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Friday, June 22, 2007

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: Foreign Words and Phrases. Answers here.

1. Which French phrase, literally meaning "black film", is used for a style of film-making with a plot involving suspense, mystery, crime and corruption, and a bleak, often shadowy, setting?
2. Which Japanese word meaning "empty orchestra" is used for amateur singing in public to prerecorded backing tapes?
3. Which German word is used for traditional leather shorts that often have H-shaped braces and are worn by men in Austria, Bavaria, etc.?
4. Which Latin phrase, meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered", was used by Julius Caesar after a swift victory in 47 BC?
5. What is the meaning of the Italian word "alfresco"?
6. What is the meaning of the Latin phrase "caveat emptor"?
7. Is a "chateaubriand" the owner of a chateau, a kind of torch, or a large thick fillet steak?
8. Does the Latin word "lustrum" mean a bright light, a century, or a period of five years?
9. What is the slang meaning of the French word "poilu"?
10. What is the meaning of the Latin phrase "felo-de-se"?

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