Do You Know The Meaning Of All Of These Old-Timey Words?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Do You Know The Meaning Of All Of These Old-Timey Words?
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About This Quiz

Languages are always changing and evolving. While at the core they stay the same, there are definitely some words that your grandparents used as young whippersnappers that might sound a little funny and dated to modern ears. 

English, especially, has been spoken in so many countries and gone through so many changes over the centuries that it's chock-full of archaic (and sometimes downright funny) slang that most people today definitely do not regularly use. When was the last time someone said they were getting sent to the hoosegow? Perhaps it's time we resurrect it! On the flip side, Some modern words are older than you might even think. The word grifter, for example, has been around since roughly 1910. That's over 100 years of mileage! It can be a lot to grasp, but it's so much fun to see what wacky expressions people cooked-up in centuries past. 

Then again, people might look back at our slang and wonder why we thought "selfie" and "dumpster fire" were "hella tight." If you're a lover of the English language in all its colorful glory, take this quiz to see if you're really the bees knees!

What is an "ambidexter?"
Double-dealer
Priest
Academic
Murderer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone ambidextrous can use both hands. In the 1600s, an "ambidexter" was someone who would make deals with people and double-cross them.

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An "abercrombie" is a:
Cigarette
Know-it-all
Girlfriend
Pet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This word comes from the 1930s. While modern people know it better from the clothing brand, Abercrombie and Fitch, back in the day it was used to describe someone who thought they were smarter than everyone else.

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What does it mean to "cook with gas?"
Do something right
Mess things up
Give someone a kiss
Run away
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This phrase originated when gas stoves were being advertised as more effective than wood-burning stoves, so to cook with gas literally meant to use the better technology.

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You might be asked, "Are you writing a book?" if you do what?
Look suspicious
Are nerdy
Ask too many questions
Can't sleep
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the 1950s. Someone might use this if they are being asked a lot of questions that they don't want to answer. It's meant to be a defensive answer.

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If you've got the "morbs," how do you feel?
Sad
In love
Hungry
Beautiful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase dates back to 1880. It indicates a state of melancholy. Morbid means, essentially, an obsession with dark and sad things.

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If someone says "don't sell me a dog," what don't they want you to do?
Lie
Talk to them
Leave
Succeed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one was popular until about 1870. It was a reference to the fact that people who used to sell dogs would try to pass off mutts as purebreds.

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If someone is a "dead hoofer," what are they bad at?
Small talk
Driving
Cooking
Dancing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This slang comes from the 1940s. It was used to refer to people who couldn't dance. A "hoofer" was a dancer, so it's clear why a "dead hoofer" would call to mind a really terrible dancer!

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Your "Sheba" is your:
Girlfriend
Cigarette
Affair
Stuff
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While popularly used in the 1920s, this one has biblical roots. It goes back to the Queen of Sheba, who some people think may have had some sort of relationship with King Solomon.

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If someone is "all show and no go," is it a compliment?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the 1960s. It meant that someone was attractive superficially, but didn't have anything going for them on a deeper, personal level.

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If everything is "Jake," then everything is ______.
Ruined
Wet
Confusing
Fine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This expression dates back to at least 1914 in the U.S.A., but it was also used in Australia. it meant "excellent," but the precise origin is unknown.

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What is a "hawkshaw?"
Detective
Idiot
Professor
Husband
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hawkshaw was a word used in the early twentieth century. It's slang for detective. It actually came from the name of a character in an 1863 play called, "The Ticket of Leave Man."

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Is "mutton shunter" an insult?
Yes
No
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Victorians loved their insults. "Mutton shunter" was a derogatory Victorian name for cops. "Mutton" was sometimes slang for prostitute, and policeman would shunt (shove) them out of an area.

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If a man is "dizzy with a dame," how does he feel about her?
In love
Tired of her
Attracted to her
Angry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This expression comes from the 1930s. It was used to apply to men who were so in love with women that they didn't use sense, and therefore found themselves in bad situations.

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A car is a "hayburner" if it's what?
Super fast
A gas guzzler
Ugly
A lemon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1920s are not particularly known for their green way of life, and a car considered inefficient or a "hayburner" back in the early days of cars would have had to have been exceptionally bad. It means it went through gas as quickly as fire goes through hay (which is really fast.) A "hayburner" was also a losing racehorse.

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Someone who is wearing "gas-pipes" is wearing what?
Glasses
An ugly dress
tToo much jewelry
Too-tight pants
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was used in Victorian times. A man wearing gas-pipes was wearing way-too-tight pants, that looked, well, like the pipelines used to carry natural gas.

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What is a "handcuff?"
An ugly bracelet
A wedding ring
An arrest warrant
A killjoy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 1920s, marriage was often referred to as a prison sentence through slang. Wedding rings were also referred to as manacles.

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If someone is "frosted," how do they feel?
Angry
In love
Depressed
Bored
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was a 1950s favorite. Someone who was "frosted" was angry. It's similar (though not identical in meaning) to how we say that someone is acting "cold" today.

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To describe something as "butter upon bacon" is to call it what?
Ugly
Delicious
Too extravagant
Cheap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This phrase is from the Victorian era. It was making fun of extravagance by comparing it to the excessive notion of eating butter on a piece of bacon.

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What is a "gasper?"
A balloon
A grandmother
A sick person
A cigarette
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This term likely originated as British Army slang from the Second Boer War (at the turn of the twentieth century.) It referred to high-tar, unfiltered cigarettes and their detrimental effects on the troops' ability to breathe.

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A "martinet" is what sort of person?
Beautiful
Strict
Poor
Noble
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A "martinet" is a strict disciplinarian. This one was taken from Francis Grose’s, "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue."

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A "dewdropper" is what sort of person?
Beautiful
Lazy
Immoral
Generous
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one is a Jazz Age doozy. A "dewdropper" is a type of guy that does nothing more than sleep during the day because he isn't employed.

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If you are drinking "dog soup," what are you drinking?
Beer
A cocktail
Whiskey
Water
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This slang comes from the 1930s. It referred to a glass of water. Water was alternately called "city juice" during the 1930s, as well.

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Someone who is "ossified" is what?
Old
Drunk
Rich
Cruel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the Roaring 20s. Despite Prohibition being in full swing, people still got wasted. We can thank the Irish for this particular piece of slang.

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A "bluenose" is a ______.
Rich person
Small child
Spouse
Prude
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This word was popular in the 1920s to describe people who weren't really feeling the wild times. It means someone who is very obsessed with what they believe is proper and pious behavior.

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A "drugstore cowboy" was a _________.
Pickup artist
Hobo
Medicine man
Guy from the West
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This expression comes from the 1920s. It was used to refer to men who hung out on street corners, trying to meet women.

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Is being "mutton-headed" good or bad?
Good
Bad
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone "mutton-headed" was stupid. This one was taken from Francis Grose’s, "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," first published in 1785.

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Someone who is a "wurp" is what?
Funny
Very late
Flaky
A buzzkill
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one was popular in the 1920s. A "wurp" is a wet blanket or a buzzkill. Definitely not someone who could appreciate the Jazz Age in all its glory!

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Your "daddles" are your:
Parents
Hands
Shoes
Keys
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one is from the Victorian era (we can think the Brits for lots of lovely slang!) It was another word for hands.

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Someone who is "bricky" is what?
Brave
Sexy
Stupid
Lost
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was popular during Victorian times. By the 1920s, the definition had morphed into a form of appreciation, such as, "Thanks doll! You're a real brick!"

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If someone is "poked up," what are they?
Drunk
Embarrassed
Broke
Nosey
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This was used during the Victorian era. If someone was "poked up," they were embarrassed.

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If you are drinking "noodle juice," what are you drinking?
Whiskey
Moonshine
Milk
Tea
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the Jazz Age (the 1920s.) "Noodle juice" was tea; we know, it's not super obvious.

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What does it mean if "the bank's closed?"
No more kissing
Someone's broke
Dinner is ready
It's bedtime
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the 1920s. A woman would have said this to a man who was angling for a kiss when she didn't want to give him one.

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If someone is "mafficking," what are they doing in the streets?
Errands
Celebrating loudly
Blocking traffic
Selling illegal things
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one is comes from the name of a town, Mafeking, that survived a siege during the Boer War. When it was over, the people celebrated (quite loudly) in the streets. This gave birth to the word "mafficking."

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If a woman is a "canceled stamp," what is she?
A wallflower
Married
Mean
Beautiful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the 1920s. A shy, quiet, lonely woman who keeps to herself is a "canceled stamp."

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An "egg" is a person who_______________.
Is intelligent
Leads an extravagant life
Lies a lot
Is very old
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one comes from the 1920s. An "egg" is someone who leads an absurdly rich lifestyle. This is referenced in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, "The Great Gatsby," where the wealthy characters lived in the towns of West Egg and East Egg.

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