Borrowed Words and Phrases Trivia

61. Which language does "kaput" come from?

From Quiz World Words

Answer: German

"Kaput" means broken, worn out or done with. It was used by the German migrants when they were working in very harsh conditions and for very little pay. "Kaput" is also used as a slang word if a machine is not working or if a car has run out of petrol.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 10

Answer: Something of little value

The French word 'bagatelle' means 'something of little value or significance'. It also means 'a short light piece of music, esp. for piano' and it is another name for 'Bar Billiards'. It comes from the Italian word 'bagattella', which comes from (dialect) 'bagatta' meaning 'a little possession', from the word 'baga' which means 'a possession'. It also may come from the Latin word 'baca' which means 'berry'. Roy Orbison sang a song called 'Penny Arcade' in which the line 'Just ring the bell on the big bagatelle' is used. In this instance 'bagatelle' means a board game where balls are struck into holes, with pins as obstacles. This game is usually used in circuses and pinball machine parlours.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 9

Answer: Reminder of death

The Latin phrase MEMENTO MORI means 'remember you must die'. The New Latin word 'memento' means 'remember' and the word 'mori' means 'to die'. It is a phrase used to remind us of our mortality. E.g., 'the skull rested on the shelf as a memento mori'.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 8

Answer: Life of luxury

The Italian phrase DOLCE VITA means 'a luxurious, self-indulgent way of life' or literally 'sweet life'. The Italian words 'dolce' means 'sweet' and 'vita' means 'life'.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 7

Answer: Melancholy discontent

The German word WELTSCHMERZ means 'sorrow over the evils of the world' and 'sentimental pessimism'. E.g., 'the news report expressed a certain weltschmerz, or world-weariness'. In the German language, 'welt' means 'world' and 'schmerz' means 'pain'.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 6

Answer: Moderately slow tempo

The Italian word 'andante' is used in music and it means 'at a moderately slow tempo'. It comes from the Italian words 'andare' which means 'to go' and 'ambulare' which means 'to walk'.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 5.

Answer: I came, I saw, I conquered

The Latin phrase 'veni, vidi, vici' means 'I came, I saw, I conquered'. It was a phrase used by Julius Caesar in 47BC, when he defeated Pharnaces 11 of Pontus, in the battle of Zela. It is a phrase that is used in the present day, by someone who is successful in the takeover of a business.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 4

Answer: Dread & anxiety

'Angst' is from the German word angest, which has indo-european roots. It means a feeling of 'anxiety' or 'apprehension', which is often followed by depression.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 3.

Answer: A bun

Brioche comes from a French word meaning 'to knead'. A brioche is a bun or sweet roll which is usually soft and light. It is made from eggs, butter, flour and yeast.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases 2.

Answer: In place of a parent

The Latin phrase in loco parentis means: to take the responsibilities of a parent. Sometimes a guardian is appointed by law to look after the best interests of children.

From Quiz Common Foreign Words And Phrases

Answer: A pen name

French for a name an author uses instead of his/her own name.

From Quiz Words of Indian Origin

Answer: pariah

The word 'pariah', meaning outcast, originates from the untouchable caste, "Pariyan", who were found all across the erstwhile Madras Presidency.

From Quiz Borrowed English Words from Italian

Answer: prima donna & primadonna

The phrase 'prima donna' means 'first lady', literally in Italian. Of course, the term could be used to directly translate the title given to Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush or Martha Washington, but it also has a negative connotation, as described in the question. The term also describes the lead female voice in an opera...some of whom might fit both meanings of the word!

From Quiz Borrowed English Words from Chinese

Answer: ping-pong & ping pong

Ping pong is an onomatopoeic word in Chinese, meant to imitate the sound of the ball being hit back and forth. Like English, Chinese is loaded with onomatopoeias, for example 'beng' is the sound for something bursting and 'ca' is used for a screech.

From Quiz English Borrowings

Answer: Dutch

The Dutch words are 'dek' (with a vowel similar to the sound of {cat);} 'baas' (with a sound similar to the long vowel of farm) and 'jacht' literally a 'hunting ship'. A fast ship for what the military would call 'rapid deployment'. Also in Russian many terms in sea-navigation are from Dutch.Examples from French :chaloupe from sloep (sloop) {;} babord from bakboord (port or larboard).

From Quiz Sources of English: Latin

Answer: palisade

"Vallis" is Latin for valley but is unrelated to "vallum" which refers to the "valli" or stakes a palisade was made of. Later "vallum" became the word for the whole defensive structure: "palisade-cum-ditch". In some cases the palisade became a stone wall rather than just a wooden structure.

From Quiz Greek and Latin in Disguise

Answer: like a cat

The Latin word for cat from which this adjective derives is 'feles', not to be confused with the word for happy, which is 'felix'.

From Quiz Its All Greek To Me

Answer: people who are broad and liberal in their standards of religious beliefs and conduct

From Quiz Foreigners in the English Language

Answer: bimbo

Bimbo is a shortened form for bambino in Italian.

From Quiz German Words in English

Answer: gloating

It used to be said that gloating over the misfortunes of others is 'typically German'. It's worth being very skeptical indeed about such statements.

From Quiz Foreign Words That Have Crossed Over

Answer: Sadness at the state of the world

Sadness at comparing the real with the ideal.

From Quiz Oy! Yiddish!

Answer: an artificial man of clay

The ancient legends of the golem were the basis of many a book and some films, besides influencing Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

From Quiz Somewhere in Africa...

Answer: an antelope

"Bongo" is an interesting case (though far from being unique in the English dictionary) of a word that has two different meanings and two separate etymologies - though both of them originated in the African continent. The name of the hand drums - used in pairs and held between the player's knees - is believed by some scholars to have derived from the Bantu word for "drum", "ngoma" or "mgombo".The word, however, entered English from Latin American Spanish (where it is spelled "bongó") in the 1920s. The name of the large antelope (Tragelaphus eurycerus) native to West and Central Africa is believed to originate from Kele, a Bantu language spoken in Gabon. Its earliest known use in English is a few decades older than that of the musical term - dating from 1861, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. LadyNym of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew felt like dancing to some Latin American music while writing this question.

From Quiz More Loanwords from Chinese

Answer: Little sparrow

Mahjong is originally known as "maque" in Chinese pinyin meaning little sparrow. The game was developed during the Qing and spread to many countries in the 20th century. There are 144 tiles, played usually by four players. It is one of the favorite pastime gambling games for the Chinese.

From Quiz Back to the Futon

Answer: feet

Zori and geta are both traditional types of thonged Japanese footwear. Zori are flat, much like flip-flops, while geta are wooden clogs with an elevated base. Of the two, zori are considered more formal, and often worn with kimonos, while geta tend to be worn in summer with less formal clothing. Tabi (meaning "foot pouch") are ankle socks with a separate section for the big toe, worn with either of these sandals during the colder months of the year. The first known use of "zori" in English dates from 1823; "geta" came a few decades later, in 1876, and "tabi" around 1890.

From Quiz Loanwords from Chinese

Answer: Typhoon

The word first appeared druing the 18th century. Typhoon is a tropical cyclone that usually occurs from May to October, but it can also hit at any time. The strong winds are in excess of 70 kph, and affect Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the southern part of China. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are not affected by typhoons.

From Quiz Take Me To Your Lieder!

Answer: Trifle

"Zuppa Inglese", like trifle, includes layers of sponge, custard and cream. There is a theory that it originated in Italy when the sixteenth century Dukes of Este asked their cooks to reproduce a dish they had been served when visiting the Elizabethan English court.

From Quiz The Long Journey to English

Answer: Umbrella

The Latin language of course introduced this word into the Italian, what with Rome and the Romans and all. "Umbrella" made its way into the English language some time during the 17th century, but before it unfurled there, it travelled from "umbra" (Latin) to "ombra" (Italian) and to "ombrella" (later Italian). The good old umbrella we know today is a device that can shelter us from either the sun or the rain, but which has an irritating habit of turning inside out on windy days.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:45 AM

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