1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. i. 139/2 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I When I consider..the profit that ariseth at sundrie elections of scholars..to the posers.

a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Norf. 258 The University..appointed Doctor Cranmer..to be the Poser-general of all Candidates in Divinity.

1664 S. Pepys Diary 4 Feb. (1971) V. 38 To Paul's schoole..and up to hear the upper-form examined;..Dr. Wilkins and one Mr. Smallwood, posers.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1661 (1955) III. 288 The Examinants or Posers were Dr. Duport Greek professor at Cambridge [etc.].

1702 C. Mather Magnalia Christi iii. i. i. 15/1 The Poser trying his Hebrew Skill by the Third Chapter of Isaiah.

1761 J. Woodforde Diary 3 July in Woodforde at Oxf. (1969) 45 We had a meeting of the Thirteen to settle the Quarterly Accounts & chuse the Posers.

1891 Eton Coll. Chron. 7 May 636 ‘Poser’..said in the book before us to be ‘still used at Eton’, has, alas! demised long ago with squared hoods and many other quaint and pleasant memories.

1901 H. Rashdall & R. S. Rait New Coll., Oxf. iii. 44 The term ‘Posers’ is still applied to the two Fellows [of New College] who examine at Winchester.

1928 Observer 1 July 13/3 A similar ceremony existed at Eton for many years. There the Provost of King's and his two posers halted at the gateway under Lupton's Tower, and after the Provost of Eton had greeted his brother of King's with the kiss of peace, the second colleger delivered the Cloister Speech.

1793 Sheridan in Sheridaniana 147 This was a pozer.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) x. 94 With the air of a man who was in the habit of propounding some regular posers.

1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick cviii. 524 ‘Is't a riddle?’ ‘I should humbly call it a poser, Sir.’

1894 Law Times 97 387/2 Interrupting the arguments by questions in the nature of posers.

1929 W. S. Maugham Extraordinary Sex in Nash's Mag. (1929) June 60 ‘What else is there in Gerrard?’ That, I admit, was a poser.

1966 S. Smith Frog Prince & Other Poems 86 Of course the blackberries growing closer Make getting in a bit of a poser.

1978 C. James in Observer 11 June 23/4 The third alphabet, Kanji, is the poser. Composed of roughly 2,000 Chinese ideographs, it is better regarded as a vocabulary than as an alphabet.

1999 Yahoo! Internet Life Dec. 97/2 When I initially answered the poser of how significant Bill Gates would be, in the blink of Posterity's eye, my comments were adolescent, mean-spirited, smart-ass, and just plain stupid.

1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Dec. 11/1 Besides the professional posers of the studio there are..the posers of the Row, the posers at afternoon teas, the posers in politics, and the circus posers.

1907 G. B. Shaw Major Barbara ii. in John Bull's Other Island 213 The man..is young, agile, a talker, a poser, sharp enough to be capable of anything except honesty or altruistic considerations of any kind.

1987 Guardian (Nexis) 16 Sept. I've always been a poser,..but the first time I did a modelling job I was shit scared.

2001 Sun 27 Jan. 9/1 The former World Cup striker is shown as a precious poser who wears a blond wig and refuses to play if it's raining.