Tuesday Trivia

1. Where does the term “salary” come from?
2. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, Dr. Watson is said to have suffered a bullet wound during the war. Where was he shot?
3. What famous Russian novelist and short story writer had several butterflies named after him?
4. What best-selling author opened the first Saab auto dealership in the United States?
5. What famous writer wished to ban Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn from American public libraries, stating it was inappropriate for "our pure-minded lads and lassies"?

Last Week's Answers

What is the most expensive book or manuscript ever sold at an auction?

The most expensive book or manuscript ever sold at an auction was The Codex Hammer, a notebook belonging to Leonardo da Vinci. It sold for $30.8 million.

When was the first novel written?

The first novel ever written contains 54 chapters and is titled The Tale of Genji. It was written in the beginning of the 11^th century by Murasaki Shibuku, a Japanese noblewoman.

How old are the oldest words in the English language?

The oldest words in the English language date from approximately 14,000 years ago and originate from a pre-Indo-European language called Nostratic by linguists. Words from Nostratic that survive today include apple gold (gol), (apal), tin (tin), and bad (bad).

In old English, the word “with” originally meant what?

In Old English, the word with meant "against". This meaning is still preserved in phrases such as "to fight with"

A group of geese is called a gaggle when they are on the ground. What are they called when they are in flight?

A group of magpies is called a tiding, one of ravens an unkindness, one of turtledoves a pitying, one of starlings a murmuration, one of swans a lamentation, one of ponies a string, one of rattlesnakes a rhumba, one of crows a murder, one of cobras a quiver, one of foxes a skulk, one of emus a mob, one of elks a gang, one of cats a clowder, one of flamingoes a pat, and one of bears a sleuth. Groups of geese are named in a peculiar manner; when they are on the ground they are called a "gaggle", but in the air they are called a "skein."