Foreign Words in English * 5 *

Question 1

in absentia

Answer 1

while not present

Latin - ‘in absence’

Question 2

je ne sais quoi

Answer 2

a quality that is hard to describe

French - ‘I do not know what’

Question 3

laissez-faire

Answer 3

a non-interventionist policy

French - ‘allow to do’

Question 4

mea culpa

Answer 4

an acknowledgement that something is one’s fault
“My bad!”
Latin - ‘by my fault’

Question 5

memento mori

Answer 5

something kept as a reminder that death is inevitable

Latin - ‘remember (that you have) to die’

Question 6

modus operandi (frequently M.O.)

Answer 6

a way of doing something

Latin - ‘way of operating’

Question 7

non sequitur

Answer 7

a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous statement
Latin - ‘it does not follow’

Question 8

nom de plume

Answer 8

Pen-name; assumed name used by a writer instead of original name.
French - ‘name of pen’

Question 9

nouveau riche

Answer 9

people who have recently become rich and who display their wealth ostentatiously
French - ‘new rich’

Question 10

persona non grata

Answer 10

a person who is unacceptable or unwelcome

Latin - ‘unacceptable person’