E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Questions and Commands.
A Christmas game, in which the commander bids his subjects to answer a question which is asked. If the subject refuses, or fails to satisfy the commander, he must pay a forfeit or have his face smutted.
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“While other young ladies in the house are dancing, or playing at questions and commands, she [the devotee] reads aloud in her closet.”—The Spectator, No. 354 (Hotspur’s Letter), April 16, 1712.
