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That Is All > Wordplay & Language > Flashcards

Wordplay & Language Flashcards

1
Q

Greek, “the many”
Rhyming phrase meaning “common people”

A

HOI POLLOI

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2
Q

Chinese, “touching/knocking the head” (to the floor)
Part of a ritual upon meeting the emperor that involves kneeling & bowing
Means “to act servile/submissive”

A

KOWTOW

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3
Q

French
Casino worker, typically roulette

A

CROUPIER

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4
Q

Greek for “chief sea” (originally meaning the Aegean)
Now refers to its many islands

A

ARCHIPELAGO

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5
Q

Greek term for a “cave/hole dweller”
Generic term for a cave person
Also a genus of wrens

A

TROGLODYTES

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6
Q

Kind of house built in the “Bengali” style - the word comes from Bengali

A

BUNGALOW

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7
Q

“Work expands to fill allotted time.”

A

PARKINSON’S LAW

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8
Q

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”

A

MURPHY’S LAW

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9
Q

Italian, means “grand tour”
Used in car names and a PlayStation driving sim

A

GRAN TURISMO

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10
Q

Latin, “Roman peace”
Period of ~200 years ruled by the “5 Good Emperors” from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius

A

PAX ROMANA

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11
Q

Hebrew, “peace” (“be with you”)
Greeting and goodbye
Root of “Solomon” & “Salem”

A

SHALOM (ALEICHEM)

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12
Q

From the Hindi/Bengal for “small boat”
A small boat carried or towed by a larger one

A

DINGHY

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13
Q

From French, “petticoat”
A debutante’s ball

A

COTILLION

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14
Q

Latin American girl’s 15th birthday party

A

QUINCEANERA

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15
Q

Phrase coined by Cleopatra in Shakespeare
Refers to a time of youthful exuberance
Sounds leafy

A

SALAD DAYS

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16
Q

Found in a cloud, it refers to a situation’s bright side
Coined by John Milton

A

SILVER LINING

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17
Q

Stenography/dictation method
John Gregg developed a system to replace Pitman’s in 1888

A

SHORTHAND

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18
Q

From the French
Car parker at a restaurant, or a kind of key they might use with limited access
OR
Personal attendant/manservant
e.g. Figaro or Jeeves
Distinct from a butler, who serves a household

A

VALET

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19
Q

Steward or head servant of a great household
Means “household’s highest”
May be 2 words or hyphenated

A

MAJORDOMO

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20
Q

A group of quails, swans, or of “beauties” or women

A

BEVY

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21
Q

Word originally meaning a demon
Now also means a silly, gossipy, or flighty person
Appears in “King Lear” & in the Sound of Music’s “Maria”
Has 4 “B”s

A

FLIBBERTIGIBBET

22
Q

Nickname for an American general, in Britain it means “to filibuster”

A

STONEWALL

23
Q

Latin phrase
“Without which, nothing”
Means an essential aspect or element

A

SINE QUA NON

24
Q

Latin phrase
“What for what” or “Something for something”
Originally referred to medicine substitutions
As a term for a political deal, it was in the news during Iran-Contra & in 2019

A

QUID PRO QUO

25
Q

French 2-word term
A precocious, embarrassing child, or an unorthodox and rebellious prodigy

A

ENFANT TERRIBLE

26
Q

Latin 2-word term
“Behold the man”
Spoken by Pilate in the gospel of John, referring to Jesus
Common title for depictions of Jesus, including a fresco famously restored in 2012 by an amateur Spanish artist

A

ECCE HOMO

27
Q

Italian, “little cup”
Architectural term for the topper on a domed roof, like an inverted cup

A

CUPOLA

28
Q

2-word Hawai’ian phrase
Title of a song by Lili’uokalani
“Farewell to thee”

A

ALOHA ‘OE

29
Q

Latin, “what”
Also British slang for a pound sterling

A

QUID

30
Q

From French, “fragile”
To feign illness, usually for one’s own benefit

A

MALINGER

31
Q

From Latin, “compliant”
Fawning, servile, or obedient
Has a “QU” in the middle

A

OBSEQUIOUS

32
Q

Latin, “stopping of arms”
Cessation of fighting by agreement
Examples include one at Compiegne, Nov. 11 1918, and Panmunjom, 1953

A

ARMISTICE

33
Q

French, “caper” or “goat’s leap”
Curved furniture leg typical of “Queen Anne” style

A

CABRIOLE

34
Q

Word for one who works with wicks and wax

A

CHANDLER

35
Q

An “atilliator” is a maker of these weapons

A

CROSSBOWS

36
Q

One who makes arrows for bows

A

FLETCHER

37
Q

Slang for a publicist or a press agent
Sounds like what their client might catch if they do a poor job

A

FLACK

38
Q

Historical term for a road thief
Typically asked one to “Stand & deliver” (their goods)
Dick Turpin was a famed one, who rode a horse named Black Bess
Name taken by Nelson, Cash, Jennings, & Kristofferson

A

HIGHWAYMAN

39
Q

From a term for “prickly pear”
Refers to a Jew born in Israel
Also a brand of hummus

A

SABRA
(from “TSABAR”)

40
Q

Italian name for an Arthurian characer
Refers to a double mirage, especially those seen in the Strait of Messina

A

FATA MORGANA

41
Q

From Latin via old French, a “benison” means this

A

BLESSING

42
Q

Italian, “Beautiful song/singing”
Ill-defined operatic style

A

BEL CANTO

43
Q

Term for a horse’s face mark (longer than a star)
Also an ax mark on a tree to show a trail

A

BLAZE

44
Q

“Colorful” term for an insignificant value
“Not worth a…”
Refers to copper pennies

A

RED CENT

45
Q

Grass effigies burned in ancient China
Metaphorically, something discarded after use
Name of a Peckinpah film

A

STRAW DOGS

46
Q

French word for a nickname

A

SOBRIQUET

47
Q

From “heart” & “together”
Agreement or harmony
Kind of grape

A

CONCORD

48
Q

Agreement between the pope and a state

A

CONCORDAT

49
Q

Italian, “round (room)”
Part of US capitol under the dome where some lie in state

A

ROTUNDA

50
Q

2nd Greek letter
A kind of test, cell, blocker, brainwave, decay/radiation/particle, carotene, & globulins

A

BETA

That Is All (34 decks)

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