Nation-al Security Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The Idioms That Mattered.
It's all Greek to me: The phrase is used to indicate that something is unintelligible. There is a belief that the term originated with William Shakespeare, having used it in his play "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" (1599), but the term was used well before that. The most popular theory is that it was generated by scribes from Medieval times, whose task it was to copy Latin text. Every so often they'd run into text that was in Greek, or some other language, inserting either of the phrases "Graecum est, non legitur" or "Graecum est, non potest legi", meaning "it is Greek; it cannot be read".

More holes than Swiss cheese: This is used to indicate that an argument or product or plan has so many things wrong with it that it cannot be used or taken with any degree of seriousness. The origin is in the visual representation of some Swiss cheeses, in particular Emmentaler. This is a cheese that is well known for a series of round holes that are created within it by carbon dioxide, released by bacteria during the cheese's aging process.

Indian summer: The Macquarie Dictionary defines Indian summer as "a period of summer weather occurring after the proper summer season". This is most likely to occur during the months of early autumn. Other sources indicate that it is a period of prosperity, especially later in life or, that it is a time for the gathering of stores in preparation for the harsher winter that is likely to follow. The origin of the phrase is disputed with some sources claiming it is linked to India on the Asian continent and others drawing a line to the North American natives. The latter tends to be the go-to argument, as the first recorded use of the phrase appeared in a North American journal dating back to 1774.

Mexican stand-off: This represents a confrontation between two or more parties in which all of the contenders are at risk. The origin of the phrase is not known but, Wikipedia indicates that the earliest known use of the term was in a short story that appeared in the Sunday Mercury in New York in 1876... "Go-!" said he sternly then. "We will call it a stand-off, a Mexican stand-off, you lose your money, but you save your life!" (F. Harvey Smith). One of the best examples of this scenario is in Sergio Leone's 1966 Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", where the three main characters form a triangle for a gunfight.

Chinese whispers: It is believed that the term first appeared in the English newspaper The Guardian in 1964, referring to a children's game that involves a group of people. A message is whispered from the first person to the second and then passed on down the line. At the foot of the line the last person announces to the group what message they'd received and, often, it is not representative of what the original message was. As to why the nationality "Chinese" is used, that is not clear. Previously it is thought that the game was called "Russian Gossip", though it has also gone by the names of "Gossip" and "Telephone".

Pardon my French: This is an informal term used by the English to cover up an unintentional use of a profanity. It stems from the enmity that existed between England and France, and the English idea that the French language was vulgar. In short, the speaker is seeking an apology for "behaving like a French person".

Irish pennant: This is a nautical term that first appeared in the journals of the British Navy in 1829, during the period of the sailing vessels. It refers to a loose end, or the unwhipped end of a rope, simply lying about with the potential to cause harm or injury. Interestingly, the term was coined by the "English" sailors and their use of the Irish nationality in the phrase was a deliberate slur. Essentially, they were indicating that the Irish were untidy and using it as a way of asserting their superiority. This also has some similarities to the abovementioned idiom "pardon my French". Time, however, seems to have moderated the tone of the phrase and the use of it these days by sailors is merely to indicate that they belong to a specific group i.e. seamen.

Dutch courage: This term refers to the use of alcohol, usually of the stronger variety, to stiffen one's resolve when confronted with a testing situation. Whether or not that spirit was (originally) gin, as used in the text above, is unclear. The allusion to it being such stems from a couple of sources. First, the term is said to appear in Edmund Waller's "Instructions to a Painter" (1665) in the line "The Dutch their wine, and all their brandy lose, Disarm'd of that from which their courage grows." The next link in the chain is that the modern form of gin was created by the Dutch physician Franz de le Boë... "so what", you say. The British and the Dutch were also allies during their conflict against Louis XIV and Jenever (Dutch gin) was made readily available to the British troops who were known to take a shot for its calming effects before heading into battle.

Young Turk: The term refers to young radicals, especially ones that are advocating change. This grew out of a group of insurgents who adopted that name because they were made up of predominantly young Turks, who were part of the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

Scottish shower: There are some that believe that this is a derogatory term to indicate that the Scots would only shower briefly or that they are merely being frugal with their hot water, but the truth is well removed from this. A Scottish shower usually involves the alternation between hot and cold water being used when bathing. It is a form of hydrotherapy that is meant to produce a number of health benefits.

The Other Idioms:
As they were not part of the answers but only added to provide additional colour to the narrative, I will not go into these in depth.

Like a Russian rolling down a hill: The veracity of this as an idiom is not known, though it did appear on three web sites that I found. It implies that work is being carried out effectively and productively.
Rome wasn't built in a day: Implies that it takes time to create something on a grand scale or something of importance. As this used the name of a city rather than a nationality, it wasn't used as an answer option.
Slow boat to China: In a similar vein to Rome, it indicates that the achievement of a certain goal is taking a long time. Once again, this uses a country, rather than a nationality (Chinese), hence not used as an answer.
Oklahoma Dustbowl: Refers to a period of severe drought and hardship that occurred in the region during the 1930s and is described to great effect by John Steinbeck in his novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939).
Mexican jumping bean: This is not a bean at all but a seed pod in which the larva of the moth Cydia saltitans resides. It moves about to avoid light and heat, cause the pod to jerk and (seemingly) jump.
Swedish Chef: Refers to a Muppet character created by Jim Henson that regularly features on "The Muppet Show" (commenced 1975). He is best known for his ridiculous cooking methods and the regular use of the phrase "Bork, bork, bork!"