Blends

Blends (also known as portmanteau words) are words created by joining words together - usually parts of two words. For example, a "sitcom" on television is a blend made from "situation comedy". Try to decide which pairs of words make up the following blends. Definitions are supplied in brackets when a word's meaning may be unclear.

1. Motel.
   Motor+hotel.
2. Brunch (a meal eaten late in the morning).
   Breakfast+lunch.
3. Benelux (three countries).
   Belgium+Netherlands+Luxembourg.
4. Bollywood.
   Bombay+Hollywood.
5. Emoticon.
   Emotion+icon.
6. Avionics (equipment for aircraft and space vehicles).
   Aviation+electronics.
7. Bit (a unit of information or memory).
   Binary+digit.
8. Transistor.
   Transfer+resistor.
9. Blunge (to mix clay, etc. with water).
   Blend+plunge.
10. Electret (a permanently polarized dielectric material).
    Electricity+magnet.

Questions set by Tony Augarde, author of "The Oxford Guide to Word Games"

How did you do?

0 - 1    Mmmm, not exactly brilliant.
2 - 5    A reasonable stab.
6 - 8    A good showing. But there's still room for improvement!
9 - 10  You really know your stuff. Well done!