Words From Other Languages — Set 2: In Context flashcards
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Fill the blank: 25 of the Set 2 words, each in a new sentence from conversation, news, food, travel, work and school, with clues that point to exactly one word.
Learn deck · part of Words From Other Languages · written against: 200 loanwords English still feels as borrowed; American pronunciation, etymologies per Merriam-Webster; our own selection. Updated 2026-10-10.
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Reporters nicknamed the slow-talking city clerk "the Glacier," a ______ he never chose but now has printed on his coffee mug.sobriquetFrench
A nickname that others give is a sobriquet. A nom de plume is a name a writer chooses to publish under; the clerk chose nothing and publishes nothing. -
The old wooden radio in the hallway is scratched and picks up only two stations, yet every guest asks about it first, drawn by some ______ no one can quite put into words.je ne sais quoiFrench
An attractive quality that is hard to name is a je ne sais quoi. Mojo is a seemingly magical power or confidence that brings success, and the old radio wins nothing; the clue is that no one can name what draws the guests. -
By the second day of the walk across the Scottish Highlands, the straps of Hamish's overstuffed ______ had rubbed his shoulders raw.rucksackGerman & Dutch
A sturdy pack carried on the back on a long walk, in a British setting, is a rucksack. No other word in the pack names a bag. -
This year's Halloween story in the student paper claims a ______ haunts the band room, tipping over music stands and flinging drumsticks across the floor every night.poltergeistGerman & Dutch
A ghost blamed for bangs, thumps and things flying across a room is a poltergeist. A banshee wails to warn of a death; it doesn't toss drumsticks. -
After lunch, the melon pickers stretch out in the shade of the farm truck for a ______, then return to the rows once the worst heat passes.siestaItalian & Spanish
A short lie-down once lunch is over, while the day is at its hottest, is a siesta. Dolce far niente is a spell of idleness for pleasure, not a nap between stretches of work. -
Mirabel's English teacher liked her graduation speech but asked her to trim the ______: the teary story about her late goldfish and the closing line about chasing rainbows.schmaltzYiddish & Hebrew
Excessive sentimentality is schmaltz. Schlock is cheap, shoddy work, and the teacher liked the speech; only its feelings are overdone. -
Under the EU treaties, anyone holding the nationality of a member state counts as a citizen of the European Union ______, with no separate application, oath or fee.ipso factoLatin & Greek
Automatically, because of that fact alone, is ipso facto: holding a member state's nationality is enough on its own. Ergo, "therefore," opens a conclusion drawn from a reason and can't close a clause like this, and en masse describes a group acting together, not one person's status. -
Half the county's farmland belongs to three ______, heirs to old railroad and timber fortunes, not one of whom has ever planted a seed or run a business.nabobsAsian Languages
Rich, important or influential people are nabobs, and these heirs are rich. Tycoons built or control big companies, and these heirs have never run anything; crème de la crème names the best of a group and can't be counted as "three." -
The guesthouse in Fez gave me a narrow room with a ______ along one wall, a sofa by day and a bed by night.divanMiddle Eastern Languages
A long, low sofa that can double as a bed is a divan. A bungalow is a whole one-story house, not something that fits along one wall. -
At the Swedish club's midsummer party, guests fill their plates from a ______ running the length of the hall, cold fish and salads at one end and hot meatballs at the other.smorgasbordOther Languages
A self-serve spread of many dishes, some hot and some cold, is a smorgasbord. Galore means in plenty, but it is an adjective placed after its noun, not a spread of dishes.
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Checked against:
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