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brainfest

English translation: feast for the brain/mental stimulation

13:59 Feb 16, 2007
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
English term or phrase: brainfest
Greetings,

E.g.
When Shakira ain't exactly a brainfest…
I've just had a brainfest.
and so on.

Where does the “fest” part come from, and what does it mean, please?

Best wishes,

Simon
SeiTT
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:40
Selected answer:feast for the brain/mental stimulation
Explanation:
I'm not really sure, but I think it means "feast for the brain", or something that provides mental stimulation. Fest may come from the German word for feast (Feast), or just short for festival.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2007-02-16 14:40:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, small typo, I meant "German word for feast (Fest)"
Selected response from:

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:40
Grading comment
Excellent!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
2 +7feast for the brain/mental stimulation
Nesrin
5festival
Buck
3 +1derivations from "fest"
Alexander Demyanov
3 +1not for grading
RHELLER
3brainbox, brainwave
Jack Doughty


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
festival


Explanation:
This looks like one of those 'new' words, but in answer to your question, fest refers to some type of festival, i.e. party.


    Reference: http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/fest
Buck
Netherlands
Local time: 19:40
Native speaker of: English
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
derivations from "fest"


Explanation:
http://m-w.com/dictionary/fest

I just have a brainfest = I just had a great idea/I just resolved an interesting puzzle/(similar)

Someone is not a brainfest = someone is not too smart

Alexander Demyanov
Local time: 13:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ioanna Karamanou
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ioanna.
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
brainbox, brainwave


Explanation:
I've never heard it, but from the way it's used here, it seems to mean "brainbox" (a very clever person) in the first sentence, and "brainwave" (a bright idea) in the second one.

The "fest" bit is probably from German, in which it means a big festival or celebration (e.g. Oktoberfest).

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:40
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 40

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Richard Benham: I would suggest Shakira's intelligence is not being questioned, just the intellectual content of her work. Similarly, in the second quote, I think "brainwave" and "brainstorm" are less likely than a whole lot of intellectual stimulaiton.
20 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +7
feast for the brain/mental stimulation


Explanation:
I'm not really sure, but I think it means "feast for the brain", or something that provides mental stimulation. Fest may come from the German word for feast (Feast), or just short for festival.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 41 mins (2007-02-16 14:40:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, small typo, I meant "German word for feast (Fest)"

Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:40
Native speaker of: Arabic
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
Excellent!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carmen Schultz
10 mins
agree  Alison Jenner: Yes - either "feast" or "festival". At least that's how I've always used it and understood it.
34 mins
agree  María Teresa Taylor Oliver
57 mins
agree  Roman Bardachev
2 hrs
agree  Ioanna Karamanou
8 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
22 hrs
agree  Suzanne Blangsted (X)
1 day 4 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
not for grading


Explanation:
Everyone is right. This is a slang (made-up) term; here is the exact quote. It's about a team on the TV show "survivor"

opinionjamboree: February 2004Survivor 8.4 :D . ... When Shakira ain't exactly a brainfest ...
opinionjamboree.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_opinionjamboree_archive.html

the actual term means heavy usage of the brain / brain power

"Because of the high level of intellectual acuity this event generates, it is frequently referred to as a —Brainfest.“

Example sentence(s):
  • www.bbodproject.com/Health_Polcy_Speaker_at_Retreat.pdf
RHELLER
United States
Local time: 11:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 36

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ioanna Karamanou
7 hrs
  -> thanks, Ioanna :-)
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