Cultural Terms + Vocab Tindle The Namesake Quiz

Raucous

Boisterously disorderly

Reverently

To view in an honorary way

Sartorial

Relating to clothing

Nomenclature

name

Truncate

to shorten

Surreptitious

done in stealth

Strident

To express oneself in a loud and discordant way

Vociferous

Engaging in persistent outcry (outspoken)

Anomaly

out of the ordinary

Diffident

uncomfortable around people, shy

Arduous

Requiring considerable effort

Mundane

ordinary, boring

Quotidian

Often observed or encountered

Vertigo

Dizzy, sick feeling

Discombobulate

To confuse

Replicate

to reproduce

Sari

Clothing worn by women, unstitched cloth draped sound the body

batik

Traditional Indian from of dyeing clothing where wax-resistant dye is applied to clothing

Sahib

boy

Samosas

Fried dough filled with meat or cheese

Annaprasean

Indian ceremony where infants take their first solid food

Biriyani

Mixed rice dish with rices, spices, meats, or veggies

Dal

Refers to both dried, split legumes and the stew that is produced from them

Tandoor

Traditional metal or clay cylindrical oven

Pujo

Bengali religious ceremony celebrating the conquest of the Goddess Durga over evil

ghats

Series of steps leading to a body of water

Luchi

Deep-fried puffy Bengali flatbread

Rossogollas

Bengali dessert made of cheese balls soaked in light sugar syrup

ashram

spiritual retreat traditional to Hinduism where people retreat to live simply, practice yoga, mediate, and self-reflect under a spiritual teacher’s guidance

Deshi

Indian

payesh

traditional Bengali sweet rice pudding

Salwar Kameeze

Traditional South Asian outfit composed of a long tunic shirt (kameeze), a loose pair of trousers (salwar), and typically paired with a matching scarf (dupatta)

Punjabi

Indo-Aryan language and ethnic group native to the Punjab region of India and Pakistan

dhoti

Traditional piece of unstitched cloth worn by men around the waist and legs in South Asia

Basmati

Fragrant, long-rice variety native to India

Tandoori

Style of Indian cooking where veggies or meats are marinated in yogurt before being cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor

Pernod

A French anise-flavored liqueur succeeding absinthe

couscous

North African dish made from crushed or rolled semolina granules derived from durum wheat

choucroute

French word for sauerkraut

Chanachur

Crunchy, spicy, and savory snack mix