A little box of questions
that spark big conversations
and learning.
The little purple box with 150 conversation starters using words and phrases borrowed from other languages. Ages 10 to adult. Roll over the card samples below.
If you had a nom de plume, what would it be?
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WordTeasers:
Who among your friends has the most chutzpah?
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WordTeasers:
Origins
Is there ever a good reason to ostracize someone?
nom de plume
Origin: From French nom de plume meaning “pen name.”
Definition: a name used by a writer other than his/her real name.
Quick Quiz: Do you know the nom de plume for Samuel L. Clemens?
(Answer: Mark Twain)
chutzpah
Origin: From Yiddish khutspe, meaning “impudence” or “gall.”
Definition: audacity; nerve. Example: A man kills his mother and father and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.
That’s chutzpah!
ostracize
Origin: From Greek
ostrakizein, meaning “to select someone for banishment by popular vote.”
Definition: to exclude; to banish.
Did You Know? In ancient Greece, citizens would often write down on a title (ostracon) the names of men they thought were dangerous. If a man’s name was written often enough, he was ostracized.
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