First things first. How might someone suffering from ‘matutolypea’ feel first thing in the morning?
A.
Sullen and grumpy
B.
Happy and energetic
C.
Thirsty and hungry
D.
Tired and drained
2.
‘Oysterhood’ is an overwhelming desire to stay...
A.
Awake
B.
Home
C.
Young
D.
Warm
3.
What might you be looking at if you’re reading a set of optotypes?
A.
Optician’s eyechart
B.
Motorway roadsign
C.
Church hymnal
D.
Medical records
4.
The Latin name for the robin, ‘rubecula’, derives the Latin word for what colour?
A.
Brown
B.
Red
C.
Orange
D.
Blue
5.
True or false: The word bird was originally spelled ‘brid’.
A.
True
B.
False
6.
What are you doing to something if you’re ‘palpabrizing’ it?
A.
Touching it
B.
Smelling it
C.
Tasting it
D.
Looking at it
7.
Gulching, maunging, pingling, or monophagizing are all different ways of...?
A.
Singing
B.
Arguing
C.
Dancing
D.
Eating
8.
The words ‘palindrome’, ‘dromedary’, and ‘corridor’ all derive from roots meaning what?
A.
Walk
B.
Run
C.
Dance
D.
Jump
9.
What are you wearing if you’re ‘larvated’?
A.
Hat
B.
Mask
C.
Shoes
D.
Suit of armour
10.
Which of these were once known as ‘letterflies’, because spotting one in your home was once believed to herald a letter arriving in the post?
A.
Moths
B.
Spiders
C.
Starlings
D.
Crows
11.
Apricots take their name from the same root as the word ‘precocious’. What does it literally mean?
A.
Flush-skinned
B.
Soft-fleshed
C.
Early-ripening
D.
Sweet-tasting
12.
If you tend to make a success of things, you have a ‘Midas touch’. If you’re uncultured and artless, you’re...?
A.
Midas-eared
B.
Midas-brained
C.
Midas-hearted
D.
Midas-blinded
13.
Where might you see a ‘kissing crust’?
A.
On a gatepost
B.
On a volcano
C.
On a loaf of bread
D.
On a drum
14.
Which of these words originally meant to remove the rust from a weapon?
A.
Renovate
B.
Recondition
C.
Refurbish
D.
Revamp
15.
Which of these words could fill the gap in this list: WINTERED, XENOPHOBIC, ??? , ZIRCONIA.
A.
Yugoslavia
B.
Yourselves
C.
Yoghurt
D.
Youthclub
16.
How might a roof described as ‘nailsick’ appear?
A.
Leaky
B.
Flat
C.
Thatched
D.
Steep
17.
In a 2018 study, which of these animals were found to be able to communicate about things not actually visible at the moment of communication—a skill chiefly found only in humans?
A.
Octopuses
B.
Elephants
C.
Orangutans
D.
Parrots
18.
‘Seolbæth’ is an Old English epithet for the sea. What does it literally mean?
A.
Sky-mirror
B.
Stone-breaker
C.
Slow-mover
D.
Seal-bath
19.
What does the word ‘astronaut’ literally mean?
A.
Starsailor
B.
Spaceman
C.
Superstar
D.
Earthleaver
20.
And finally... How closely have you been paying attention? In order, the first letters of all the preceding answers would spell out what 19-letter phrase?
