Foreign expressions can surprise us in passages. hence am starting a new thread for FEs. i request all puys to contribute to this thread. 
Foreign expressions can surprise us in passages. hence am starting a new thread for FEs.
i request all puys to contribute to this thread.
:)
i request all puys to contribute to this thread.
:)
- AD HOC (ad hok) For a special purpose. An ad hoc committee was appointed to handle the project.
- BTE NOIRE (bet nwar) Anything one avoids or dreads; a bugaboo. For a solitary person, a party can be a bte noire.
- CARTE BLANCHE (kart blawnsh) Full discretionary power. With an unlimited budget, she had carte blanche to plan the event.
:)
de facto- (adj.) actual, (adv.) in practice (Latin)
And what of the plastic red bench, which has served as his de facto home for the last 15 years and must by now be a collector's item?
vis-a-vis- french word which literally means face to face
meaning- compared with, in relation to
It's going to be a huge catalyst in moving the whole process forward and it really strengthens the U.S. position vis-a-vis our trading partners.
And what of the plastic red bench, which has served as his de facto home for the last 15 years and must by now be a collector's item?
vis-a-vis- french word which literally means face to face
meaning- compared with, in relation to
It's going to be a huge catalyst in moving the whole process forward and it really strengthens the U.S. position vis-a-vis our trading partners.
Attache - a diplomatic official attached to an embassy or legation
Avant garde - describes artists and writers who are unorthodox and untraditional
Beau monde - fashionable world, high society
Bete noire - person or subject hated
Blase - indifferent to or bored with life
Bonhomie - frank, good heartedness
Brouhaha - uproar
Carte blanche - complete authority
Cause celebre - situation / case arousing attention and discussion
Coup de grace - blow which brings death
Coup d'etat - an expected action (of the government) usually implying use of force
hi all..let's stick to 5 or less FEs per post..it would be easier to discuss and remember. 😃
- DJ VU (French: (day-zha voo) The sense that one has already seen or done something in the past Hearing of coming budget cuts, the manager had a twinge of dj vu.
- HOI POLLOI (hoy polloy) The masses, the majority. The aristocrat paid for a box seat because he did not want to sit with the hoi polloi.
- FAUX PAS (foe-pah) An offensive social act; an embarrassing slip. He committed a faux pas by asking the overweight lady when she was expecting her baby.
:)
De rigueur - something which is absolutely required
Elan - enthusiastic vigour and liveliness
En mass - in a group
En passant - by the way
Espirit de Corps - morale
- LAISSEZ-FAIRE (lessay fare) Policy of noninterference. Ending tariffs, the government adopted a laissez faire policy.
- MEA CULPA (maya kulpa) An acknowledgment of one's guilt or responsibility. The politician's bland apology was not the mea culpa the public had expected.
- NON SEQUITUR (non sekwitoor) A statement that does not logically follow from what preceded it. The answer "blue" was a non sequitur to my question, "What would you like to eat?"
u may try this to remember:
MEI CULPA: mei culprit hu:(
NON SEQUITUR: non sequential..
:)
Fait accompli - an irreversible act done without warning
Faux pas - social blunder
Haute couture - High fashion
Haute cuisine - Excellent cooking
Haute monde - The Elite
1. OMBUDSMAN (ohm budz men) An official who looks into complaints by individuals against authorities. An ombudsman resolved the senior citizen's tax issue.
2. QUID PRO QUO (kwid pro kwo) An action performed or a thing done in exchange for another. I did a favor without exacting a quid pro quo.
3. RAISON D'TRE (rehzon detra) Reason for being. Profit seems to be the raison d' tre of business.
4. STATUS QUO (stat us kwo) Existing state of affairs. Never one to accept the status quo, he initiated major changes.
:)
2. QUID PRO QUO (kwid pro kwo) An action performed or a thing done in exchange for another. I did a favor without exacting a quid pro quo.
3. RAISON D'TRE (rehzon detra) Reason for being. Profit seems to be the raison d' tre of business.
4. STATUS QUO (stat us kwo) Existing state of affairs. Never one to accept the status quo, he initiated major changes.
:)
- sans souci (sahn soo-see') : carefree. "After serveral glasses of champagne, their mood turned distinctly sans souci."
- AVANT GARDE : ahead of times
- RAISON DETER : purpose of existence
- VOLTE FACE : a complete change in ur policy
- CICERONE : a guide
- SOTTO VOCE : in an undertone
all d above appeared in one or the other mba entrance exams..:)
- au courant (oh' koo-rahn') - up-to-date eg: Every last detail of her dressing was au courant.
- dolce vita (dole'chay vee'tuh) - sweet life; the good life perceived as one of physical pleasure and self-indulgence eg: My vacation this year is going to be two uninterrupted weeks of dolce vita.
- mano a mano - directly or face-to-face in a confrontation or conflict. eg: He admonished his friends, I want to handle this guy mano a mano'. (Consider it in this way...man on man....a direct confrontation ;))
- de jure(di joor-ee or dey joor-ey) : by right; according to law; legally. eg: they are de jure wedded now
- prima facie(prahy-muh fey-shee-ee) : at first appearance; at first view, before investigation. eg: a prima facie case of professional misconduct.
:)
- UBI SUNT (oobi sunt) Literary theme of yearning for a lost past. Longfellows poem about idyllic life in Acadia reflects the ubi sunt theme.
- VIS-- VIS (veez a vee) In relation to; compared to. The position of the union vis-- vis the administration is contentious.
- XANTHIPPE (zan tippy) A shrew. A clone of Xanthippe, she issued orders all day long.
- YIN & YANG (yin and yang) Two opposite yet complementary forces that produce all that comes to be in the universe. Yin is feminine and yielding while yang is masculine and assertive.
- ZEITGEIST (tsite giste) The spirit of the times. In step with the Zeitgeist, the company promoted respect for diversity.
:)
1.caveat emptor (kav'ee-ot emp'tor) - let the buyer beware
--Latin
eg: Before you leap at that real estate deal, caveat emptor!
2.comme il faut (kom eel foe') - as it should be; fitting
--French
eg: His end was truly comme il faut.
3.verboten (fer-boh'ten) - forbidden, as by law; prohibited
--German
eg: That topic, I am afraid, is verboten in this household.
4.angst (angkst) - dread and anxiety
--German
eg: Sylvia's teenage angst was nothing compared to the parental angst over her failing health.
5.Wanderjahr (vahn'der-yahr) - a year or period of travel, especially following one's schooling
--German
eg: The trio took off on their Wanderjahr, intent on visiting every museum between Edinburgh and Rome.
(Wander...you wander around. Similarly, on a travel you kind of wander...connection found 
).
:)
joie de vivre - joy of living (FRENCH)
modus operandi - way of working (LATIN)
bel esprit (FRENCH)
lfine mind ; a cultivated, highly intelligent person
status quo (LATIN)
The status quo is the situation that exists at a particular time without any changes.
deja vu (FRENCH)
Deja vu is the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had occurred before.
modus operandi - way of working (LATIN)
bel esprit (FRENCH)
lfine mind ; a cultivated, highly intelligent person
status quo (LATIN)
The status quo is the situation that exists at a particular time without any changes.
deja vu (FRENCH)
Deja vu is the experience of perceiving a new situation as if it had occurred before.
- cri de coeur (kree' de kur') : heartfelt appeal. About to leave the podium, he made a final cri de coeur to his people to end the bloodshed.
- de rigueur(duh ree-gur') : strictly required, as by etiquette, usage, or fashion. Loudly proclaiming one's support for radical causes had become de rigueur among her crowd
- Feinschmecker (fine'shmek-er) - gourmet (A person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment; especially good food and drink)--German eg: No, I don't think McDonald's will do; he's much too much of a Feinschmecker.
- flagrante delicto (fla-grahn'tee di-lik'toh) - in the act--Latin eg: The detective realized that without hard evidence he had no case; he would have to catch the culprit lagrante delicto.
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1.sui generis (su'ee jen'e-ris) - unique
--Latin
eg: She paid a fortune for that dress only because she thought the design was sui generis.
2.terra incognita (ftare'uh in-kog-nee'tuh) - unknown territory
--Latin
eg: I was speechless when the discussion veered towards history, which was terra incognita for me.
:)
1. bonhomie (bon-uh-mee) - Good naturedness, friendliness.
Origin: French
There is bonhomie all around whenever there is an alumni meet.
2. beau geste (boh zhest') - a fine or noble gesture, often futile
--French
eg: My fellow writers supported me by writing letters of protest to the publisher, but their beau geste could not prevent the inevitable.
(TIP to remember: beau as in beautiful; geste as in gesture ..connect both to get "a beautiful gesture")
3. bon mot (bon moe') - a witty remark or comment
--Latin
eg: One bon mot after another flew out of his mouth, charming the audience.
:)
1.casus belli (kay'sus bel'eye) - an act justifying war
--Latin
eg: The terrorists believed that the insolent remarks against their outfit were enough of a casus belli to launch an attack.
(TIP to remember: casus as in cause; Let us say casus belli deals with "some kind of a cause"..in our case it is something/some cause which justifies war)
2.cause clbre (koz suh-leb'ruh) - a widely known controversial case or issue
--French
eg: The Clinton-Lewinsky affair became a cause clbre overnight mainly because the former was the US President then.
(TIP to remember:"clbre" as in "celebrity" which implies being "popular". Let us read "cause" as "case". Now we get "a very celebrated/popular case")
3.nota bene (noh'tuh ben'nee) - note well; take notice
--Italian
eg: Her postcard included a reminder: nota bene, I'll be returning on the 11 o'clock train.
(TIP to remember: nota as in to make a note of)
:)