a riddle of claret
Preserved but no longer current.
Thirteen bottles, a mag- num and twelve quarts; said to be so called because in certain old golf clubs magistrates invited to the celebration dinner presented the club with this amount, sending it in a riddle or sieve.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a riddle of claret” mean?
Thirteen bottles, a mag- num and twelve quarts; said to be so called because in certain old golf clubs magistrates invited to the celebration dinner presented the club with this amount, sending it in a riddle or sieve.
Is “a riddle of claret” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.