Say What?! A Foreign Idioms Quiz
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The French expression "Donner le lapin" literally translates to "to give a rabbit." What does it really mean?
To serve an unusual meal
To stand someone up
To donate to charity
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The Italian expression "Fare il portoghese" literally translates to "To pretend to be Portuguese." What does it really mean?
To use a public service without paying
To act in a play
To speak Portuguese (isn't it obvious?)
ANSWER: This isn't some xenophobic expression; the story goes that in the 18th Century, the Roman embassy was giving a gift to Portuguese residents. Italians looking to cash in pretended to be Portuguese, cheating the system. This isn't some xenophobic expression; the story goes that in the 18th Century, the Roman embassy was giving a gift to Portuguese residents. Italians looking to cash in pretended to be Portuguese, cheating the system.
3 of 8
What does the British expression "banana peel" really mean?
A clumsy person
An embrassment
Toughness
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The Portuguese expression "Segurando a vela" literally translates to "Holding a candle." What does it really mean?
Praying
Looking up at
Being the third wheel
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The German expression "Ich habe die nase voll" literally translates to "I have a noseful of." What does it really mean"
I've had it up to here
I'm stuffed
I'm sick of it
6 of 8
The Japanese word "Yokomeshi" literally means "A sideways meal." What does it really mean?
An uncooked piece of meat
A late lunch
A meal with a foreigner
ANSWER: The Japanese write vertically, while many foreigners write sideways. So talking to a foreigner is like "speaking sideways," making a meal with one a "sideways meal." The Japanese write vertically, while many foreigners write sideways. So talking to a foreigner is like "speaking sideways," making a meal with one a "sideways meal."
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In British, if a woman is "up the spout," what is she?
Married
Pregnant
Widowed
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The Polish expression "robic z igly widly" literally translates to "To make a fork out of a needle." What does it really mean?
To make a mountain out of a molehill
To make a full meal out of a little food
To be poor