How well do you know the meanings, origins, structures, and (sometimes) peculiar habits of English words? You have three minutes to find out--starting now. (Answers appear at the end of the quiz.)
- Etymologically, what do the words smog, splatter, sportscast, and textpectation have in common?
- Numerically, what do the nouns clothes, scissors, and underpants have in common?
- Etymologically, what do the words nylon, thermos, granola, and heroin have in common?
- Orthographically, what do the words civic, kayak, deified, and redivider have in common?
- Semantically, what do the words strike, dust, sanction, and bolt have in common?
- Etymologically, what do the verbs babysit, donate, and televise have in common?
- Alphabetically, what do these two 15-letter words have in common: uncopyrightable and dermatoglyphics?
- Numerically, what do the nouns fun, work, wisdom and spaghetti have in common?
- Etymologically, what do the nouns tuxedo, daiquiri, marathon, and bikini have in common?
- Semantically (and marsupially), what do the words devilish, respite, and loneliness have in common?
Answers
- All four are blends or portmanteau words--words formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two or more other words.
- All three are examples of pluralia tantum--nouns that appear only in the plural form.
- All four of these common nouns were originally trademarks.
- Each is a palindrome, reading the same backwards and forwards.
- All four are Janus words--words having opposite or contradictory meanings.
- All three words are back-formations--words derived from longer words.
- Each of these words is an isogram, containing no letter more than once.
- All four are mass nouns (also known as noncount nouns): they name things that cannot be counted and are always used in the singular.
- Each is a toponym--a word coined in association with the name of a place.
- Each is a kangaroo word, carrying within it a synonym of itself: devilish (evil), respite (rest), and loneliness (loss and oneness).
If you answered more than seven of these questions correctly, click on the "comments" button and crow.
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Comments
Okay, now I’m grumpy (only 7 right answers), but really, that last one isn’t fair (despite the extra clue). Who ever heard of a kangaroo word!
Wahoo I answered 7 correctly. I was going to post, “Yay I got 7 right!” but did not wish to bring down the anger of the Grammar Nazi.
Thanks Richard. These quizzes show me how little I know about English.
lily the pink
Most English speaking Australians have heard of ‘kangaroo words’, to say nothing of other English speakers. That is, I suspect, why this question was in the quiz.