OED Online - Practice Questions

1. Which 6 letter word for an animal starts with Z and ends with Y?

(Hint: use the wildcard ? to denote a missing letter)

2. How many different types of phobia can be found in the OED?

(Hint: use the wildcard * before phobia and note the number of results given)

3. What does the word robot mean in South Africa?

(Hint: scroll through the entry to find the answer)

4. When was disrespect first used as a verb?

5. What was the original meaning of the adjective nice?

6. When was the noun text message first recorded in English?

7. What was the original meaning of the adjective silly?

8. From which language does juggernaut originate?

(Hint: after you look up the word make sure the Etymology button is clicked to show
word origin information)

9. Name 4 words which have an Arabic origin.

(Hint: choose the Simple Search option, then Language Names in the drop down list)

10. Name 4 words which entered English in the year you were born.

(Hint: choose the Simple Search option, and then First Cited Date in the drop down list)

11. How many words appearing in the OED came into English in the seventies?

(Hint: use the Simple Search option, then First Cited Date from the drop down menu;
a range of years can be connected with a hypen)

12. What is the name for the part of an animal’s back which it can’t reach to scratch?

(Hint: use the Advanced Search option to find the keywords animal, back and scratch in
full text; type one word in each of the search boxes)