As Rusty As the Spokes On My First Tricycle

My memory is as rusty as the spokes on my first tricycle. Unused for years, many words are long gone or have morphed into variations never heard before. Who knows if I ever had them right to begin with?

Is it tact or tack? Further or farther? Affect or effect? Moot or mute?

Don’t get me started on biological or medical terms. More than once, I’ve said, “I fell prostate before the Lord” when I meant prostrate.

Speaking of prostates, I’ve told people I take Flomax instead of Flonase for nasal congestion. Flomax is an alpha-blocker that relaxes the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, making it easier for men to urinate. Instead of Zantac, I raved how well Xanax works to relieve heartburn, when Xanax is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.

Hm. Perhaps, it is Xanax I need.

For those of you like me struggling with recall and vocabulary, I’ve made this easy-peasy quiz by giving you the definition. All you have to do is circle the word it goes with. May the farce be with you! 

I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ~ 2 Peter 1:13 (NIV)

1. a sieve, especially a very fine one – a) carse; b) farce; c) sarse; d) parse
2. lacking a tail or tail-like appendage – a) masticate; b) flagellate; c) castigate; d) acaudate
3. put an end to, put a stop to, nip in the bud, put the lid on — a) scotch; b) botch; c) swatch; d) splotch
4. the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession – a) plumb; b) scrum; c) bumb; d) rhumb
5. a small stream; especially one that dries up in summer– a) dyke; b) sike; c) shrike; d) pike
6. (of horses, dogs, and other animals) shortish and thickset; stocky – a) dobby; b) cobby; c) nobby; d) knobby
7. have legs that curve outward at the knees; bowlegged – a) bandy; b) chandi; c) grandee; d) shandy
8. turn or hold (a hand, foot, or limb) so that the palm or sole is facing downward or inward – a) rotate; b) pronate; c) probate; d) notate
9. the pulpy acidic fluid that passes from the stomach to the small intestine, consisting of gastric juices and partly digested food — a) clime; b) chyme; c) slime; d) rhime
10. subject to prolonged examination, discussion, or deliberation rip-rap – a) hex; b) aix; c) vex; d) sphex
11. to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment) – a) wreaking; b) tweaking; c) cheeking; d) piquing
12. a small locomotive used to move cars around but not to make trips – a) bunter; b) shunter; c) punter; d) blunter

Have you found the words to go with the definitions? Can you use the words in a sentence? Scroll down to see how you did.

Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning. ~ Proverbs 9:9 (NIV)

Here are the correct answers.

1. c) sarse
2. d) acaudate
3. a) scotch
4. b) scrum
5. b) sike
6. b) cobby
7. a) bandy
8. b) pronate
9. d) chyme
10. c) vex
11. a) wreaking
12. b) shunter

How do you feel about your score?

10-12  Did you cheat? Come on, you can tell me.

07-09  You must be young and still in AP English.

04-06  You guessed better than most.

00-03  You’re not losing it; you’ve lost it.

Want to know what the other words mean? As my father would say, “Then look ’em up!”