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I Wish I'd Said That Trivia Quiz

Possibly the only time politicians make us laugh intentionally is when they insult each other. Following are some of the best political insults (and two which are only tenuously linked to politics, but deserve to be included).

A multiple-choice quiz by jeffa. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
jeffa

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
92,853

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
831

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A classic exchange to begin. Who, when told by the Earl of Sandwich that he would either die "on the gallows or of the pox" replied, "That depends, my Lord, whether I embrace your principles or your mistress" Hint

Winston Churchill

Benjamin Disraeli

John Wilkes

Oscar Wilde

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Question 2 of 10

2. Even his enemies admitted Winston Churchill could turn a phrase. Which Prime Minister did he call "The Boneless Wonder" in a memorable address to parliament? Hint

Neville Chamberlain

Clement Atlee

Stanley Baldwin

Ramsay MacDonald

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Question 3 of 10

3. And on the subject of the Churchill family, Churchill's son, Randolph, once had a benign tumor removed. Which famous author commented in his diary that it was "a triumph of modern science to find the only part of Randolph that was not malignant and remove it"? Hint

Somerset Maugham

Norman Mailer

Ian Fleming

Evelyn Waugh

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Question 4 of 10

4. Across the Atlantic now: "I admire him, I frankly confess it, and when his time comes I shall buy a piece of the rope as a keepsake" was Mark Twain's barbed comment on who? Hint

William Mckinley

Theodore Roosevelt

Cecil John Rhodes

Winston Churchill

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Question 5 of 10

5. To whom was Benjamin Disraeli referring when he said that if "he fell into the Thames that would be a misfortune, and if anybody pulled him out, that, I suppose, would be calamity" Hint

Lord Palmerston

Robert Peel

William Ewart Gladstone

Daniel O'Connell

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Question 6 of 10

6. A speech from which U.S. politician received the following comment from Harold Ickes: "I did not listen because I have a baby of my own"? Hint

Harry Truman

Henry Wallace

Huey Long

Thomas Dewey

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Question 7 of 10

7. "How can they tell?" was Dorothy Parker's biting comment on the death of which U.S. president. Hint

Warren Harding

Herbert Hoover

Woodrow Wilson

Calvin Coolidge

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which president was memorably, if unkindly, said to have "played too much football with the helmet off"? Hint

Jimmy Carter

Gerald Ford

Ronald Reagan

John Kennedy

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which British prime minister was described as "a shiver looking for a spine to run up"? Hint

Edward Heath

Margaret Thatcher

Harold Wilson

John Major

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Question 10 of 10

10. Finally, which leader was described as "the man who is the source of all the misfortunes of our country"? Hint

Charles de Gaulle

Winston Churchill

George Washington

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: John Wilkes

Wilkes (1727 -1797) was a British politician and journalist. He was jailed, released, then expelled from parliament for libel. Not surprising, if the exchange with the Earl of Sandwich is anything to go by.
Wilkes, who was repeatedly elected to parliament, and repeatedly expelled from it, has come to be seen as a champion of press freedom.

2. Even his enemies admitted Winston Churchill could turn a phrase. Which Prime Minister did he call "The Boneless Wonder" in a memorable address to parliament?

Answer: Ramsay MacDonald

"I remember, when I was a child, being taken to the celebrated Barnum's Circus, which contained an exhibition of freaks and monstrosities, but the one which I most desired to see was the one described as 'The Boneless Wonder." My parents judged the spectacle would be too revolting and demoralizing for my tender eyes, and I have waited fifty years to see The Boneless Wonder sitting on the Treasury Bench." MacDonald (1866-1937) was prime minister in 1924, 1929-1931, and 1931-1935). Judging by the excellent TV drama, 'Winston Churchill, the Wilderness Years' his actions as premier largely consisted of going around saying (with unintended accuracy) 'this is most distressing.'

Answer: Evelyn Waugh

Randolph (1911-1968), who seemed to have inherited all of his father's faults and little, if any, of his father's genius, evoked that sort of response in people.

4. Across the Atlantic now: "I admire him, I frankly confess it, and when his time comes I shall buy a piece of the rope as a keepsake" was Mark Twain's barbed comment on who?

Answer: Cecil John Rhodes

Rhodes (1853-1902) was a British colonial stateman and prime minister of the Cape Colony from 1890-1896. His determination--ruthlessness says his many critics--to advance the British cause in Africa won him as many enemies as it did friends. His legacies include the Rhodes Scholarships.

5. To whom was Benjamin Disraeli referring when he said that if "he fell into the Thames that would be a misfortune, and if anybody pulled him out, that, I suppose, would be calamity"

Answer: William Ewart Gladstone

Gladstone (1809-1898) was British Prime Minister four times in the 19th century. His rivalry with Disrael was legendary and prompted some memorable insults, mainly from Disraeli, who described him as being without "a single redeeming defect."
Even Queen Victoria-- in what may have been an unintended insult--complained that "Mr. Gladstone speaks to me as if I were a public meeting."

6. A speech from which U.S. politician received the following comment from Harold Ickes: "I did not listen because I have a baby of my own"?

Answer: Thomas Dewey

Dewey (1902-1971) was twice Republican candidate for president and twice defeated. He is best remembered today as the source for possibly the most famous U.S. newspaper mistake in the 20th century: "Dewey Defeats Truman" trumpeted the Chicago Tribune, which went to press before the 1948 election results were in, and relied instead on the prevailing conventional wisdom.

7. "How can they tell?" was Dorothy Parker's biting comment on the death of which U.S. president.

Answer: Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) became president on the death of Warren Harding in August 1923 and was re-elected in November 1924. He did not contest the election in November 1928.

8. Which president was memorably, if unkindly, said to have "played too much football with the helmet off"?

Answer: Gerald Ford

Lyndon Johnson's take on the 38th president. LBJ also said--depending on which source you believe -- that Ford couldn't "walk and chew gum at the same time".

9. Which British prime minister was described as "a shiver looking for a spine to run up"?

Answer: Edward Heath

Harold Wilson's description of Heath, who was premier from 1970-1974. Wilson (1916-1995) was the prime minister who preceeded and succeeded Heath in office.

10. Finally, which leader was described as "the man who is the source of all the misfortunes of our country"?

Answer: George Washington

Said by journalist William Duane (1760-1835), who was twice charged with sedition. He was once acquitted and once had charges dropped.

Source: Author jeffa

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Lanni before going online.
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