A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning: Popular phrases
1 / 10 |
On February 16 in 600 AD, Pope Gregory the Great passed a decree. It declared that one should say a particular phrase as a response to someone doing an involuntary action. The phrase was supposed to stop the devil from entering the person in the split second they are not in control of their mouth. What was the decree?
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This phrase means ‘cherished above all others’. It is used in the King James Bible and in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The phrase originally referred to the operational part of a vital organ in the body. Researchers think that the fruit in the phrase came by as a reference to something globular in shape. What is the phrase?
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This phrase comes to us from the ancient Indian game ‘Moksha Patam’. Now known as ‘Snakes & Ladders’, it represented life’s journey of attaining Moksha by doing good or being reborn as a lower form for doing evil. In the worst case, one can slide all the way down. Which phrase comes from this?
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This phrase symbolises superficial sympathy. It is a reference to the fact that a certain top-level predator seems to be showing ‘grief’ when actually causing the pain. Scientifically they do this for lubrication as being out of water causes drying out. What phrase is this?
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This phrase just indicates that each individual in a group that is involved in a collective endeavour is responsible for their own expenses. Legend has it that it comes from when British soldiers fighting in Holland would do this to avoid being in debt to a colleague, in case they were killed in battle the next day. What phrase is this?
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Unlike other phrases, we know exactly when this one originated. On December 15, 1956, Horace Logan said this to the crowds at an auditorium in Louisiana. He had to say this to quiet the audience, who expected a certain performer to return to the stage and sing more songs. This is now a catchphrase, which is used to refer to any dramatic exit. Which phrase is this?
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This phrase is used to describe a sudden or unforeseen problem, and is usually an ironic understatement of the magnitude of the issue. The original phrase was said by Jack Swigert and commander Jim Lovell in present perfect tense, while the popular version is in present tense. What is this, which comes from the Apollo mission #13?
8 / 10 |
This simple phrase attained cult status after it was uttered onscreen by a cyborg assassin when he was refused entry into a police station. It has gone on to give rise to multiple memes, jokes and call backs in other movies. What phrase is this, which is usually said with an Austrian accent?
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This expression refers to the disproportionately major portion of something. The phrase comes from the Aesop Fables, where a group of animals come together to execute a successful hunt. But when it comes to splitting the share, one animal successfully reasons why he should have more than the others. What phrase is this?
10 / 10 |
This phrase suggests that a person is suffering from insanity. Although made famous by the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, it is a reference to a disorder that affected a certain professional. In olden days, they used mercury, while working with leather, and its ingestion caused hallucinations. What phrase is this, which refers to the profession?
Published – February 13, 2025 09:00 am IST
