| A | B |
|---|
| alcove | from al-qobbah 'the vault' |
| alkali from: Arabic al-qualiy | ashes of the saltwort plant |
| camel from:Arabic | jamal |
| carafe: from French carafe | Arabic gharafa to draw water |
| cipher: from Arabic sifr | meaning empty |
| cotton from Spanish/Arabic | dialect alqoton |
| crimson from the Arabic | qirmazi |
| gazelle: from Arabic | ghazal |
| lime: from Arabic | limah |
| lute: from Arabic | al-ud |
| mask from Arabic | maskharah: buffoon |
| monsoon: from Arabic | mausim meaning season |
| sofa: from Arabic suffah | indicating carpets and cushions |
| tariff: from Arabic - arafa | to notify |
| Panic finds its source in | a divine bully |
| Auguste Comte coined | agnostic |
| altercation | dispute with another |
| from the Latin ambitio we get | ambition |
| ambrosia; food of the gods said | to bestow immorality |
| Venus-like her fragrant skin | Exhal'd ambrosia from within |
| ampersand comes from | & per se - hence ampersey |
| Hector: Middle English to portray | a valiant warrior from the Iliad |
| Eros was the son of Ares | god of war |
| Aphrodite was a faithless wife | from which we derive aphrodisiac |
| apricot was originally conceived | to be an early ripening peach |
| Lysenkoism: politically enforced | manipulation of scientific truth |
| Arena is Latin for sand | scattered to absorb the gore |
| arrant: emphasizes just how | unacceptable a person really is |
| Hassan ben Sabbah of Persia | founded a fanatical sect: assassin |
| It was said that the assassins | were hashish eaters |
| The present need speak to | atone you: Anthony & Cleopatra |
| bankrupt; from banca rotta | literally broken bench |
| Rhubarb: a barbarous plant | native to China: a purgative |
| blackguards were menial kitchen | servants who scoured pots and pans |
| bugbear: a Tudor invention | designed to terrify the young |
| a butterfly was originally a | flutterby |
| buxom: well rounded related | to bosom of course |
| If I should chance to run over a cad | I can pay for the damage if ever so bad |
| Canard: Fr. for duck or | unfounded news - a tall tale |
| Nicolas Chauvin; tireless devotion | to Napoleon |
