Victorian England Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: A person

Today this word means a small sheltered bay in the shoreline of a sea, river, lake or a narrow gap. It could also mean a cave or a cavern. In the Victorian England it meant a person, but more commonly a man. Sometimes this word is used in the Victorian sense today, definitely if the speaker is old fashioned, but you don't tend to hear it much.

Answer: Abusive language

Nowadays, people mainly use this word for the food item, chewing gum. But it could also mean glue. Victorians, however, used the term to describe loud, abusive language. For example, "Let us have no more of your gum". This might have been used if a rude person was interrupting a speech.

Answer: saying you and someone else are alike

Kidney nowadays is used to talk about the body part. You could also talk about animal kidneys that you eat. Victorians however, used it meaning 'of the same kidney' or saying you are alike.

Answer: The share of money from a robbery

The word rhino was used to talk about money, but was used more commonly about the money divided between robbers. Now, the word is just an abbreviation of the word rhinoceros, which is an animal.

Answer: Be off!

Nowadays we do not use the phrase hook it, but it was quite popular back then. People would have shouted this phrase when they wanted someone to leave or go away. Nowadays we would use the phrase 'Go away' instead.


http://www.victorianlondon.org/words/slang1870s.htm

Answer: A bed

This word 'kife' is not used at all now and is not in any of the dictionaries, but in Victorian England it was used to mean a bed. It was a common word but now the word has completely disappeared.

Answer: House

Now, this word means a bed with high sides that are used for small children. In Victorian England, this word meant anywhere where you were sleeping that night.

Answer: Handkerchief

The word billy, in Victorian England, was often used meaning handkerchief which was often silk. Now the word billy is used to mean a lot of different things, but never handkerchief. It could mean a police officer's club or baton, or a large wooden stick used as a weapon. In Scotland the word is used to mean comrade, but in Great Britain is used to mean a roving machine (textiles).

Answer: A disturbance

It is still used today to mean a noisy party.

You can also "take a shine to" someone - meaning you are attracted to him/her.
This is completely opposite to the word which was used back then.

Answer: Ugly

The word toke was used to describe false gold, anything of bad quality or anything ugly, for example dry bread. Now it is used to describe puff or smoke, for example a puff on a cigarette.