Take the Oxford University quiz to find out if you are using the English language correctly
Popular phrases are being misused with the original meanings slowly being forgotten
HOW well do you know the English language?
It's a prickly question as everyday phrases like "proof is in the pudding" and "begs the question" are misused almost daily by English speakers.
But Simon Horobin, a Professor the the English language and Literature at the University of Oxford, has now revealed the true meaning and origins of the popular phrases, setting the record straight.
Tracing back to the origins of five phrases, he said many had simply become lost in translation over time.
Take the test first - or read below to find out what the phrases originally meant.
TAKE THE TEST
1: What does the word 'proof' mean in the phrase 'the proof is in the pudding'?
a) Evidence
b) Test
2: What does the phrase 'the exception that proves the rule' mean?
a) That which is excluded from the rule confirms it in all other situations that have not been excluded
b) The rule is validated by something that does conform to it, thus the exception is the means by which the rule is tested
3: Fill in the blank: Off your own ---
a) Bat
b) Back
4: Fill in the blank: One --- swoop
a) Foul
b) Fell
5: What does it mean to say something 'begs the question'
a) It lays claim to a principle
b) It raises the question
The common phrase "the proof is in the pudding" was first recorded as "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" in 1605, Professor Horobin revealed in a piece in .
But confusion has since reigned with the word "proof today meaning "evidence", rather than its original meaning "to test".
As Prof Horobin explained, the success of something "can only be judged by putting it to its intended use.
Another phrase causing confusion is "the exception that proves the rule".
While the phrase is commonly used to argue that something which doesn't conform to a rule somehow validates it, this meaning is wrong.
Instead, the Latin-derived phrase, means that "the exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted".
Simply put, if a shop sign says "open late on Thursdays", it implies a rule that the hop does not open late on the other days of the week.
RELATED STORIES
While many English speakers say they performed a task "off your own back", Prof Horobin said the phrase had changed.
Instead, the phrase, which is originally a cricket idiom, should be "off your own bat".
The English expert also pointed out many other cricketing phrases that had now made their way into everyday life, including people feeling "stumped" if unable to find a solution to a tricky situation, while people who live to a rip old age can be said to have enjoyed a "good innings".
The game has also sparked many expressions to describe honest behaviour, including to "play with a straight bat".
THE ANSWERS - DID YOU GET THEM RIGHT?
1: B This phrase means that the success of something can only be judged if put to use
2: A According to Simon Horobin, a shop sign stating "Open late on Thursdays" implies a rule that the shop does not open late on the other days of the week
3: A Bat. The phrase originated from cricket but has incorrectly changed to "back"
4: A "Fell". The word fell previously meant "fierce" with people since changing the expression to say "foul"
5: A While this phrase is often used to mean something "raises the question", it originally referred to the practise of assuming something that an argument sets out to prove
The first recording of the phrase "one fell swoop" was in Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
In the play, Macduff states: "All my pretty ones? Did you say all? O hell-kite! All? What, all my pretty chickens and their dam, at one fell swoop?” on finding out his wife and children had been murdered.
As Horobin explained, "fell" is an archaic word that means "fierce" or "deadly".
But with the word "foul" becoming more common in the English language, it has begun to replace "fell" in the expression.
Now for the most confusing expression last - it ";begs the question".
While the words have not changed in this expression, it is no longer used as it once was.
The phrase originated from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, referring to the practice of assuming something that an argument sets out to prove.
It is now more commonly used as a way to flag that questions have been raised around a certain premise.
Prof Horobin said the change could be traced back to a 16th century translator who chose to translate the phrase to "beg the question" rather than the more literal translation of "laying claim toa principle".
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368