Match the British Idioms Trivia Quiz

Answer: pudding

To "over-egg the pudding" is to spoil something by trying too hard to improve it. It has its origins in the mid-19th century, referring to baked goods that might have been spoiled by using too many eggs. Nowadays, it can also be used to say something looks bigger or more important than it really is.

Answer: street

This means something is to your liking. The North American version of this is "up your alley". The first usage of the British English expression can be traced back to a "Publishers' Weekly" magazine from 1929 and reads, "A great many of the books published today are, as the saying is, right up her street". The word "up" is interchangeable with "down" and is used just as often.

Answer: uncle

This expression refers to a series of events that will end successfully and with ease. The full phrase is "Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt". This is thought to have originated when Arthur Balfour was unexpectedly promoted to Chief Secretary for Ireland by the then Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury. Salisbury was Balfour's uncle and his first name was Robert!

Answer: nelly

This phrase means that there is no chance of something happening - not on your life. This originated from the phrase "not on your Nelly Duff" - British cockney rhyming slang for "puff", meaning "breath of life".

Answer: manger

This expression refers to a person who prevents others from using something for which he has no use. It is derived from an old, mid-15th century Greek fable about a dog that prevents horses from eating fodder, which is inedible to the dog itself.

Answer: Loch

If someone does a Devon Loch, they fail spectacularly when everyone expects them to succeed. Devon Loch was a racehorse owned by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, which fell less than 40 yards from the winning post in the 1956 Grand National held at Aintree.

He was five lengths clear, when, for no reason, jumped up in the air and landed on his stomach, allowing E.S.B to overtake him and win the race.

Answer: post

The meaning of this is to go repeatedly from one place to another usually without accomplishing anything. Its origins go back to 15th century and are thought to refer to hitting a ball in the game of court tennis from posts supporting the net to the pillars at the back of the court.

Answer: pony

If you go somewhere by Shanks's (or Shank's) pony, it means to walk there! Shank's derives from the old name of the lower part of the leg between the knee and ankle - the shank, nowadays known as the shin-bone or tibia. It was alluded to in the early form of this term as shank's nag, which originated in Scotland in the 18th century.

Answer: knocker

As black as Newgate's knocker means pitch black. It originated in the mid-19th century, and refers to the large cast-iron knocker on the door of Newgate Prison, which was in London until it was demolished in 1904. The Central Criminal Court, known as Old Bailey, now stands on that site.

Answer: years

This term is used when referring to something that has occurred for a very long time without change. The origin was most likely from donkey ears, rhyming slang for years, with years replacing ears later in time. Donkey's years, however, may have been chosen as a synonym for a long time simply because donkeys are long-lived animals. One example is "Lively Laddie", a donkey who had plied his trade on Blackpool Pleasure Beach until his death at age 62!