Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Cliche Quiz

A prize to anybody who knows all seven; and a bonus if you can name the original source.

1. Pride goeth before _____________.
2. To ___________ the lily.
3. A little _________ is a dangerous thing.
4. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no __________.
5. _________ is the root of all evil.
6. I only regret that I have but __________ for my country.
7. Imitation is the sincerest ________ flattery.


And NO googling (not that it will help you; in fact, it might mislead you as these are all widely mistaken and misquoted).

16 comments:

Steven D. Schroeder said...

Ooh, I can come close, I think:
1. a fall
2. gild
3. knowledge (damn, could be learning, too...)
4. lies
5. money
6. one life to give (I actually thought "nine lives" on first reading it)
7. form of
I don't know the sources for most of them, except 6, which is Nathan Hale. I assume the Bible is the source for at least one. Shakespeare in there somewhere too?

Peter said...

Steve: So sorry: you are close, but all seven answers you gave are wrong. Try again?

A. D. said...

I'm a Google cheat. I won't post the answers, though I haven't been able to find number 4.

Very interesting.

Amy Newman said...
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Amy Newman said...
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Jeannine said...

Hmmm...I think five is "The love of money is the root of all evil." This is from the letters of Paul to Timothy, I think. This is from my Sunday school lessons, of course - not that money is evil, but that the love of it is. On all the rest - I'd be with Steve, so I'd be wrong.

Peter said...

Jeannine: Bingo. It's not "money" but "the love of money" that is the root of all evil. Which I find way more interesting.

AD: please, feel free to Google. I know we all do it. ~grin~

Anne Haines said...

1. breakfast, but only if there's adequate caffeine
2. unsuccessfully seduce
3. deadly nightshade
4. bad poetry
5. Republicanism
6. a cowboy hat
7. literary movement, next to

Peter said...

Anne: You are a star.

Neil Aitken said...

1. the morning mail.
2. pad
3. dog in a ninja suit
4. tales from the taxidermist's crypt
5. The taxing of income
6. a few commercial breaks to give
7. monkey at the convention on

Neil Aitken said...

1. destruction
2. paint
3. learning
4. tales
5. The love of money
6. one life to lose
7. (nothing)

Peter said...

Neil: You are so close! Only 4 and 7 are off (to my humble reckoning).

Peter said...

My "alternates:"

1. a parade
2. swill
3. love
4. more
5. Fundamentalism
6. vote
7. method of

A. D. said...

Peter-
Ooh, I know 7! Darn 4!

1. marriage
2. pickle
3. (same as #2)
4. Google
5. Freud
6. one last nerve
7. old

Steven D. Schroeder said...

My cheeks are burning with shame.

The Sublibrarian said...

Don't worry, Steven. I would have posted the exact same answers, and that even with knowing that Pope was the source for "A little...". Thank you for taking the hit for the rest of us.