Arabic has contributed many words to English over the ages, particularly in the areas of mathematics and science. These were adopted into English via Latin and French with their sounds and spellings adapted for the Romance languages. For example, alcohol derives from the Arabic al-kuhl but these two elements were fused together in Medieval Latin, entering English in the 16th century. The cosmetic powder kohl, used to darken the eyelids, is from the same derivation, without al, the Arabic word for `the'. Other borrowings from Arabic describe aspects of Islamic religion, such as muezzin, imam, madrasah, and hajj; food eaten in the Middle East, such as kebabs, falafel, hummus, and tabbouleh; and clothes worn in Muslim countries, such as the hijab and jellaba. The adoption of loan words from other languages takes place when there is contact between two cultures. For this reason, many servicemen have introduced loan words into English. Sometimes, military slang remains restricted to army-speak, but at other times it passes into mainstream usage. An example of this is shufti (also shufty) from Arabic sufti `have you seen?' We talk about having a shufti at something when we want to have a quick look at it. It is still chiefly a British slang expression, and is now quite dated. It is thought to have first been used by the RAF in the 1920s and was in common currency in the British army in the Middle East during the Second World War.