1. In 1923, Frederick Mockford, a senior radio officer, was asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and be easily understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency. He proposed this word from a French phrase which means ‘come and help me’. The same word if split exactly in half refers to a public holiday that used to be known as a spring festival and is today more widely known as a day celebrated by workers around the world. What word is this?
2. The Sanskrit word ‘citra’ means multi-coloured or speckled. This word was borrowed to describe and name an animal that had a large population in India at one time but is extinct in the country now. What fast disappearing (in the world) animal is this?
3. In the 15th and 16th centuries, many Catholic priests would father illegitimate children (despite having taken a vow of chastity). Some of these priests went on to become popes and appointed these children to posts at the Vatican. To avoid people questioning the relationship, these children were claimed to be ‘nephews’ and given the post. What English term, for such appointments, which is being seen frequently in the papers nowadays, comes from the Latin word for nephew?
4. Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colours when impurities are present. If it is red, it is considered a precious gem. Corundum is derived from ‘Kurundam’, from a language where it plays a major role in a legend. In the legend, its presence in a leg ornament led to the destruction of the quizmaster’s hometown. What is this precious gem and the ornament?
5. This drink was introduced from India to the United Kingdom in the early 17th century and is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls. The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and spices. So what word from Urdu became the name of this popular drink?
6. This type of marine transport is made by tying logs of wood together. And the native word is literally that: ‘logs tied up’. Since the first type of such vessels was seen in this area, the English word is a mutation of the native word. What is the English word which now means any boat with more than one hull.
7. In the early 19th century, the British saw many Indians wearing comfortable clothing ( jamah ) over their legs ( pay ). Borrowing the idea and the name, what set of loose-fitting clothes did they popularise?
8. In ancient Egypt, khēmia or ‘preparation of black powder’ was derived from Kēme, the land of black earth. After the introduction of Islam, Persian words converted to Arabic, thereby adding ‘al’ to names, hence creating ‘al-kimiya’. In the 12th century, this became a certain philosophic practice. Around the 1600s, that further mutated to become a very important branch of science now. What is the modern science and the practice it came from?
9. The Dutch word ‘kwakzalver’ literally means ‘someone who shouts about ointments’ and was referred to people who sold their wares in the market shouting in a loud voice. What derogatory English word comes from this?
10. This word did not exist before January 2001. It is a very interesting hybrid made of a Hawaiian word which means ‘quick’ and a Latin word that means ‘learning’, which is exactly what this portal of knowledge does. What is the hybrid word?
Answers
1. Mayday (from ‘m’aidez’), and May Day
2. Cheetah
3. Nepotism
4. Ruby inside an anklet that proves Kannagi’s innocence in the epic Silapathikaram
5. Panch (Urdu for five) became ‘Punch’
6. Catamaran from the Tamil word Kattu-maram
7. Pajamas from the Hindi word payjamah
8. Chemistry from alchemy
9. Quack
10. Wikipedia
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’.
