Q 01/05

Which fencing term, an admission of being hit, is now used to concede a point in an argument?

A) Riposte

B) En garde

C) Touché

D) Feint

Answer · why

C) Touché

Touché. It is French for 'touched', the word a fencer called out to own up to a hit; within a few years of reaching English it was conceding good poin...

Q 02/05

In épée, where the whole body is the target, what happens when the two fencers hit at the same instant?

A) Neither fencer scores

B) Each fencer scores

C) The attacker scores

D) The hit is replayed

Answer · why

B) Each fencer scores

Each fencer scores. Épée keeps the logic of the duel it grew out of: whoever hits first gets the point, and if the two hits land within 40 millisecond...

Q 03/05

In foil, which part of the body is the valid target?

A) The whole body

B) The torso only

C) Everything above the waist

D) The sword arm only

Answer · why

B) The torso only

The torso only. The weapon descends from the light sword nobles trained with for duels, and its rules still reward only the thrust to the body: a hit ...

Q 04/05

The fencing term 'parry' shares its root with which of these words?

A) Parallel

B) Parasol

C) Paragraph

D) Parable

Answer · why

B) Parasol

Parasol. A parry wards off a blade and a parasol the sun; English probably took 'parry' from parez!, the 'ward it off!' that French fencing masters ca...

Q 05/05

The word 'fencing' began as a shortened form of which word?

A) Offence

B) Finesse

C) Feint

D) Defence

Answer · why

D) Defence

Defence. 'Fence' began as a clipped form of it, which is why one word gives us both the swordsman's art and the barrier round a garden: each is a way ...