Three

Ulysses/Bloomsday Map of Dublin.
Image Pinterest

Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:
—Introibo ad altare Dei.

The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, the 16 June 1904?

Answer: Ulysses

Ulysses, a modernist novel by James Joyce, chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners on 16 June 1904. The novel, published in 1922, parallels the Odyssey and explores themes of antisemitism, sexuality, British rule, Catholicism and Irish nationalism. Bloomsday, celebrated annually on 16 June, commemorates the life of Irish writer James Joyce. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, the protagonist Ulysses, and the events of the novel take place on this date.
Odysseus (Roman Ulysses), the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, is the hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. He is known for his cunning and intelligence, and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.

Four

Pouring liquid mercury (Hg).
Image Wikipedia

Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…

Answer: (Project) Mercury

Quicksilver is defined as ‘the liquid metal mercury’.
Project Mercury, the first US human spaceflight programme, ran from 1958 to 1963. It conducted 26 flights, six with astronauts, and cost $2.76 billion.
Mercury is a major Roman god, associated with commerce, communication, travellers and thieves. He is the son of Maia and Jupiter, and is often depicted holding the caduceus, a staff with intertwined snakes.

Five

Archaeological Museum in Herakleion. Statue of Isis-Persephone holding a sistrum. Temple of the Egyptian gods, Gortyn. Roman period (180-190 C.E.).
Image Wikipedia

PRONE SHEEP

…can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?

Answer: Persephone

In Greek mythology, Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, became the queen of the underworld after being abducted by her uncle Hades. Her myth symbolises spring and vegetation, representing the eternal cycle of life and death.

Ancient Myths continued

Today, we’ll have a few more questions about ancient Greek and Roman myth, with each answer featuring an ancient mythical figure.

One

What former Royal Air Force aircraft is pictured?

Two

Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?

Three

Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:
—Introibo ad altare Dei.

The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, June 16th, 1904?

Four

Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…

Five

PRONE SHEEP

…can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

I is for… | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

Where was singer Cliff Richard born?
- India—Sir Cliff Richard, a British singer and actor, was born in Lucknow, India where his father worked. He has sold over 250 million records worldwide. Richard dominated the British music scene in the late 1950s to early 1960s with his backing group, the Shadows, and has achieved numerous UK chart successes, including 14 No. 1 singles.
  
  Central starry pathway is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. The Andromeda galaxy is an elongated fuzzy patch, just right of centre. Photo copyright Mike Taylor of Taylor Photography.
  Image EarthSky
What 13-letter word describes travelling between Earth and Andromeda?
- Intergalactic—The Earth and the Solar System are situated within the Milky Way galaxy. Andromeda, on the other hand, is a distinct galaxy. Consequently, intergalactic travel would be necessary to traverse between these celestial bodies.
  
  Marty Feldman as Igor, in Young Frankenstein.
  Image Pinterest
A forename links the following fictional characters: The Soviet spy who featured in the first issue of The Incredible Hulk comic book (1962); a servant played by Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein (1974); and Karkaroff from the Harry Potter series. What forename?
- Igor—firstly, a Soviet spy who detonated the Gamma Bomb, creating the Hulk. After the Hulk’s first transformation, Igor was captured and imprisoned. Secondly, Marty Feldman was Igor, a hunchbacked servant of Frederick Frankenstein, and grandson of the original Igor who worked with Victor. Finally, in Harry Potter, Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, is a former Death Eater who favours Viktor Krum in the Triwizard Tournament. He is later found dead in a shack with the Dark Mark, suggesting he was killed by other Death Eaters.
  
  Elegantly Wasted
  by INXS
Elegantly Wasted, released in 1997, was what band’s tenth studio album?
- INXS—Elegantly Wasted, INXS’s tenth studio album, was released in 1997 and is the final album with lead singer Michael Hutchence. The album was dedicated to the Farriss brothers’ mother, Jill, who died in 1995.
  
  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster.
  Image The Movie Database
What was the full name of the second Indiana Jones film?
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom—is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film follows Indiana Jones as he is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult. The film was a financial success, grossing $333.1 million worldwide, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.