The Story That Quiz Was Invented on a Bet Is Probably False
A quiz is a short test of knowledge. A famous tale about its origin does not hold up.
A quiz is a short test of knowledge, and formerly a practical joke or an odd person. A much-loved story claims a Dublin theatre manager named Daly bet in 1791 that he could introduce a meaningless word into the language overnight, chalked *quiz* across the city and won. The tale first appears decades later, and the word is recorded before the supposed bet, so it is almost certainly a legend. The likelier source is Latin *qui es?*, who are you, the opening question of an oral examination.
- A short test. *A pub quiz.*
- To question. *Quizzing a witness.*
- A practical joke (archaic). *A quiz.*
- Quizzical — questioning. *A quizzical look.*
- Perhaps Latin — *qui es?*, who are you. *The likely root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | quiz | A quiz. |
| Plural | quizzes | Quizzes. |
| Verb | quiz | Quizzing. |
| Adjective | quizzical | Quizzical. |
| Latin | qui es | Who are you. |
- They won the pub quiz.Test.
- Police quizzed him for hours.Questioning.
- A quizzical expression.Adjective.
Word-origin legends that are not true
- Quiz — the Dublin bet story, unsupported by dates
- Posh — not from port out, starboard home
- Golf — not an acronym for anything
- News — not north, east, west, south
- Acronym legends are almost always invented afterwards
Origin uncertain, recorded from the 1780s, possibly from Latin *qui es?*, who are you.
Was quiz invented to win a bet?
Almost certainly not. The story appears decades after the supposed event, and the word is recorded before it.
What did quiz first mean?
An odd person or a practical joke. The sense of a knowledge test came later.