English Language TRIVIA

Front

Why are computer problems called "bugs"?

Back

On September 9, 1947, Dr. Grace Hopper found a moth in the circuits of a computer that caused it to malfunction. Although many believe she invented the term "bug", Thomas Edison was already using it in the 19th century to refer to problems with his machines.

Front

What is a speleologist?

Back

A speleologist is someone who studies caves and their environment. Speleology, which comes from the Greek word "spelaion" meaning "cave", is the science of caves.

Front

What do the words "silver", "month", "orange", and "purple" have in common?

Back

Each of these 4 words does not rhyme with any other word in the English language.

Front

What word in English has the most meanings?

Back

The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in English, with 65 definitions listed in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Front

What does "antepenultimate" mean?

Back

"Antepenultimate" refers to the third element in a series, the one that is before the penultimate. The Latin prefix "ante" means "before".

Front

What is the name of the plastic material at the end of a shoelace?

Back

It is called "aglet". The word comes from the French "aguillette", which means "little needle".

Front

What is the name of the ridges on the edge of a coin?

Back

They are called "milling" or "reeding". Originally, they were added to prevent people from scraping small amounts of metal from the edges of the coin.

Front

What is an octothorpe?

Back

An octothorpe is commonly known as the pound sign, hash, hex, or hashtag (#).

Front

What is the name of the gap between the nose and the lips?

Back

It is called the philtrum.

Front

What do the letters in the acronym "ZIP" (ZIP code) mean?

Back

"Zoning Improvement Plan".