What does it mean to "beat around the bush"?
to avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
What is an "anachronism"?
Something inappropriate for the given time period (i.e. Napoleon watching a tv show)
What state has the longest coastline?
Alaska
How many countries have English as the or an official language?
88
What are you're favorite books?
your, not you're
What does it mean to "compare apples to oranges"?
it means you're comparing two things that cannot really be compared to each other.
What does "cajole" mean?
to persuade by flattery or coaxing
In Montana, there are _____ (#) times more cows than people.
three
Besides the US, which country has the highest total number of English speakers?
India
The affect of the rule was to limit illegal fishing.
effect, not affect
What do the following idioms mean?
1. Do something at the drop of a hat
2. Don't count your chickens before they hatch
1. Do something without having planned beforehand/without needed to be prompted
2. Don't count on something good happening until it's happened.
What do the following words mean?
1. diatribe
2. gaffe
1. A verbal attack against a person
2. A socially awkward act
1. The liberty bell was made in the same place as _____________ (a famous clock).
2. Which state produces enough wheat in one year to feed everyone in the world for two weeks?
1. Big Ben
2. Kansas
What percentage of words in English are derived from other languages?
30%
1. Can we use there house?
2. The whether today is awful, so rainy!
2. weather
What do the following idioms mean?
1. Put something on ice
2. The elephant in the room
1. to put something on hold, to wait
2. The big issue, the problem people are avoiding
What do the following words mean?
1. garrulous
2. inundate
3. nonplussed
1. Talking too much
2. to flood
3. confused, bewildered
1. Who was the tallest US president?
2. What was the first name of New York?
3. What is the second most common language in the US?
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. New Amsterdam
3. Spanish
1. How many new words get added to the English dictionary every year?
2. How many new words did Shakespeare introduce into English?
1. more than 800
2. 1700
1. I ran quick to the bus stop.
2. He almost walked for the entire day.
3. Every girl must sign in when they arrive.
1. quickly
2. He walked for almost the entire day.
3. Every girl must sign in when she arrives.
What do the following idioms mean?
1. A stitch in time saves nine
2. Haste makes waste
3. He's off his rocker
1. Fix the problem now because it will get worse later
2. You'll make mistakes if you rush through something
3. he's crazy
What do the following words mean?
1. unabashed
2. vicissitude
3. aberration
4. hubris
1. unembarrassed
2. An unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune
3. a state or condition markedly different from the norm
4. overbearing pride
1. The US is the only country to have had people walk on the ________.
2. The Hollywood sign originally read:
3. How many time zones does the US have?
1. moon
2. Hollywoodland
3. 6 (don't forget Hawaii and Alaska!)
1. What's the most common letter in English?
2. How many words does an average English speaker know?
3. List two words that have no rhymes in English.
1. e
2. 25,000 - 30,000
3. orange, purple, month, silver
1. Whom will be hosting the party this evening?
2. One of my dogs, the one which ate a rock, needs to see a vet.
3. I saw her less than three times.
1. Who
2. the one THAT (crucial information = that instead of which)
3. I saw her fewer than three times.