Q 01/05

What is a truck called in British English?

A) A wagon

B) A carrier

C) A lorry

D) A hauler

Answer · why

C) A lorry

The American word arrived first as a nautical term and only later meant anything with an engine.

Q 02/05

The word 'truck' was first used in 1611 to mean what?

A) A covered market stall

B) A two-wheeled country cart

C) A wagonload of coal

D) Small wheels on gun carriages

Answer · why

D) Small wheels on gun carriages

It comes from the Greek trokhos, meaning wheel, and only meant a motor vehicle from about 1930.

Q 03/05

From which language does the root of the word 'truck' come?

A) Dutch

B) Old Norse

C) Latin

D) Greek

Answer · why

D) Greek

The extended sense, a cart for heavy loads, has been in use since 1771.

Q 04/05

Where does the British word 'lorry' probably come from?

A) French coachbuilding

B) The Royal Navy

C) The railway industry

D) Cornish mining

Answer · why

C) The railway industry

It shows up in 1838 for a large flat goods wagon, possibly from the old verb 'lurry', to drag along.

Q 05/05

What are pickups called in Australia and New Zealand?

A) Haulers

B) Utes

C) Trays

D) Runabouts

Answer · why

B) Utes

The word is short for utility vehicle, and covers coupe utilities as well as proper pickups.