Trivia Questions #25
Odd Vocabulary
(This page last updated on February 29, 2012.)

1. If a gunshot wound is located medially on the anterior surface of the frons, where was the victim shot?
Answer: right in the middle of the forehead

2. A catamount most nearly resembles which of these? A panther, or a bear, or an elk?
Answer: a panther

3. A catarrh (KAT-tar) is which of these? A species of bobcat, or a runny nose, or a dense swamp?
Answer: a runny nose

4. The term catawampus best describes which of these? A type of Bigfoot monster, or something knocked out alignment, or a large Native American canoe?
Answer: something knocked out of alignment

5. Catechesis (KAT-uh-KEE-sis) is which of these? Formal religious instruction, a reptile disease, or a human throat infection?
Answer: formal religious instruction

6. Which of the following terms refers to a pile of stones deliberately set up on a hill or mountainside as a marker? A cairn, or a drumlin, or an esker?
Answer: a cairn

7. Which of the following is the closest synonym to cajolery? Singing, or invective, or flattery?
Answer: flattery

8. Which of the following means "fancy handwriting"? Monography, or calligraphy, or cacography?
Answer: calligraphy

9. The Native American word calumet (KAL-you-met) is which of these? A ceremonial pipe, or a shield, or a tent?
a pipe

10. Which of the following words most nearly means "lies told with malicious intent"? Contention, or calumny, or condescension?

11. Callipygeous (KAL-uh-PIDGE-us) means which of these? Having sexy eyes, or having sexy breasts, or having sexy buttocks?
Answer: sexy buttocks

12. In the Old West a calaboose was which of these? A jail, or a brothel, or a saloon?
Answer: a jail

13. Labanotation is which of the following? A record of dance movements, or a cancerous growth, or a celebrity autograph?
Answer: a record of dance movements

14. A lab-lab is which of the following? A science seminar, or a hyacinth bean, or the noise pug dogs make?
Answer: a hyacinth bean

15. A labret (LAY-bret) is which of these? An ornament worn in the hair, or in the lip, or in the ear?
Answer: in the lip

16. Labyrinthian means which of these? Having a very flat nose, or having a tendency to flatulence, or extremely complicated?
Answer: extremely complicated

17. A labyrinthodont is which of these? An extinct crocodile-ish amphibian, or a specialist in dentistry, or a type of venomous serpent fang?
Answer: the extinct amphibian

18. If the joint where your humerus, radius, and ulna meet is totally severed, what happens next?
Answer: Your forearm falls off.

19. The mispronunciation of the Bethlehem Road Hospital, England's first insane asylum, gives us what word describing "a place full of loud shrieks and groans and other unpleasant noises"?
Answer: bedlam

20. A maar is which of these? A semi-precious stone, or a volcanic crater filled with water, or an East African rodent?
Answer: the volcanic crater

21. Malaccia (muh-LAY-sha) is which of these? An Indian Ocean nation, or pathological softening of tissues or bones, or a type of beetle?
Answer: softening of tissues and bones

22. A malacostracan is which of the following sea critters? A crustacean with stalked eyes, or a fish like a barracuda, or a sub-species of dolphin?
Answer: The stalk-eyed crustacean

23. A goanna (goh-ANNA) is which of these? A monitor-like lizard, or a Brazilian orchid, or a West African rodent?
Answer: a type of lizard

24. The adjective gnomic (NOH-mik) describes which of these? Short people, or short wise sayings, or short wave frequencies?
Answer: short wise sayings

25. A colliery is which of these? A dungeon, or a coal mine, or a blacksmith's forge?
Answer: a coal mine

26. A contretemps (CON-tra-tomp) is which of these? An embarrassing situation, or a musical direction, or a French farce?
Answer:
an embarrassing situation

27. A dragoon (druh-GOON) is which of these? A species of snake. or a type of soldier, or a New Zealand brand of beer?
Answer: a type of soldier