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Quiz: Can You Match the Victorian Slang Term to its Meaning?

Test your knowledge of Victorian slang with this quiz that’s bang up to the elephant.

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“He was completely arf’arf’an’arf.”
“He was completely arf’arf’an’arf.” | The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images (main image); ahmad agung wijayanto/Shutterstock (question marks)

The Victorian Era—which was named for England’s Queen Victoria—lasted the length of her reign, from June 20, 1837 until her death on January 22, 1901. Plenty happened over the course of Victoria’s 63 years on the throne (which made her one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history), from the Irish Potato famine, which began in 1845, to Jack the Ripper’s murder of five sex workers over the course of 10 weeks in 1888, and so much more.

The language of the era was also among the most colorful you’ll come across: No one did slang quite like the Victorians. Take the quiz below to see how well you know the difference between your chuckaboos and your door-knockers—and don’t be afraid to start using some of these words and phrases in modern conversation.

After you’ve taken the quiz, try your hand at some Victorian riddles, check out some misconceptions about the Victorian era, and read up on the puns they used, the parlor games they played, and the terrible jobs and bizarre hobbies they had.

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