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Quiz about The History of the Chamberpot
Quiz about The History of the Chamberpot

The History of the Chamberpot Trivia Quiz


In response to Rowena8482's Author Challenge, here it is - a quiz on the history of that useful object, the chamberpot.

A multiple-choice quiz by stedman. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
stedman
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
312,889
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
2916
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: OkieMike (5/10), bulldogBen1 (6/10), Guest 73 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. To ensure we all know precisely what we are dealing with here, just what is a chamberpot? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Which of the following was a popular nickname for a chamber pot? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The Greek word for a chamberpot, "lasanon" or "lasana", gave rise to the name of which popular Italian dish? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What name was given to the specially shaped chamberpot whose design enabled it to be used while standing or squatting by seventeenth-century ladies, hidden away under their large skirts? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What did mediaeval Edinburgh housewives traditionally shout to warn passers-by that they were about to empty the contents of their chamberpots into the street below? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What nickname was given to the British 14th Light Dragoons Regiment following an incident in 1813 when they carried off the chamberpot belonging to Joseph Bonaparte (a present from his brother, the Emperor Napoleon)? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What is the modern name for a chair designed to incorporate a chamberpot into its seating structure? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Following the decision to exile the defeated Emperor Napoleon to the Isle of St Helena, the British Government commissioned the manufacture of a special earthenware chamberpot and other toilet-ware for his use. Why were these not in the end used by him? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which French playwright, best known for his marital farces, in 1910 wrote a one-act play entitled "On Purge Bebe" ("Baby's Laxative"), in which the hero invents an indestructible chamberpot? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Those whose interest in chamber pots has been aroused by this quiz would be well advised to visit which stately home near Ripon in Yorkshire, which has a special Chamberpot Room, containing a collection of over 100 pots from all over the world? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Oct 26 2024 : OkieMike: 5/10
Oct 26 2024 : bulldogBen1: 6/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 73: 6/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 24: 7/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 86: 7/10
Oct 26 2024 : Harish123az: 5/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 101: 4/10
Oct 26 2024 : Guest 24: 7/10
Oct 11 2024 : Guest 78: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. To ensure we all know precisely what we are dealing with here, just what is a chamberpot?

Answer: Portable vessel intended for use as a toilet

Before the days of indoor plumbing (and indeed central heating), anyone needing to make a call of nature in the middle of the night would much prefer reaching under the bed for their chamberpot than wandering around outside in the cold and the dark. I dare say it would be possible to use a chamber pot for any one of the other suggestions, but only after giving it a jolly good clean first.
2. Which of the following was a popular nickname for a chamber pot?

Answer: All of these

I particularly like "Gazunder", so called because it "goes under" the bed. "Po" has its origin in the French "pot de chambre". Jerry is short for "Jeroboam", and is also the origin of the nickname "Jerry" for members of the German infantry in WWII, whose helmets were said by Allied forces to be shaped like a chamberpot.
3. The Greek word for a chamberpot, "lasanon" or "lasana", gave rise to the name of which popular Italian dish?

Answer: Lasagne

Although the answer may be obvious, the route by which the name became attached to the food is less so. The Greek word eventually became the Latin "lasanum", or cooking pot. It then in turn became the name of the dish in which lasagne (or lasagna to Americans) is made, and finally the food itself.
4. What name was given to the specially shaped chamberpot whose design enabled it to be used while standing or squatting by seventeenth-century ladies, hidden away under their large skirts?

Answer: Bourdaloue

The story goes that the bourdaloue was named after the famous French priest Louis Bourdaloue, whose sermons were as popular as they were long. The numerous people who attended his sermons were said to need to resort to chamberpots to relieve themselves during these excessively lengthy homilies. True or not, the bourdaloues themselves were an essential item for ladies taking long journeys by coach.
5. What did mediaeval Edinburgh housewives traditionally shout to warn passers-by that they were about to empty the contents of their chamberpots into the street below?

Answer: Gardy-loo!

The word is believed to originate from the French "Garde de l'eau", meaning "Beware of the water".
6. What nickname was given to the British 14th Light Dragoons Regiment following an incident in 1813 when they carried off the chamberpot belonging to Joseph Bonaparte (a present from his brother, the Emperor Napoleon)?

Answer: The Emperor's Chambermaids

This incident took place during the Peninsular War, following the Battle of Vittoria, and the chamberpot is still part of the official regimental silver, although the regiment itself is now part of the King's Royal Hussars. Even now, on special occasions in the officers' mess, it is filled with champagne and used as a drinking vessel.
7. What is the modern name for a chair designed to incorporate a chamberpot into its seating structure?

Answer: Commode

Such devices have existed since at least the sixteenth century, when they were known as "close stools". In Victorian times, "commode" was also used to describe a bedside cabinet with doors, in which a chamberpot could be hidden politely away. Commode chairs continue to be manufactured today, mainly for the use of those of limited mobility.
8. Following the decision to exile the defeated Emperor Napoleon to the Isle of St Helena, the British Government commissioned the manufacture of a special earthenware chamberpot and other toilet-ware for his use. Why were these not in the end used by him?

Answer: The manufacturer used laurel leaves in the design

The manufacturer, George Bullock of Liverpool, used laurel leaves (regarded since antiquity as a symbol of victory) as a decorative feature on the chamberpot and other pieces, which included a washbasin and soap dish. But the British Government decided that these implied that Napoleon had been victorious, so the set was never given to him.

It did however survive, and is now on display in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
9. Which French playwright, best known for his marital farces, in 1910 wrote a one-act play entitled "On Purge Bebe" ("Baby's Laxative"), in which the hero invents an indestructible chamberpot?

Answer: Georges Feydeau

"On Purge Bebe" was filmed by Jean Renoir in 1931, his first sound picture. An English translation by Peter Barnes, entitled "The Purging", was performed in London in 1976/77, starring Leonard Rossiter. The play deals with the attempts of the inventor, Follovoine, to sell his invention to the French army.
10. Those whose interest in chamber pots has been aroused by this quiz would be well advised to visit which stately home near Ripon in Yorkshire, which has a special Chamberpot Room, containing a collection of over 100 pots from all over the world?

Answer: Newby Hall

Originally built in the 1690s, Newby Hall has some fine Robert Adam interiors and attractive gardens. However, many visitors remember it best for its collection of chamberpots, collected during the nineteenth century by the house's owner, Robert de Grey Vyner.
Source: Author stedman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
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