Which Came First? Vocabulary Quiz

Question: Meme or emoji?

Answer: Emoji first saw print in 1997. Although it is now frequently associated with Internet jokes, meme was coined by philosopher Richard Dawkins back in 1976.

Question: Dad bod or manspreading?

Answer: Dad bod, a term used for slightly overweight father figures, was first used in 2003. Manspreading began taking up space more than a decade later, in 2014.

Question: Chillax or dumpster fire?

Answer: A blend of chill and relax, chillax ambled its way into English back in 1994. Dumpster fire, used to describe disastrous situations, has been burning only since 2006.

Question: Mom jeans or jeggings?

Answer: Mom jeans have been used to describe unflattering pants since 1995. Jeggings was first tried on in 2009.

Question: French manicure or English muffin?

Answer: French manicure first appeared in print in 1981. English muffin goes all the way back to 1858.

Question: FLOTUS or SWAT?

Answer: While first ladies of the United States go as far back as Martha Washington, the acronym FLOTUS was first used in print in 1983. SWAT, referring to specially trained police or military units, first saw use in print in 1968.

Question: Valley girl or flower child?

Answer: Like, Valley girl is totally from 1982 or whatever. Flower child has been with it since the far-out year of 1967.

Question: Clap back or twerking?

Answer: Clap back, meaning “to respond quickly and sharply to criticism,” was first seen in 1990. Twerking hit the dance floor in 2001.

Question: Bridezilla or bae?

Answer: Bridezilla came roaring into the lexicon in 1995, but bae’s first recorded use was in 1983.

Question: E-mail or f-bomb?

Answer: E-mail has been filling our inboxes since 1979, while the euphemism f-bomb has been dropping since 1988.

Question: Athleisure or cosplay?

Answer: Although taking on a greater degree of popularity recently, athleisure dates back to 1976. Cosplay came to English in 1993.

Question: EVOO or CBD?

Answer: Though only recently becoming big business, CBD, a shortening of cannabidiol, goes back to 1962. The extra-virgin olive oil abbreviation EVOO hit kitchens in 1992.

Question: Podcast or earbud?

Answer: Podcast’s first recorded use was in 2004, but people have been hearing about earbuds since 1984.

Question: Zillion or hundo?

Answer: Zillion has been used countless times since 1934, while hundo is still relatively crisp, first used in 1996.

Question: Hot take or cold shoulder?

Answer: Hot take came out of the oven in 2012, while cold shoulder goes all the way back to 1816.