| French |
meaning |
example or comment |
| à la carte |
(in a restaurant) on the menu, with a price for each dish [literally, "according to the (menu) card"] |
Jane ate à la carte and John had the buffet. |
| agent provocateur, agents provocateurs |
somebody (often a spy) who encourages other people to commit a crime so that they can be convicted [literally, "provocative agent"] |
The demonstrators discovered that two agents provocateurs had infiltrated their ranks. |
| aide-de-camp, aides-de-camp |
a military officer who acts as a confidential assistant to a senior officer |
The general's aide-de-camp spoke to the ambassador. |
| aide-mémoire, aides-mémoire |
something that helps the memory (eg a notebook) |
He carries a little black book as an aide-mémoire. |
| Au contraire! |
On the contrary! (exclamation, often humorous) |
Au contraire! I said she was beautiful, not ugly. |
| au fait |
having a good knowledge/understanding about something [literally, to the fact] |
For the exam you will need to be au fait with the irregular verbs. |
| au pair, au pairs |
a young foreign person, usually female, who helps in the house in exchange for accommodation |
She stayed in Rome for a year before university, working as an au pair for an American family. |
| Au revoir! |
Goodbye! [literally, "until the seeing again"] |
Au revoir! And thanks for coming. |
| Bon appétit! |
Enjoy the meal! [literally "good appetite"] |
Shall we eat? Bon appétit! |
| bon mot, bon mots |
witty remark |
He was always popular in interviews, famous for his bon mots. |
| bon vivant, bon vivants |
a person who enjoys the pleasures of life [literally, good liver] |
|
| Bon voyage! |
Have a good trip! |
Bon voyage! And see you next year! |
| Ça ne fait rien. |
It doesn't matter. |
Don't worry. Ça ne fait rien. |
| café au lait, cafés au lait |
coffee with milk; white coffee |
He ordered two cafés au lait. |
| carte blanche |
complete freedom to choose the course of action you think best |
The manager gave his assistant carte blanche during his absence. |
| cause célèbre, causes célèbres |
a controversial issue attracting widespread public interest and debate [literally, famous case] |
People like to tweet about many causes célèbres on Twitter. |
| C'est la vie! |
That's life! Such is life! |
Well, I lost the election. But never mind. C'est la vie! |
| chargé d'affaires, chargés d'affaires |
diplomatic official (often temporarily taking the place of an ambassador) [literally, in charge of affairs] |
|
| cinéma vérité |
a style of film-making that uses realistic, documentary-style photography and avoids artistic effect [literally, cinema truth] |
|
| cordon bleu |
of the highest class/quality (especially of cooking) [literally, "blue ribbon"] |
That new luxury hotel is advertising for another cordon bleu chef. |
| cordon sanitaire, cordons sanitaires |
a line around an infected area to prevent anyone from leaving it and thus spreading the disease; a political or military buffer zone around a state or specific area |
|
| coup d'état, coups d'état |
a sudden seizure of power from a government, invariably illegal and sometimes violent [literally, "blow of state"] |
Thailand has had many coups d'état over the last fifty years, most of them by the Army. |
| coup de grâce, coups de grâce |
a final action to kill a wounded person or animal; a final action or event that puts an end to a deteriorating situation |
|
| crème de la crème |
the very best person or thing of a particular kind [literally, the cream of the cream] |
The crème de la crème of the film world gather each year at the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival. |
| cri de coeur, cris de coeur |
a real cry of anguish; passionate appeal or complaint [literally, cry from the heart] |
|
| cul-de-sac, culs-de-sac |
a road that is closed at one end; blind alley; a venture leading nowhere [literally, bottom of the sack] |
Don't go down this road. It's a cul-de-sac. |
| déjà vu |
a feeling of having seen or experienced the present situation before [literally, already seen] |
I had this tremendous feeling of déjà vu, as though I'd met her before. |
| de rigueur |
expected or required by etiquette or fashion |
It used to be de rigeur to have long hair if you played in a band. |
| double entendre, double entendres |
word or phrase that can have two meanings, one of which is usually vulgar or sexual [literally, double understanding] |
Many British comedy films rely heavily on double entendre and sexual inuendo. |
| en masse |
in a group; all together |
The government ministers resigned en masse. |
| en route |
on the way; during the course of a journey |
Mary lives between you and me. I can pick her up en route. |
| fait accompli |
something that has happened or been done before the people affected by it know about it, so that they have no choice but to accept it [literally, accomplished fact] |
The new budget was presented to the board of directors as a fait accompli. |
| faux pas |
an embarrassing remark or act in a social situation [literally, false step] |
What a faux pas! He asked her how her husband was, but he died 10 years ago. |
| femme fatale, femmes fatales |
a temptress; a highly seductive and attractive woman, especially one who brings disaster to any man involved with her [literally, fatal woman] |
Many rulers in history have been destroyed through their obsession with a femme fatale. |
| force majeure |
unforeseeable circumstances that prevent one fulfilling a contract [literally, greater force] |
In most contracts an earthquake is considered to be force majeure. |
| grand prix |
an important sporting event with a very large prize [literally, great prize] |
|
| haute cuisine |
the cooking of high-quality food in the traditional French style [literally, high cooking] |
|
| hors d'oeuvre |
a small, extra dish during a meal, usually served at the start as an appetizer [literally, outside the (main) work] |
|
| je ne sais quoi |
a certain indescribable or inexpressible quality [literally, I know not what] |
People with the x-factor have a certain je ne said quoi that makes them irresistible. |
| joie de vivre |
a full and healthy enjoyment of life [literally, "joy of living"] |
|
| laissez-faire |
a policy or attitude of letting things happen on their own without interfering [literally, "allow to do"] |
|
| ménage à trois |
a sexual relationship involving three people [literally, "household of three"] |
|
| Merci beaucoup. |
Thank you very much. |
Please don't thank me! It's me that should say "merci beaucoup" to you! |
| mot juste, mots justes |
exactly the right or appropriate word |
|
| n'est-ce pas? |
is it not so? isn't it? |
It's freezing today, n'est-ce pas? |
| noblesse oblige |
the responsibility of priviledged people to act in a generous and noble way towards less priviledged people |
|
| nom de plume, noms de plume |
a pen name; a name that some authors use instead of their real name [literally, "pen name"] |
|
| nouveau riche |
people who have only recently gained wealth (and may be seen as showing off and lacking in taste) [literally, "new rich"] |
|
| papier mâché |
a mixture of paper, flour and water that becomes hard when dry, and is used to make some sculptures [literally "mashed paper"] |
|
| par excellence |
better than all others of the same kind; among the absolute best [literally, "by excellence"] |
He is an artist par excellence. |
| pièce de résistance |
the best feature of a creative work or meal |
|
| pied-à-terre |
a small home, apartment or room kept for occasional use [literally, "foot to earth"] |
|
| prêt-à-porter |
ready-to-wear; ready-to-wear designer clothes [literally "ready-to-wear"] |
|
| Qu'est-ce que c'est? |
What is this? |
|
| raison d'être |
the most important reason for the existence of someone or something [literally, "reason for being"] |
|
| RSVP |
(at the end of a printed invitation) Please reply. [abbreviation of "Répondez S'il Vous Plaît" meaning literally, "Reply if it pleases you"] |
You are kindly invited to our Dinner Party on Saturday 19th February at 7pm. RSVP |
| sang-froid |
composure (especially in dangerous circumstances); coolness; indifference [literally, "cold blood"] |
|
| savoir-faire |
knowledge of how to act or speak appropriately in social situations; social grace [literally, "know how to do"] |
|
| s'il vous plaît |
please [literally, "if it pleases you"] |
|
| tête-à-tête |
a private conversation between two people [literally, "head-to-head"] |
When you've got a moment I'd like to have a little tête-à-tête with you. |
| tout de suite |
at once; immediately [literally, "quite in sequence"] |
|
| trompe l'œil |
a visual illusion [literally, "deceive the eye"] |
|
| vis-à-vis |
in relation to; regarding; a face-to-face meeting [literally "face to face"] |
I dread my annual vis-à-vis with the MD. |
| Vive la différence! |
Expression of approval for difference between things, especially between men and women [literally, "Long live the difference!"] |
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