Todays quiz: Cataract may mean: a. Lake b. Waterfall c. Stream d. Whirlpool

A matchless and oft quoted passage from the immortal bard Shakespeare is “hoist on his own petard”…petard being a bomb. The phrase proclaims he blew himself up by accident. In this ironic twist, his own trap meant for another, backfired on the prankster himself! The phrase lives on today. And currently we have a similar, updated pearl…stepping on rakes! If you traipse on an iron rake the wrong way it will rise up and bonk you! “The hapless Senate candidate keeps stepping on rakes!”

The domain of haute cuisine gives us ‘sous chef’ or the assistant chef. Somehow, maybe because of the French word sous, it sounds more impressive than executive chef. Life is unfair. Anyway, they both wear the toque, the chef chapeau.

Buzzy alludes to dishy gossip. A topic that creates a buzz. ‘Spill the tea’ underlines hearsay and whispers. Lately, buzzy has taken on a connotation indicating something not just newsy but weird too. “The lava lamps of the bell bottom era were buzzy.”

Ever feel dragooned, bigfooted or buffaloed? You were if you were ever under pressure to do something. A bigfoot may also encapsulate a media executive. Railroaded connotes coerced or given an unfair trial. One can railroad or ramrod a bill through Congress. Ramrod can also symbolize an overseer or queen bee.

One of my favorites is preciosity, something treasured. But it also implies being one step too cute. As if one may be looking for sympathy when none is really needed.

Opa! It’s Greek for oops, whoops or hooray! Often accompanied by plate smashing! Coincidentally, opa is German for grandpa.

Catfishing involves misrepresenting oneself on the internet to grift or defraud.

Aubergine is a purple eggplant, ergo, aubergine stands for anything purplish. And did you know a slam can be a poetry reading contest?

Answer : b. Waterfall