A ;
à la: short for (
ellipsis of)
à la manière de; in the manner of/in the style of ;
à fond: lit. "to the bottom"; thoroughly, completely, with maximum effort or intensity. Often used to describe giving one's all in a particular endeavor, as in "going à fond" in sports or other activities, or as in discussion "we discussed the subject à fond". ;
à la carte: lit. "on the card, i.e. menu". In restaurants it refers to ordering individual dishes from the menu rather than a fixed-price meal. In America "à la carte menu" can be found, an
oxymoron and a
pleonasm. ;
à propos: regarding/concerning (the correct French is
à propos de) ; affaire de cœur: lit. a love affair ;
aide-de-camp: lit. "camp helper"; "camp assistant", a military officer who serves as an adjutant to a higher-ranking officer, prince or other political dignitary. In Canada, it may also refer to the honorary position a person holds as a personal assistant to a high civil servant. In French, it is written
aide de camp (without any hyphens). ;
aide-mémoire: lit. "memory aid"; an object or memorandum to help one to remember things, or a diplomatic paper proposing the major points of discussion. ;
amour propre: "Self-love", self-respect. ;
amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule: lit. "mouth-amuser"; a single, bite-sized
hors d'œuvre. In France, the exact expression used is
amuse-gueule,
gueule being slang for mouth (
gueule is the mouth of a carnivorous animal; when used to describe a human mouth, it is vulgarakin to "gob" although the expression itself is not vulgar). The expression refers to a small mouthful of food, served at the discretion of the chef before a meal as an hors d'oeuvre or between main courses. ;
ancien régime: a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letters in French with this meaning:
Ancien Régime) ;
aperçu: preview; a first impression; initial insight. s with amuse-gueules ;
apéritif or aperitif: lit. [drink] that "opens" the appetite, a pre-meal drink. In colloquial French,
un apéritif is usually shortened to
un apéro. ; appellation contrôlée: supervised use of a name. For the conventional use of the term, see
Appellation d'origine contrôlée. ; appetence: 1. A natural craving or desire 2. An attraction or affinity; from the French "appétence", derived from "appétit" (appetite). In French, this has a high
register language. ;
après moi, le déluge: lit. "After me, the
flood", a remark attributed to
Louis XV of France, referring to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution. It is derived from
Madame de Pompadour's
après nous, le déluge, "after us, the flood". The
Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, famously known as the "Dambusters", uses this as its motto. ;
arête: a narrow ridge. In French, also fishbone; edge of a polyhedron or graph; bridge of the nose. ;
armoire: a type of cabinet; wardrobe. ;
arrière-pensée: ulterior motive; concealed thought, plan, or motive. ;
Art Nouveau: a style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It takes capitals in French (
Art Nouveau). ;
attaché: a person attached to an embassy; in French it is also the past participle of the verb
attacher (= to fasten, to tighten, to be linked) ;
attaque au fer: an attack on the opponent's blade in
fencing, e.g. beat, expulsion, pressure. ;
au contraire: on the contrary. ;
au courant: up-to-date; abreast of current affairs. ;
au fait: being familiar with or know about something. ; au gratin: "with gratings", anything that is grated onto a food dish. In English, specifically 'with cheese'. ;
au jus: lit. "with juice", referring to a food course served with sauce. Often redundantly formulated, as in 'Open-faced steak sandwich, served with au jus.' No longer used in French, except for the colloquial,
être au jus (to be informed). ; au naturel: 1. a. Nude. b. In a natural state: an
au naturel hairstyle. 2. Cooked simply. Also used in French heraldry to mean "proper" i.e. in natural colours. ;
au pair: a young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room and board. In France, those chores are mainly child care/education. Lit. "on par", in the sense of "equal to" (see
parity), indicating that the person is considered an equal member of the household rather than a servant. ;
au revoir!: "See you later!" In French, a contraction of
Au plaisir de vous revoir ('to the pleasure of seeing you again'). ;
au sec :lit. "almost dry", reducing liquid to the point of almost being dry though the food is still moist. ;
avant-garde (pl.
avant-gardes): applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art, music and literature; figuratively 'on the edge', literally, a military term, meaning 'vanguard' (which is a corruption of
avant-garde) or "advance guard", in other words, "first to attack" (antonym of
arrière-garde). ; avant la lettre: used to describe something or someone seen as a forerunner of something (such as an artistic or political movement) before that thing was recognized and named, e.g., "a post-modernist avant la lettre", "a feminist avant la lettre". The expression literally means "before the letter", i.e., "before it had a name". An alternative modern French version of this expression is ''avant l'heure''. ;
avoirdupois: used in Middle English,
avoir de pois = commodities sold by weight, alteration of Old French
aveir de peis = "goods of weight". In Modern French, only used to refer to English weight measures, as in
une livre avoirdupois (1 lb. avdp) as opposed to
une livre troy (1 lb. troy).
B ;
baguette: a long, narrow loaf of white bread with a crisp crust, often called "French bread" or "French stick" in the United Kingdom. In French, a
baguette is any long and narrow stick-like object such as a chopstick; a rectangular diamond cut to 25 facets and a magic wand. ;
banquette: a long upholstered bench or a sofa. ;
beaucoup de: Used interchangeably with the English equivalent of "lots of/many/a great number of". Appropriate when the speaker wants to convey a greater positive connotation and/or greater emphasis. Often used as an informal expression, mostly in small regional dialect-pockets in the Canadian Prairies and the American South, especially in Alberta and Louisiana respectively. ;
Beau geste: lit. "beautiful gesture", a gracious gesture, noble in form but often futile or meaningless in substance. This French expression has been on the periphery of the standard English lexicon since the appearance of
P. C. Wren's
Beau Geste (1924), the first of his Foreign Legion novels. ;
Beau idéal: lit. "beautiful ideal," used to suggest the perfect or most supreme version of something to exist. The expression was coined during the late 18th century during the aesthetic period known as
classicism. Invoking the balance and refinement of Greek and Roman art and architecture, the term was used for examples of such that conformed to purity, wholesomeness, equilibrium, and simple elegance. ;
Beaux-Arts: monumental architectural style of the early 20th century made famous by the
Académie des Beaux-Arts. ;
bel esprit (pl. beaux esprits): lit. "fine mind"; a cultivated, highly intelligent person. ;
Belle Époque: a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. ;
belles-lettres: lit. "fine letters"; literature regarded for its aesthetic value rather than its didactic or informative content; also, light, stylish writings, usually on literary or intellectual subjects. ;
bête noire: lit "black beast"; nemesis. ;
bien entendu: well understood, well known, obvious – "of course". ;
bien pensant: lit. "well thinking"; right thinking, orthodox. Formerly implied wilful blindness to dangers or suffering faced by others but, nowadays corresponds to "
politically correct". The noun form
bien-pensance is rarely seen in English. ; billet-doux: lit. "sweet note", love letter ;
blasé: unimpressed with something because of overfamiliarity, jaded. ;
bon appétit: lit. "good appetite"; "enjoy your meal". ;
bon mot (pl.
bons mots) : well-chosen word(s), particularly a witty remark ("each bon mot which falls from his lips is analysed and filed away for posterity",
The European Magazine, August 29 – September 4, 1996) ;
bon vivant: one who enjoys the good life, an
epicurean. ;
bon voyage: lit. "good journey"; have a good trip! ;
boudoir: lit. "sulking place"; a woman's private dressing or sitting room in a house. ;
bourgeois: member of the
bourgeoisie, originally councilmen, burghers or even aristocrats living in towns in the
Middle Ages. Now the term is derogatory, and it applies to a person whose beliefs, attitudes, and practices are conventionally middle-class. ;
bric-à-brac: small ornamental objects, less valuable than antiques; a collection of old furniture, china, plates and curiosities. Cf.
de bric et de broc, corresponding to English "by hook or by crook", and
brack, refuse. ;
bricolage: to improvise or assemble something useful from what happens to be at hand; to expedite or economize a project with readily available components, versus a kit or outside sources; to reuse spare parts for other than their original purpose; to create something new by arranging old material; to create a new, valuable purpose for an object that has completed its original purpose and would otherwise be discarded. Connotes an intrepid
do-it-yourself spirit or clever repurposing. Differs from tinkering which merely modifies an existing arrangement. The term is used metaphorically to describe inventive philosophy, theories, and practices in business and academic fields, where new concepts are found in interactions of old ideas. ;
brioche: a sweet yeast bun, kind of a crossover between a popover and a light muffin; French also use the term as slang for 'pot belly', because of the overhang effect. ;
bureau (pl.
bureaux): government office; an agency for information exchange. Also means "desk" in French, and in the U.K.
C ; ça ne fait rien: "that doesn't matter"; rendered as
san fairy Ann in British World War I slang. ;
cache: a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place (such as in an
oubliette). Often used for weapons. ;
cachet: lit. "stamp"; a distinctive quality; quality, prestige. ;
café: a coffee shop (also used in French for "coffee"). ;
café au lait: coffee with milk; or a light-brown color. In medicine, it is also used to describe a birthmark that is of a light-brown color (café au lait spot). ;
calque: a copied term/thing. In linguistics, a loan translation. ;
canard: ( means "
duck" in French) • an unfounded rumor or anecdote. • a leading airfoil attached to an aircraft forward of the main wing. • a slang word for "newspaper". • a piece of sugar slightly soused with coffee or cognac (or another strong alcohol). ;
canapé: A small, prepared and usually decorative food, eaten by hand, often in one bite. In French, it can also refer to a "sofa". ;
carte blanche: lit. "white card" (i.e.
blank check); unlimited authority. ;
carte de visite: lit. "visiting card"; a calling card. ;
cause célèbre: controversial celebrity issue. '''c'est la guerre:''' "That's war!", or... '''c'est la vie:''' "That's life!" or "Such is life!" : Though either foreign expression can be used to say that life is harsh but that one must accept it, the former may imply a more deliberate cause and the latter more accidental. ;
chaise longue: a long chair for reclining; sometimes misspelled "chaise lounge." ; Champs-Élysées: lit. "
Elysian Fields";
Avenue des Champs-Élysées, one of the broadest boulevards in
Paris. Often referred to as simply
les Champs. ; chanteuse: '(female) singer', a female singer, especially at a nightclub, bar, cabaret, or diner. ;
chargé d'affaires: a diplomat left in charge of day-to-day business at a diplomatic mission. For example, within the United States Department of State, a "chargé" is any officer left in charge of the mission in the absence of the mission's titular leader. ;
charrette: a collaborative session in which a group of designers draft a solution to a design problem. ;
chauffeur: driver. ;
chef d'œuvre: a masterpiece. ;
cherchez la femme: "look for / seek the woman", in the sense that, when a man behaves out of character or in an otherwise apparently inexplicable manner, the reason may be found in his trying to cover up an illicit affair with a woman, or to impress or gain favour with a woman. This expression was first used in a novel by
Alexandre Dumas (père), in the third chapter of
Les Mohicans de Paris (1854), in the form of
cherchons la femme ("let's look for the woman"). The expression is found in John Latey's 1878 English translation: "Ah! Monsieur Jackal, you were right when you said, 'Seek the woman.'" The phrase was adopted into everyday English use and crossed the Atlantic by 1909. ;
chez: at the house of: often used in the names of restaurants and the like;
Chez Marie = "Marie's". ;
chic: stylish. ;
chignon: a hairstyle worn in a roll at the nape of the neck. ;
cinéma pur: an
avant-garde film movement which was born in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. ;
cinéma vérité: realism in documentary filmmaking. "Vérité" means "truth". ;
cliché: originally referred to a printer's block used to reproduce type, compare the original meaning of
stereotype. A phrase that has become trite through overuse; a stereotype. ;
clique:a small exclusive group of friends; always used in a pejorative way in French and, usually, in English. Often pronounced the same as "click" in
British English. ;
cloisonné: an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. ;
commandant: commanding officer of a base, depot or training area. In France, used for an airline pilot
(le commandant de bord), in the Army as appellative for a
chef de bataillon or a ''chef d'escadron
(roughly equivalent to a major) or in the Navy for any officer from capitaine de corvette
to capitaine de vaisseau'' (equivalent to the Army's majors, lieutenant-colonels and colonels) or for any officer heading a ship. ; comme ci, comme ça: lit. "like this, like that"; neither good nor bad, so-so. ;
communiqué: lit. "communicated"; an official communication. ;
concierge: a receptionist at a hotel or residence. ;
concordat: an agreement; a treaty; when used with a capital C in French, it refers to the treaty between the French State and Judaeo-Christian religions during the French Empire (Napoleon): priests, ministers and rabbis became civil servants. This treaty was abolished in 1905 (law Church-State separation) but is still in use in Alsace-Lorraine (those territories were under German administration during 1871–1918). ; confrère (also confrere): a colleague, an associate ;
contre-coup: against the blow. This word describes the repercussion of a physical or mental shock, or an indirect consequence of an event. ;
contre-jour: against daylight. This word (mostly used in art namely photography, cinema or painting) describes the light that illumines an object from the other side of your own point of view. ;
contretemps: an awkward clash; a delay. ; coquette: a flirtatious girl; a tease. ;
cordon bleu: (). A "cordon bleu" may refer to several things, both in French and in English : • A person who excels in cooking. • An award given to such a person. • An international group of hospitality management and cooking schools teaching French cuisine, founded in France. • An escalope of veal, chicken or pork stuffed with ham and cheese, then breaded and fried. ;
cordon sanitaire: a policy of
containment directed against a hostile entity or ideology; a chain of
buffer states; lit. "quarantine line". ;
corniche: a road that clings like a ledge to the side of a cliff or mountain. ;
cornichon: a small pickled cucumber; French for "little horn". ; cortège: a funeral procession; in French has a broader meaning and refers to all kinds of processions. ;
coup de foudre: lit. "thunderbolt" ("strike of thunder"); a sudden unforeseen event, usually used to describe
love at first sight. ;
coup d'état: political coup, government overthrow ;
coup de grâce: the final blow that results in victory (), historically used in the context of the battlefield to refer to the killing of badly wounded enemy soldiers, now more often used in a figurative context (e.g., business). ;
coup de main: (), means "help from someone". Example: "Besoin d'un coup de main?" means "Need help?" ; coup de maître: stroke of the master, master stroke. This word describes a planned action skilfully done. See also
tour de force below ; coup de théâtre: a dramatic turn of events. ; coup d'œil: lit. "a blow (or touch) of the eye"; a glance. ;
couture: litt. sewing. Fashion (usually refers to high fashion).
haute couture in French. ; couturier: a fashion designer (usually refers to high fashion, rather than everyday clothes design. In French, it means 'tailor'; a
couturière is a seamstress. ;
crèche: a
nativity display; more commonly (in the United Kingdom), a place where children are left by their parents for short periods in the supervision of childminders; both meanings still exist in French. ;
crème brûlée: lit. "burnt cream"; a dessert consisting primarily of custard and toasted sugar, that is,
caramel. ;
crème de la crème: best of the best, "cream of the cream", used to describe highly skilled people or objects. A synonymous expression in French is
fin du fin. ;
crème fraîche: lit. "fresh cream", a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream and does not curdle. ;
crêpe: a thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessert. ;
crêperie: a takeaway restaurant or stall, serving crêpes as a form of fast food or street food, or may be a more formal sit-down restaurant or café. ;
critique: a critical analysis or evaluation of a work, or the art of criticizing. From
Latin criticus, from
Ancient Greek κριτικός (
kritikos). ;
croissant: a crescent-shaped bread made of flaky pastry; in French also the word for
crescent. ;
crudités: raw vegetables, served with a dipping sauce. Always plural in English. ;
cul-de-sac: originally "bottom of sack" and used in English in anatomy since 1738. Used for
dead end (street) since 1800 in English, since 14th century in French. The often heard erroneous folk etymology "arse [buttocks] of the sack" is based on the current meaning of
cul in French, but
cul-de-sac is used to refer to dead ends in modern French and is not vulgar, though the terms
impasse and
voie sans issue are more common in modern French.
D ;
de rigueur: required or expected, especially in fashion or etiquette. ; de trop: unnecessary, unwanted, or more than is suitable. ;
déclassé: inferior. ;
décolleté: a woman's garment with a low-cut neckline that exposes cleavage, or a situation in which a woman's chest or cleavage is exposed;
décolletage is dealt with below. ;
décor: the layout and furnishing of a room. ;
découpage: decoration with cut paper. ;
demi-glace: a reduced wine-based sauce for meats and poultry. ;
demi-sec: semi-dry, usually said of wine. ;
déjà vu: lit. "already seen": an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before. ;
dénouement: lit. "untying": the resolution of a narrative. ;
dépanneur: (
Quebec English) a
convenience store. ;
dérailleur: a bicycle gear-shift mechanism. ; dernier cri: lit. "latest scream": the latest fashion. ; derrière: lit. "behind": rear, buttocks. ;
déshabillé: partially clad or scantily dressed; also a special type of garment. ;
détente: easing of diplomatic tension. ; digestif: a digestive aid, esp., an after-dinner drink, as brandy. ;
directeur sportif: lit. "sports director". A person responsible for the operation of a cycling team during a road bicycle race. In French, it means any kind of sports director. ; divertissement: an amusing diversion; entertainment. ; dossier: a file containing detailed information about a person. In modern French it can be any type of file, including a computer directory. In slang, ''J'ai des dossiers sur toi'' ("I have files about you") means having materials for blackmail. ;
doyen: the senior member of a group; the feminine is
doyenne. Also dean (of faculty, or medicine). ;
dressage: a form of competitive horse training, in French has the broader meaning of taming any kind of animal. ;
droit du seigneur: lit. "right of the lord": the purported right of a lord in feudal times to take the virginity of one of his
vassals' brides on her wedding night (in precedence to her new husband). The French term for this hypothetical custom is
droit de cuissage (from
cuisse: thigh). ; du jour: lit. "of the day": said of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; today's choice on the menu, as soup
du jour.
E ;
eau de Cologne: a type of perfume, originating in
Cologne. Its Italian creator used a French name to commercialize it, Cologne at that time being under the control of France. ;
eau de toilette: . It usually refers to an aromatic product that is less expensive than a perfume because it has less of the aromatic compounds and is more for an everyday use. Cannot be shortened to
eau, which means something else altogether in French (water). ;
eau de vie: lit. "water of life" (cf.
Aquavit and
whisky), a type of
fruit brandy. ;
écarté: a card game; also a ballet position. ;
échappé: dance movement foot position. ;
éclair: a cream and chocolate icing pastry. ;
éclat: great brilliance, as of performance or achievement. Conspicuous success. Great acclamation or applause. ;
écorché: flayed; biological graphic or model with skin removed. ;
élan: a distinctive flair or style. ;
élan vital: lit. "vital ardor"; the vital force hypothesized by
Henri Bergson as a source of efficient causation and evolution in nature; also called "life-force" ; embonpoint: a plump, hourglass figure. ;
éminence grise: lit. "grey eminence": a publicity-shy person with little formal power but great influence over those in authority. ;
en banc: court hearing of the entire group of judges instead of a subset panel. ;
en bloc: as a group. ;
en coulisse: lit. "in the wings"; behind the scenes, out of public view. Originally a theatrical term referring to the side areas of a stage hidden from the audience's view, now used figuratively to describe activities conducted privately or away from public attention. ;
en garde: "[be] on [your] guard". "On guard" is of course perfectly good English: the French spelling is used for the
fencing term. ;
en passant: in passing; term used in chess and in
neurobiology ("
synapse en passant.") ;
en plein air: lit. "in the open air"; particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. ;
en pointe: (in ballet) on
tiptoe. Though used in French in this same context, it is not an expression as such. A
pointe is the ballet figure where one stands on tiptoes. The expression "en pointe", though, means "in an acute angle", and, figuratively, it qualifies the most progressive or modern things (ideas, industry). ;
en route:on the way. Often written and pronounced "on route" in British English. ; enfant terrible: lit. "terrible child"; a disruptively unconventional person. ;
ennui: a gripping listlessness or melancholia caused by boredom; depression; in French, it means only "boredom". ; entente: diplomatic agreement or cooperation.
L'Entente Cordiale (the Cordial Agreement) refers to the good diplomatic relationship between France and United Kingdom before the first World War. ;
entre nous: lit. "between us"; confidentially. ;
entrée: lit. "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English). ;
entremets: desserts/sweet dishes. More literally, a side dish that can be served between the courses of a meal. ;
entrepreneur: a person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks. ;
épater la bourgeoisie or épater le bourgeois: lit. "to shock the
middle classes", a rallying cry for the French
Decadent poets of the late 19th century including
Charles Baudelaire and
Arthur Rimbaud. ;
escargot: snail; in English, used only as a culinary term. ;
esprit de corps: lit. "spirit of the body [group]": a feeling of solidarity among members of a group; morale. Often used in connection with a military force. ;
esprit de l'escalier: lit. "wit of the stairs"; a concise, clever statement you think of too late, that is, on the stairs leaving the scene. The expression was created by French philosopher
Denis Diderot. ; l'État, c'est moi!: lit. "I am the state!" — attributed to the archetypal absolute monarch,
Louis XIV. ;
étude: a musical composition designed to provide practice in a particular technical skill in the performance of an instrument. French for "study." ;
étui: small ornamental case for needles or cosmetics. ;
excusez-moi: "Excuse me". ; extraordinaire: extraordinary, usually as a following adjective, as "musician extraordinaire."
F ;
façade: the front of an edifice (from the
Italian facciata, or face); a fake persona, as in "putting on a façade" (the
ç is pronounced like an
s) ;
fait accompli: lit. "accomplished fact"; something that has already happened and is thus unlikely to be reversed; a done deal. In French, the term is primarily used in the expression '''', meaning to present somebody with a fait accompli. Also see
point of no return. ;
faute de mieux: for want of better. ; faites comme chez vous :Make yourself at home. ;
faux :false,
ersatz, fake. ; faux pas:lit. "false step": violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rules. ;
femme fatale:lit. "deadly woman": an attractive woman who seduces and takes advantage of men for her personal goals, after which she discards or abandons them. It extends to describe an attractive woman with whom a relationship is likely to result, or has already resulted, in pain and sorrow. ;
feuilleton:lit. "little leaf of paper": a periodical, or part of a periodical, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criticism, a chronicle of the latest fashions, and epigrams, charades and other literary trifles. ; fiancé(e):betrothed; lit. a man/woman engaged to be married. ;
film noir:Lit. "black film": a stylized genre of movies from the 1940s and 1950s with a focus on crime and amorality. ; fils:lit. "son": used after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father, as
Alexandre Dumas, fils. ; fin de siècle:The end of the century, a term which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom
turn of the century and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. ;
flambé:a cooking procedure in which alcohol (ethanol) is added to a hot pan to create a burst of flames, meaning "flamed" in French. Also used colloquially in reference to something on fire or burned. ; flambeau:a lit torch. ;
flâneur:a gentleman stroller of city streets; an aimless idler. ;
fleur-de-lis: a stylized-flower heraldic device; the golden
fleur-de-lis on an azure background were the arms of the French Kingdom (often spelled with the old French style as "fleur-de-lys"). ;
fleur de sel: lit. "flower of salt", hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. Is one of the more expensive salts; traditional French fleur de sel is collected off the coast of
Brittany most notably in the town of
Guérande (
Fleur de Sel de Guérande being the most revered), but also in
Noirmoutier,
Île de Ré and
Camargue. ;
foie gras: fatty liver; usually the liver of overfed goose, hence:
pâté de foie gras, pâté made from goose liver. ;
folie à deux: a simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people, often said of an unsuitable romance. In clinical psychology, the term is used to describe people who share schizophrenic delusions. The derived forms
folie à trois,
folie à quatre,
folie en famille or even
folie à plusieurs do not exist in French where "collective hysterics" is used. ;
force majeure: an overpowering and unforeseeable event, especially when talking about weather (often appears in insurance contracts). ;
forte: Lit. "strong point" (of a sword). Strength, expertise, one's strong point. ;
froideur: coldness (for behavior and manners only).
G ;
gaffe: blunder ;
garage: covered parking ;
garçon: lit. "boy" or "male servant"; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male
waiter (has a playful connotation in English but is condescending and possibly offensive in French). ;
gauche: lit. "
left". Clumsy, tactless. ;
gaucherie: boorishness, clumsiness. ;
gendarme: a member of the
gendarmerie; colloquially, a policeman ;
gendarmerie: a military body charged with police duties ;
genre: a type or class, such as "the
thriller genre". ;
gîte : furnished vacation cottage typically in rural France. ;
glissade: slide down a slope. . ;
Grand Prix:lit. "Great Prize"; a type of motor racing. English plural is
Grands Prix. ;
Grand Guignol: a
horror show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (
Guignol can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that
clown might be used in English.) ;
grenadier: a specialized soldier, first established for the throwing of grenades and later as elite troops.
H ; habitué: one who regularly frequents a place. ;
haute couture: lit. "high sewing": Paris-based custom-fitted clothing; trend-setting fashion ;
haute école: lit. "high school": advanced components of Classical dressage (horseback riding); when capitalized (Haute Ecole), refers to France's most prestigious higher education institutions (e.g., Polytechnique, ENA, Les Mines) ; hauteur: lit. "height": arrogance. ; haut monde: lit. the "high world": fashionable society. ;
Honi soit qui mal y pense: "Shamed be he who thinks ill of it"; or sometimes translated as "Evil be to him who evil thinks"; the motto of the English
Order of the Garter (modern French writes
honni instead of Old French
honi and would phrase "qui en pense du mal" instead of "qui mal y pense"). The sentence
Honni soit qui mal y pense (often with double n) can still be used in French as a frozen expression to mean "Let nobody think ill of this" by allusion to the Garter's motto. A more colloquial quasi-synonymous expression in French would be
en tout bien tout honneur. ;
hors de combat: lit. "out of the fight": prevented from fighting or participating in some event, usually by injury. ; hors concours: lit. "out of competition": not to be judged with others because of the superiority of the work to the others. ;
hors d'œuvre: lit. "outside the [main] work": appetizer.
I ;
idée fixe: lit. "fixed idea": obsession; in music, a
leitmotiv. ;
impasse: a situation offering no escape, as a difficulty without solution, an argument where no agreement is possible, etc.; a deadlock. ;
ingénu(e): an innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical
stock character who is entirely virginal and wholesome. ''L'Ingénu'' is a famous novella written by
Voltaire.
J ; j'accuse: "I accuse"; used generally in reference to a political or social indictment (alluding to
J'Accuse…!,
Émile Zola's exposé of the
Dreyfus affair, a political scandal that divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s (decade) and involved the false conviction for treason in 1894 of
Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Jewish background). ; j'adoube: In
chess, an expression, said discreetly, that signals the intention to straighten the pieces without committing to move or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules; lit. "I adjust", from
adouber, to dub (the action of knighting someone). ; je ne regrette rien: "I regret nothing" (from the title of a popular song sung by
Édith Piaf:
Non, je ne regrette rien). Also the phrase the UK's then
Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont chose to use to describe his feelings over the events of September 16, 1992 ('
Black Wednesday'). ;
je ne sais quoi: lit. "I-don't-know-what": an indescribable or indefinable 'something' that distinguishes the object in question from others that are superficially similar. ;
jeu d'esprit: lit. "play of spirit": a witty, often light-hearted, comment or composition ;
jeunesse dorée: lit. "gilded youth"; name given to a body of young
dandies, also called the
Muscadins, who, after the fall of
Robespierre, fought against the
Jacobins. Today used for youthful offspring, particularly if bullying and vandalistic, of the affluent. ;
joie de vivre: "joy of life/living".
L ;
l'appel du vide: lit. "call of the void"; used to refer to intellectual suicidal thoughts, or the urge to engage in self-destructive (suicidal) behaviors during everyday life. Examples include thinking about swerving in to the opposite lane while driving, or feeling the urge to jump off a cliff edge while standing on it. These thoughts are not accompanied by emotional distress. ;
laissez-faire:lit. "let do"; often used within the context of
economic policy or
political philosophy, meaning leaving alone, or non-interference. The phrase is the shortcut of
Laissez faire, laissez passer, a doctrine first supported by the
Physiocrats in the 18th century. The motto was invented by
Vincent de Gournay, and it became popular among supporters of
free trade and
economic liberalism. It is also used to describe a parental style in developmental psychology, where the parent(s) does not apply rules or guiding. As per the parental style, it is now one of the major management styles. Used more generally in modern English to describe a particularly casual or "hands-off" attitude or approach to something, ;
laissez-passer: a travel document, a passport ;
laissez les bons temps rouler:
Cajun expression for "let the good times roll": not used in proper French, and not generally understood by Francophones outside
Louisiana, who would say
profitez des bons moments (enjoy the good moments). ;
lamé: a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns. ;
lanterne rouge: the last-place finisher in a cycling stage race; most commonly used in connection with the Tour de France. ;
lèse majesté: an offense against a sovereign power; or, an attack against someone's dignity or against a custom or institution held sacred (from the Latin
crimen laesae maiestatis: the crime of injured majesty). ; liaison: a close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader;
liaison also means "bond"' such as in
une liaison chimique (a chemical bond) ;
lingerie: a type of female underwear. ;
littérateur: an intellectual (can be pejorative in French, meaning someone who writes a lot but does not have a particular skill). ; louche: of questionable taste, but also someone or something that arouses somebody's suspicions. ; Louis Quatorze:
"Louis XIV" (of France), the Sun King, usually a reference to décor or furniture design. ; Louis Quinze:
"Louis XV" (of France), associated with the
rococo style of furniture, architecture and interior decoration.
M ;
macramé: coarse lace work made with knotted cords. ; madame : a woman
brothel-keeper. In French, a title of respect for an older or married woman (literally "my lady"); sometimes spelled "madam" in English (but never in French). ; mademoiselle: lit. "my noble young lady": young unmarried lady, miss. ;
malaise:a general sense of depression or unease. Can also be used to denote complacency, or lethargy towards something. ;
mange tout: a phrase describing
snow peas and
snap peas ( because these peas can be cooked and eaten with their pod). ;
manqué: unfulfilled; failed. ;
Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, the last day of eating meat, eggs and fatty foods before
Lent. ;
marque: a model or brand. ;
matériel: supplies and equipment, particularly in a military context (French meaning is broader and corresponds more to "hardware") ;
mauvais quart d'heure: lit. "bad quarter hour": a short unpleasant or uncomfortable moment. ;
mdr: Alt., MDR. Abbreviation in SMS,
akin to LOL; for
mort de rire (
mort, adj. or verb, past tense), or
mourir de rire (
mourir, verb, infinitive). Lit., as adjective or past tense, dead or
died
of laughing, so "died laughing" or "dying of laughter"; compare
mort de faim for starve. ;
mélange: a mixture. ;
mêlée: a confused fight; a struggling crowd. In French also: a rugby scrum. ;
ménage à trois: lit. "household for three": a sexual arrangement between three people. ;
ménagerie: a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition. ;
métier: a field of work or other activity; usually one in which one has special ability or training. ;
milieu: social environment; setting (has also the meaning of "middle", and organized crime community in French). ;
milieu intérieur: the extra-cellular fluid environment, and its physiological capacity to ensure protective stability for the tissues and organs of multicellular living organisms. ;
mirepoix: a cooking mixture of two parts onions and one part each of celery and carrots. ;
mise en place: an assembly of ingredients, usually set up in small bowls, used to facilitate cooking. This means all the raw ingredients are prepared and ready to go before cooking. Translated, "put in place." ;
mise en abyme: lit. "placed into abyss": a literary and artistic technique where a work contains a smaller copy of itself, creating a potentially infinite recursive loop. The term can describe a story within a story, a play within a play, or any self-referential artistic device. ;
mise en scène: the process of setting a stage with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc.; the stage setting or scenery of a play; surroundings, environment. ;
mise en table: table setting. ;
montage: editing. ; le
mot juste: lit. "the just word"; the right word at the right time. French uses it often in the expression
chercher le mot juste (to search for the right word). ;
motif: a recurrent thematic element. ;
moue: a type of
facial expression; pursing together of the lips to indicate dissatisfaction, a
pout. See
snout reflex. ;
mousse: a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam; in French, however, it refers to any type of foam or moss.
N ;
naïveté : Lack of sophistication, experience, judgement, or worldliness; artlessness; gullibility; credulity. ;
né,
née : lit. "born": a man's/woman's birth name (
maiden name for a woman), e.g., "Martha Washington,
née Dandridge." ;
n'est-ce pas?: "isn't it [true]?" : asked rhetorically after a statement, as in "Right?". ;
noblesse oblige: "nobility obliges" : those granted a higher station in life have a duty to extend (possibly token) favours/courtesies to those in lower stations. ;
nom de guerre : pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally "war name", used in France for "pseudonym". ;
nom de plume: a "back-translation" from the English "pen name": author's pseudonym. : Although now used in French as well, the term was coined in English by analogy with
nom de guerre. ;
nonpareil: Unequalled, unrivalled; unparalleled; unique : the modern French equivalent of this expression is
sans pareil (literally "without equal"). ;
nouveau (pl. nouveaux; fem. nouvelle; fem. pl. nouvelles): new. ;
nouveau riche: lit. "newly rich" : used to refer particularly to those living a garish lifestyle with their newfound wealth; see also
arriviste and
parvenu. ;
nouvelle vague: lit. "new wave." : Used for stating a new way or a new trend of something. Originally marked a new style of French filmmaking in the late 1950s and early 1960s, reacting against films seen as too literary.
O ;
objet d'art: a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture; also a utilitarian object displayed for its aesthetic qualities ;
œuvre: "work", in the sense of an artist's work; by extension, an artist's entire body of work. ;
opéra bouffe: musical comedy, satire, parody or farce. ;
oubliette: "little forgotten place": a type of dungeon accessible only from a hatch or hole in a high ceiling, making escape nearly impossible. ;
outré: exceeding the lines of propriety; eccentric in behavior or appearance in an inappropriate way
P ;
pain au chocolat: lit. "bread with chocolate." Despite the name, it is not made of bread but
puff pastry with chocolate inside. The term
chocolatine is used in some Francophone areas (especially the South-West) and sometimes in English. ;
pain aux raisins: raisin bread. ;
panache: verve; flamboyance. ;
papier-mâché: lit. "chewed paper"; a craft medium using paper and paste. ;
par avion: by aircraft. In English, specifically by air mail, from the phrase found on air mail envelopes. ;
par excellence: better than all the others, quintessential. ;
parc fermé: lit. "closed park". A secure area at a
Grand Prix circuit where the cars may be stored overnight. ;
parkour: urban street sport involving climbing and leaping, using buildings, walls, curbs to ricochet off much as if one were on a skateboard, often in follow-the-leader style. Originally a phonetic form of the French word
parcours, which means "a run, a route" Also known as, or the predecessor to, "free running", developed by
Sébastien Foucan. ;
parole: 1) (in linguistics) speech, more specifically the individual, personal phenomenon of language; see
langue and parole. 2) (in criminal justice) conditional early release from prison; see
parole. ;
parvenu: a social upstart. ;
pas de deux: lit. "step for two"; in ballet, a dance or figure for two performers, a duet; also a close relationship between two people. ;
pas de trois: lit. "step for three"; in ballet, a dance or figure for three performers. ;
passe-partout: a document or key that allows the holder to travel without hindrance from the authorities or enter any location. ;
pastiche: a derivative work; an imitation. ;
patois: a dialect; jargon. ;
peloton: in
road cycling, the main group of riders in a race.
penchantinclination; decided taste; bias. "a penchant for art". ;
père: lit. "father", used after a man's surname to distinguish a father from a son, as in
Alexandre Dumas, père. ;
petit pois: small peas, often sold in the frozen food aisle. ;
petite bourgeoisie: often anglicised as "petty bourgeoisie", used to designate the middle class. ;
la petite mort: lit. "the little death"; an expression for the weakening or loss of consciousness following an intense
orgasm. ;
Pied-Noir (plural Pieds-Noirs): lit. "black foot", a European
Algerian in the pre-independence state. ;
pied-à-terre (also pied à terre): lit. "foot-on-the-ground"; a place to stay, generally small and applied to a secondary residence in a city. ;
pince-nez: lit. "nose-pincher", a type of spectacles without temple arms. ;
piste: lit. "trail" or "track"; often used referring to skiing at a ski area (on piste) versus skiing in the back country (off piste). ;
plage : beach, especially a fashionable seaside resort. ; plat du jour: lit. "dish of the day"; a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but separate from the regular menu. ;
plongeur (fem. plongeuse): a male (or female) dishwasher in a professional kitchen. ;
plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (or ''plus ça change, plus c'est pareil
) (often abbreviated to just plus ça change''): the more things change, the more they stay the same. An aphorism coined by
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. ;
point d'appui:a location where troops assemble prior to a battle. While this figurative meaning also exists in French, the first and literal meaning of ''point d'appui'' is a fixed point from which a person or thing executes a movement (such as a footing in climbing or a pivot). ;
porte-cochère:an architectural term referring to a doorway, sometimes ornate, intended for the passage of vehicles. Literally a "coach door". Written in French without the hyphen :
porte cochère ;
poseur:lit. "poser": a person who pretends to be something he is not; an affected or insincere person; a wannabe. ;
pot-au-feu:stew, soup. ; pour encourager les autres:lit. "to encourage others"; said of an excessive punishment meted out as an example, to deter others. The original is from
Voltaire's
Candide and referred to the execution of Admiral
John Byng. ;
pourboire:lit. "for drink"; gratuity, tip;
donner un pourboire: to tip. ;
prairie:lit. "meadow"; expansive natural meadows of long grass. ;
prêt-à-porter:lit. "ready to wear"; clothing off the shelf, in contrast to
haute couture. ;
prie-dieu:lit. "pray [to] God"; a type of prayer desk. ;
prix fixe:lit. "fixed price"; a menu on which multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed price. ;
protégé (fem. protégée):lit. "protected"; a man/woman who receives support from an influential mentor. ;
provocateur:an agitator, a polemicist. ;
purée:lit. a smooth, creamy substance made of liquidized or crushed fruit or vegetables.
Q ; Quai d'Orsay: address of the French foreign ministry in
Paris, used to refer to the ministry itself. ; Quatorze juillet: "14th of July", usually called
Bastille Day in English. The beginning of the
French Revolution in 1789; used to refer to the Revolution itself and its ideals. It is the French National Day. ; quelle
bonne idée!:
What a good idea! ; quel
dommage!:
What a sad thing! (can be used sarcastically). ; quelle
horreur!:
What a horrible thing! (can be used sarcastically). ; quelle surprise!:
What a surprising thing! (mostly used sarcastically) R ;
raconteur: a storyteller. ;
raison d'être: "reason for being": justification or purpose of existence. ;
rapprochement: the establishment of cordial relations, often used in
diplomacy. ;
reconnaissance: scouting, the military exploration outside an area that friendly forces occupy ;
recueillement: lit. "gathering" or "collecting oneself"; a state of quiet contemplation, meditation, or introspective reflection; spiritual or mental withdrawal for the purpose of prayer, thought, or reverence. ;
refoulement: the expulsion of persons who have the right to be recognised as refugees. ;
Renaissance: a historical period or cultural movement of rebirth ;
reportage: reporting; journalism. ; répondez s'il-vous-plaît. (
RSVP):
Please reply. Though francophones may use more usually "prière de répondre" or "je vous prie de bien vouloir répondre", it is common enough. ;
restaurateur: a restaurant owner. ;
revenant: lit. "one who returns": a person who returns from a long absence or from the dead; a ghost or apparition of a deceased person that is believed to have returned from the grave to terrorize the living. From the French verb
revenir (to return). In folklore and gothic literature, revenants are typically corporeal undead beings, distinct from ethereal spirits, who return with a specific purpose such as revenge or to complete unfinished business. The term has been adopted in modern English to describe anyone who returns after a prolonged absence, particularly in dramatic or unexpected circumstances. ;
Rive Gauche: the left (southern) bank (of the
River Seine in Paris). A particular mindset attributed to inhabitants of that area, which includes the
Sorbonne ; roi fainéant: lit. "do-nothing king": an expression first used about the
kings of France from 670 to 752 (Thierry III to Childeric III), who were puppets of their ministers. The term was later used about other royalty who had been made powerless, also in other countries, but lost its meaning when
parliamentarism made all royals powerless. ;
roman à clef: lit. "novel with a key": an account of actual persons, places or events in fictional guise. ; roué: an openly debauched, lecherous older man. ;
roux: a cooked mixture of flour and melted butter (or other fat) used as a base in soups and gravies.
S ;
sacre bleu: lit. "sacred blue": a dated French
minced oath originating from the
blasphemous "sacre dieu!" ("Holy god!"). Meant as a cry of surprise or happiness. : French orthography is
sacrebleu in one word. ; sang-froid: lit. "cold blood": coolness and composure under strain;
stiff upper lip. Also pejorative in the phrase
meurtre de sang-froid ("cold-blooded murder"). ;
sans: without. ;
sans-culottes: lit. "without knee-breeches", a name the insurgent crowd in the streets of Paris gave to itself during the
French Revolution, because they usually wore pantaloons (full-length pants or trousers) instead of the chic knee-length
culotte of the nobles. In modern use: holding strong republican views. ;
sauté : lit. "jumped", from the past participle of the verb sauter (to jump), which can be used as an adjective or a noun; quickly fried in a small amount of oil, stir-fried. ex: sauté of veau. ;
savant: lit. "knowing": a wise or learned person; in English, one exceptionally gifted in a narrow skill. ;
savoir-faire: lit. "know how to do"; to respond appropriately to any situation. ;
savoir-vivre: fact of following conventional norms within a society; etiquette (etiquette also comes from a French word,
étiquette). ;
Serviette: A napkin; a square piece of cloth or paper used while you are eating for protecting your clothes or cleaning your mouth and fingers. ;
sillage: lit. "wake" or "trail": the lingering scent trail left by perfume as someone passes by, or the degree to which a fragrance radiates from the wearer. From nautical terminology describing the track left by a ship moving through water. In perfumery, sillage is a key characteristic used to describe how a fragrance projects and how far it travels from the wearer's skin. By extension, the term can refer metaphorically to any lingering impression or influence that someone leaves behind after their departure, whether in conversation, art, or personal presence. ;
sobriquet: an assumed name, a nickname (often used in a pejorative way in French). ;
soi-disant: lit. "oneself saying"; so-called; self-described. ;
soigné: fashionable; polished. ;
soirée: an evening party. ;
sommelier: a wine steward. ;
soupçon: a very small amount. (In French, it can also mean "suspicion".) ;
soupe du jour: lit. "soup of the day", the particular kind of soup offered that day. ; succès d'estime: lit. "success of esteem; critical success"; sometimes used pejoratively in English.
T ; tableau : chalkboard. The meaning is broader in French: all types of board (chalkboard, whiteboard, notice board ...). Refers also to a painting (see tableau vivant, below) or a table (chart). ;
tableau vivant : lit. "living picture"; the term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. ;
tenné : orange-brown, "rust" colour, not commonly used outside heraldic emblazoning. ;
tête-à-tête : lit. "head to head"; an intimate get-together or private conversation between two people. ; toilette : the process of dressing or grooming. Also refers in French, when plural (
les toilettes), to the toilet room. ;
torsades de pointes : lit. "twisting around a point", used to describe a particular type of
heart rhythm. ; touché : lit. "touched" or "hit!": acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint or verbal riposte; comes from terminology in the sport of
fencing. In French has a broader meaning (touched) as "emotionally touched". ;
tour de force (also tour-de-force) : lit. "feat of strength": a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment. ; tout court : lit. "all short": typically used in philosophy to mean "nothing else", in contrast to a more detailed or extravagant alternative. For instance, "Kant does not believe that morality derives from practical reason as applied to moral ends, but from practical reason tout court". ; tout de suite : right now, immediately. Often mangled as "toot sweet". ;
tranche : lit. "slice": one of several different classes of securities involved a single financial transaction. ;
triage :during a medical emergency or disaster, the process of determining the priority of medical treatment or transportation based on the severity of the patient's condition. In recent years, in British English usage, the term has also been used in the sense of
to screen or
address something at the point of contact, before it requires escalation. ;
tricoteuse : a woman who knits and gossips; from the women who knitted and sewed while watching executions of prisoners of the
French Revolution. ;
trompe-l'œil : lit. "trick the eye"; photographic realism in fine-art painting or decorative painting in a home. ;
trou de loup : lit. "wolf hole"; a kind of
booby trap. ; trousseau : • The
wardrobe of a bride, including the
wedding dress or similar clothing, or the bride's belongings • A
dowry • A
hope chest, glory box or its contents
V ;
va-et-vient: lit. "goes and comes"; the continual coming and going of people to and from a place. ;
venu(e):an invited man/woman for a show, or "one who has come"; the term is unused in modern French, though it can still be heard in a few expressions like
bienvenu/e (literally "well come": welcome) or
le premier venu (anyone; literally, "the first who came"). Almost exclusively used in modern English as a noun meaning the location where a meeting or event is taking place. ;
vignette: generally, a decorative border in architecture, print and photography ;
vin de pays: lit. "country wine"; wine of a lower designated quality than
appellation contrôlée. dressing ;
vinaigrette: diminutive of
vinaigre (vinegar): salad dressing of
oil and
vinegar. ;
vis-à-vis (also vis-a-vis): lit. "face to face [with]": in comparison with or in relation to; opposed to. From
vis, an obsolete word for "face", replaced by
visage in contemporary French. In French, this is also a real estate vocabulary word, meaning that your windows and your neighbours' are within sighting distance (more precisely, that you can see inside of their home). ;
vive [...]!: "Long live ...!"; lit. "Live"; as in
"Vive la France !",
Vive la République !,
Vive la Résistance !,
Vive le Canada !, or
Vive le Québec libre ! (long live free Quebec, a
sovereigntist slogan famously used by
French President Charles de Gaulle in 1967 in
Montreal). Unlike
viva (Italian and Spanish) or
vivat (Latin), it cannot be used alone; it needs a complement. ;
vive la différence!: lit. "[long] live the difference"; originally referring to the
difference between the sexes; the phrase may be also used to celebrate the difference between any two groups of people (or simply the general diversity of individuals). ;
voilà !: lit. "see there"; in French it can mean simply "there it is"; in English it is generally restricted to a triumphant revelation. ; volte-face: frenchified form of Italian
volta faccia, lit. "turn face", an about-face, a maneuver in
marching; figuratively, a complete reversal of opinion or position. ;
voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?: "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" or more appropriately, "Will you spend the night with me?" In French,
coucher is vulgar in this sense. In English it appears in
Tennessee Williams's play
A Streetcar Named Desire, as well as in the lyrics of a popular song by
Labelle, "
Lady Marmalade." ;
voyeur: lit. "someone who sees"; a
Peeping Tom.
Z ; zut alors!: "Darn it!" or the British expression "Blimey!" This is a general exclamation (vulgar equivalent is
merde alors ! "Damn it!"). Just plain
zut is also in use, often repeated for effect:
zut, zut et zut ! There is an album by
Frank Zappa,
punningly titled
Zoot Allures. The phrase is also used on the
Saturday Night Live Weekend Update sketch by recurring character Jean K. Jean, played by
Kenan Thompson as well as by
John Goodman's Dan Conner in an episode of
Roseanne when Roseanne dresses up in a sexy outfit and has a
boudoir photo taken of her as a birthday gift for her husband. == Not used as such in French ==