Brain Teasers
Eponyms
Language
Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.Language
An eponym is a person or place, real or fictitious, whose name has become so ingrained in the English language that a word or phrase is named after them, giving true immortality. An example of an eponym is Romulus, who founded Rome which was subsequently named after him according to Roman legend.
Both Group A and Group B contain a list of eponyms, but the words have been separated to fit a specific criteria. Can you determine which group the word Chauvinist fits into and what method of selection was used to group the words?
GROUP A
Mesmerize
Listeria
Guillotine
Salmonella
GROUP B
Pander
Hygiene
Arachnid
Narcissistic
Both Group A and Group B contain a list of eponyms, but the words have been separated to fit a specific criteria. Can you determine which group the word Chauvinist fits into and what method of selection was used to group the words?
GROUP A
Mesmerize
Listeria
Guillotine
Salmonella
GROUP B
Pander
Hygiene
Arachnid
Narcissistic
Answer
Chauvinist fits into Group A. Each of the words in Group A were named for real people, while the words in Group B were named for fictional and mythological characters.Chauvinist is named for Nicolas Chauvin, a soldier in Napoleon's army.
Mesmerize is named for Franz Mesmer, an Austrian Psychiatrist who used hypnosis in his therapy.
Listeria, a type of bacteria, is named for Lord Joseph Lister, a British surgeon who demonstrated that sanitation saves lives.
Guillotine is named for Joseph Ignace Guillotin, the French physician who invented the device.
Salmonella is named for Daniel Elmer Salmon, an American veterinary pathologist who researched Salmonella cholerae-suis in hogs.
Pander is attributed to the character Pandarus, in the poem Filostrato by Giovanni Boccaccio.
Hygiene is attributed to Hygeia, the Greek Goddess of health.
Arachnid is named for Arachne, who in Greek mythology was turned into a spider by Athena.
Narcissistic is named for the mythological character Narcissus, a young man renowned for his beauty and pride.
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