A Beastly Quiz — more Regency slang

Anne here, and for your entertainment in the lead-up to the festive season, here's a baker's dozen of questions — a "beastly quiz" on Regency slang terms involving creatures of various kinds. You'll need a pen and paper to note down your answers, then at the end, there's a link that will take you to the correct answers. After that, come back and tell us how you went. Have fun.

 

1)   To cock up one's toes means:—   OldCockTavern (1)

        a) to trip

         b) to die

         c) to get ready to run

         d) to tread in bird droppings

 

2) Done to a cow's thumb means:—

        a) to be exhausted

        b) to be swindled   

        c) to be overcooked

        d) to be perfectly cooked

 

3) A bear leader is a person who:— Inky bear

        a) supervises prisoners in gaol

        b) is a strong leader   

        c) takes schoolboys on tours  

        d) handles bears in bear-pits

 

4) An ape leader is:—

        a) a spinster

        b) a zoo-keeper 

        c) a heavy drinker

        d) a brawler

 

5) To be cock-a-hoop is:—

        a) to be nervous and jumpy

        b) to be confused   

        c) to be angry

        d) to be in high spirits

 

6) A chicken nabob is:—   ToadEater

        a) a frightened man

        b) a man of moderate fortune 

        c) a man who sells chickens

        d) a gourmand

 

7) A toad eater is:—  

        a) obsequious

        b) stubborn  

        c) phlegmatic

        d) insensitive

 

8) To be under the cat's foot is:—

        a) to be a slave to your pets

        b) to be bedridden

        c) to be dominated by a woman

        d) to be lazy

 

9) To be a cat’s paw is:— Cat'sPaw (1)

        a) to be persuasive

        b) to be used by someone else   

        c) to be a tease

        d) to be soft and gentle

 

10) To be foxed is:—

        a)  to be foolish

        b)  to be cunning   

        c)  to be drunk

        d)  to be hungry

 

11) A beak is:—   Beak

        a) a schoolmaster

        b) a nosy person

        c) a gossip

        d) a magistrate

 

12) To kick up a lark means:—

        a) to brutalize a singer

        b) to play football

        c) to have fun

        d) to get into debt

 

13) To shoot the crow means:—ShootCrow

        a) to leave without paying

        b) to throw up

        c) to shoot a crow

        d) to cheat at cards

 

 

Now you've made your choices, click here to see the answers. Then come back and tell us how you went.

 

240 thoughts on “A Beastly Quiz — more Regency slang”

  1. This is the first time I have gotten them all correctly. I have always thought my Regency knowledge was good after many years of the time period being my favorite, but YOU ALWAYS got me on one or two. Thanks for doing this.

    Reply
  2. This is the first time I have gotten them all correctly. I have always thought my Regency knowledge was good after many years of the time period being my favorite, but YOU ALWAYS got me on one or two. Thanks for doing this.

    Reply
  3. This is the first time I have gotten them all correctly. I have always thought my Regency knowledge was good after many years of the time period being my favorite, but YOU ALWAYS got me on one or two. Thanks for doing this.

    Reply
  4. This is the first time I have gotten them all correctly. I have always thought my Regency knowledge was good after many years of the time period being my favorite, but YOU ALWAYS got me on one or two. Thanks for doing this.

    Reply
  5. This is the first time I have gotten them all correctly. I have always thought my Regency knowledge was good after many years of the time period being my favorite, but YOU ALWAYS got me on one or two. Thanks for doing this.

    Reply
  6. I got 11 wrong, but I blame Molesworth (very funny diaries of a schoolboy written by Geoffrey Williams) who does call his schoolmasters ‘beaks’.

    Reply
  7. I got 11 wrong, but I blame Molesworth (very funny diaries of a schoolboy written by Geoffrey Williams) who does call his schoolmasters ‘beaks’.

    Reply
  8. I got 11 wrong, but I blame Molesworth (very funny diaries of a schoolboy written by Geoffrey Williams) who does call his schoolmasters ‘beaks’.

    Reply
  9. I got 11 wrong, but I blame Molesworth (very funny diaries of a schoolboy written by Geoffrey Williams) who does call his schoolmasters ‘beaks’.

    Reply
  10. I got 11 wrong, but I blame Molesworth (very funny diaries of a schoolboy written by Geoffrey Williams) who does call his schoolmasters ‘beaks’.

    Reply
  11. Are we losing posts again? I posted a score of 12 out of 13. I got the “Beaks” wrong, but that was offset by a lucky guess on the last one.

    Reply
  12. Are we losing posts again? I posted a score of 12 out of 13. I got the “Beaks” wrong, but that was offset by a lucky guess on the last one.

    Reply
  13. Are we losing posts again? I posted a score of 12 out of 13. I got the “Beaks” wrong, but that was offset by a lucky guess on the last one.

    Reply
  14. Are we losing posts again? I posted a score of 12 out of 13. I got the “Beaks” wrong, but that was offset by a lucky guess on the last one.

    Reply
  15. Are we losing posts again? I posted a score of 12 out of 13. I got the “Beaks” wrong, but that was offset by a lucky guess on the last one.

    Reply
  16. Marianne, sorry for the inadvertently misleading clue. You know that’s maybe why I thought of that as a choice — I might have read one of those books. They sound like something my brother might have had many many years ago.

    Reply
  17. Marianne, sorry for the inadvertently misleading clue. You know that’s maybe why I thought of that as a choice — I might have read one of those books. They sound like something my brother might have had many many years ago.

    Reply
  18. Marianne, sorry for the inadvertently misleading clue. You know that’s maybe why I thought of that as a choice — I might have read one of those books. They sound like something my brother might have had many many years ago.

    Reply
  19. Marianne, sorry for the inadvertently misleading clue. You know that’s maybe why I thought of that as a choice — I might have read one of those books. They sound like something my brother might have had many many years ago.

    Reply
  20. Marianne, sorry for the inadvertently misleading clue. You know that’s maybe why I thought of that as a choice — I might have read one of those books. They sound like something my brother might have had many many years ago.

    Reply
  21. Sue, I just checked and there’s nothing in the spam trap, so I’m not sure what happened. Marianne (in the comment above) pointed out that one of my “wrong” clues was misleading in that it might have two meanings. so you can up your score, if that’s what you chose. Sorry.

    Reply
  22. Sue, I just checked and there’s nothing in the spam trap, so I’m not sure what happened. Marianne (in the comment above) pointed out that one of my “wrong” clues was misleading in that it might have two meanings. so you can up your score, if that’s what you chose. Sorry.

    Reply
  23. Sue, I just checked and there’s nothing in the spam trap, so I’m not sure what happened. Marianne (in the comment above) pointed out that one of my “wrong” clues was misleading in that it might have two meanings. so you can up your score, if that’s what you chose. Sorry.

    Reply
  24. Sue, I just checked and there’s nothing in the spam trap, so I’m not sure what happened. Marianne (in the comment above) pointed out that one of my “wrong” clues was misleading in that it might have two meanings. so you can up your score, if that’s what you chose. Sorry.

    Reply
  25. Sue, I just checked and there’s nothing in the spam trap, so I’m not sure what happened. Marianne (in the comment above) pointed out that one of my “wrong” clues was misleading in that it might have two meanings. so you can up your score, if that’s what you chose. Sorry.

    Reply
  26. 9 out of 13 correct. I knew 7 but had to guess at the rest. Seems I need to read more Regency authors.
    Great fun though …. much better than crosswords (where I am hopeless!} 😊

    Reply
  27. 9 out of 13 correct. I knew 7 but had to guess at the rest. Seems I need to read more Regency authors.
    Great fun though …. much better than crosswords (where I am hopeless!} 😊

    Reply
  28. 9 out of 13 correct. I knew 7 but had to guess at the rest. Seems I need to read more Regency authors.
    Great fun though …. much better than crosswords (where I am hopeless!} 😊

    Reply
  29. 9 out of 13 correct. I knew 7 but had to guess at the rest. Seems I need to read more Regency authors.
    Great fun though …. much better than crosswords (where I am hopeless!} 😊

    Reply
  30. 9 out of 13 correct. I knew 7 but had to guess at the rest. Seems I need to read more Regency authors.
    Great fun though …. much better than crosswords (where I am hopeless!} 😊

    Reply
  31. 12 of 13 – doing great til the last one! But love learning a new phrase – and I ran into quite a few who “shot the crow” back in my college waitressing days! Wish I’d known it then! Thanks for the fun – love these quizzes!

    Reply
  32. 12 of 13 – doing great til the last one! But love learning a new phrase – and I ran into quite a few who “shot the crow” back in my college waitressing days! Wish I’d known it then! Thanks for the fun – love these quizzes!

    Reply
  33. 12 of 13 – doing great til the last one! But love learning a new phrase – and I ran into quite a few who “shot the crow” back in my college waitressing days! Wish I’d known it then! Thanks for the fun – love these quizzes!

    Reply
  34. 12 of 13 – doing great til the last one! But love learning a new phrase – and I ran into quite a few who “shot the crow” back in my college waitressing days! Wish I’d known it then! Thanks for the fun – love these quizzes!

    Reply
  35. 12 of 13 – doing great til the last one! But love learning a new phrase – and I ran into quite a few who “shot the crow” back in my college waitressing days! Wish I’d known it then! Thanks for the fun – love these quizzes!

    Reply
  36. I missed only one! The ape leader. Some of those I’ve heard, many I just guessed at but I must have heard some of that slang to have guessed so well! I think the real difficulty was making up the alternate answers for the quiz!

    Reply
  37. I missed only one! The ape leader. Some of those I’ve heard, many I just guessed at but I must have heard some of that slang to have guessed so well! I think the real difficulty was making up the alternate answers for the quiz!

    Reply
  38. I missed only one! The ape leader. Some of those I’ve heard, many I just guessed at but I must have heard some of that slang to have guessed so well! I think the real difficulty was making up the alternate answers for the quiz!

    Reply
  39. I missed only one! The ape leader. Some of those I’ve heard, many I just guessed at but I must have heard some of that slang to have guessed so well! I think the real difficulty was making up the alternate answers for the quiz!

    Reply
  40. I missed only one! The ape leader. Some of those I’ve heard, many I just guessed at but I must have heard some of that slang to have guessed so well! I think the real difficulty was making up the alternate answers for the quiz!

    Reply
  41. I missed three, done to a cow’s thumb, chicken nabob, and to shoot the crow. I have never heard of a chicken nabob, but I’ve seen the other two expressions in my reading, I guess I’ve just been misinterpreting what was going on those stories!
    Great quiz, I love these.

    Reply
  42. I missed three, done to a cow’s thumb, chicken nabob, and to shoot the crow. I have never heard of a chicken nabob, but I’ve seen the other two expressions in my reading, I guess I’ve just been misinterpreting what was going on those stories!
    Great quiz, I love these.

    Reply
  43. I missed three, done to a cow’s thumb, chicken nabob, and to shoot the crow. I have never heard of a chicken nabob, but I’ve seen the other two expressions in my reading, I guess I’ve just been misinterpreting what was going on those stories!
    Great quiz, I love these.

    Reply
  44. I missed three, done to a cow’s thumb, chicken nabob, and to shoot the crow. I have never heard of a chicken nabob, but I’ve seen the other two expressions in my reading, I guess I’ve just been misinterpreting what was going on those stories!
    Great quiz, I love these.

    Reply
  45. I missed three, done to a cow’s thumb, chicken nabob, and to shoot the crow. I have never heard of a chicken nabob, but I’ve seen the other two expressions in my reading, I guess I’ve just been misinterpreting what was going on those stories!
    Great quiz, I love these.

    Reply
  46. No need to even up my score, but I DID wish to have bragging rights. I’ve never been this close to getting them all before.

    Reply
  47. No need to even up my score, but I DID wish to have bragging rights. I’ve never been this close to getting them all before.

    Reply
  48. No need to even up my score, but I DID wish to have bragging rights. I’ve never been this close to getting them all before.

    Reply
  49. No need to even up my score, but I DID wish to have bragging rights. I’ve never been this close to getting them all before.

    Reply
  50. No need to even up my score, but I DID wish to have bragging rights. I’ve never been this close to getting them all before.

    Reply
  51. I love these fun quizzes best when I lose. When I get a wrong answer, I learn something new.
    I see a heavy Georgette Heyer influence here 🙂
    I like their cheerful emphasis on shooting things, as in “shooting the crow”. There is also “shooting the cat” – which I think means the same thing as “casting up one’s accounts”: barfing after overdrinking.

    Reply
  52. I love these fun quizzes best when I lose. When I get a wrong answer, I learn something new.
    I see a heavy Georgette Heyer influence here 🙂
    I like their cheerful emphasis on shooting things, as in “shooting the crow”. There is also “shooting the cat” – which I think means the same thing as “casting up one’s accounts”: barfing after overdrinking.

    Reply
  53. I love these fun quizzes best when I lose. When I get a wrong answer, I learn something new.
    I see a heavy Georgette Heyer influence here 🙂
    I like their cheerful emphasis on shooting things, as in “shooting the crow”. There is also “shooting the cat” – which I think means the same thing as “casting up one’s accounts”: barfing after overdrinking.

    Reply
  54. I love these fun quizzes best when I lose. When I get a wrong answer, I learn something new.
    I see a heavy Georgette Heyer influence here 🙂
    I like their cheerful emphasis on shooting things, as in “shooting the crow”. There is also “shooting the cat” – which I think means the same thing as “casting up one’s accounts”: barfing after overdrinking.

    Reply
  55. I love these fun quizzes best when I lose. When I get a wrong answer, I learn something new.
    I see a heavy Georgette Heyer influence here 🙂
    I like their cheerful emphasis on shooting things, as in “shooting the crow”. There is also “shooting the cat” – which I think means the same thing as “casting up one’s accounts”: barfing after overdrinking.

    Reply
  56. Yes, pleading guilty to a strong Heyer influence here. *g* As to the quizzes being too easy or too hard, I try for a balance — I don’t want to discourage people, or make it so easy they don’t bother. I also don’t want to repeat terms too often, and it’s getting harder to find slang that’s well known enough to be guessable, but still be something of a challenge. There are heaps of terms in the various dictionaries of slang, for instance, that I’ve never seen anywhere in print, and I guess were only used in particular company in particular areas — eg thieves cant or dockside slang, but I don’t use any of them. So it remains a challenge to find expressions that are used in Regencies, and haven’t been done to death.
    As for shooting things, there’s also that American term, “shooting the breeze.” And probably more we could think of.

    Reply
  57. Yes, pleading guilty to a strong Heyer influence here. *g* As to the quizzes being too easy or too hard, I try for a balance — I don’t want to discourage people, or make it so easy they don’t bother. I also don’t want to repeat terms too often, and it’s getting harder to find slang that’s well known enough to be guessable, but still be something of a challenge. There are heaps of terms in the various dictionaries of slang, for instance, that I’ve never seen anywhere in print, and I guess were only used in particular company in particular areas — eg thieves cant or dockside slang, but I don’t use any of them. So it remains a challenge to find expressions that are used in Regencies, and haven’t been done to death.
    As for shooting things, there’s also that American term, “shooting the breeze.” And probably more we could think of.

    Reply
  58. Yes, pleading guilty to a strong Heyer influence here. *g* As to the quizzes being too easy or too hard, I try for a balance — I don’t want to discourage people, or make it so easy they don’t bother. I also don’t want to repeat terms too often, and it’s getting harder to find slang that’s well known enough to be guessable, but still be something of a challenge. There are heaps of terms in the various dictionaries of slang, for instance, that I’ve never seen anywhere in print, and I guess were only used in particular company in particular areas — eg thieves cant or dockside slang, but I don’t use any of them. So it remains a challenge to find expressions that are used in Regencies, and haven’t been done to death.
    As for shooting things, there’s also that American term, “shooting the breeze.” And probably more we could think of.

    Reply
  59. Yes, pleading guilty to a strong Heyer influence here. *g* As to the quizzes being too easy or too hard, I try for a balance — I don’t want to discourage people, or make it so easy they don’t bother. I also don’t want to repeat terms too often, and it’s getting harder to find slang that’s well known enough to be guessable, but still be something of a challenge. There are heaps of terms in the various dictionaries of slang, for instance, that I’ve never seen anywhere in print, and I guess were only used in particular company in particular areas — eg thieves cant or dockside slang, but I don’t use any of them. So it remains a challenge to find expressions that are used in Regencies, and haven’t been done to death.
    As for shooting things, there’s also that American term, “shooting the breeze.” And probably more we could think of.

    Reply
  60. Yes, pleading guilty to a strong Heyer influence here. *g* As to the quizzes being too easy or too hard, I try for a balance — I don’t want to discourage people, or make it so easy they don’t bother. I also don’t want to repeat terms too often, and it’s getting harder to find slang that’s well known enough to be guessable, but still be something of a challenge. There are heaps of terms in the various dictionaries of slang, for instance, that I’ve never seen anywhere in print, and I guess were only used in particular company in particular areas — eg thieves cant or dockside slang, but I don’t use any of them. So it remains a challenge to find expressions that are used in Regencies, and haven’t been done to death.
    As for shooting things, there’s also that American term, “shooting the breeze.” And probably more we could think of.

    Reply
  61. Wow…..I got all 13 right! I’ve never ever done so well. I don’t ever remember seeing chicken nabob before but I just figured it was one step down from Nabob so would be a moderately wealthy person compared to a Nabob.
    I agree with everyone. These quizzes are fun and I do enjoy them even when you use very tricky words.

    Reply
  62. Wow…..I got all 13 right! I’ve never ever done so well. I don’t ever remember seeing chicken nabob before but I just figured it was one step down from Nabob so would be a moderately wealthy person compared to a Nabob.
    I agree with everyone. These quizzes are fun and I do enjoy them even when you use very tricky words.

    Reply
  63. Wow…..I got all 13 right! I’ve never ever done so well. I don’t ever remember seeing chicken nabob before but I just figured it was one step down from Nabob so would be a moderately wealthy person compared to a Nabob.
    I agree with everyone. These quizzes are fun and I do enjoy them even when you use very tricky words.

    Reply
  64. Wow…..I got all 13 right! I’ve never ever done so well. I don’t ever remember seeing chicken nabob before but I just figured it was one step down from Nabob so would be a moderately wealthy person compared to a Nabob.
    I agree with everyone. These quizzes are fun and I do enjoy them even when you use very tricky words.

    Reply
  65. Wow…..I got all 13 right! I’ve never ever done so well. I don’t ever remember seeing chicken nabob before but I just figured it was one step down from Nabob so would be a moderately wealthy person compared to a Nabob.
    I agree with everyone. These quizzes are fun and I do enjoy them even when you use very tricky words.

    Reply
  66. Anne, I LOVE these quizzes!! The slang is so colorful and wry, and this time I only missed cow’s thumb and bear leader.
    They must be a lot of work, so thanks again.
    Faith

    Reply
  67. Anne, I LOVE these quizzes!! The slang is so colorful and wry, and this time I only missed cow’s thumb and bear leader.
    They must be a lot of work, so thanks again.
    Faith

    Reply
  68. Anne, I LOVE these quizzes!! The slang is so colorful and wry, and this time I only missed cow’s thumb and bear leader.
    They must be a lot of work, so thanks again.
    Faith

    Reply
  69. Anne, I LOVE these quizzes!! The slang is so colorful and wry, and this time I only missed cow’s thumb and bear leader.
    They must be a lot of work, so thanks again.
    Faith

    Reply
  70. Anne, I LOVE these quizzes!! The slang is so colorful and wry, and this time I only missed cow’s thumb and bear leader.
    They must be a lot of work, so thanks again.
    Faith

    Reply
  71. Did very well – got them all. At 83 regrettably some of those terms were still in use in my youth in England – people in Oz have more sense
    Trish

    Reply
  72. Did very well – got them all. At 83 regrettably some of those terms were still in use in my youth in England – people in Oz have more sense
    Trish

    Reply
  73. Did very well – got them all. At 83 regrettably some of those terms were still in use in my youth in England – people in Oz have more sense
    Trish

    Reply
  74. Did very well – got them all. At 83 regrettably some of those terms were still in use in my youth in England – people in Oz have more sense
    Trish

    Reply
  75. Did very well – got them all. At 83 regrettably some of those terms were still in use in my youth in England – people in Oz have more sense
    Trish

    Reply
  76. Well done, Trish. Some of those expressions are in use here, too, depending on the person, their age, where they came from and whether their parents used them. And whether they read Regencies or not. *g*

    Reply
  77. Well done, Trish. Some of those expressions are in use here, too, depending on the person, their age, where they came from and whether their parents used them. And whether they read Regencies or not. *g*

    Reply
  78. Well done, Trish. Some of those expressions are in use here, too, depending on the person, their age, where they came from and whether their parents used them. And whether they read Regencies or not. *g*

    Reply
  79. Well done, Trish. Some of those expressions are in use here, too, depending on the person, their age, where they came from and whether their parents used them. And whether they read Regencies or not. *g*

    Reply
  80. Well done, Trish. Some of those expressions are in use here, too, depending on the person, their age, where they came from and whether their parents used them. And whether they read Regencies or not. *g*

    Reply

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