QUIZ: Can you name these English words with Czech roots?

Test your knowledge of Czech language loan words with our bilingual vocabulary brush up.

Expats.cz Staff

Written by Expats.cz Staff Published on 28.09.2024 17:00:00 (updated on 28.09.2024) Reading time: 1 minute

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London Science Museum / Shutterstock by Gus Andrade, Krit Kongcharoenpanich
London Science Museum / Shutterstock by Gus Andrade, Krit Kongcharoenpanich

Bohemisms, or Czechisms, are words borrowed from Czech that have made their way into English. Some might ring a bell, while others could surprise you. Ready to test your bilingual brainpower? Take this quiz and see how well you know your Czech-meets-English vocab!

Question 1 / 10

What term, now used worldwide, for a light lager originated in the Czech Republic?

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  • Budvar
  • Holba
  • Pilsner
Question 2 / 10

A common dance step in a 2/4 rhythm is attributed to this Czech word.

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  • Mazurka
  • Polka
  • Waltz
Question 3 / 10

The name for one of these major world currencies originated in the Czech lands.

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  • Mark
  • Pound
  • Dollar
Question 4 / 10

The Czech language has also given a name to a type of gun.

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  • Pistol
  • Kalashnikov
  • Howitzer
Question 5 / 10

The Czech language gave a name to this therapeutic method, now recognized around the world.

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  • Remedial
  • Naprapathy
  • Chiropractic
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Question 6 / 10

Name the term that was coined in the 1990s in the Czech Republic to denote dodgy business transactions.

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  • Tunneling
  • Havelismus
  • Payola
Question 7 / 10

In Karel Čapek’s 1920 play "Rossum’s Universal Robots," which term was coined to describe automatons made of biological material that perform forced labor?

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  • Android
  • Automaton
  • Robot
Question 8 / 10

This Yiddish term derives from the Czech word for "poor" or "unfortunate."

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  • Nebbish
  • Pisher
  • Schmuck
Question 9 / 10

This general-purpose plastic explosive was invented in the 1950s by Czech chemists and is today the name of an energy drink.

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  • TNT
  • Semtex
  • C4
Question 10 / 10

This English word associated with magic is often mistakenly said to have been derived from Czech.

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  • Abracadabra
  • Alakazam
  • Hocus pocus
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Do you know your Bohemisms? These English words were borrowed from Czech

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