Q 01/05

Finish the phrase: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the ___"

A) nest

B) bush

C) tree

D) sky

Answer · why

B) bush

The saying is usually traced to medieval falconry, where a trained bird on the glove was worth far more than any prey still loose in the undergrowth.

Q 02/05

Finish the phrase: "A leopard cannot change its ___"

A) coat

B) spots

C) habits

D) stripes

Answer · why

B) spots

It comes from the Book of Jeremiah, which asks whether the Ethiopian can change his skin or the leopard his markings.

Q 03/05

Finish the phrase: "A penny saved is a penny ___"

A) spent

B) lost

C) found

D) earned

Answer · why

D) earned

It is often credited to Benjamin Franklin, though his Poor Richard's Almanack actually printed a slightly different wording.

Q 04/05

Finish the phrase: "A picture is worth a thousand ___"

A) dollars

B) pictures

C) words

D) lies

Answer · why

C) words

Despite being labelled a Chinese proverb in adverts, it was popularised by American newspaper editor Fred Barnard in the 1920s.

Q 05/05

Finish the phrase: "A rolling stone gathers no ___"

A) speed

B) dust

C) friends

D) moss

Answer · why

D) moss

The proverb gave the world's most durable rock band its name, by way of a Muddy Waters song.