1. Which of these best describes 'magniloquent'?
A. Speaking in high-flown, grandiose style
B. Speaking softly in private
C. Using gestures instead of words
A. Right! 'Magniloquent' means speaking in lofty or grandiose style. SRK cheekily thanked Tharoor for not being magniloquent after his National Award win, poking fun at Tharoor's impressive vocabulary. A. Oops! 'Magniloquent' is about speaking grandly -- SRK referenced it while joking with Shashi Tharoor on X after winning the National award.
2. What does 'sesquipedalian' mean?
A. Prone to taking long vacations
B. Using long, complex words
C. Very quick to anger
B. Correct! 'Sesquipedalian' refers to using long, obscure words -- a hallmark of Shashi Tharoor's tweets that inspired SRK's witty reply. B. Nope! Sesquipedalian is about long words -- SRK used it to underline Tharoor's pechant for using long words.
3. What's the meaning of 'farrago', used by Tharoor in a famous 2017 viral tweet.
A. Secret plot
B. A confused mixture
C. A loud argument
B. That's right! Tharoor called a TV report 'an exasperating farrago' -- sparking memes and dictionary lookups everywhere. B. Wrong! 'Farrago' means a confused mixture; it was used by Tharoor in a tweet that went viral.
4. What does 'lalochezia' mean, as tweeted by Tharoor about his mentions on X?
A. Use of foul language to relieve stress
B. Fear of long words
C. Sleepwalking
A. Correct! Tharoor joked about 'lalochezia' -- using vulgarity to feel better -- when replying to Twitter (now X) trolls. A. Not quite! 'Lalochezia' is using crude language; Tharoor's used it to describe internet trolling.
5. What is a 'snollygoster,' declared as 'word of the day' by Tharoor?
A. A type of bird
B. A shrewd, unprincipled politician
C. A strange weather phenomenon
B. Yes! Tharoor used 'snollygoster' to describe political turncoats when Bihar's Nitish Kumar switched alliances in 2024. B. Sorry! 'Snollygoster' is his word for crafty, unprincipled politicians -- used perfectly by Tharoor to describe political turncoats when Bihar's Nitish Kumar switched alliances in 2024.
6. Tharoor popularised 'Webaqoof' to mock...
A. A fashion faux pas
B. Those who believe everything online
C. Bollywood fan wars
B. Right! Tharoor tweeted 'Webaqoof' tp describe people who fall for any internet claim -- giving us a new dictionary word. B. Try again! 'Webaqoof' is all about online gullibility, as Tharoor playfully tweeted.
7. What is 'hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia' -- once humorously explained by Tharoor?
A. Fear of large animals
B. Fear of long words
C. Passion for dictionaries
B. Spot on! Tharoor joked about giving people 'hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia' -- the fear of long words -- when he used a streak of complex vocabulary in tweets. B. Wrong! The word means fear of long words -- Tharoor made the internet laugh when he used it.
8. Tharoor used 'prurient' while complaining about what?
A. Voyeuristic media behaviour
B. Cricket matches
C. Political speeches
A. You got it! 'Prurient' describes an excessive interest in sexual matters -- Tharoor used it to criticise media voyeurism regarding his private life. A. Oh no! 'Prurient' refers to salacious interest -- a witty jab by Tharoor at the press.
9. What was 'thang Hoog hats' -- Tharoor's most LOL Twitter typo -- really meant to be?
A. A hat brand
B. A spicy dish
C. Than 'ghoonghats' (veils)
C. Correct! Autocorrect caused a typo when Tharoor intended to write 'than ghoonghats' but everyone wondered if it was another Tharoorian word! He quickly clarified the error but the typo is now legendary. C. No, that typo was meant to say ' than ghoonghats'; it not refer to any trending new fashion item.
10. When Tharoor mentioned being 'scripturient,' he meant:
A. Suffering from writer's block
B. Having a passion to write
C. Writing with invisible ink
B. Bravo! 'Scripturient' means an intense urge to write -- Tharoor used it describing his own prolific output and passion for books. B. Nope! 'Scripturient' is having the urge to write -- a word that describes every true writer.
- Get Ahead