The story goes that a Dublin theatre proprietor made a bet that he could, within forty-eight hours, make a nonsense word known throughout the city, and that the public would give a meaning to it. After the performance one evening, he gave his staff cards with the word written on them, and told them to write the word on walls around the city. The next day the strange word was the talk of the town, and within a short time it had become part of the language.What is this word still used everyday?

Quiz, mozart?

Source

Hey, I only had time to take one sip off my Margarita. Good answer. Thanks Kellygirl.

The word was Quiz in about 1836 possible urban myth? But... it was said it was used in 1782 meaning 'an odd or eccentric person', as a name for a curious toy (obsolete)1790
www.funtrivia.com/ask.cfm?action=details&qnid=47849

Bedstor, funtrivia, and other trivia-only sites are risky to use as a source. They do not seem to check anything they publish. Their policy seems to be "whatever comes in, gets on the site." Trust only AnswerPool for all your Trivia needs.

According to tne OED the first use of the word quiz is as a noun meaning '1)an odd or eccentric person; a person of ridiculous appearance 2) a person who makes practical jokes, engages in banter, a hoaxer, a joker'. These meanings date from the late C18.It says the origin is unknown. The word then became used for a practical joke itself (C19) and, in America, for what we now know as a quiz, as in pub quiz or trivia quiz. Evidently, from the link above, the current team at Oxford don't accept the Dublin story as proof of the origin.

'Quiz' is so close to Latin 'quis' as to suggest itself as the origin and that some joker simply spelled it in an eccentric, crazy, way. 'Quis' means, inter alia, 'who is this?' which seems an appropriate response on encountering an eccentric or person of ridiculous appearance.

The claim that the word was invented by some joker as a practical joke or hoax could be a back formation, a piece of creative etymology to answer the question of who or what was the original quiz.It seems a bit too neat to be true. (Anyway,the story is Irish: what more disproof do you need? )

quote:

'Quis' means, inter alia, 'who is this?' which seems an appropriate response on encountering an eccentric or person of ridiculous appearance.

The above brought to mind a favorite expression of my Liverpudlian mother. Whenever she encountered an " eccentric or person of ridiculous appearance" she would usually say, "The things you're liable to see when you don't have a shotgun". I wonder if that is an original, or typical of Liverpool?

quote:

Originally posted by frankvan:

quote:

'Quis' means, inter alia, 'who is this?' which seems an appropriate response on encountering an eccentric or person of ridiculous appearance.

The above brought to mind a favorite expression of my Liverpudlian mother. Whenever she encountered an " eccentric or person of ridiculous appearance" she would usually say, "The things you're liable to see when you don't have a shotgun". I wonder if that is an original, or typical of Liverpool?

No, Frank,it is not specific to or typical of Liverpool. It was quite a common expression in England , one now associated with the older generation: 'The things you see when you haven't got a gun' was the usual version.

quote:

'The things you see when you haven't got a gun' was the usual version.

Fred
Gun crime is on the Up is some areas of Liverpool (teenage kids who hire them...little Big men) this and drugs The areas Norris Green (L11)and Croxteth(L12) My grandparents lived in Norris Green from when it was Built in the 1930's but from the 1970's onward it has deteriorated into a little war zone (apt?) Toxteth (L7)(supposed to be still a rough area )is no worse than elsewhere in town now

Toxteth used to be a rich district up to the early 1900's
L11 & L12 are not safe places to drive through or walk through of a night Buses have be known to cut their journeys short if there is trouble reported even taxis do the same of a night,if young men ask to be taken in that direction

Picture of Norris Green as it was in about 1985

Now.... Ps there are still some nice houses streets left check out the www.sw-norrisgreen.co.uk web site for photos
Also some new build property which is out of the reach of the majority of people in this area

Map of the area Croxteth is in the top righthand sector top of the map is pointing North East towards where I live Now