Words! Words! Words!

On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein was born. It’s also Pie Day. One day, little Albert came home from school and his papa asked “What did you learn today?” “In my geometry class, I learned pi r squared,” answered Albert. “Dumbkopf!” said his papa, “pie are round. Cornbread’s square.” Make mine blueberry and we’ll eat it at the speed of light while you try today’s vocabulary quiz.

1. fission:

1. the action of distorting an image by viewing through a medium;
2. one of several portions (as of a distillate) separable by fractionation;
3. the splitting of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of large amounts of energy;
4. the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy when certain light elements unite.

1. party spirit especially when marked by agreement;
2. a useful illusion or pretense;
3. the union of atomic nuclei to form heavier nuclei resulting in the release of enormous quantities of energy when certain light elements unite;
4. the splitting of an atomic nucleus resulting in the release of large amounts of energy.

3. hydrogen bomb:

1. a cocktail made of gin and dry kerosene;
2. (capped) a post-rock band from Beverly, Massachusetts;
3. a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons in a very rapid chain reaction;
4. a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of atomic energy resulting from the fusion of light nuclei at very high temperature and pressure to form helium nuclei.

4. chess pie:

1. a pie or tart with a filling made especially of eggs, butter, and sugar;
2. a mince pie made for a king and queen;
3. a shepherd's pie made especially with beef;
4. humble pie.

5. spanakopita:

1. a bridge extending from one Greek isle to another Greek isle;
2. a traditional Greek pie of spinach, feta cheese, and seasonings baked in phyllo;
3. complete and total annihilation by fire;
4. an ancient Greek pie pan in the shape of a horsehead.

6. muse:

1. a guiding genius;
2. an attendant power or spirit;
3. one that has exceptional enthusiasm, drive, or effectiveness;
4. the intelligent sounds of a cat.

7. circle graph:

1. a stock-tracking device;
2. a graph containing all points in a line joining any two constituent points;
3. a pie chart;
4. a straight line associated with a curve such that as a point moves along an infinite branch of the curve the distance from the point to the line approaches zero and the slope of the curve at the point approaches the slope of the line.

8. shoofly pie:

1. a rich pie of Pennsylvania Dutch origin made of molasses or brown sugar sprinkled with a crumbly mixture of flour, sugar, and butter;
2. an unsweetened custard pie usually having a savory filling (as spinach, mushrooms, or ham);
3. a small pie or pastry shell without a top containing jelly, custard, or fruit;
4. a fish pie with a mashed potato crust.

9. humble pie:

1. (capped) an English rock band formed by Steve Marriott in Essex during 1969;
2. a figurative serving of arrogance usually in the form of a forced command;
3. (capped) a post-rock band from Beverly, Massachusetts;
4. custard baked with a caramel glaze.

10. pi:

1. 4.13;
2. half the circumference of a unit circle;
3. the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference;
4. the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Correct Answers:

1c; 2c; 3d; 4a; 5b; 6a; 7c; 8a; 9a; 10d

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