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Quiz about Britspeak
Quiz about Britspeak

Britspeak Trivia Quiz


Shaw called England and America two countries separated by the same language. This quiz will show it's really different idioms to blame!

A multiple-choice quiz by tjoebigham. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
tjoebigham
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
33,723
Updated
May 21 23
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
16 / 20
Plays
5974
Last 3 plays: daisygirl20 (20/20), Ampelos (18/20), Reamar42 (16/20).
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Question 1 of 20
1. What do Britons use in place of 'hood', as in car hood? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. And what is the British English term for car trunk? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. What is the British term for what an American would call a cookie? Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. And a druggist or pharmacist? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. What do the British call their version of American French fries? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Here's a wild one! What fish did the English once use as another name for a joke or mock-something? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. And what about 'cock-up'? (Don't worry! It's not what you think!) Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. What do the British call an elevator? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. Britain's umbrellas were once named after which Charles Dickens character? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. What did they once call vending machines? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. And what do they call one-armed bandits? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. What non-sexual meaning did 'knock up' once have in England? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. And their 'screw'? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. What is the British word 'torch' equivalent to? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. What do the Brits call suspenders? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. If they call a trunk a boot, what used to be a trunk call? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. How about a flyover? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. What animal has long given its name to British pedestrian crossings? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. And what is the phonetic name for letter Z? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. What do they call the period (in punctuation)? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Today : daisygirl20: 20/20
Dec 15 2024 : Ampelos: 18/20
Nov 25 2024 : Reamar42: 16/20
Nov 24 2024 : dee1304: 20/20
Oct 29 2024 : runaway_drive: 15/20

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What do Britons use in place of 'hood', as in car hood?

Answer: bonnet

Yep, believe it or not!
2. And what is the British English term for car trunk?

Answer: boot

Named for footwear, to boot!
3. What is the British term for what an American would call a cookie?

Answer: a biscuit

Yes, that's what they call cookies and the like.
4. And a druggist or pharmacist?

Answer: chemist

Obviously because he trades in chemicals.
5. What do the British call their version of American French fries?

Answer: chips

What? Haven't you ever heard of fish and chips? British chips are actually thicker and more irregular - more like what Americans call steak fries or potato wedges - than the typically smaller French fries.
6. Here's a wild one! What fish did the English once use as another name for a joke or mock-something?

Answer: cod

In British idiom, a cod___(fill in blank) once meant a mock or parody version and joke.
7. And what about 'cock-up'? (Don't worry! It's not what you think!)

Answer: mess, fiasco

Ironically, Brits say, 'keep your pecker up!' meaning 'take courage!'
8. What do the British call an elevator?

Answer: a lift

And while we're on the subject...
9. Britain's umbrellas were once named after which Charles Dickens character?

Answer: Sarah Gamp

Sarah Gamp, from Dickens' story, "Martin Chuzzelwit", was noted for always carrying her large umbrella with her, thus became the old British slang term for umbrella.
10. What did they once call vending machines?

Answer: slot machines

Because of the coin slot? (now they call gambling machines slots and vending machines vending machines!)
11. And what do they call one-armed bandits?

Answer: fruit machines

Perhaps because of the traditional oranges, lemons, et al.
12. What non-sexual meaning did 'knock up' once have in England?

Answer: wake someone up

From knocking on a person's bedroom door. The idiom probably came from when professionals knocked on bedroom windows from down on the streets with long sticks or poles.
13. And their 'screw'?

Answer: wage or salary

The three wrong answers are Yankee slang! The Britons once put workers' salaries in a screwed-up sheet of paper. We Yanks also get our use of 'screw' for prison warden or guard from the Victorian Britons.
14. What is the British word 'torch' equivalent to?

Answer: a flashlight

No doubt some Britons know of the other meanings, but in blackouts, the normal 'torch' is good to have!
15. What do the Brits call suspenders?

Answer: braces

Braces are the British suspenders that hold up British trousers; their pants are their undergarments.
16. If they call a trunk a boot, what used to be a trunk call?

Answer: long distance

To any elephant, the use of a phone is a trunk call!
17. How about a flyover?

Answer: a highway overpass

Bet you see a lot of them over British highways!
18. What animal has long given its name to British pedestrian crossings?

Answer: zebra

From the stripe pattern on the asphalt. Now there are both zebra crossings and pelican crossings.
19. And what is the phonetic name for letter Z?

Answer: zed

It is still zed for Z today.
20. What do they call the period (in punctuation)?

Answer: full stop

And now we come to a full stop!
Source: Author tjoebigham

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