1930-1940s British Slang Vocabulary Quiz

Answer: Sabrage

Sabrage dates back to France and the Napoleonic era. Napoleon's light cavalry units used sabers, thus the ceremonial bottle opening technique became very popular. Napoleon is known to have said, "Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it!" Sabrage in the modern day world is a dying art form.

Although it is quite romantic and has pretentious overtones, who carries a saber in everyday life?

Answer: Lino

'Lino' was popular for decades as it held up in high-traffic places such as homes, schools, hospitals, church halls, etc., and thus came the nickname. Linoleum was invented by Englishman Frederick Walton in 1855 as a durable and sensible floor covering. The closest product to linoleum today would be vinyl flooring.

Answer: Cor!

'Cor' is British slang and has been explained as a euphemism for 'God' dating back to the 1800s. Back then and today, the word God is recognized as sacred and held in highest reverence, so (most) people resort to slang especially to articulate shock or bewilderment and the use of 'Cor' is a good example of this practice. Synonyms for 'Cor' are Gosh, Golly, Goodness, Gee, Good Lord, Goodness Gracious, Gee Whiz, Geez, and Gracious Sakes!

Answer: Gutted

'Gutted' expresses the lowest of emotional lows. The word would be used when you feel like your insides have been torn out (gutted) due to hurt, shock or despair. It is speculated that the phrase 'to hate someone's guts' (circa 1918) may have derived from the word 'gutted' and its slang definition.

Answer: Poncy

'Poncy', also spelled 'poncey', is British slang meaning pompous, exaggerated or affected. The prefix 'over' best describes this slang word: overrated, overpriced, overconfident, overrefinement, overembellished - all represent the word quite well.

Answer: Gamine

The British slang word 'gamine' arrived from the French word 'gamin', meaning playful or naughty child and was meant to define a young thin boyish GIRL who's allowed to run the streets creating all kinds of mischief. In the U.S., the slang word would be tomboy.

Answer: Wotcha

'Wotcha' dates back to the 1850s as an informal way of saying hello. The word 'Wotcher', which is another greeting, means, 'What are you up to?' A colloquial definition explains that 'Wotcha' and 'Wotcher' are one in the same, and that 'Wotcher' is actually pronounced as 'Wotcha.'

Answer: Stopgap

The use of the term 'stopgap', an adjectival use of the verb phrases 'stop a gap' or 'plug a hole', emerged during the 15th or 16th centuries. One would use a stopgap to plug a hole in a (wooden) boat, pail or bucket, or other structure that could form a leak like a roof or wall. In modern day vocabulary, the most common words for the same meaning would be makeshift, a temporary/alternate solution, or substitute.

Answer: Cotton on

Cotton was once spelled 'cotten' and in 1859, John Camden Hotten wrote a slang dictionary titled, "A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words", which stated that this slang expression was derived from wet cotten. In its wet state, cotten stuck to everything. . . thus the meaning 'stuck', 'grasp' or 'understand' was born. Writer Charles Dickens used 'cotton to' in his 1835 "Nicholas Nickleby" and by the early 1900s, 'cotton on' was quite common as a British slang expression.

Answer: Mooncalf

'Mooncalf' was used as far back as the 1500s meaning a grossly deformed or mentally challenged person, or stillborn baby (which is now obsolete). By the 1800s the word 'mooncalf' was more commonly used to mean someone who is gullible, naive, or overtrusting, especially in regard to matters of love.

Answer: Po-faced

The origin of the term 'po-faced' is unclear and possibly it was derived from po (chamber pot) and faced (poker-faced), although poker-faced is an American expression and not British. Literature has used 'po-faced' in connection with an expressionless face, humorless, or a school marm. Haven't we all witnessed a teacher or nun who is disapproving or angry at the time, yet kept a blank and austere face until everyone was back in the classroom?

Answer: On tenterhooks

The idiom derived from the word 'tenter-hook' (dating back to the 15th century) and the expression 'on tenterhooks' can be found referenced as far back as the 1700s. Tenterhooks are sharp-ended hooks attached to a wooden frame (tenter) and used to hang large pieces of cloth to dry. Today the idiom, 'on pins and needles' is more common and means the same.

Answer: Chuff

The word 'chuff' can also mean (1) proud or pleased (as recording artist Adele said, "I'm incredibly chuffed" when nominated for a Mercury, or (2) chubby. The origin of 'chuff' is traced back to the 1600s where it meant puffy cheeks or a boorish miserable person. The term 'chuff' used as a 'puffing sound' was well documented in literature prior to 1910.

Answer: Hoosegow

The word 'hoosegow' was derived from the Mexican-Spanish word 'juzgado', meaning a courtroom or jail, in the mid-1800s and possibly hoosegow was mispronounced or developed as slang. Modern day use of the word 'hoosegow' has become slang for any place of confinement for lawbreakers.

Other British slang words for jail or gaol are nick, quod, tolbooth (Scottish) and glasshouse (modern usage).

Answer: Hyperbole

The word 'hyperbole' is derived from the 16th-century Greek word - 'hyper' for exaggeration and 'bole' for throw. Its use is over-emphasizing the situation and can often be quite humorous in its delivery. In 5th Century BC, there was a rabble-rousing Athenian and politician named Hyperbolus who stirred up the public with exaggerated promises. Perhaps his actions provided the origin of the term.