Common Foreign Words And Phrases 7 Quiz

Answer: To a sickening degree

The Latin phrase AD NAUSEAM means 'to a sickening degree' and 'to the point of nausea'. E.g., 'the actor spoke of his many conquests ad nauseam'. The word 'ad' means 'to' and the word 'nauseam' means 'sickness'. This phrase has been used in English since the 1600s.

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'.

Answer: Caught in the act

The Latin phrase FLAGRANTE DELICTO means 'in the act' and 'red handed'. E.g.,'she didn't have proof that her husband was fooling around, so she would just have to catch him flagrante delicto'. The phrase comes from Medieval Latin and the word 'flagrante' means 'blazing' and 'delicto' means 'offense'.

Answer: And the rest

The Latin phrase ET CETERA means 'and the rest' and 'and so forth'. It is used at the end of a sentence or list, to indicate that other similar items should be included or considered. The Latin word 'et' means 'and' and 'cetera' means 'the others (things)'. The whole phrase is usually abbreviated to 'etc.'.

Answer: That's life

The French phrase C'EST LA VIE means 'that's life' and 'such is life'. It is an expression used to play down something that is not too important. E.g., 'we lost the game 10 points to 11, c'est la vie!'.

Answer: To be ridiculous

The Latin phrase AD ABSURDUM means 'to the point of absurdity'. The Latin word 'ad' means 'to' and the word 'absurdum' means 'absurdity'. E.g., 'the criminal tiringly repeated his innocence ad absurdum'.

Answer: Retroactively

The Latin phrase EX POST FACTO is a term used in law which means 'retroactively' and 'from something done afterward'. It is a phrase that refers to the past or a period in the past. E.g., 'the councillors agree that the change in policy will be honored ex post fact'.

In reference to criminal law, something may become a crime even though it wasn't considered a crime at the time of the offence.

Answer: Indiscreet person

The French phrase ENFANT TERRIBLE means 'a person whose conduct is indiscreet'. In French it literally means 'terrible child'. E.g., 'the artist, whose work was extremist, was the enfant terrible of the business'. In French the word 'enfant' means 'child' and 'terrible' means 'frightful'.

Answer: Wonderful year

The Latin phrase ANNUS MIRABILIS means a 'wonderful year' and 'year of wonders'. It is a phrase used for a year of good things, bad things and other memorable events. It generally refers to the years 1665-1666, when Isaac Newton made his discoveries. It also refers to 1905 when Albert Einstein made his discoveries. Philip Larkin wrote a poem in 1967 called "Annus Mirabilis" and The Beatles first LP of the same name celebrated more relaxed sexual habits in Britain.

Answer: At home

The French phrase EN FAMILLE means 'at home' and 'with one's family'. It also means 'in a casual way' and 'informally'. E.g., 'we'll have dinner 'en famille'.