Just trivia. Something to mindlessly read while you sit back and enjoy another plate of leftovers (yum-yum) or take a break from decorating for Christmas!
1. What is the difference between “ordinance” and “ordnance?”
2. Word wise: Which of these five cities is the least like the other four? Wichita; Dallas: Canton: Bangor; Fresno.
3. What were the first products marketed in aerosol containers? Hairsprays; perfumes; air fresheners; insecticides.
4. What’s the name of the dog on the Cracker Jacks box? Jack; Spot; Bingo; Cracker.
5. How old was Joan of Arc when she was burned at the stake? 16; 19; 23; 27.
6. From what country was the following proverb first recorded? “Travel east and travel west, a man’s own home is still the best.” England; Germany; America; France.
7. What word is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet?
8. In 1626, what island did Peter Miuit purchase for 60 guilders ($24) that today would be impossible to valuate? Long Island; Staten Island; Ellis Island; Manhattan.
9. The midwife thought this artist was stillborn and abandoned him on a table. His uncle, however, a cigar-smoking physician, saved the infant with a blast of air into his lungs. Who was it? Da Vinci; Picasso; Monet; Van Gogh.
10. How did the practice of saying, “Cheers” before drinking originate?
Answers:
1. Ordinance refers to a decree, law, or regulation. Ordnance refers to military equipment or weapons, i.e., “Jerry got a citation for breaking the local ordinance against keeping ordnance in a residence.”
2. All the others have six letters; Wichita has seven.
3. Insecticides, in 1941.
4. B-i-ngo, B-i-ngo, B-i-ngo, and Bingo was his name, oh!
5. The Maid of Orleans was 19.
6. Germany.
7. Alphabet.
8. Manhattan.
9. Pablo Picasso.
10. It’s hard to say, but I came across several theories. The first one involved clinking cups as if to slosh poison from one vessel to another. The “clinking” ritual, according to this theory, was a gesture to prove the safety of the drink, and that of the “drink-maker.” There were several more explanations, all somewhat touching on the clinking or thumping of mugs or glasses to rid the spirits of spirits, but the most logical one I found involved our five senses – skin, nose, tongue, eyes and ears: The lips touch it, the nose smells it, the tongue tastes it, and the eyes see it. As for the ear – we clink our glasses and say, “Cheers”! I like this explanation better than the demon one.