Speaking Italian: in English Trivia Quiz

Answer: Onion

This is a word which has a totally different meaning in English from the original Italian. The English chipolata is a thin sausage while the Italian name refers to a dish of onions. The Italian dish is cipollata, deriving its name from the word for onion, as quoted in the question. According to the Oxford dictionary, the word made its way into English via French in the late nineteenth century.

Answer: Belvedere

In architecture, a belvedere refers to any structure built to provide a viewing point to appreciate the beauty of the scenery. It will often be sited high up, to give the best view of the surroundings, but this is not essential. The derivation of the word is 'bello', meaning beautiful, and 'vedere', meaning view.

The other words also come from Italian. A cupola is a small dome, which could even be a belvedere in its own right, usually located at the top of another building. A pergola usually refers to a garden structure designed to allow plants to grow over it and a loggia is an open gallery, normally located on the upper floor of a building.

Answer: Softly

A remark made 'sotto voce' is made under your breath, in a similar way to an aside. It may, or may not, be intended to be heard by other people present. This is a literal translation of the Italian, as 'sotto' means 'under' and 'voce' means 'voice'. We've probably all done this at some stage of our lives, although not necessarily understanding that there was an Italian phrase to describe it.

Answer: Bellini

The cocktail was originally created using prosecco with peach puree, although peach juice or nectar can also be used and other sparkling wines, including champagne, can also form part of the drink. It was created by a barman at Harry's Bar in Venice, who gave it the name of Bellini as the colour was similar to that used in one of the artist's paintings.

Other versions are officially recognised, using different fruit purees or juices, such as Tintoretto, made with pomegranate, and Puccini, where the juice of mandarins is substituted for peach.

Answer: Dilettante

The word has something of a pejorative meaning in the twenty first century, as it is used to describe someone taking an uncommitted interest in an activity, or 'playing' at it. Its original meaning was less derogatory, meaning simply an amateur interest, rather than a professional one. The derivation is from 'dilettare', meaning delight, and dilettante has been used in English since the middle of the eighteenth century.

A buffoon is a fool, a capriccio is a short and lively piece of music and libretto refers to the written words of an opera or choral piece. All these words are Italian originally.

Answer: Tombola

The name derives from the Italian word for somersaulting, which is tombolare, so it's easy to see how it was transferred to the game. Tombola can also be used as a name for the game also known as bingo, or, in some countries, for lotteries of any type.

Answer: Scimitar

The Oxford dictionary gives two possible derivations for scimitar. The first is that it comes from the Italian word scimitarra, although the French word of cimeterre is also a candidate. Either is likely, or maybe even both, and the English version of the name has been in use since the sixteenth century.

Of the other options, only the cutlass is curved. The rapier has a long, thin blade, and both it and the cutlass have names deriving from French. The claymore is a big, heavy sword from Scotland, with a name taken from Gaelic.

Answer: Sugared almonds

The Italian confetti are the sugared almonds which are often given out as favours at weddings. In English, confetti means the multi-coloured pieces of paper often seen at weddings, although the adaptation was still meant to symbolise good luck. Cascades of confetti are also often used to celebrate a sporting or other win - I always feel sorry for the people who have to clean it all up.

The Italian word for what the English call confetti is coriandoli, from the seed usually found in the middle of the sugared almonds.

Answer: A movie

The character of Paparazzo, a photographer, appeared in 'La Dolce Vita', a film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni. The word has passed into common usage, usually in its plural version, to describe the packs of photographers who follow celebrities around, hoping to take a picture and make some money.

The screenwriter apparently took the name from a novel, so I avoided that as an option in case of ambiguity. Some sources argue that the name itself is a version of the Italian name for a mosquito, which would be appropriate, if true.

Answer: Virtuoso

All the words originated in Italian, but the expert musician is a virtuoso. The word has been used in English since the seventeenth century, and the original Italian meaning is 'skilled' or 'versed', as in 'well versed'. Many musical terms are based on the original Italian names, including maestro, timpani and soprano.

A scherzo is a fast, lively piece of music; the original Italian word means 'joke'. Vibrato refers to vibration, either of the voice or of an instrument, while an impresario is the organiser of any type of entertainment. The original Italian word is impresa, meaning 'undertaking'.