UK Commentators: Dumb Britain Part 3282

Saturday, October 06, 2007

It's not just our own language what we can't write in.

Anonymous said...: I was watching Egg Heads ( I think that was the name) on the telly yesterday. One of the questions to come up was, what percussion instrument is named after the greek word for wood? The contestant answered 'the flute'.; 11:46 am
Anonymous said...: Oboe?; 1:36 pm
Anonymous said...: You whack people with your oboe, V? I'll guess xylophone.; 6:19 pm
Anonymous said...: Touché, Dearie Me!

OK. Are castenets considered percussion instruments? If so, the word comes from chestnut. And chestnut grove. That's close, but I think it's Latin, not Greek.

On the other hand, if the quiz was on the telly, as Anonymous indicates, the research would have been sloppily done by a "media studies" graduate, so castanet may be right despite being the wrong language.; 6:36 pm
Anonymous said...: On the other hand, xyloid, in Greek, means "wood like", so I think Dearie Me takes this one.; 6:37 pm

UK Commentators