Holi Quiz

Guess the color!

• Froggylicious

• Verdigris Green

• Pistachio Paradise

• Cucumber Crush

Answer explanation

About the Word:

Verdigris came into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French vert de Grece, literally, "green of Greece." Ancient Greeks manufactured this pigment by hanging copper plates over hot vinegar in a sealed container.

When copper naturally oxidizes, a verdigris green film forms on its surface - as it has, for example, on the Statue of Liberty.

Full Definition:

: a moderate yellowish green that is greener, lighter, and stronger than tarragon or average almond green and paler and slightly greener than malachite green

Guess the color!

• Bisque

• Chestnut Charm

• Teddy Bear Tan

• Caramelicious

Answer explanation

About the Word:

Bisque is probably a shortened and altered form of biscuit (meaning "earthenware or porcelain after the first firing and before glazing"), which comes in turn from the Anglo-French (pain) besquit, "twice-cooked bread." One example of twice-cooked bread, a teething biscuit, can indeed be the color of such earthenware.

Full Definition:

: a light grayish brown especially used in textiles

Guess the color!

• Purple Haze

• Grapefruit Glee

• Cattleya

• Lilac Lullaby

Answer explanation

About the Word:

This color comes from a kind of orchid named for William Cattley, a patron of botany whose enthusiasm for orchids helped fuel a British craze for the flowers in the 1700s. The most common form of one of Cattley's original orchids (the cattleya labiata) highlights the color cattleya.

Full Definition:

: a moderate purple that is redder and paler than heliotrope, bluer and paler than average amethyst, and paler and slightly bluer than manganese violet

Guess the color!

• Smalt

• Sapphire Surprise

• Turquoise Treat

• Cobalt Craze

Answer explanation

About the Word:

The color name comes from the blue glass of the same name. Smalt is created by fusing together - melting - potassium carbonate, silica, and cobalt oxide; the word's Germanic ancestor means "to melt."

Full Definition:

: a moderate blue that is redder and duller than average copen, redder and deeper than azurite blue, Dresden blue, or pompadour, and greener and deeper than luster blue

Guess the color!

• Carmine

• Raspberry Razzle

• Merlot

• Damask

Answer explanation

About the Word:

It may or may not have originated in Damascus, but the name of the damask rose - a flower that traveled to Europe during the Middle Ages - honors that Syrian city. The hue of the blossom lives on as a color name.

Full Definition:

: a grayish red that is bluer than bois de rose, bluer, lighter, and stronger than blush rose, and bluer and deeper than Pompeian red or appleblossom