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Jobs of the Past Trivia Quiz

Never mind outsourcing... a lot of jobs went the way of the buggy whip makers! Do you know what tasks were performed by these artisans?

A multiple-choice quiz by CariM0952. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
CariM0952

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
195,195

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Very Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
1623

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. I drove cattle to market. Hint

Bolter

Ankle beater

Cowslinger

Bullocky

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. I worked in the woodlands making legs for chairs Hint

Bodger

Hewer

Lagraetman

Micklesmith

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Question 3 of 10

3. I kept the streets swept clean. Hint

Huissher

Scutcher

Poller

Whitewing

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. True or false: A schrimpschonger worked with seafood.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What did a redsmith do for a living? Hint

made blood pudding

was the person who dyed British infantry uniforms

was a barber/surgeon

worked with gold

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What was a rickmaster? Hint

captain of horse

hayrick maker

rickshaw maker

rat catcher

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Question 7 of 10

7. What did a prig napper steal? Hint

pigs

horses

sheep

trees

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. An out crier stood on the corner yelling out the latest news.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. I was a mercenary in South America and ran guns. Hint

jack

mercataor

layer

filibuster

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. A mountebank sold what? Hint

horses

patent medicines

Papal indulgences

firearms

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. I drove cattle to market.

Answer: Ankle beater

A bolter sifted meal. According to http://boulter.com, its root is in the Old French term "buletior", meaning a "sifter of meal". A bullocky worked with cattle, feeding them and generally caring for them. I made up cowslinger, although some will recognise it as a rock 'n roll group.

2. I worked in the woodlands making legs for chairs

Answer: Bodger

I have not been able to find the origin of the term bodger, but apparently it is still common - a google search listed quite a few references. The profession was so common in parts of England that the Wycombe Wanderers Football Team is affectionately known as "the bodgers" to their fans.

A hewer worked the face of a mine, cutting stone or coal. A lagraetman was a policeman, the term seems to be a derivation of lawrightman.

3. I kept the streets swept clean.

Answer: Whitewing

A huissher was an usher. A poller was a barber. A scutcher beat flax to soften it prior to it being made into linen. Of course, today whitewing refers to birds - which tend to dirty the streets!

4. True or false: A schrimpschonger worked with seafood.

Answer: False

A schrimpschonger was an artisan working in bone, ivory or wood. I haven't found any learned texts to confirm, but suspect that this is where the word "scrimshaw" comes from - or maybe it was the other way around!

5. What did a redsmith do for a living?

Answer: worked with gold

Similar smiths were whitesmith (tin), blacksmith (iron), greensmith (lead) and brownsmith (copper or brass).

6. What was a rickmaster?

Answer: captain of horse

A rat catcher was a ratoner. The other two I made up.

7. What did a prig napper steal?

Answer: horses

A prig napper was a horse thief. It could also mean a bounty hunter.

8. An out crier stood on the corner yelling out the latest news.

Answer: False

An out crier was another word for an auctioneer. The one on the corner was a town crier.

9. I was a mercenary in South America and ran guns.

Answer: filibuster

A jack was a young sailor or lumberman. A layer was a papermaker. A mercator was a merchant. Now it is largely only used to describe a delaying tactic in politics. The word derives from the Spanish for 'freebooter' or the Dutch for 'pirate'.

10. A mountebank sold what?

Answer: patent medicines

dictionary.reference.com describes a mountebank as a charlatan as well as an itinerant quack. The word dervies from the Italian for mounting or getting up on a bench.

Source: Author CariM0952

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