Are You An Idiom Savant? Quiz

Question: The name of which of these animals is also an expression for a valueless gift?

Answer: Actual white elephants are venerated by many in South Asia. One story about the origin of the term suggests that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) would give white elephants to people who displeased them. The venerated animals could not be put to work but required a lot of money to maintain—a massive financial burden in the guise of a gift.

Question: Salad days typically refers to a time when a person is…

Answer: The earliest written appearance of salad days was in William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, as the later reminisces about her time with Caesar: “My salad days, / When I was green in judgment, cold in blood.”

Question: Someone who has angry thoughts might want to “vent” which organ?

Answer: Ancient Greek and medieval doctors believed that a buildup of “black bile,” supposedly produced by the spleen, was a cause of anger in some patients. Today people only metaphorically “vent their spleen” when they get hot-tempered.

Question: Which of these people is most likely to “trip the light fantastic”?

Answer: Trip the light fantastic is a colorful way to refer to dancing.

Question: The “sword of Damocles” is often referenced when discussing which of the following?

Answer: According to legend, the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse taught his courtier Damocles about the precarious nature of power by inviting him to a banquet and seating him under a large sword hung in the air by a single thread.

Question: The term winning hands down originates from what sport?

Answer: A jockey who has a massive lead over the competition can afford to have a more relaxed pose crossing the finish line and so may lower the hands and loosen the grip on the horse’s reins.

Question: Which of these places is most likely to be described as being “at sixes and sevens”?

Answer: At sixes and sevens is used to describe a disorderly state. The phrase has been used since the 14th century, originally referring to carelessness and risk-taking.

Question: Now often used in sports to refer to a pass that results in scoring, dropping a dime can also refer to which of the following?

Answer: Dropping a dime refers to old pay phones that once required 10 cents, on which one might call the police to inform on someone.

Question: A wedding reception guest who has a “laugh up their sleeve” most likely…

Answer: While maintaining a polite composure outwardly, wedding reception guests may “laugh up their sleeves” about awkward dance moves or unfashionable bridesmaid dresses.

Question: Which of these phrases originates from old flintlock muskets misfiring?

Answer: Powder in a musket’s pan would sometimes ignite, producing a flash, yet fail to discharge the weapon, providing an apt metaphor for something that initially shows promise but is ultimately disappointing.

Question: Which of these expressions comes from the act of securing one’s clothing before physical activity?

Answer: In ancient times, people wearing long, flowing garments would “gird their loins” by tucking the fabric into their belt. The phrase is now often used to refer to preparation before action.

Question: A person who likes to “sow dragon’s teeth” probably excels at which activity?

Answer: The legendary Phoenician hero Cadmus was said to have planted the teeth of a dragon he killed. From those teeth grew armored men who did battle with each other.

Question: A “four-flusher” is someone likely to do which of the following?

Answer: In poker, five cards of the same suit are required to make a flush. Four-flusher refers to a person bluffing that they have a flush but in fact have only four same-suited cards. The term can be applied broadly to anyone making a false claim.

Question: If your cousin says there will be “wigs on the green” at the family reunion, you should expect which of the following?

Answer: The phrase wigs on the green references a time when men regularly wore wigs that could end up on the ground in the event of a physical altercation.

Question: For which of these occasions might someone be said to “wear sackcloth and ashes”?

Answer: Sackcloth is a type of coarse material that was worn to show mourning or repentance.