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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
"Trivia"
Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"?
I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. Sadly, what I actually got was many, many references to quizzes about Grease.
Similarly, in Australia last year I was invited to take part in a pub quiz. This event was referred to by all simply and generically as "Trivia".
This seems to suggest that the word "Trivia" itself has been hijacked by the board game (possibly because its breadth of usage has increased but without any reference to its original meaning).
I look forward to your thoughts.
Ida Goode-Johnson
I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. Sadly, what I actually got was many, many references to quizzes about Grease.
Similarly, in Australia last year I was invited to take part in a pub quiz. This event was referred to by all simply and generically as "Trivia".
This seems to suggest that the word "Trivia" itself has been hijacked by the board game (possibly because its breadth of usage has increased but without any reference to its original meaning).
I look forward to your thoughts.
Ida Goode-Johnson
Top answer
[/nq] Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?... [nq:1]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. quizzes are more likely to include this word than simple collections of anecdotes, many of which take themselves far too seriously to consider their contents trivial..
- [/nq] Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?...
- [nq:1]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease.
- quizzes are more likely to include this word than simple collections of anecdotes, many of which take themselves far too seriously to consider their contents trivial..
- Jeeves kept offering me information about places to buy beer in Delaware..
- r
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30 Answers
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Ida Goode-Johnson filted:
[nq:1]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"?[/nq]
Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?...
[nq:1]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. Sadly, what I actually got was many, many references to
[nq:1]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"?[/nq]
Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?...
[nq:1]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get pages listing an assortment of irrelevant facts about Grease. Sadly, what I actually got was many, many references to
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[nq:1]Ida Goode-Johnson filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?...[/nq]
No but...
[nq:2]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get ... actually got was many, many references to quizzes about Grease.[/nq]
[nq:
[nq:2]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Am I asking for trouble by saying that there are three ways to answer this?...[/nq]
No but...
[nq:2]I typed "grease trivia" into Google today, hoping to get ... actually got was many, many references to quizzes about Grease.[/nq]
[nq:
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Ida Goode-Johnson filted:
[nq:2]This may be more a reflection of how the information ... take themselves far too seriously to consider their contents trivial..[/nq]
[nq:1]This is the only one of your three points which I feel is directly relevant to the original post - the others are about the mechanism of search engines.[/nq]
Looks like "asking for trouble" was a good call..."three wa
[nq:2]This may be more a reflection of how the information ... take themselves far too seriously to consider their contents trivial..[/nq]
[nq:1]This is the only one of your three points which I feel is directly relevant to the original post - the others are about the mechanism of search engines.[/nq]
Looks like "asking for trouble" was a good call..."three wa
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[nq:1]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since theinvention of "Trivial Pursuit"?[/nq]
Yes, it has. From "trivial things" to "unrelated bits of information such as might be used for a quiz", even if the information isn't trivial at all.
But surprisingly, the word isn't in OED1 or the 1931 Supplement. I thought this must be a mistake, but I see that Mastertexts yields only on
Yes, it has. From "trivial things" to "unrelated bits of information such as might be used for a quiz", even if the information isn't trivial at all.
But surprisingly, the word isn't in OED1 or the 1931 Supplement. I thought this must be a mistake, but I see that Mastertexts yields only on
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[nq:1]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"? I typed "grease trivia" into ... its breadth of usage has increased but without any reference to its original meaning). I look forward to your thoughts.[/nq]
I hadn't encountered "trivia" alone used to represent "trivia quiz" or "trivia contest" or "trivia questions," but I'll watch for it. It's n
I hadn't encountered "trivia" alone used to represent "trivia quiz" or "trivia contest" or "trivia questions," but I'll watch for it. It's n
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From The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories:
trivia (early 20th century) This is modern Latin, the plural of trivium 'place where three roads meet', influenced by trivial .
Alec McKenzie
trivia (early 20th century) This is modern Latin, the plural of trivium 'place where three roads meet', influenced by trivial .
Alec McKenzie
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[nq:1]Ida Goode-Johnson filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]This is the only one of your three points which ... - the others are about the mechanism of search engines.[/nq]
[nq:1]Looks like "asking for trouble" was a good call..."three ways" was a pun on the derivation of the word "trivia"..[/nq]
http://www.answers.com/topic
[nq:2]This is the only one of your three points which ... - the others are about the mechanism of search engines.[/nq]
[nq:1]Looks like "asking for trouble" was a good call..."three ways" was a pun on the derivation of the word "trivia"..[/nq]
http://www.answers.com/topic
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[nq:1]Has the word "Trivia" undergone a change of usage since the invention of "Trivial Pursuit"? I typed "grease trivia" into ... of usage has increased but without any reference to its original meaning). I look forward to your thoughts. Ida Goode-Johnson[/nq]
Here in Australia "trivia nights" were very popular in the 1980s are still are to some extent. "Trivial Pursuit" probably is the culpr
Here in Australia "trivia nights" were very popular in the 1980s are still are to some extent. "Trivial Pursuit" probably is the culpr
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[nq:2]But surprisingly, the word isn't in OED1 or the 1931 ... imagine OED left this out because it was not English.[/nq]
[nq:1]Anybody got OED2?[/nq]
Trivialities, trifles, things of little consequence.
(quotes from 1902 to 1978)
b. (In allusion to the quiz game Trivia .) Useless information or (knowledge of) matters of little importance. Freq. attrib ., as trivia game , ques
[nq:1]Anybody got OED2?[/nq]
Trivialities, trifles, things of little consequence.
(quotes from 1902 to 1978)
b. (In allusion to the quiz game Trivia .) Useless information or (knowledge of) matters of little importance. Freq. attrib ., as trivia game , ques
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