I received a new computer not long ago, and you know how that goes – you have to set up a new screensaver and wallpaper. The screensaver that caught my eye displays words and definitions. A word slowly scrolls across the computer screen, with the definition following.
That’s what this week’s Brainbuster column is about – words and their definitions. See how much you think you know!
1. The word “crozier” either means or is: A person tucked into a corner or nook with a blanket; a staff surmounted by a crook or cross carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office; a hat resembling a circular cage fitted over the head; a glassmaker.
2. Of the following words, which one means “to drink often, or to eat and to drink noisily”: bibble; logomachy; skelf; muktuk.
3. “Cabotage” is: the act of sabotage with cabbage; the supernatural transformation of a person into a wolf; the skill of mixing drinks and cocktails; the exclusive right of a country to control the air traffic within its borders.
4. “Gabelle” is another strange word you might not ever hear again. But if you do, you should know what it means. Which is the correct definition: The platform of a staircase where the stairs turn back in exactly the reverse direction of the lower flight; a tax on salt; a wild animal resembling a hedgehog; a small shoot growing from the root of a plant.
5. “Kakorrhaphiophobia” is the fear of: failure; staying in bed; change; crowds.
6. If you’re considered “microsmatic,” you’re probably: A pompous, windy bore who pretends to have inspiration; one who fakes a smile, as on television; someone with a good sense of color; someone with a good sense of smell.
7. “Nudlustertian” is: the day before yesterday; an elderly person that has joined a nudist colony; someone who walks without shoes; the categorizing of something that’s useless or trivial.
8. “Tittynope” – what an interesting word, although probably another one you won’t hear again. It means: A person full of beer; a double handful; a small quantity of something; an artfully veiled insult.
9. If you know what “Xertz” means, then you know it: is a flowing, drooping mustache; means to gulp down quickly and greedily; is an ornamental holder for a hot coffee cup; is an Italian bagpipe.
10. “Dehisce” - this is another interesting word. It’s a verb meaning: To throw out of a window; to burst open, as the pod of a plant; a horse’s attempt to remove its rider; letting one’s eyes wander while assessing someone’s charms.
ANSWERS
1. A staff surmounted by a crook or cross, carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office. 2. To eat or drink often or noisily. Surely you know a bibbler! 3. The exclusive right of a country to control the air traffic within its borders. 4. A tax on salt. 5. A fear of failure. 6. If you’re microsmatic, you probably have a very good sense of smell. 7. The day before yesterday. 8. A small quantity of something. 9. To gulp down quickly and greedily. 10. If you’re a botanist, you may know this word. It means to burst open, as the pod of a plant.