Themed: Weird & Wonderful Words · Game #1@albandp

482

5/10 right · avg 5.8s · 5d 8h ago

#23 of 43 · Top 54% ›

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English has names for things you didn't know needed one. Could you define them on the spot? @albandp scored 482 in Weird & Wonderful Words on Outlier Trivia. Can you beat it?

The ten questions

The answers stay hidden. Play the pack to try them yourself.

  1. 1Language › TypographyMediumWhat is one name telephone engineers gave the # symbol?Wrong6.9s0
  2. 2Language › Word OriginsEasyThe marathon race is named after what?Right4.1s+97
  3. 3Language › Idioms & PhrasesEasyWho coined "Catch-22" as the title of his 1961 novel?Right1.7s+100
  4. 4Language › GrammarHardWhy is 'children' called a double plural?Right9.7s+88
  5. 5Language › Alphabets & ScriptsHardThe Old English letter æ was called 'ash' after a rune named for what?Wrong5.0s0
  6. 6Language › Word OriginsExpertBefore it meant a social climber, 'snob' was 18th-century slang for what?Wrong8.5s0
  7. 7Language › Alphabets & ScriptsMediumIn "Ye Olde Shoppe", the Y stands in for which old letter?Right2.6s+99
  8. 8Language › LinguisticsMediumAs of the OED's 2011 revision, which three-letter verb had the most senses of any English word?Wrong7.5s0
  9. 9Language › Word OriginsHardWhy does English say 'beef' at the table but 'cow' in the field?Right3.3s+98
  10. 10Language › Languages of the WorldVery hardAmerican slang 'hoosegow', a jail, comes from a Spanish word for what?Wrong8.7s0