french words in english
Terms
undefined, object
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- au courant
- well-informed
- blase
- tired of pleasures
- bourgeois
- having to do with the middle class; concerned with petty interests
- chic
- stylish
- clairvoyant
- clear-sighted; unusually perceptive
- complaisant
- willing to please; obliging; amiable
- debonair
- gracious; courteous; charming; suave
- gauche
- lacking social grace; crude; tactless
- maladroit
- unskillful; clumsy
- naive
- simple in nature; artless; ingenuous
- nonchalant
- without concern or enthusiasm; indifferent
- attache
- member of the diplomatic staff of an ambassador or minister
- bourgeoisie
- middle class
- charge d'affaires
- temporary substitute for an ambassador
- concierge
- doorkeeper; custodian; hotel employee who handles mail, arranges theater reservations, etc.
- confrere
- colleague; co-worker; comrade
- connoisseur
- expert; critical judge
- coterie
- set or circle of acquaintances; clique
- debutante
- young woman who has just had her debut into society
- devotee
- zealous follower; fan
- elite
- group of individuals thought to be superior
- emigre
- refugee; person who has fled from his or her native land because of political conditions
- entourage
- group of attendants, assistants or associates accompanying a person
- entrepreneur
- one who assumes the risks and management of a business
- envoy
- diplomatic agent or messenger
- fiance
- person engaged to be married
- gendarme
- armed police officer
- gourmand
- person excessively fond of eating and drinking; glutton
- gourmet
- connoisseur in eating and drinking
- ingenue
- actress playing the role of a naive young woman
- maitre d'hotel
- headwaiter
- martinet
- person who enforces strict discipline
- nonpareil
- person of unequalled excellence
- nouveaux riches
- persons newly rich
- parvenu
- person suddenly risen to wealth or power who lacks the proper social qualifications
- protege
- someone taught; protected or advanced by a person of experience or influence
- raconteur
- person who excels in telling stories, etc.
- valet
- manservant who attends to the personal needs of his employer
- aplomb
- absolute confidence in oneself; poise; self-posession
- eclat
- brilliancy of achievement
- elan
- enthusiasm; eagerness for action
- ennui
- feeling of weariness and discontent; boredom; tedium
- esprit de corps
- feeling of union and common interest pervading a group
- finesse
- skill and adroitness in handling a difficult situation
- legerdemain
- sleight of hand; artful trick
- malaise
- vague feeling of bodily discomfort or ilness
- noblesse oblige
- principle that persons of high rank or birth are obliged to act nobly
- rapport
- relationship characterized by harmony, conformity, or affinity
- sangfroid
- coolness of mind in difficult circumstances; composure; equanimity
- savoir faire
- knowledge of just what to say or do; tact
- adieu
- good-bye; farewell
- au revoir
- good-bye; till we meet again
- billet-doux
- love letter
- bon mot
- clever saying; witty remark; witticism
- brochure
- pamphlet; booklet
- canard
- false rumor; absurd story; hoax
- cliche
- worn-out expression; trite phrase
- entre nous
- between us; confidentially
- mot juste
- exactly right word; most suitable expression
- nom de plume
- pen name; pseudonym
- precis
- brief summary
- repartee
- skill of replying quickly, cleverly, and humorously; witty reply
- resume
- brief account of experience and qualifications submitted by an applicant for a position; summary
- riposte
- retort; repartee
- tete-atete
- private conversation between two parties
- bete noire
- dreaded object or person; bugbear
- carte blanche
- full discretionary power; freedom to use one own's judgement
- cause celebre
- famous case in law that arouses considerable interest
- contretemps
- inopportune occurrence; embarrassing situation
- cul-de-sac
- blind alley; dead end
- debacle
- collapse; disaster
- fait accompli
- thing already done
- faux pas
- misstep; blunder in conduct
- impassse
- deadlock; predicament with no obvious way out
- liaison
- bond; person who establishes and makes connections
- melange
- mixture; medley; potpourri
- mirage
- optical illusion
- coup d'etat
- sudden violent overthrow of a government
- demarche
- course of action; maneuver
- detente
- relaxing, as of strained relations between nations
- entente
- understanding or agreement between governments
- laissez-faire
- doctrine opposing interference by governments in economic affairs; noninterference
- lettre de cachet
- letter bearing a seal ordering the imprisonment without trial of a person the letter names
- premier
- prime minister
- rapprochement
- establishment or state of cordial relations; coming together
- regime
- system of government or rule
- avant-garde
- experimentalists or innovators in any art
- bas-relief
- sculpture in which the figures project only slightly from the background
- baton
- rod a conductor uses to direct an orchestra or band
- chef d'oeuvre
- chief work; masterpiece in art, literature, etc
- denouement
- solution of the plot ina play, story or complex situation
- encore
- audience's demand for an additional performance;
- genre
- kind, sort, category; style of painting depicting scenes from everyday life
- musicale
- social gathering with music as the featured entertainment
- palette
- thin board on which an artist lays and mixes colors
- repertoire
- stock of plays that a company or individual is prepared to perform; collection
- vignette
- short verbal description; graceful literary sketch
- a la carte
- according to the menu; dish by dish
- a la mode
- accordin to fashion; with ice cream
- aperitif
- alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer
- bonbon
- piece of candy
- consomme
- clear soup; broth
- croissant
- rich, flaky, crescent-shaped roll
- cuisine
- style of cooking or preparing food
- demitasse
- small cup for or of strong black coffee
- entree
- main dish at lunch or dinner
- filet
- slice of meat or fish without bones
- hors doeuvres
- light foods served as appetizers before the regular courses of a meal
- piece de resistance
- main dish; main item of any collection
- soup du jour
- soup of the day
- table d'hote
- complete meal of several courses offered in ahotel or restaurant at a fixed price
- bouffant
- puffed out; full
- boutique
- small shop specializing in fashionable clothes
- chemise
- loose-fitting, sacklike dress
- coiffure
- style of arranging the hair
- corsage
- small bouquet worn by a woman
- cravat
- necktie; neckband; scarf
- ensemble
- complete costume of harmonius clothing and accessories
- flamboyant
- flamelike; ornate; showy; vivd
- toupee
- wig; hairpiece to cover baldness
- vogue
- fashion; accepted style
- ambience
- surroundings; atmosphere; environment
- apropos
- by the way; incidentally; appropriate
- avoirdupois
- weight; heaviness
- bagatelle
- trifle
- coup de grace
- decisive finishing blow
- en route
- on the way; along the way
- etiquette
- required social or official usages; code of behavior
- facade
- face or front of a building or of anything; false front
- fete
- festival; entertainment; party
- foyer
- entrance lobby; hakk; vestibule
- milieu
- environment; setting; surroundings
- parasol
- umbrella for protection against the sun
- par excellence
- above all others of the same sort (FOLLOWS THE WORD IT MODIFIES--YOU MADE THIS MISTAKE LAST TIME)
- passe
- old-fashioned; behind the times
- pince-nez
- eyeglasses clipped to the nose by a spring
- premiere
- first performance
- queue
- line of persons or vehicles waiting their turn
- raison d'etre
- reason or justification for existing
- rendezvous
- prearranged meeting place; popular gathering place
- silhouette
- shadow; outline
- sobriquet
- nickname
- souvenir
- reminder; keepsake; memento
- tour de force
- feat of strangth, skill or ingenuity
- vis-a-vis
- face-to-face with; opposite; in relation to; as compared with