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

487

5/10 right · avg 3.4s · 12d 15h ago

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English has names for things you didn't know needed one. Could you define them on the spot? @odonata scored 487 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?Right5.1s+95
  2. 2Language › Word OriginsEasyThe marathon race is named after what?Wrong4.8s0
  3. 3Language › Idioms & PhrasesEasyWho coined "Catch-22" as the title of his 1961 novel?Right2.4s+99
  4. 4Language › GrammarHardWhy is 'children' called a double plural?Right6.5s+93
  5. 5Language › Alphabets & ScriptsHardThe Old English letter æ was called 'ash' after a rune named for what?Wrong3.9s0
  6. 6Language › Word OriginsExpertBefore it meant a social climber, 'snob' was 18th-century slang for what?Wrong2.4s0
  7. 7Language › Alphabets & ScriptsMediumIn "Ye Olde Shoppe", the Y stands in for which old letter?Wrong2.7s0
  8. 8Language › LinguisticsMediumAs of the OED's 2011 revision, which three-letter verb had the most senses of any English word?Right1.5s+100
  9. 9Language › Word OriginsHardWhy does English say 'beef' at the table but 'cow' in the field?Wrong2.9s0
  10. 10Language › Languages of the WorldVery hardAmerican slang 'hoosegow', a jail, comes from a Spanish word for what?Right1.6s+100