Forein Words

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.”