1. How many words did the first edition of the dictionary contain?

   1. 10,998

   2. 42,773

   3. 101,251

   4. 100

2. “To deprive a dog of something, nobody knows what, under his tongue, which is said to prevent him, nobody knows why, from running mad” is Johnson's definition of which verb?

   1. Educate

   2. Worm

   3. Foxhunt

   4. Direct [a play]

3. “A wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery” is the Dictionary's definition of

   1. An editor

   2. A patron

   3. A publisher

   4. An actor

4. How did Johnson define the occupation of lexicographer in his dictionary?

   1. One who compiles dictionaries

   2. One who unstintingly and accurately compiles a thorough transcription of the whys and wherefores of the English language

   3. A harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words

   4. An undervalued genius whose worth to society will only be recognised when he is gone

5. Johnson used the making of dictionaries as an example of an activity that could be described by which entry?

   1. Dull

   2. Delightful

   3. Arduous

   4. Endless

6. What was Johnson referring to as<i> vasta mole superbus </i>in a letter?

   1. His dictionary, “proud in its prodigious bulk”

   2. His own immense girth, on completing the dictionary

   3. His fame, on completing the dictionary

   4. A limited handtooled edition of the dictionary he was trying to persuade booksellers to stock

7. How many definitions of “to take” does Johnson include in his dictionary?

   1. 1,001

   2. 5

   3. 48

   4. 134

8. How long did it take Johnson to complete the dictionary?

   1. One year

   2. Thirty years

   3. Eight years

   4. Sixteen years

9. How many quotations does Johnson use to illustrate his definitions?

   1. 60,000

   2. 114,000

   3. 25,000

   4. None

10. “It's the most pointless book since How to Learn French was translated into French.” Said whom, of Johnson’s dictionary?

    1. Boswell

    2. George II

    3. Samuel Richardson

    4. Blackadder

Solutions

1:B, 2:B, 3:B, 4:C, 5:A, 6:A, 7:D, 8:C, 9:B, 10:D

Scores

1. 3 and above.

   "Why, Sir, Sherry is dull, naturally dull; but it must have taken you a great deal of pains to become what we now see you. Such an excess of stupidity, Sir, is not in Nature"

2. 6 and above.

   "Merit rather enforces respect than attracts fondness." We've become very fond of you.

3. 9 and above.

   Hardly a mistake, but as the great man said “if little violations are allowed, every violation will in time be thought little; and a writer should keep himself vigilantly on his guard against the first temptations to negligence or supineness”. Take heed

4. 10 and above.

   Perfect. Truly, you are the new Boswell