Wednesday, October 14: Tune It Or Die!
POP QUIZ 2: PROPER NAMES
by Rob Lopresti
One interesting thing about surnames is that most of them mean something. (Some only mean that an official at Ellis Island couldn’t spell, but never mind that.) When people ask me about my own I usually explain that Lopresti means “son of a priest.” Then I wait to see if they think that one through. (Actually it is a variation of Lopresto, “the quick one.”)
Each of the definitions below refers to a mystery writer. For example, if I wrote: A female monarch, or an author of fair play mysteries, you would reply: (Ellery) QUEEN.
Keep in mind I don’t promise to give the easiest definitions. I could define “queen” as “a chess piece” or “a type of bee.” But in my never-ending attempt to make your life easier, I have organized the quiz so that the answers are in alphabetical order. Answers next time.
1. A walker at an easy pace, or an author of espionage novels.
2. A formal dance, or an author of police novels.
3. A child’s toy, or an author of comic burglar novels.
4. A section of theatre seats, or an author of novels about a game warden.
5. A mark on cattle, or an author of British police mysteries.
6. A candlemaker, or an author of private eye fiction.
7. A young person, or a British author of thrillers set in the U.S.
8. A religious symbol, or an author of mysteries set in academia.
9. An aquatic animal, or an author of Sherlock Holmes parodies.
10. A resident of northern Belgium, or an author of spy novels.
11. A deep cut in flesh, or an author of mysteries about antiques.
12. A high place, or an author of British police novels.
13. A swampy area, or an author of police novels.
14. An officer in charge of prisoners, or an author of Asian police novels.
15. A cocktail, or an author of legal thrillers.
16. A pestle, or an author of female private eye novels.
17. A type of paper, or an author of comic mysteries.
18. A dark ale, or an author of private eye novels.
19. A male suitor, or an author of novels about crooked gambling.
20. A pleasant surprise, or an author of police procedurals.
You call this making life easier? I got six, which is better than I usually do on tests.
Reader CJD just sent me her/his answers to this quiz and got 19 out of 20 correct. Very impressive!
CJD also included four small corrections to my first quiz, so I will put them in the comments over there.
One interesting thing about surnames is the number of private eyes who bear firearm surnames. Offhand, I can think of several…
Thomas Magnum, P.I.
Peter Magnum, P.I.
Richard Browning, P.I.
Mike Mauser, P.I.
Sally Colt, P.I.
Tracer Bullet, P.I.*
Curt Cannon, P.I.
Frank Cannon, P.I.
Mark Sauer, P.I.
…which suggests something about how we name our heroes. (Says the guy whose name “Benedetto” is Italian for “blessed”)
*I’m a sucker for Calvin and Hobbes
Peter Gunn!