Means Test
Preserved but no longer current.
By the 1934 revision of the Unemployment Act, the claimant for insurance benefit was called upon to undergo an inquisition, known as the Means Test, and furnish information as to the total amount of money coming into the household from any source whatsoever, thus laying before the officials the private affairs of every member of his family.
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 “Means Test” mean?
By the 1934 revision of the Unemployment Act, the claimant for insurance benefit was called upon to undergo an inquisition, known as the Means Test, and furnish information as to the total amount of money coming into the household from any source whatsoever, thus laying before the officials the private affairs of every member of his family.
Is “Means Test” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.