Animal Etymology - Random Trivia Answers

• A6. Algonquian (American Indian) - chipmunk & muskrat. The chipmunk is a squirrel-like rodent whose name means "one who descends trees headfirst". The muskrat is a large, aquatic rodent named for its red color.
• B1. Arabic - albatross & gazelle. The albatross is a large diving bird known as the "sea eagle". The gazelle is an antelope with less speed but more endurance than a cheetah.
• C18. Australian Aboriginal - taipan & wombat. The taipan is a highly venomous snake that can reach lengths of nine feet. The wombat is a short, three-foot-long marsupial.
• D7. Chinese - chow chow & shar pei. The chow chow is a small, "puffy-lion" dog whose name means either "mixed" or "food". The shar pei is a blue-black tongued "sand skin" dog.
• E3. Congolese - basenji & zebra. The basenji is a barkless hunting dog. The zebra is the horse's black and white relative (white stripes on black, if you were wondering).
• F17. Dutch - meerkat & walrus. The meerkat is a small mongoose made famous by Timon in The Lion King movies (from the word for "monkey", although it looks like "lake cat"). The walrus is a semi-aquatic mammal that was either a "whale horse" or a "shore giant".
• G5. French - caterpillar & porpoise. The caterpillar is a "hairy cat" butterfly or moth larva. The porpoise is a large dolphin-like "pork fish" named for its piglike nose.
• H10. German - dachshund & rottweiler. The dachshund is a short-legged badger-hunting dog. The rottweiler is a large working dog named for a town in southern Germany.
• I11. Greek - dinosaur & rhinoceros. The dinosaur is a "terrible lizard" that did not coexist with cavemen. The rhinoceros is a large "horn-nosed" ungulate.
• J4. Indonesian - cassowary & komodo dragon. The cassowary is a large, flightless bird that lives in tropical forests. The komodo dragon is the largest lizard, named for the Indonesian island that it is native to.
• K12. Malay - gecko & orangutan. The gecko is a small to medium-sized lizard named for its chirps. The orangutan is a reddish-brown great ape "man of the woods".
• L14. Maori (New Zealander) - kiwi & moa. The kiwi is a small, flightless bird that gave its name to a similar looking fruit. The moa is a large, extinct, flightless bird native to New Zealand.
• M9. Nahuatl (Mexican Indian) - coyote & ocelot. The coyote is a prairie wolf whose scientific name Canis latrans means "barking dog". The ocelot is a painted leopard or McNenney's wildcat ("jaguar").
• N15. Old Norse - lemming & skate. The lemming is a vole and muskrat relative, falsely believed to regularly commit mass suicide by a staged scene in Walt Disney's 1958 documentary White Wilderness. The skate is a flat, carnivorous, bottom-dwelling fish.
• O13. Sanskrit - jackal & mynah. The jackal is a scavenging "howler" related to the dog. The mynah is a starling relative known for its ability to imitate sounds.
• P8. Spanish - cockroach & mosquito. The cockroach is a extremely adaptable insect whose Spanish name is well known from the song "La Cucaracha". The mosquito is a "little fly" whose female feasts on human and other mammal blood.
• Q2. Telugu (Indian [state of Andhra Pradesh]) - bandicoot & mongoose. The bandicoot is a omnivorous, marsupial "pig-rat", made famous by the video game character Crash Bandicoot. The mongoose is a small, cat-like carnivore, heroically represented by Rudyard Kipling's snake-fighting Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.
• R16. Tupi-Guarani (South American Indian) - macaw & piranha. The macaw is a colorful parrot, possibly named for the tree whose fruit it eats. The piranha is a carnivorous fish named for its scissor-like teeth.

You can look up your other favorite animals at the Online Etymology Dictionary.

Animal Etymology - Random Trivia Questions

When my nephew was single, he used to joke about borrowing his friend's pet dog to help him attract women. This week's themed quiz features a different kind of lending; all of these animal names have been imported into English from a foreign language. Your task is to match the animal pairs in the second column with their originating languages in the first column. (I've tried hard to avoid multiple possibilities, but when in doubt go with the oldest source.)

Animal Etymology Questions

Language	Animals
A. Algonquian (American Indian)	1. albatross & gazelle
B. Arabic	2. bandicoot & mongoose
C. Australian Aboriginal	3. basenji & zebra
D. Chinese	4. cassowary & komodo dragon
E. Congolese	5. caterpillar & porpoise
F. Dutch	6. chipmunk & muskrat
G. French	7. chow chow & shar pei
H. German	8. cockroach & mosquito
I. Greek	9. coyote & ocelot
J. Indonesian	10. dachshund & rottweiler
K. Malay	11. dinosaur & rhinoceros
L. Maori (New Zealander)	12. gecko & orangutan
M. Nahuatl (Mexican Indian)	13. jackal & mynah
N. Old Norse	14. kiwi & moa
O. Sanskrit	15. lemming & skate
P. Spanish	16. macaw & piranha
Q. Telugu (Indian [state of Andhra Pradesh])	17. meerkat & walrus
R. Tupi-Guarani (South American Indian)	18. taipan & wombat

Counterfeit Countries - Random Trivia Answers

• A1) Bill France, Sr.. His son, Bill France, Jr. took over the reins on January 10, 1972 and led the organization until 2000.
• A2) Norman Chad. He lent an air of realism by portraying himself in the 2005 ESPN drama Tilt.
• A3) Chynna Phillips. Despite her success with Wilson Phillips and as a solo artist, she will always be known as the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips from the Mamas and the Papas.
• A4) Iran Barkley. The Bronx native captured the WBC Middleweight crown in June 1988, the IBF Super Middleweight crown in January 1992, and the WBA Light Heavyweight crown in March 1992.
• A5) Kathy Ireland. She graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine's swimsuit issue in 1989.
• A6) Kelly Monaco. She has had regular soap opera roles as Olivia Locke in Port Charles and Samantha McCall on General Hospital.
• A7) India. She hates Scarlett O'Hara for gaining his affection and attention. Leslie Howard played the role in the 1939 film.
• A8) Togo. The terrier first appeared in The Whispering Statue, morphing from a Scottish Terrier to a Bull Terrier sometime during the series.
• A9) Cuba Gooding, Jr.. His character, wide receiver Rod Tidwell, made the emphatic request of the title character in Jerry Maguire in 1996.
• A10) Hamilton Jordan. President Jimmy Carter's advisor and strategist became the chief executive of the new Association of Tennis Professionals in 1990.
• A11) Chili Davis. Born on January 17, 1960 as Charles Theodore Davis, the outfielder and designated hitter clouted 350 roundtrippers for six different teams over 19 seasons. He was originally nicknamed Chili Bowl for a particularly bad haircut when he was twelve.
• A12) Georgia O'Keeffe. She was also the subject of many of her husband Alfred Stieglitz's photographs, which caused a stir in 1921 because she had no clothes in some of them.

Counterfeit Countries - Random Trivia Questions

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it could very easily be a mechanical imposter. This week's answers are like Chiffon margarine; they sound like countries, but they're not!

Counterfeit Countries Questions

• Q1) What "Big Bill" founded the NASCAR stock racing circuit on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers?
• Q2) What Los Angeles reporter cohosts the World Series of Poker on ESPN with Lon McEachern?
• Q3) What female singer joined sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson to form a harmonious trio in 1989?
• Q4) What boxer, nicknamed the Blade, scored the Ring magazine Upset of the Year with a third-round technical knockout of Thomas Hearns on June 6, 1988?
• Q5) What supermodel made her forgettable acting debut in Alien From L.A. in 1988 and starred as screenwriter Taylor Christopher in Amore! in 1993?
• Q6) What actress won the first season of Dancing With the Stars with Alec Mazo?
• Q7) In the novel and movie Gone With the Wind, what is the first name of Ashley Wilkes's sister, who is nearly engaged to Stuart Tarleton?
• Q8) Who is teenage detective Nancy Drew's dog?
• Q9) What actor's movie character asked his agent to "Show me the money!"?
• Q10) What Georgian served as White House Chief of Staff from 1979 to 1980?
• Q11) What Major League Baseball player was the first to be born in Jamaica and had the fourth most career home runs for a switch hitter, trailing only Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, and Chipper Jones?
• Q12) What Southwestern American artist painted the Grey Hills landscape and lived to age 98?