Vocabulary>Foreign Word Phrases

Question 1

ad hoc

Answer 1

Latin

literally, “to this”—for a specific purpose

Question 2

ad infinitum

Answer 2

Latin

literally, “to infinity”—for a long time

Question 3

ad nauseum

Answer 3

Latin

to the point of nausea

Question 4

alfresco

Answer 4

Italian

out of doors, in the open

Question 5

alma mater

Answer 5

Latin

literally, “fostering mother”—the school one attended

Question 6

ars gratia artis

Answer 6

Latin

literally, “art for art’s sake”

Question 7

au naturel

Answer 7

French

naked, unadorned

Question 8

avant-garde

Answer 8

French

on the cutting edge

Question 9

bête noire

Answer 9

French

literally “black beast”—a minor personal annoyance

Question 10

bon vivant

Answer 10

French

someone who gets great enjoyment from life

Question 11

carpe diem

Answer 11

Latin

literally, “seize the day”

Question 12

carte blanche

Answer 12

French

literally, “white card”—complete freedom

Question 13

cause célèbre

Answer 13

French

an infamous event or scandal

Question 14

comme il faut

Answer 14

French

appropriate

Question 15

corpus delecti

Answer 15

Latin

literally, “body of the crime”—evidence

Question 16

coup de grace

Answer 16

French

the death blow

Question 17

de facto

Answer 17

Latin

literally, “in fact”

Question 18

deus ex machina

Answer 18

Latin

literally, “god from the machine”—a solution created out of desperation because no plausible one exists

Question 19

enfant terrible

Answer 19

French

an unmanageable child

Question 20

ex cathedra

Answer 20

Latin

literally, “from the chair”—with unquestionable authority

Question 21

fait accompli

Answer 21

French

literally, “accomplished fact”

Question 22

faux pas

Answer 22

French

literally, “false step”—a breach in etiquette or social protocol

Question 23

flagrante delicto

Answer 23

Latin

literally, “with the crime blazing”—caught red-handed

Question 24

in vino veritas

Answer 24

Latin

literally, “in wine, truth”

Question 25

ipso facto

Answer 25

Latin

literally, “by the fact itself”

Question 26

joie de vivre

Answer 26

French

literally, “joy of living”—high spirits, enthusiasm

Question 27

lingua franca

Answer 27

Italian

literally, “the Frankish tongue”—a common language between people who do not speak the other’s native language

Question 28

mea culpa

Answer 28

Latin

literally, “my fault”

Question 29

noblesse oblige

Answer 29

French

the obligation of those of noble heritage

Question 30

prima facie

Answer 30

Latin

literally, “on the face of it”—at first glance

Question 31

quod erat demonstratum

Answer 31

Latin

literally, “as has been demonstrated”—often abbreviated Q.E.D.

Question 32

raison d’être

Answer 32

French

literally, “reason for being”

Question 33

savoir-faire

Answer 33

French

literally, “to know what to do”

Question 34

status quo

Answer 34

Latin

the current circumstances

Question 35

tabula rasa

Answer 35

Latin

literally, “erased tablet”—not yet affected by environment

Question 36

tempus fugit

Answer 36

Latin

literally, “time flies”

Question 37

tête-à-tête

Answer 37

French

literally, “head to head”—a private conversation

Question 38

veni, vidi, vici

Answer 38

Latin

literally, “I came, I saw, I conquered”

Question 39

verboten

Answer 39

German

forbidden

Question 40

Zeitgeist

Answer 40

German

the mood of the moment