Date: 01-12-91
From: DALE DAY ------------------------------------------------------------------------



Here's a pop quiz for all writers (courtesy, "Crazy English"
by, Richard Lederer, Pocket Books, 1989):

What do the following words mean:
1. ANTEBELLUM
a. against women
b. against war
c. after the war
d. before the war
2. APIARY
a. school for mimics
b. place where apes are kept
c. place where bees are kept
d. cupboard for peas
3. AQUILINE
a. resembling an eagle
b. relating to water
c. relating to synchronized swimming
d. resembling a porcupine
4. CUPIDITY
a. strong desire for wealth
b. strong desire for love
c. strong desire for amusement parks
d. obtuseness
5. DISINTERESTED
a. lacking a bank account
b. unbiased
c. bored
d. lacking rest
6. ENORMITY
a. great wickedness
b. great size
c. normal state
d. cowardice
7. FORESTRESS
a. ancient hair style
b. female forester
c. dread anticipation
d. emphasis on first part of word
8. FRIABLE
a. easily crumbled
b. easily fried
c. unhealthy
d. relating to holy orders
9. HERPETOLOGY - the study of
a. herbs
b. herpes
c. female pets
d. reptiles
10. HIPPOPHOBIA - the fear of
a. hippopotami
b. horses
c. getting fat
d. hippies
11. INFINITESIMAL
a. very small
b. very large
c. relating to intestines
d. hesitant
12. INFLAMMABLE
a. calm
b. incredulous
c. not easily set on fire
d. easily set on fire
13. INGENUOUS
a. insincere
b. innocent
c. clever
d. mentally dull
14. MERETRICIOUS
a. falsely attractive
b. worthy
c. good tasting
d. diseased
15. PRESENTLY
a. generous with gifts
b. now
c. soon
d. presidentially
16. PROSODY - the study of
a. drama
b. music
c. prose
d. versification
17. RESTIVE
a. serene
b. festive
c. fidgety
d. pensive
18. RISIBLE
a. disposed to laugh
b. easily lifted
c. fertile
d. relating to dawn
19. TOOTHSOME
a. displaying prominent teeth
b. missing teeth
c. palatable
d. serrated
20. VOTARY
a. democratic country
b. enthusiast
c. electoral college
d. revolving tool

answers in a few days. This is one of the funniest books on English
I've read!
-+-
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Gleb Hlebov:

Here's a pop quiz for all writers (courtesy, "Crazy
English" by, Richard Lederer, Pocket Books, 1989):
[...]

Those are easy for anyone acquainted with the standard
Latin prefixes, suffixes, and /some/ roots widely used in
English. Much more amusing in my opinion are Unca Marvy's
articles, e.g.:

https://www.uncamarvy.com/OtherNeatStuff/Essays/04KlangKlang.html
https://www.uncamarvy.com/OtherNeatStuff/Essays/03SesquipedaliaAndOtherDelights.html

and the lenendary short story "How I met my wife":

https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~beatrice/humor/how-i-met-my-wife.html

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* Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)

Gleb Hlebov quoted Richard Lederer:

7. FORESTRESS
a. ancient hair style
b. female forester
c. dread anticipation
d. emphasis on first part of word

This one cracked me up. I couldn't answer it myself -- no chance.

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* Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)

Gleb Hlebov to Anton Shepelev:

Here's a pop quiz for all writers (courtesy, "Crazy
English" by, Richard Lederer, Pocket Books, 1989):
[...]

Those are easy for anyone acquainted with the standard
Latin prefixes, suffixes, and /some/ roots widely used
in English.

You're not a university professor, are you?

Not at all. There are not many Latin roots in wide use, and
one will easily remember them if one will only read rich
English and, while consulting a dictionalry, pay head not
only to the meaning, but also to the etymology and
morphology. The only way to miss those words is be ignoring
all the most recent English prose. Try some Lovecraft,
Ashton Smith, Machen, Poe, Gregory Lewis, Melville, (Ann)
Radcliffe, (Emily) Bronte, or any other good writer, but
make sure to avoid anything after 1940, or skip the 20th
sentury altogether to be safe.

There's a good half of them that got me confused. :-)
Well, that "female forester" one definitely did. If
there would be ACTUAL female foresters, how were they
called, then?

Simply `forester', accoridng to the old law that the
masculine principle embraces the feminine.

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* Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)

I wrote:

pay head not only to the meaning,

The head beging too valuable, pay heed instead.

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* Origin: nntp://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)