Sarah Tsiang – Horse Trivia – November 6
1. The name of this large popular zoo animal comes from a Greek word that literally
means ‘river horse’.
hippopotamus
(hippos ‘horse’ + potamos ‘river’)
2. The last horse-mounted U.S. Cavalry charge took place during which war?
WWII
(Bataan Peninsula, Philippines, against the Japanese, January 16, 1942)
3. Many words add ‘horse’ to show they are a large example of something, like ‘horse fly’,
a large fly. Name a roast beef condiment, so-named.
horseradish
4. Offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
mule
(Francis, star of 1950s show Francis the Talking Mule, was one)
5. According to the Book of Revelation, how many ‘Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ are
summoned forth when Jesus starts opening the seven seals?
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(Jesus opens the first four of seven seals, which summons riders on white, red, black, and pale
horses which symbolize Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.)
6. According to the proverb, what should you never put ‘before the cart’?
the horse
(Don’t put the horse before the cart.)
7. The American Quarter Horse is named for its peerless speed at what distance?
the quarter mile
8. Traditional name for the occupation of one who shoes horses.
farrier (or blacksmith)
(From Latin ferrum ‘iron’.)
9. Traditionally, the height of horses is measured in units named for this body part.
the hand
(about 4 inches: an average Thoroughbred racehorse is about 16 hands high 64” = 5’4 in)
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10. This idiom comes from the racetrack. If you have submitted something just in time,
you gotten it in under what?
under the wire
(in the early days a racing, a reference wire was hung at the finish line for stewards to judge
which horse finished first)
11. This idiom comes from the racetrack. If a finish is very tight and the winner has barely
won by the smallest margin, we say he has won by what?
Won by a nose
12. The name for this popular western sporting event comes from the Spanish word for
rodear ‘to surround’.
rodeo
(Horses round-up cattle.)
13. The famous lines: ‘A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!’ appear in what
Shakespeare play?
Richard III
CATESBY: Rescue, my Lord of Norfolk, rescue, rescue!
The king enacts more wonders
than a man,
Daring an opposite to every danger:
His horse is slain, and all on foot he
fights,
Seeking for Richmond in the throat of death.
Rescue, fair lord, or else the day is
lost!
KING RICHARD III: A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!
CATESBY: Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a horse.
From Shakespeare's Richard III, 1594:
14. According to the proverb, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but [ …]’
you can’t make him drink
(Used for when you can’t get someone to do something, though you have done your utmost to
make it happen.)
15. In Old French, a courtalt is ‘a horse with a cropped tail’. From this word is derived
what modern English word meaning ‘to cut short’?
curtail
16. In country speech, horse droppings are sometimes called by this fruity term.
road apples
17. This casual shirt takes its name from an equestrian sport where mounted players use
long mallets to hit a small wooden ball through their opponent’s goal.
polo shirt
(Ralph Lauren is a famous designer for this style. Prince William and Prince Harry both play it.)
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18. One meaning of the word tilt is ‘to aim or thrust a lance in a joust’. What famous work
of classical literature has given us the expression ‘tilting at windmills’.
Don Quixote de la Mancha, Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) (Part 1: 1605, Part II, 1615)
[to do something futiley]
19. In earlier times, racehorse owners might put a goat in the stall with their racehorse to
calm its nerves. A competitor might steal that goat in order to upset the horse before the
race. Some think it is this practice of goat-stealing that led to this English idiom, meaning
‘to annoy someone’.
‘to get someone’s goat’
20. In 1877, English author Anna Sewell published a famous autobiography of a horse.
Her poignant descriptions of the difficult life of a Victorian working horse led to reforms
promoting the humane treatment of animals. What was the name of the horse whose
Sewell wrote about?
Black Beauty
[A 1994 Warner Brothers movie]
21. In 1973, this famous racehorse won the Triple Crown, winning the Belmont Stakes by
an amazing 31-lengths. He is widely considered the greatest race horse of all time.
Secretariat
[A blockbuster Disney movie about him was released October 8, 2010.]
[Affirmed, 1978 was the last Triple Crown winner]
22. A cruel technique of 15th century warfare was to spike horseshoes with nails to kill or
injure fallen enemy soldiers. What English idiom is related to this brutal war technique?
to ride roughshod over
[to act harshly without regard for others]
23. Someone with too much to do, like a busy blacksmith, is said to have [ …]
too many irons in the fire
24. Named for its equine profile, this kind of horse lives in the ocean.
sea horse
25. Horses of mixed-blood often became working horses, rather than sport and leisure
horses. Their tails were bobbed so as not to catch in anything, so that their tails stood
upright like a rooster’s. This equine connection may explain this name for a mixed drink.
cocktail
26. An uninspired writer is sometimes called by this name, after the hackney horse, a horse
for hire typically worn down by the drudgery of his job.
hack writer
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27. To most reliably estimate the age of a horse, one would examine his teeth, that grow
and decay at a certain rate. From this practice, we get what equestrian idiom, for
example?
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Straight from the horse’s mouth.
28. According to the proverb, you should never beat what?
a dead horse
29. According to the proverb, you can lead a horse to water, but …
you can’t make him drink
30. In earlier days, only high class people owned tall horses. Nowadays, if someone is
acting arrogantly like a noble of old, we tell him to get off what?
his high horse
31. Nowadays, the strength of automobiles and other machines with engines is measured
by a uit that bears an equestrian name. What’s the name of the unit?
Horsepower
[James Watt visited London breweries which employed large draft horses in order to determine
this unit.]
32. In English, ‘Jack’ is a common name. In Scotland, it is pronounced ‘Jock’. From the
young men who typically handle horses generically called ‘Jock’, we get this term
designating a race horse rider.
Jockey
33. During the Baroque era, about 70% of all opera singers were emasculated men called
castrati. What is a castrated horse called?
Gelding
34. In decelerating from trot to walk, the horse takes several short steps. From this
transition we get the name for what 4-beat ballroom dance step?
Foxtrot
[a smaller mammal like a coyote might move like this] [the step for Moon River]
35. The expression ‘Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts’ refers to a gift of the Greeks to the
Trojans that led to the Fall of Troy. What was the gift?
The Trojan horse. A large wooden horse with Greek warriors hiding inside.
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36. If something is quite another matter altogether, we might say it is a horse of a different
what?
color
37. If someone is really impatient, we might say he is ‘champing’ at what?
The bit
38. This word derived from cheval, the French word for horse, is used to describe the code
of honor practiced by knights in medieval times.
Chivalry
39. We might use a meat mallet, but a central Asian tribe, the Tatars were said to
tenderize their meat by placing it beneath the saddle. From this practice comes the name
of what meat dish made of finely ground raw meat?
Steak Tartare
[a common relish for fish also bears this name]
40. Slower than a gallop, faster than a trot, this horse gait is named after the town of
Canterbury in England, where pilgrims used to ride at this pace on their way to reverence
the shrine of Thomas a Becket.
canter
41. The carpenter places his wood on a saw horse. The painter places his painting-inprogress on what type of support, named not for the horse but for its cousin, the ass.
An easel
42. According to the 19th century folksong, what’s the matter with ‘The Old Gray Mare’?
She ain’t what she used to be.
43. When the automobile was first invented, it was playfully called it by this name,
indicating a vehicle not pulled by a horse.
horseless carriage
44. A common young girl’s hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back in one bunch and
secured with an elastic band.
Pony tail
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45. In Cindarella, the fairy godmother changes a pumpkin into a coach. The fairy
godmother changes what into horses to pull the coach?
Mice
46. In Greek mythology, Zeus is the god of Thunder, but this god is considered master of
the thunder of horses’ hooves, and other terrifying shakings of the earth.
Poseidon
[Lord of the Sea, in Roman mythology, Neptune]
47. Conceived of Poseidon, this winged horse sprung forth from Medusa after Perseus
severed her head.
Pegasus
[It’s cute!]
48. In the 1850 Stephen Foster Song, Camptown Races,
l bet my money on de bob-tail nag,
Somebody bet on
which other horse?
de bay.
49. In the nursery rhyme
Ride a Cock-Horse
One was to Ride a Cock-Horse To Banbury Cross to see what?
To see a fine lady
Upon a white horse
50. This Scottish pony was often used as a mine pit pony.
Shetland pony.
[Shetland wool comes from the same islands this pony comes from.
51. Bees don’t have knees, cats don’t have pajamas, what do horses not have that birds do,
that gives us a similar funny expression meaning, ‘How silly!’
‘Coach’
‘Cob’