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One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
noun
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1A native or inhabitant of the Czech Republic or (formerly) Czechoslovakia, or a person of Czech descent.
- ‘The Czechs, Hungarians and the citizens from other East European states have a similar history.’
- ‘Fewer than 20 percent of Czechs approve of, or even believe in, their government.’
- ‘Reyna says his team-mates have already put behind them their disappointing performance against the Czechs.’
- ‘It's such a short journey to Germany that the tournament could almost feel like a home event to the Czechs.’
- ‘The vast majority of Czechs do not believe there is a God at all.’
- ‘Imbued with bucolic patriotism, his music aroused his fellow Czechs to self-determination.’
- ‘In 1963, he became the youngest England captain at the age of 23 when he led his side out to face the Czechs.’
- ‘The Dutch will go through with victory against Latvia only if the Germans do not beat the Czechs.’
- ‘After defeating the undefeatable French last time out, more was expected of the Czechs in Dublin.’
- ‘A look at Czech history reveals why some Czechs are so unwilling to accept fiscal change’
- ‘Sometimes, if I need something special, I can ask someone who is Czech to help me find the right words.’
- ‘‘Starting a new rally for the first time is never easy,’ said the 29-year-old Czech.’
- ‘This means the Czechs are through to the quarter finals and means Germany must beat them to go through.’
- ‘The strength of the Czechs, despite fielding a relatively small team, was evident.’
- ‘Bulgaria used to be a traditional and favourite destination for the Czechs, according to the historian.’
- ‘Most of the Czech Republic's approximately 10 million inhabitants are Czech.’
- ‘The Danes, the Poles and the Czechs also look like they could say no.’
- ‘Other numerically significant ethnic groups of Austria include Slovenes, Croats, and Czechs.’
- ‘Like so many Czechs, he has lived most of his life in exile.’
- ‘The Czechs are over-endowed with great composers, but the symphony that stirs them most comes from a minor master.’
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2mass noun The Western Slavic language spoken in the Czech Republic, closely related to Slovak. It has over 10 million speakers.
- ‘In the border provinces, Italian, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, and Czech are also spoken.’
- ‘Political circumstances beginning nearly a thousand years ago separated populations, but Slovak and Czech are still mutually intelligible.’
- ‘I am still recovering from a bad experience the first day I worked up the courage to speak Czech.’
- ‘Sophie is amazingly good at language - she's fluent in Czech.’
- ‘Students at Charles University face fees of up to £40,000 for the six-year medical course and are required to speak some Czech.’
- ‘Polish is a West Slavic language, part of the Lekhite subgroup, and is similar to Czech and Slovak.’
- ‘The station was heaving with hundreds of other festivalgoers, speaking every European language from English to Czech.’
- ‘She shuts herself away from the world while she translates a trashy thriller from Czech into English.’
- ‘He speaks Russian, French, Czech and Bulgarian.’
- ‘Slovenian is a South Slavic language, closely related to Croatian and similar to other Slavic languages, such as Czech.’
- ‘Although he would be educated in German, the family spoke Czech at home.’
- ‘Her upbringing by her foster family in the Czech Republic had taught her not just Czech, but how to read the Russian language.’
- ‘For about ten minutes, one gentleman asked me questions in English, and the interpreter translated them into Czech.’
- ‘The whole family speak three languages - Czech, German and English.’
- ‘One-third of Slovaks between the ages of 17 and 24 do not speak Czech.’
- ‘Smetana's patriotic feelings had been well to the fore in 1848, and though a German speaker he took pains to improve his command of Czech in the 1860s.’
- ‘During the national revival of the 19th century, all of Shakespeare's plays were translated into Czech from English editions and most of them produced in Prague.’
- ‘The book was translated into Czech, Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese.’
- ‘Reprinted five times in the 1920s, the book was translated into French, Czech, and other languages.’
- ‘To them Czech was and remained a natural language of communication.’
adjective
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Relating to the Czechs or their language.
- ‘In order to accompany the delicacies served, the management asked Czech artisans to produce tailor-made silver dishware.’
- ‘Those are three of the biggest names in modern Czech writing, and they all combine a historical awareness with a willingness towards heavy allegory.’
- ‘The trip was organised so British headteachers could learn about how Czech schools are run - and to share good practice with headteachers in the former communist country.’
- ‘Glasgow is one of only four universities in the UK to teach the Czech language - and the only one in Scotland.’
- ‘Bruckner is a well-known figure in Czech football.’
- ‘The number of Czech tourists visiting Bulgaria increased 65 per cent in January to April 2005.’
- ‘No Czech writing worth its name can escape Kafka's influence.’
- ‘The dining room also features several attractive prewar Czech glass pieces, which add color to the room's dark brown hues.’
- ‘The English language edition of the Czech catalog is currently available.’
- ‘Foreigners who come to live in Czech Republic for a longer period of time are often surprised or even shocked when they learn about Czech Easter traditions.’
- ‘Professor Holub, fluent in 15 languages, taught the history of contemporary Czech politics.’
- ‘My fluency in the Czech language is progressing slowly.’
- ‘To the west, swirling, drifting snow led Czech authorities to contemplate closing several border crossings into Poland.’
- ‘Teacher Anna Massey is determined that her Czech pupils will master the intricacies of the English language, including the subtle distinction between land and lend.’
- ‘The exhibition will comprise about 200 large photographs, eight models of stage designs and 40 Czech theatre posters.’
- ‘Yesterday we started to learn the Czech language.’
- ‘The Czech, Slovak and Hungarian mountains and countryside are well signposted for walkers and drivers.’
- ‘This has long been a farm town populated primarily by people of Czech ancestry.’
- ‘Over 100 000 Czech tourists visited Bulgaria in the first nine months of 2004.’
- ‘The show runs from 8pm to 11 pm both evenings, with the very best of Czech, Irish and African music and dance to enjoy.’
Origin
Polish spelling of Czech Čech.
