Weird Words
Food Fight
Real or Ridiculous?
Name That Era
Odd Jobs
100
This oddly specific word describes the crumbs that fall onto your shirt while eating.
crumbs
100
Although commonly thought of as a vegetable, this food is botanically a fruit
tomato
100
There is a species of frog that can freeze solid during winter and thaw out alive in spring.
REAL - the wood frog can freeze solid, stop its heart, and survive in suspended animation for up to eight months during the winter.
100
Dial-up internet, Tamagotchis, boy bands, and Friends become cultural staples.
1990s
100
Companies hire people in this job to secretly visit restaurants or stores and evaluate the customer experience.
Mystery shopper
200
This word describes the feeling that you've already experienced a present situation.
déjà vu
200
This Italian dish literally translates to “little worms” in Italian.
vermicelli
200
A town in Canada once held an annual competition to see who could successfully ride a moose.
RIDICULOUS
200
The first iPhone has not yet been invented, YouTube launches, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire hits theaters, and “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley becomes a massive hit.
2000s
200
These professionals are hired to attend funerals and publicly express grief for the deceased.
Professional mourners
300
This word means the act of accidentally making something worse while trying to fix it.
backfire
300
This fruit floats in water because about one-quarter of its volume is air.
apple
300
In Switzerland, it is illegal to own just one guinea pig because they are considered too social to live alone.
REAL - Article 13 of the Swiss Animal Protection Ordinance mandates that social species (including guinea pigs, mice, and parrots) must have adequate social contact with others of their own kind.
300
The Nintendo Entertainment System, neon fashion, cassette tapes, and MTV define pop culture.
1980s
300
This unusual profession involves being paid to live on or visit a remote island and document the experience for tourism promotion, sometimes making the worker responsible for maintaining a property or providing regular updates.
island caretaker
400
This is the fear of being without your mobile phone.
nomophobia
400
This popular condiment was originally sold as medicine in the 1800s.
ketchup
400
Penguins have a special vocal language consisting of exactly 37 distinct sounds.
RIDICULOUS
400
Bell-bottoms, disco balls, platform shoes, and “Stayin’ Alive” dominate the culture.
1970s
400
This career involves creating convincing arrangements of food for advertisements, movies, television, and photography—often using tricks to make the food look better than it really is.
food stylist
500
This word describes the smell of rain falling on dry soil.
petrichor
500
This Japanese delicacy can be deadly if prepared incorrectly because certain parts contain tetrodotoxin.
fugu or puffer fish
500
There is a jellyfish that can essentially reverse its aging process and return to an earlier stage of life.
REAL - The Turritopsis dohrnii or the Immortal Jellyfish reverts to it's early life stage when exposed to environmental stress, physical assault or if it gets sick or old
500
The stock market crashes, Amelia Earhart makes her famous solo flight across the Atlantic, and talking movies become the norm.
1930s
500
Companies hire these people to sleep on mattresses and report on their comfort and quality.
Professional mattress testers