Customs, Terms & Symbols

40 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set

1.In which city has the YMCA Turkey Trot footrace run continuously since 1896?
- A. Buffalo, New York
- B. Detroit, Michigan
- C. Chicago, Illinois
- D. Boston, Massachusetts
Show answer
Buffalo, New York
Did you know? Buffalo's YMCA Turkey Trot dates to 1896, America's oldest continuous run.
2.Which 2012 storm flooded the Macy's parade studio?
- A. Hurricane Katrina
- B. Hurricane Sandy
- C. Hurricane Irma
- D. Hurricane Harvey
Show answer
Hurricane Sandy
Did you know? Hurricane Sandy flooded the studio, but the floats survived.
3.What do decorators call the arrangement anchoring the middle of the holiday table?
- A. The garland
- B. The sideboard
- C. The centerpiece
- D. The runner
Show answer
The centerpiece
Did you know? The centerpiece is the table's visual anchor.
4.Letting yeast dough rise before baking rolls is called what?
- A. Punching
- B. Piping
- C. Proofing
- D. Pulling
Show answer
Proofing
Did you know? Proofed dough doubles before the oven.
5.Only one sex of turkey can gobble. Which?
- A. Both sexes
- B. The female
- C. The male
- D. Neither
Show answer
The male
Did you know? Only tom turkeys gobble; hens cluck and yelp.
6.Colorful decorative ears of dried corn are known by which traditional name?
- A. Sweet corn
- B. Field corn
- C. Indian corn
- D. Candy corn
Show answer
Indian corn
Did you know? Multicolored flint corn is the classic "Indian corn" decoration.
7.What pulls the parade's giant floats down the avenue?
- A. Bicycles
- B. Trucks
- C. Trains
- D. Horses
Show answer
Trucks
Did you know? Floats ride on towed tractor rigs.
8.Which large hard-shelled squash family member doubles as autumn table decoration?
- A. Cucumbers
- B. Gourds
- C. Zucchini
- D. Melons
Show answer
Gourds
Did you know? Decorative gourds crowd centerpieces each autumn.
9.Tying a bird's legs and wings close for roasting is called what?
- A. Trussing
- B. Tumbling
- C. Torching
- D. Tying knots
Show answer
Trussing
Did you know? Trussing helps the bird roast evenly.
10.In show-business slang, what do performers call a total flop?
- A. A lemon
- B. A goose egg
- C. A dud
- D. A turkey
Show answer
A turkey
Did you know? A failed show is theater slang for "a turkey."
11.The cornucopia, the horn-shaped basket of plenty, traces back to which mythology?
- A. Norse mythology
- B. Egyptian mythology
- C. Celtic mythology
- D. Greek mythology
Show answer
Greek mythology
Did you know? The cornucopia comes from Greek myth of abundance.
12.Which NBC morning show anchors the parade coverage?
- A. Good Morning America
- B. CBS Mornings
- C. The Today Show
- D. Saturday Night Live
Show answer
The Today Show
Did you know? Today's anchors host the Herald Square coverage.
13.Which grain symbolizes harvest abundance on holiday tables and door wreaths?
- A. Barley
- B. Oats
- C. Corn
- D. Rice
Show answer
Corn
Did you know? Dried corn ears and stalks stand for abundance.
14.Coating food in flour before frying is called what?
- A. Dicing
- B. Dredging
- C. Drizzling
- D. Dressing
Show answer
Dredging
Did you know? Dredged pieces fry into a crisp crust.
15.Which idiom describes a one-sided contest with an easy target?
- A. A quail chase
- B. A duck march
- C. A turkey shoot
- D. A goose step
Show answer
A turkey shoot
Did you know? A "turkey shoot" is an easily won, one-sided affair.
16.The smaller seating area for children at the holiday meal is called what?
- A. The youth row
- B. The little bench
- C. The corner booth
- D. The kids' table
Show answer
The kids' table
Did you know? Children traditionally dine at "the kids' table."
17.Which network televises the parade today?
- A. NBC
- B. ABC
- C. FOX
- D. CBS
Show answer
NBC
Did you know? NBC has carried the parade for decades.
18.The cornucopia is popularly known by which other English name?
- A. The basket of gold
- B. The bowl of harvest
- C. The horn of plenty
- D. The cup of promise
Show answer
The horn of plenty
Did you know? "Horn of plenty" is the common English gloss for cornucopia.
19.Gradually warming a mixture to prevent curdling, as in custard pies, is called what?
- A. Tempering
- B. Torching
- C. Thinning
- D. Tenderizing
Show answer
Tempering
Did you know? Tempering saves pumpkin pie custard from curdling.
20.Which idiom for an unrealistic promise involves a dessert course?
- A. Half-baked
- B. Icing on the cake
- C. Pie in the sky
- D. Cake walk
Show answer
Pie in the sky
Did you know? "Pie in the sky" promises rewards that never arrive.
21.Which global day of charitable giving, launched in 2012, follows Cyber Monday?
- A. GivingTuesday
- B. Donation Nation
- C. Charity Saturday
- D. GoodGive Day
Show answer
GivingTuesday
Did you know? GivingTuesday began in 2012 as a global generosity movement.
22.Giant character balloons first appeared in the parade in which year?
- A. 1924
- B. 1955
- C. 1927
- D. 1939
Show answer
1927
Did you know? Tony Sarg's balloons debuted in 1927.
23.Blending food into a smooth paste is called what?
- A. Kneading
- B. Coring
- C. Whipping
- D. Puréeing
Show answer
Puréeing
Did you know? Mashed potatoes begin with puréeing.
24.The turkey bird is named after which country, via trade-route confusion with guinea fowl?
- A. Peru
- B. Egypt
- C. India
- D. Turkey
Show answer
Turkey
Did you know? English traders mistook guinea fowl, "turkey fowl," for the American bird.
25.A male turkey is called what?
- A. A stallion
- B. A tom
- C. A ram
- D. A bull
Show answer
A tom
Did you know? Male turkeys are called toms or gobblers.
26.Slowly browning onions' natural sugars is called what?
- A. Caramelizing
- B. Curing
- C. Clarifying
- D. Charbroiling
Show answer
Caramelizing
Did you know? Caramelized onions sweeten sides and gravies.
27.Which idiom for an easy, profitable situation borrows a holiday side dish?
- A. The pie road
- B. The potato path
- C. The mashed lane
- D. The gravy train
Show answer
The gravy train
Did you know? Riding "the gravy train" means easy profits.
28.A female turkey is called what?
- A. A sow
- B. A hen
- C. A mare
- D. A ewe
Show answer
A hen
Did you know? Female turkeys are hens; males are toms.
29.Moistening a roasting bird with its own juices is called what?
- A. Braising
- B. Basting
- C. Breading
- D. Blanching
Show answer
Basting
Did you know? Basting keeps the surface moist during roasting.
30.What is the Portuguese name for the Thanksgiving holiday?
- A. Dia das Mães
- B. Dia de Ação de Graças
- C. Dia da Pátria
- D. Dia do Índio
Show answer
Dia de Ação de Graças
Did you know? Portuguese speakers know the holiday as Dia de Ação de Graças.
31.Dissolving a pan's browned bits with liquid is called what?
- A. Double-boiling
- B. Deglazing
- C. Dry-brining
- D. Decanting
Show answer
Deglazing
Did you know? Deglazing the roasting pan builds the gravy.
32.The turkey vulture is named for its resemblance to the bird in which feature?
- A. Its curved beak
- B. Its broad tail
- C. Its bald red head
- D. Its waddling walk
Show answer
Its bald red head
Did you know? The turkey vulture's naked red head recalls the turkey's.
33.Which French term describes prepping and organizing ingredients before cooking the big meal?
- A. Mise en place
- B. Roux
- C. Terrine
- D. Sous-vide
Show answer
Mise en place
Did you know? Mise en place keeps holiday cooking calm.
34.The word "harvest" originally referred to which season?
- A. Summer
- B. Autumn
- C. Spring
- D. Winter
Show answer
Autumn
Did you know? "Harvest" was Old English for the autumn season.
35.Which ragtime-era dance step is named for the bird's strutting walk?
- A. The Mashed Potato
- B. The Bunny Hop
- C. The Turkey Trot
- D. The Monkey
Show answer
The Turkey Trot
Did you know? The Turkey Trot was the rage in early-1900s dance halls.
36.Which idiom for quitting a habit abruptly borrows the bird's name?
- A. Fresh quail
- B. Warm goose
- C. Cold turkey
- D. Hot duck
Show answer
Cold turkey
Did you know? "Quitting cold turkey" means stopping abruptly and completely.
37.Which idiom means to discuss a matter frankly and directly?
- A. Talk turkey
- B. Chat quail
- C. Speak goose
- D. Parley pheasant
Show answer
Talk turkey
Did you know? "Let's talk turkey" means to get down to business.
38.The Portuguese word for turkey, "peru", is named after which country?
- A. Portugal
- B. Peru
- C. Panama
- D. Paraguay
Show answer
Peru
Did you know? Portuguese speakers call the bird "peru" after the South American country.
39.Since 1975, the Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony has been held each Thanksgiving on which island?
- A. Alcatraz
- B. Ellis Island
- C. Governors Island
- D. Staten Island
Show answer
Alcatraz
Did you know? The sunrise gathering has met on Alcatraz Island since 1975.
40.Macy's builds its parade floats in which neighboring state's studio?
- A. Pennsylvania
- B. Connecticut
- C. Rhode Island
- D. New Jersey
Show answer
New Jersey
Did you know? Macy's Parade Studio sits in New Jersey.

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