What in the World Are They Talking About? Part 2 Quiz

Answer: La cuenta por favor

"La cuenta por favor" - the check (bill) please. I remember this because it sounds a little like "account". It is pronounced "kwenta".

"La bancaria" is a different type of account, a bank account, so never ask for that after dinner. You might spoil a perfectly wonderful evening!

"El cuento" means "story". Again you could ask for a story after dinner, but probably the server will be too busy!

"La checko" is, of course, entirely made up by naughty me.

Answer: To rise and drop in the saddle in rhythm with the horse's trot

"Posting" on a horse is a primarily English riding style, where the rider rises from the saddle in time to the horse's gait in the trot. Failure to do this results in essentially being bounced up and down with great discomfort to the rider's rear-end on a fairly thin saddle! The English saddle is lighter and less bulky than the American version.

Riders who have learned to ride American style, essentially seated firmly in the saddle, find this rhythm hard at first, but once practiced it is easy to master.

Answer: Water bus

The water bus is the fastest and cheapest way to get around Venice. They come in different sizes and are a regular sight on the major canals.

The gondola is now more of a tourist attraction and is also expensive. However, some tradespeople own gondolas to carry their goods around this watery city and on market days you can see locals carrying vegetables and other wares to market in this old-fashioned way.

Answer: Chinese Imperial Palace

The Forbidden City was the home of the Chinese Emperors until the reign of the last Emperor Pu Yi who "vacated" the Palace in 1945. It is set directly on Tiananmen Square where its huge red gateway once was adorned with a giant photograph of Chairman Mao. However, that has been replaced with a sign which simply says "Palace Museum".

Thousands of tourists, both Chinese and foreign visitors, enter the Forbidden City to get a glimpse of the isolationist splendour in which the Emperors spent their days. The palace was declared a UNESCO Heritage site in 1987.

Answer: Things were damaged

"Munted" is a Kiwi (New Zealander) slang word for damaged or broken, usually beyond repair. According to the New Zealand Herald, the word gained rapid popularity following the 2011 earthquakes. No wonder.

"Munted" can also sometimes be used to indicate extreme drunkenness, in much the same way that we might say "he was destroyed", or "she was wasted".

Answer: A festival of literature, music and performance

There are two prominent Eistedfoddau (the plural of Eistedfodd) that take place in Wales, one the week-long National, the other the International. At both events choirs, recitations, musicians and dancers all perform to the delight of dedicated audiences who are hungry for an experience of the performing arts culture of Wales.

However, smaller Eistedfoddau can be held throughout the regions of Wales with more local performers thrilling their audiences. Also schools will hold Eistedfodd competitions, which are particularly important around St. David's Day (St. David being the Patron Saint of Wales).

Any Eistedfodd is a natural way for the Welsh to show-case their inherent talent for singing. Anyone who has heard the Welsh opera singer, Bryn Terfel, knows that music is bred into Welsh bones.

Answer: She wants some dollar coins

The "loonie" is the Canadian one dollar coin. When the Canadian Mint decided to do away with the one dollar bill, they created a coin (1987) that featured the loon (a common Canadian bird) on the reverse side from Queen Elizabeth II. Canadians were not too happy with the idea of a coin at all initially, so they referred to it as the "Loonie" - denoting a crazy idea. Crazy or not, both the name and the coin are now fully part of Canadian culture.

When a two-dollar coin was minted in 1996 to replace the two-dollar bill (yes they had one of those), Canadians were not too happy about that either, so it became known as the "Toonie" - a portmanteau word, but one with obvious cartoon implications: Looney Tooney! Such good humour from the Canadians resistant to change!

However, Loonies and Toonies are now the words of common Canadian currency - pardon the pun.

Answer: The airport

Dulles International Airport is situated in Virginia about 26 miles from central Washington, D.C., serving the greater Washington and Baltimore area. It is named after John Foster Dulles who was Secretary of State to President Dwight Eisenhower 1953-59. Dulles is remembered for his aggressive policies regarding world Communism during the period of the Cold war.

Answer: Served with coffee beans floating in it

"Sambuca con mosca" means Sambuca "with flies" and is a popular way to take this particular drink. Several coffee beans are dropped into the Sambuca when it is served. The appearance of these beans is remarkably similar to that of flies. This is one of the few times that you are happy to tell the waiter that there is a fly in your drink!

Answer: Nelson Mandela

"Madiba" is not only the affectionate name given to President Nelson Mandela by his loving people, but is also the name of the clan from which he came.

What more is there for me to write about the great Nelson Mandela that all freedom-loving peoples of the world do not already know? Rest in Peace, Madiba.