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:—
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:—
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:—
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:—
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:—
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:—
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.