Word |
Phonetic Pronunciation |
Part of Speech |
Definition |
apropos
French |
a-pre-PO |
|
1. (as an adverb) at an opportune time; seasonably
2. (as an adjective) being to the point |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Etym. |
Your arrival was apropos (adv).
I appreciate the clarity of an apropos speech (adj).
French à propos, "to the
purpose"
|
|
DEM-i-mond |
|
1. a distinctive class or group that is often an isolated
part of a larger class or group, esp. one having little reputation
or prestige
2. a class of women on the fringes of respectable society
supported by wealthy lovers |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
He was but one member of the great literary demimonde of trashy romance novels and throw-away teen ghost stories.
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|
enfant terrible
French |
ahn-FAHN ter-EE-bluh |
noun |
1. a child whose inopportune remarks cause embarrassment
2. a person known for shocking comments or outrageous behavior
3. a usu. young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox
or innovative |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
Five years ago, Napster founder Sean Fanning
was the enfant terrible of the
file-sharing business.
French Phrases | High-Falutin' Insults | There's A Word For That? | Words That Impress
|
escamotage
French |
es-cam-oh-TAZH |
noun |
1. spiriting away (as of a person) by magic
2. a retraction; evasion
3. fraudulent appropriation of the results of the labor of
others; trickery [Lenin] |
Ex.
Etym. |
The old rabbit out of the hat trick is mere escamotage.
From the French verb escamoter, which
means “to evade, get around, dodge, or conjure away.”
|
esprit d’escalier
French |
eh-SPREE des-kal-i-YE |
noun |
a witty remark thought of too late |
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
From the notion that one thinks of the perfect
remark on his way out (literally, “wit of the staircase”).
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|
gasconade
French
Toponym |
gas-kuh-NADE |
noun |
bravado or exaggerated boasting |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
Despite all his gasconade,
he failed to finish the job on time.
From the French gascon, “boaster,”
in turn from Gascon, an inhabitant of the town of Gascony,
notorious for its boastful citizens.
Little-known Synonyms
for Well-known Words | Toponyms
|
noblesse oblige
French |
no-BLESS uh-BLEEZH |
|
the obligation of those of high rank to be honorable and
generous to those of lower status |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
John D. Rockefeller believed that noblesse
oblige was the price of great wealth.
French for “nobility obligates”
French Phrases | There's A Word For That?
|
revenant
French |
REV-eh-nah |
|
1. one who returns after death or a lengthy absence
2. characteristic of a revenant; recurring |
Ex.
Etym. |
Every Hallows Eve these grounds are haunted by
that revenant specter.
From the French verb revenir, “to
return”
|
|
san-FRWA |
|
self-possession; an imperturbable state, esp. under strain |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
The man’s sangfroid was admirable, though perhaps not surprising given his military
training.
Literally, "cold blooded"
Likely Literary
|
sansculotte
French |
sanz-koo-LOT |
|
1. an extreme radical republican in France at the time of
the Revolution
2. a radical or violent extremist in politics |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
These days, it is not uncommon to hear about
a group of sansculottes taking
over a school or other public building to wring concessions
from their government.
French for "without culottes (knee breeches),"
from the fact that radical republicans in the French Revolution,
usually from the poorer Third Estate, did not wear culottes.
French Phrases | There's A Word For That?
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