Meanings
plural starters for ten
- Something, especially a question or problem, to be tackled first.
The activity network diagram isn't at all difficult to understand, so, as your starter for ten points, what do you think the diagram in Figure 62 means?
2015, Nick Graham, Project Management for Dummies1 more example
'Oh, and take this on the house as your starter for ten.' He thrust the copy of Travels with my Aunt into my hand, and wrapped around it a dog-eared copy of The Bookseller magazine. 'Because you'll never get time to read while you're working here.'
2022, Debbie Young, Best Murder in Show
Origin
From the British TV quiz programme University Challenge, where the phrase refers to the first question given to a contestant, worth ten points.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
starter for ten. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20for%20ten
“starter for ten.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20for%20ten. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “starter for ten,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/starter%20for%20ten.
Source: starter for ten on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.