Word Origins Flashcards
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This adjective that can mean disrespectful or lively is an alteration of “saucy”
sassy
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This, from Middle French for “small ball”, is stronger than the bullet, which is from modern French for “small ball”
the ballot
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| First appearing more than a century ago, it means gutsy & is probably a blend of bold & audacious
bodacious
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This 19th century 2-wheeled cab was named for a Brit, not for its good looks
a Hansom cab
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This nickname for paper measuring 13 by 16 inches gets its name from an old watermark of a court jester’s hat
foolscap
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Arabic for “sign of god”, it’s a high-ranking Muslim cleric regarded as the most learned of the time period
ayatollah
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This small scented pouch takes its name from the French for “little bag”
a sachet
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| My gardener told me we don’t need to plant; all my flowers are this type, from the Latin for “through the year”
perennial
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a type of airship is from the Latin for “to direct”
a dirigible
$3000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Italian for “of a cave”, this adjective today refers to anything strange or ugly
grotesque
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a friend comes from the Latin for “with whom you would eat bread”
companion
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Aka hump day, it was named for a Norse god
Wednesday
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Persian shaghal gave us the name of this dog-like African carnivore & scavenger
the jackal
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word “drama” comes from the Greek for this verb, which as a noun also means one section of a drama
act
$3000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Peevish or unreasonably irritable, it’s from the Latin petere, meaning “to assail”
petulant
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this gum tree comes from the Greek kaluptein, or “cover”, & it covers more than 500 species
the eucalyptus
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Scallop & scaloppine come from a word meaning these; the fillets are so thin they curl up like them
shells
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The verb “to pounce” comes from a noun meaning this part of a bird of prey
talons (or claws)
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| (<a>Kelly of the Clue Crew shows a line of poetry on the monitor.</a>) A natural break or pause in a line of poetry is called a “caesura”; the “caes” part comes from the Latin for this verb, as in “excise”
cut
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The French for “to throw” gives us this word for a pier
a jetty
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Older baling equipment would malfunction & tangle, a possible origin of this word for crazy or disordered
haywire
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This dog, of which there are more than 20 breeds, takes its name from the Latin for “earth”
a terrier
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this ballroom dance with gliding turns comes from German for “roll” or “turn”
a waltz
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for the art & science of good eating goes back to Greek for “belly”
gastronomy
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a novice or beginner is from Latin & Greek for “newly planted”
a neophyte
$4000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Murray Gell-Mann adopted this word for various hypothetical particles from “Finnegan’s Wake”
quarks
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This 4-letter term for a religious group that holds distinctive beliefs comes from the Latin for “follow”
a sect
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Like the name of a minor Roman god, this word for a caretaker comes from the Latin for “door”
janitor
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| No surprise here–the name of this birthstone is from the Latin for “red”
ruby
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this leader of a Jewish congregation is from the Hebrew for “my master”
rabbi
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “to come to mind”, it’s a memento that you might buy as a reminder of a place you visited
souvenir
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a large piece of artillery comes from the Italian for “great tube”
cannon
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Meaning tearful & foolishly sentimental, it comes from Magdalene, as in Mary Magdalene
maudlin
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The X in this holiday spelling comes from the Greek letter chi & also represents the cross
Xmas
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Norwegian for “to pull by hair”, this 3-letter word means to carry with effort, or a blockhead
lug
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This skilled army job may have been named for a bird because soldiers tested their rifle accuracy by shooting them
a sniper
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a distinguishing mark of office or honor comes from the Latin for “badge”
insignia
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Before its use in journalism, it meant a boundary beyond which straying prisoners would be shot
deadline
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This adjective meaning deceptive or sneaky is from the Latin de via, meaning “out of the way”
devious
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This New York island’s name may come from the Algonquian word for “island”
Manhattan
$4800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This compass direction may come from the Proto-Germanic for “to the left of the rising sun”
north
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “much writing”, it’s another name for a lie detector test
a polygraph
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A type of ear implant to help the deaf, it’s from the Greek for “snail”
cochlear
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this branch of mathematics comes from the Arabic for “reuniting”
algebra
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Some things named after this scientist are a unit of force, a fluid, some “rings” & the laws of motion
(Sir Isaac) Newton
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Old French for “young hen”, it’s the term for domestic fowl in general
poultry
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a passenger vehicle comes from the word for the meter that calculates payment
a taxi
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word for this public place comes from the Roman word for tree bark, which was used as writing material
library
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word came from a European people who were often conquered & in servitude during the Middle Ages
slave
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for desirable places like the Garden of Eden is from the Persian for “walled around”
paradise
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this type of singing group that performs without instrumental accompaniment is from the Italian
a cappella
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This dangerous river reptile’s name is from the Greek for “pebble” & “worm”
crocodile
$5400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This adjective that means “behaving disobediently or mischievously” comes from the Old English for “nothing”
naughty
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin, it once meant “one living on the opposite bank of a stream from another”; now it means “opponent”
rival
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This part of an egg gets its name from the Old English for “yellow”
the yolk
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This season gets its name from the Sanskrit for “half year”
summer
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The opposite of nadir, it’s from the Arabic for “road above”
zenith
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this element is from the Latin word for “lime”, the chemical kind
calcium
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this musical instrument comes from Greek words for “wood” and “voice”
the xylophone
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Lettuce tell you the term “salad” comes from the French salade, meaning with this seasoning
salt
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Dutch for “a twisted cake”, it’s a twisted doughnut
a cruller
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Latin word for “body”, it’s used to describe a large or bulky person
corpulent
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek for “generalship”, it’s a plan of action, like those employed by the military
a strategy
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Old French for “man”, it’s a special honor expressed publicly for a person
homage
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This other term for a pastor is derived from the Middle Latin word persona
parson
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this fine, soft leather is the French word for Sweden; Sweden was famous for gloves made of it
suede
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a blob or lump, perhaps of whipped cream, may come from dolpur, Icelandic for “fat man”
dollop
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Esteban knows this term for someone who loads a ship’s cargo comes from the Spanish word estibador
stevedore
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Italian word for bell, it’s the 9-letter term for a bell tower like the Venetian one seen <a>here</a>
campanile
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s from the Latin for “hemp” because it was often made of hemp; add a letter & it means to take a survey
canvas
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this, also called a fireplug, is partly from a word for “water”
a hydrant
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this bread spread goes all the way back to bous, a Greek word for “cow”
butter
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These sparkly fake gems are partly named for a river that flows through Germany
rhinestones
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this type of reference work is from the Greek for “cyclical” (i.e., well-rounded) & “education”
an encyclopedia
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This 5-letter synonym of “question” comes from the Latin for “to ask” or “to seek”
a query
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Keebler Elves could probably tell you that the name of this snack comes from a Dutch word for “small cake”
a cookie
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Maple or otherwise, this thick, sweet liquid is from the Arabic for “to drink”
syrup
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| 1st used in a novel about 90 years ago, it refers to a bright person, not someone who resembles Humpty Dumpty
an egghead
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this type of aircraft is from 2 Greek words meaning “spiral wing”
a helicopter
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The term “funny bone” is actually a pun on the name of this upper arm bone
the humerus
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This highest natural singing voice for women is Italian for “what is above”
soprano
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This wood-eating insect gets its name from the Latin for “wood-eating worm”
a termite
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This ground-meat sandwich gets its name from a German port city
a hamburger
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a kind of land mass comes from a word meaning “to contain”
continent
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a leading character of a literary work comes from the Greek for “first combatant”
protagonist
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Old French for a soldier sent ahead to clear the way, today it refers to the first settlers of a region
pioneers
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of these bones that form the spinal column comes partly from a word meaning “to turn”
vertebrae
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This, a personal view or belief, comes from the Old French for “to think”
an opinion
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this class of cold-blooded creatures comes from a word for “to creep”
the reptile
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This dog breed’s name comes from a German word for “to splash about”
the poodle
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Appropriately, this adjective that means the giving of one’s name to something comes from the Greek for “giving name”
eponymous
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for an action that could cause you to fail a class comes from the Latin for “kidnap”
plagiarism
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Named for a Mediterranean country, this style of typography is based on a Renaissance script
italics
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Well known to “Jeopardy!” fans, this 10-letter word originally meant a stew of many different ingredients
hodgepodge
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This kind of dummy often displays women’s clothes, though its name comes from the Dutch for “little man”
mannequin
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| (<a>Sarah of the Clue Crew helps with an image on a monitor.</a>) The pair of Greek letters seen here inspired this eight-letter English word that’s a cornerstone of the English language
alphabet
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This musical instrument’s name may be influenced by “hurly-burly”, a Scots word meaning “uproar”.
hurdy-gurdy
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This type of tower is usually seen in Asia, but its name comes from a Portuguese word for “temple”
pagoda
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this almond paste confection is derived in part from an Italian word for “candy box”
marzipan
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Meaning to ascribe predetermined characteristics, this word comes from a printing process using metal plates
stereotype
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Appropriately, this word comes from Greek words meaning “sharp” & “dull”
oxymoron
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the name of a committee created by Gregory XV to spread the faith, it means info used to spread a belief
propaganda
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| If you’re schussing around on these, remember that their name comes from old Norse for “sticks”
skis
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The minute you walked in the joint, you knew the name of this body part was from the old English “elnboga”
elbow
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s no Greek myth: this big South American bird was probably named for the wife of Cronus
the rhea
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for what one often does to red wine before serving comes from a Latin word for an iron ring
decant
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this greenish patina that forms on copper comes from Old French for “green of Greece”
verdigris
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word “toxic” comes from the ancient Greek for this weapon
an arrow
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word regarding infidelity came from a certain bird leaving its eggs in other nests to be raised
cuckold
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This lawn weed’s name comes from the old French for “tooth of the lion”, referring to its sharply indented leaves
a dandelion
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a self-service restaurant evolved from the Spanish for “coffee shop”
a cafeteria
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Latin for “within the walls”, it refers to athletic contests among students within a school
intramural
$1800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Originally one who kept legal records for the crown, now it’s a public officer who investigates deaths
a coroner
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this foamy volcanic rock is an alteration of the Latin word meaning “foam”
pumice
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word that has come to mean “sudden prosperity” means “good weather” in Spanish
bonanza
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of these seeds probably goes all the way back to samassammu, Akkadian for “oil plant”
sesame seeds
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This fox-hunting cry may be an alteration of taiaut, a French cry used in deer hunting
tally-ho
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A Middle English variant of “plait” became the name of these folds found on skirts
pleat
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A Greek word for “sailor” gave us the name of this “chambered” sea creature
nautilus
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a minor engagement in war traces its origins back to the old Italian word scaramuccia
a skirmish
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word meaning “complete range” comes from the 3rd Greek letter, which used to be the low end of the musical scale
gamut
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This common term for a weak, ineffectual person may be derived from “whimper”
wimp
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word said to sled dogs may be an alteration of the French marchons, meaning “let’s go”
mush
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Billingsgate, a term for foul language, comes from the name of an old fish market in this world capital
London
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “mother”, it’s a female prison worker who may be less than maternal
matron
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Take a whirl on the dance floor under these lights whose name comes from the Greek for the “act of whirling”
strobe lights
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Seen <a>here</a>, these flowers got their name from the French for “to think”
pansies
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “earth”, it’s any of several types of small dogs bred to hunt animals underground in burrows
a terrier
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Perhaps from the Caribbean taino for “pipe for smoking”, it’s the dried leaves of a plant of the nightshade family
tobacco
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Old French for “catch” or “entangle”, it’s to accuse a serving government official with an offense
impeach
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “uplifted”, it’s to divert energy associated with an unacceptable activity into more acceptable areas
sublimate
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The English borrowed this Tongan word for “forbidden” & made it a noun referring to the prohibition itself
taboo
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name for this type of worker comes from the Latin for “lead worker”
plumber
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word used in Roman Catholic theology comes from the Latin for “edge” or “border” not “dance”
limbo
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| (<a>Sarah of the Clue Crew reports from Naxos, Greece.</a>) Ostraka, <a>broken pieces of pottery used as ballots</a> to recommend exile gave us this word for banishment
ostracism
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a prolonged state of sadness comes from the Greek for “black bile” (once thought to be it’s cause)
melancholy
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This light wood gets its name from the Spanish for “raft” because people in the tropics have used its logs for rafts
balsa
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The gigantic statue at Rhodes, one of the 7 ancient wonders, gave us this adjective meaning gigantic
colossal
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Originally used to designate an errand boy, it was introduced into Scotland by golfer Mary, Queen of Scots
a caddy
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Greek word “iota” gave us this 3-letter word that means to write down hastily
jot
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| They got their name from the wooden sandals worn by the French court to protect shoes on rainy days
galoshes
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A masterful conductor is often called this, Italian for “master”
maestro
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this bird is from the French version of Peter
parrot
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Make no bones about it, it’s from a Greek expression for “dried-up body”
skeleton
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This Austrian physicist’s name is now synonymous with a measurement of the speed of sound
(Ernst) Mach
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This 3-letter slang term for forbid or veto comes to us from the German for “nothing”
nix
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Whether it’s a problem in the eye or a waterfall, it’s from the Greek for “to dash down”
cataract
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Italian for “bench”, it’s a sumptuous feast given in someone’s honor
banquet
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This large, triangular sail used on some racing yachts is said to derive its name from a yacht called the Sphinx
a spinnaker
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This Protestant group was named for its founders’ strict & orderly approach to life & the Scriptures
Methodists
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin word lampreda we get lamprey, as well as the name of this mollusk
limpet
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This somewhat negative term arose because twisting fibers into thread was mainly a woman’s job
spinster
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this colorless Russian spirit is a diminutive of the Russian word for “water”, itself a colorless liquid
vodka
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It was derived from 3 German words that meant “secret state police”, & that certainly describes it
the Gestapo
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| (Sarah of the Clue Crew in Alaska) From the Old French for “crack”, this V-shaped crack in a glacier may be up to 150 feet deep
crevasse
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| First launched on October 4, 1957, its name is Russian for “fellow traveler”
Sputnik
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| People who cultivated this fruit often used to make wine were said to live to a ripe old age; hence its name
elderberry
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word that begins with the Greek word for “all” was coined by John Milton & means “tumultuous disorder”
pandemonium
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this vehicle dates back to the time of Napoleon when it meant “walking hospital”
ambulance
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This nickname for potatoes comes from the spade used to dig them up
spuds
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek for “small sound”, it’s a device used to intensify the voice
microphone
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Spanish word for “let’s go”, it means to leave hurriedly
vamoose (vamonos)
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of these “fishy” bacteria that cause food poisoning comes from the pathologist who identified them
salmonella
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| In this poem, Lewis Carroll invented such words as mimsy, a combination of flimsy & miserable
“Jabberwocky”
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This French word originally meant “a place where one docks” a boat, not a car
garage
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Used to fortell the future, this game’s name is derived from the French & German words for “yes”
Ouija
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for one who explores caves comes from a Greek word for “cave”
spelunker
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Over 800 years old, this 6-letter Middle English word meaning “track” was first used for a detective in 1872
sleuth
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This nation’s name is an acronym partly standing for Punjab, Afghan, Kashmir, Sind & “Tan” from Baluchistan
Pakistan
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The hero of a Robert Burns poem lends his name to this woolen cap with a pompom or a tassel
Tam o’ Shanter
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Perhaps from the Italian for “imperfect pearl”, it can be a style of music, art or architecture
Baroque
$1600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this large island in the Gulf of Alaska is derived from an Inuit word for “island”
Kodiak
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “to raise”, it refers to the altitude of a city or mountain above sea level
elevation
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Ironically, this synonym for a stupid person is based on the name of 1 of the most brilliant scholars of the 14th c.
Dunce (from John Duns Scotus)
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Used in the ’40s for a sudden loss of power in a jet engine, Herbert Freudenberger applied it in 1974 to spent people
Burnout
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Not to skirt the issue, but the name of this Scottish garment goes back to Middle English
a kilt
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Dutch for “a twisted cake”, it’s a twisted doughnut
a cruller
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Lettuce tell you the term salad comes from the French “salade” meaning with this seasoning
salt
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek for “generalship”, it’s a plan of action, like those employed by the military
strategy
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This emotion you feel at a grave seems to come from the same root as “grave”
grief
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for those not Roman or Greek derives from the fact their languages sounded unintelligible
Barbarians
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this South American Indian group was originally the title of their emperor
Incas
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Although it comes from the Latin for “whitish”, this color of hair is actually reddish-brown
Auburn
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Greek kalyptos, “to cover”, gives us the name for this Australian gum tree
Eucalyptus
$1500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Latin word for “body”, it’s used to describe a large or bulky person
Corpulent
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this most recent geological era is from the Greek for “new animals”
Cenozoic
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This residential district of Dublin held an annual fair from 1204 to 1855, when it was closed due to frequent fights
Donnybrook
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| In Homer, Athena takes the form of this old friend of Odysseus to advise Odysseus’ young son
Mentor
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This nickname for a potato comes from the sharp spade used to dig it up
Spud
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Meaning “light bringer”, it refers to Venus when appearing as the morning star, or to Satan
Lucifer
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Latin for “cuttlefish”, it’s the brown color of the cuttlefish ink once used to make a brown dye
Sepia
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Today it simply means a sailing race; in the Venetian dialect, it meant a gondola race
Regatta
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Chiefly used in Louisiana, it’s Creole for a gift given a customer by a shopkeeper at the time of purchase
Lagniappe
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin render, “to yield”, it’s something you have to yield up to your landlord
Rent
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From middle English for “lazy lout”, someone who doesn’t sail is a “land” one
Lubber
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “a place of cleansing”, it’s a place to cleanse your soul before entering heaven
Purgatory
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Chinook hayo makamak, meaning “plenty to eat”, it’s an important, overbearing person
Muckety-muck/muckamuck
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek dendron, something dendroid is shaped like one of these
Tree
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Type of moustache named for its resemblance to a bicycle part
Handlebar
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a shopping center comes from a London site where a ball & mallet game was played in narrow alleys
Mall (from Pall Mall)
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Sanskrit for “great queen”, she’s the wife of a maharajah
Maharani
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This white gypsum cement that hardens quickly is named for the French city where it was originally made
Plaster of Paris
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Dervied from Old French for “crane’s foot”, it’s a genealogical chart or family tree
Pedigree
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Greek for “ice”, it’s a glass of fine quality that resembles ice
Crystal
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Many scholars believe that the Celts called it “The Wild Place”; now this wild place is a city of over 7 million
London
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A Middle Eastern chieftain, this 4-letter term is from the Arabic for “commander”
Emir
$1200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This wooden club is named for the town in county Wicklow where it originated
Shillelagh
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A Greek word for cowherd has given us this term for “pastoral” or “rustic”
bucolic
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Today meaning a self-employed person, this term derives from medieval knights who sold their skills
Freelancer
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This “relative” term for sorority members is derived from middle English & old Norse
Sister
$2000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s the part of a saddle whose name comes from a Latin word for “fruit”
Pommel
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This type of tripe is named for its resemblance to a certain bee structure
Honeycomb
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This insect’s name is derived from the superstition that it enters a sleeping person’s aural organs
Earwig
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of these strips of cloth wound around soldiers’ lower legs comes from Hindi & Sanskrit for “bandage”
Puttees
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| An old French word for “thicket” gave us this word for something tossed by a bride
Bouquet
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From a Provencal word for “witch”, it’s a sports team’s good-luck symbol
Mascot
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a swinging cot is derived from Spanish & from the Taino language of the West Indies
Hammock
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From middle English & Latin for “toward” & “to climb”, one does it to a staircase or the throne
Ascend
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From old English for a male servant or a boy, it’s a synonym for a jack in a deck of cards
Knave
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word entered the English language in the 13th century as “sucre”
Sugar
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Jeans were named for this Italian city where a strong twilled cotton cloth was made
Genoa
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek nostos, “A return home”, & algos, “pain”, it’s the pain you experience when remembering
Nostalgia
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Greek for “wood sound”, this instrument’s name refers to its tuned wooden bars
Xylophone
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Originally, it referred to a boisterous, rude lad, not a young girl who behaves like a lad as it does now
Tomboy
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Greek for “throw”, you can throw a floppy one into a computer & store a file
a disk
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This “attractive” word is from 2 Greek words for “stone of magnesia”
a magnet
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Although it’s not red, this potato’s name is derived from a Latin word for red
Russet
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this prehistoric reptile, the largest known flying animal, means “wing finger”
Pterodactyl
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These salts used as a soaking aid for swelling are named for the British town of their discovery
Epsom salts
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Hindi word jagannath, it’s an advancing force crushing all in its path
Juggernaut
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| French for “stroke of mercy”, in reality it’s a death blow
Coup de grace
$700 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Literally “god from a machine”, this term refers to a god introduced to resolve a plot
Deus ex machina
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| French for “famous case”, it’s any celebrated controversy that attracts great public attention
Cause celebre
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This noun from the Italian for “skilled” is often applied to top musicians
Virtuoso
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This type of establishment gets its name from the Latin for “to restore”
a restaurant
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These 2 words, for a political plan of attack & a drink used to celebrate a win, come from the same root
Campaign & champagne
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This state’s name is from the Sioux for “sky-tinted waters”; maybe they meant the 10,000 lakes
Minnesota
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Old Norse word “vindauga” gave us this pane-ful word for an opening in a wall
window
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Latin for “salted vegetables”, this cold dish might be enhanced with a little oil & vinegar
salad
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This number can be traced back to the Sankrit “Shunya”, or empty
zero
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The -sex suffix on British placenames refers to this Germanic people
the Saxons
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Middle French word for this freshwater crustacean was “crevice”, which evolved into our English word
crayfish
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This 19th century vehicle seen <a>here</a> was named for its designer, not its good looks
the Hansom Cab
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This primrose’s name comes from the Old English for “cow slime” & sounds pretty similar
cowslip
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This game in which players pick up sticks or straws is named for a leader of Wat Tyler’s Rebellion
jackstraws
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Whether it’s “English” or not, the name of this nut comes from Old English for “foreign nut”
walnut
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Hey, Lassie, the name of this dog breed may come from a Scottish word meaning “sooty with coal dust”
Collie
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The lutz, a type of jump in this sport, is probably named for Swiss athlete Gustave Lussi
Figure skating
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This hyphenated adverb is an alteration of will ye, nill ye, meaning “Be you willing, be you unwilling”
Willy-nilly
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Vegan is a contraction of this word, & means a strict one
Vegetarian
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of these beauty devices comes from etuis – small decorative cases that once held them
Tweezers
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of the alb, a vestment worn by priests, is derived from a Latin word for this color
White (alba)
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Yiddish, for a wooden beam, it describes a person so clumsy he might bump into one
Klutz
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this tent fabric comes from a Dutch word for “cloth”, not from a web-footed bird
Duck
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| “When they begin” this dance, they should know its name is from the French for a flirtation
Beguine
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this xylophone that originated in Africa may be from the Kimbundu language
Marimba
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word meaning an expert commentator is derived from the Sanskrit for “learned man”
Pundit
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this wild horse is from the Spanish word for a stray animal, “mesteno”
mustang
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Greek for “treasure”, this type of book contains a trove of synonyms
thesaurus
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These photographers take their name from a character in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”
paparazzi
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| In the late 1880s Americans borrowed this title for powerful businessmen from Japanese shoguns
tycoons
$1500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word for this legal defense comes from the Latin for “elsewhere”
alibi
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This food that tastes similar to a sweet potato derives its name from the Portuguese word inhame
Yam
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This synonym for wonderful is a blend of fantastic & fabulous
Fantabulous
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this vulture found in the Andes is derived from the Quechua language
Condor
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this tiny, 1-celled organism is from the Greek for “oblong”, because of its shape
Paramecium
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a street urchin who wears raggedy clothes was the name of a demon in the poem “Piers Plowman”
Ragamuffin
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “year” & “turn”, it’s literally “The turn of a year”
Anniversary (annus - year & verso - turn)
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word is from the Old English for “The farmer who lives near you”
Neighbor
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this skirt isn’t Scottish in origin; it may come from the Danish for “to tuck up”
Kilt
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a broad street is French, but it goes back to bolwerc, a Middle Dutch word for bulwark
Boulevard
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The adjective vespertilian means resembling this winged mammal, whose Latin name is vespertilio
Bat
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This fruity condiment’s name comes from the Hindi meaning “to be licked”
Chutney
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this small magnifying glass used by jewelers comes from the French for an imperfect gem
Loupe
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Local or general, this medical term comes from Greek meaning “insensibility”
anesthesia
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this type of popular music combines “hillbilly” & “rock & roll”
rockabilly
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word is derived from “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”
Scuba
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a chance spectator innocently came into our language by 1620
Bystander
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for any of the 10 Arabic number symbols comes from the Latin word for “finger”
Digit
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A chatty person has “the gift of” this, a word derived from Middle English for “to scoff”
Gab
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a ceremonial procession is from old Italian cavalcare, “to ride on horseback”
Cavalcade
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Ismaili sect of this religion is named for Ismail, a son of the sixth imam, Jafar
Islam
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “shaggy” or “bristly”, it’s a synonym for hairy
Hirsute
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Anatomists know the islets of this are named for the German physician who first described them
Paul Langerhans
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a flower worn in a buttonhole is literally French for “buttonhole”
Boutonniere
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Judo is Japanese for “soft way” & this self-defense form is Japanese for “soft art”
Jiu-Jitsu
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word chime comes from the name of this other percussion instrument
Cymbal
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From a Greek word meaning “to speak ill of”, it’s irreverent talk of God
Blasphemy
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this Russian urn used to heat water for tea is Russian for “self-boiler”
Samovar
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Slang for remarkable or gutsy, it may be a blend of “bold” & “audacious”
Bodacious
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for all the letters in a language comes from the names of two Greek letters
Alphabet
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Our word “blanket” is derived in part from Old French for this color
white
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Humorist Gillette Burgess coined this 5-letter term for a brief laudatory phrase on a book jacket
Blurb
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The Middle English phrase for this position with hands-on-hips & elbows bent out was “Ankinibo”
Akimbo
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this dialect comes from a Hindi word, mantri, meaning “counselor”
Mandarin
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Not surprisingly, the word koala comes from a native language of this continent
Australia
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word meaning something not fully understood is from the Greek musterion, “secret rite”
mystery
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this 2- or 3-toed mammal comes from Middle English for “slow”
a sloth
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This title of prince Siddhartha comes from Sanskrit for “awakening”
Buddha
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Lepos, meaning “scale”, gave us this word for a pariah
leper
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a copy or reproduction is from the Latin meaning “to make similar”
facsimile
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| December, decimal & decimate all come from the Latin word for this
ten
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Some believe the word gimmick began as gimac, an anagram of this
magic
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This sport derives its name from the word association, as in association football
soccer
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Meaning vain & above oneself, this adjective comes from the Middle French for “high”
haughty
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this small metal fingercap is derived from an Old English word for thumb
Thimble
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this military horn comes from the Latin for “young ox” since the first ones were ox horns
Bugle
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Arabic for “old man”, it’s the leader of an Arab family, tribe, or village
sheik
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This mammal’s name comes from the corruption of a French phrase which meant “phony pig”
Porcupine
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This term for a person who bowls is derived from the German word for “bowling pin”
Kegler
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Mark Twain should have known the name of this fruit may be an alternation of “hurtleberry”
huckleberry
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this “tuxedoed” bird may come from the Welsh for “white head”
penguin
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Evangelical Protestant sect named for its founder, Menno Simons
Mennonite
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Almond paste confection whose name comes from a Medieval Italian coin
marzipan
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Sorority is derived from the Latin “soror”, which means this
sister
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This name for an earthenware beer mug is German for “stone”
Stein
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Italian for “first lady”, it can refer to a temperamental woman or man
Prima donna
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “worm”, it’s defined simply as “animals obnoxious to man”
Vermin
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for “hunger”, it’s a period when food is extremely scarce
Famine
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This Scottish cap was named for the hero of a Robert Burns poem
Tam O’ Shanter
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Rose O’ Neill invented this doll & gave it its name, combining “Cupid” & “baby”
Kewpie Doll
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Bread spread whose name comes from the Portuguese for quince jam, though it’s often made with oranges
Marmalade
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This cab was named for an English architect, not for its good looks
Hansom Cab
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this fabric made from Angora goat hair comes from the Arabic, meaning “choice” or “select”
Mohair
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s believed that these jugs were named for a character in an 18th century ballad
Toby Jugs
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a cantankerous personality is a variation of “ordinary”
ornery
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Mussolini coined this word from the bundles of sticks that were a symbol of every Roman authority
fascism
$1500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Asked if he were a wise man, Pythagoras supposedly said, “No, I’m a lover of wisdom”, giving us this word
philosopher
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This popular slang expression of the early 20th century is probably just a shortened form of magnificent
nifty
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Irritable or peevish, from the Latin “petere”, to attack
petulant
$None ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for a close friend or an old chum comes from the Greek word for time
Crony (from the Greek god Cronus)
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| “Saloon” came from this French word, which sounds more elegant
salon
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Shade of purple whose name comes from a word for mallow because it’s the color of mallow petals
mauve
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from the Greek for “to sell alone”; if you have one, you alone sell a product
monopoly
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The “chop” in “chopsticks” means this in Pidgin English, as in “chop-chop”
hurry (or quick or fast)
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This synonym for “gloomy” comes from a Medieval Latin term for “evil days”
dismal
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The adjective “ruddy” comes from the old English “rudig,” meaning this color
Red
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s a French word meaning “Dutch,” and in English it usually refers to a sauce
Hollandaise
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From the Latin for shield, “scutum,” it’s a shield bearing a coat of arms
Escutcheon
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| An Arabic word for “poor” gave us this term for a Muslim or Hindu beggar said to have mystical powers
Fakir
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Named for a town in France, this sheer net fabric is used to make bridal veils and tutus
Tulle
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Derived from Middle English words for “goose” & “summer”, it’s a gauzy summer fabric
gossamer
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| One’s lineage, named because the lines on a genealogical chart look like a crane’s foot or “pie de grue”
pedigree
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These full-hipped riding breeches were named for a town in India
jodhpurs
$800 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From a French phrase meaning “of good nature”, this adjective is synonymous with suave & urbane
debonair
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This slang term for “ridiculous” may derive from a word for the art of making decals, decalcomania
cockamamie
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It used to mean sweetheart, but now refers to that big fifth grader who picked on you
bully
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The word manage goes back to the Latin “manus”, the word for this part of the body
hand
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for pal is said to be Oxford University slang for chamberfellow; a roommate
chum
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| This word for boss or head is from a Japanese word meaning squad leader
honcho
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Old English “nay”, no, and “whit”, thing, this word means zero
naught
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Imitation diamonds, they were originally gems obtained from a certain German river
rhinestones
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| It’s the pace at which Pilgrims rode to Canterbury
canter
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this game is Chinese for “house sparrow” a picture on one of the tiles
mah-jong
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| An Irishman with this accent might be putting his foot in his mouth, because this word means “shoe”
brogue
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| The name of this part of a camera was derived from its resemblance to a lentil seed
lens
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Dutch “kaban huis”, meaning ship’s galley, in U.S. it came to mean last car on a train
the caboose
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Laboratory culture dish named for the German bacteriologist who invented it
a Petri dish
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Chinese for “work together”, it was motto of U.S. marine raiders in WWII
gung ho
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Originally a brand applied to slaves & criminals, it has come to mean a mark of disgrace
a stigma
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Run-down part of town, from the rough forest paths along which newly-cut logs were dragged
skid row
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| These were 1st made during WWII at Quonset Point, Rhode Island
Quonset huts
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| A turnpike is called that because originally a pike or turnstile was turned after you did this
paid toll
$600 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From Old French “manoeuvrer” meaning “to work by hand”, which was how this item was put into soil
manure
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Weapon said to have been the size of a pomegranate & filled with “seeds” of gunpowder
a hand grenade
$1000 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Though he wasn’t part of the Lincoln conspiracy, his name’s been blackened in many a town
(Dr. Samuel) Mudd
$100 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Though an insect larva, its name comes from French for “hairy cat”
caterpillar
$200 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Word “slavery” comes from these eastern Europeans who were often enslaved by conquerors
Slavs
$300 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Term for noisy dance or party which originally meant a kick in the shins
shindig
$400 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| From same root as “senile”, to Romans this body’s name meant a council of old men
senate
$500 ||| Category: WORD ORIGINS ||| Though John Duns Scotus was considered a great philosopher, his followers were later called this
dunces
