Foreign Words and Phrases1
ad absurdum
- to the point of absurdity. “He tediously repeated his argument ad absurdum.”
- ad infinitum
- to infinity. “The lecture seemed to drone on ad infinitum.”
- ad nauseam
- to a sickening degree. “The politician uttered one platitude after another ad nauseam.”
- aficionado
- an ardent devotee. “I was surprised at what a baseball aficionado she had become.”
- angst
- dread and anxiety. “Sylvia's teenage angst was nothing compared to the parental angst experienced by the two individuals whose duty it was to raise her.”
- annus mirabilis
- wonderful year. “Last year was the annus mirabilis for my company.”
- a priori
- based on theory rather than observation. “The fact that their house is in such disrepair suggests a priori that they are having financial difficulties.”
- au courant
- up-to-date. “The shoes, the hair, the clothes—every last detail of her dress, in fact—was utterly au courant.”
- beau geste
- a fine or noble gesture, often futile. “My fellow writers supported me by writing letters of protest to the publisher, but their beau geste could not prevent the inevitable.”
- beau monde
- high society. “Such elegant decor would impress even the beau monde.”
- bête noire
- something or someone particularly disliked. “Talk of the good old college days way back when had become his bête noire, and he began to avoid his school friends.”
- bona fide
- in good faith; genuine. “For all her reticence and modesty, it was clear that she was a bona fide expert in her field.”
- bon mot
- a witty remark or comment. “One bon mot after another flew out of his mouth, charming the audience.”
- bon vivant
- a person who lives luxuriously and enjoys good food and drink. “It's true he's quite the bon vivant, but when he gets down to business he conducts himself like a Spartan.”
- carpe diem
- seize the day. “So what if you have an 8:00 a.m. meeting tomorrow and various appointments? Carpe diem!”
- carte blanche
- unrestricted power to act on one's own. “I may have carte blanche around the office, but at home I'm a slave to my family's demands.”
- casus belli
- an act justifying war. “The general felt that the banana republic's insolent remarks about our national honor were enough of a casus belli to launch an attack.”
- cause célèbre
- a widely known controversial case or issue. “The Sacco and Vanzetti trial became an international cause célèbre during the 1920s.”
- caveat emptor
- let the buyer beware. “Before you leap at that real estate deal, caveat emptor!”
- comme il faut
- as it should be; fitting. “His end was truly comme il faut.”
- coup de grâce
- finishing blow. “After an already wildly successful day, the coup de grâce came when she won best all-around athlete.”
- de rigueur
- strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion. “Loudly proclaiming one's support for radical causes had become de rigueur among her crowd.”
- doppelgänger
- a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person. “I could not shake the sense that some shadowy doppelgänger echoed my every move.”
- ecce homo
- behold the man. “The painting depicted the common Renaissance theme, ecce homo—Christ wearing the crown of thorns.”
- enfant terrible
- an incorrigible child; an outrageously outspoken or bold person. “He played the role of enfant terrible,jolting us with his blunt assessment.”
- entre nous
- between ourselves; confidentially. “Entre nous, their marriage is on the rocks.”
- ex cathedra
- with authority; used especially of those pronouncements of the pope that are considered infallible. “I resigned myself to obeying; my father's opinions were ex cathedra in our household.”
- ex post facto
- retroactively. “I certainly hope that the change in policy will be honored ex post facto.”
- fait accompli
- an accomplished fact, presumably irreversible. “There's no use protesting—it's a fait accompli.”>
- faux pas
- a social blunder. “Suddenly, she realized she had unwittingly committed yet another faux pas.”
- flagrante delicto
- in the act. “The detective realized that without hard evidence he had no case; he would have to catch the culprit flagrante delicto.”
- glasnost
- open and frank discussion: initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 in the Soviet Union. “Once the old chairman retired, the spirit of glasnost pervaded the department.”
- hoi polloi
- the common people. “Marie Antoinette recommended cake to the hoi polloi.”
- in loco parentis
- in the place of a parent. “The court appointed a guardian for the children, to serve in loco parentis.”
- in medias res
- in the middle of a sequence of occurences. “The film begins in medias res, with a panting, terrified man running through the night.”
- in situ
- situated in the original or natural position. “I prefer seeing statues in situ rather than in the confines of a museum.”
- ipso facto
- by the fact itself. “An extremist, ipso facto, cannot become part of a coalition.”
- memento mori
- a reminder that you must die. “The skull rested on the mantlepiece as a memento mori.”
- mise en scene
- the stage setting; surroundings. “The mise en scene for the sci-fi movie was molded, futuristic furniture and blinding klieg lights.”
- nota bene
- note well; take notice. “Her postcard included a reminder: nota bene, I'll be returning on the 11 o'clock train.”
- persona non grata
- unacceptable or unwelcome person. “Once I was cut out of the will, I became persona non grataamong my relatives.”
- prima facie
- at first sight, clear and evident. “Although her husband implored, ‘I can explain!’ the sight of another woman wrapped in his arms was prima facie evidence that he was a deceitful lout.”
- pro bono
- done or donated without charge; free. “The lawyer's pro bono work gave him a sense of value that his work on behalf of the corporation could not.”
- sans souci
- carefree. “After serveral glasses of champagne, their mood turned distinctly sans souci.”
- sine qua non
- indispensable element or condition. “Lemon is the sine qua non of this recipe.”
- terra incognita
- unknown territory. “When the conversation suddenly switched from contemporary fiction to medieval Albanian playwrights, he felt himself entering terra incognita.”
- verboten
- forbidden, as by law; prohibited. “That topic, I am afraid, is verboten in this household.”
- vox populi
- the voice of the people. “My sentiments echo those of the vox populi.”
