mot juste
moh ZHOOST´ A mot juste is the perfect word or phrase for a particular occasion. Plural: mots justes As he writes his novels, Barnaby searches for the mot juste, the […]
Author: toddmorrill
Cartagena, Colombia
car´-tuh-HAY´-nuh The new darling of the Caribbean is not an island, but rather a 16th-century colonial city on Colombia’s northern coast: Cartagena. Jet-setters have been secretly enjoying the delights of […]
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
BOR´-uh BOR´-uh Forget Hawaii and forget the Caribbean—when true jet-setters want a sun and beach vacation, the current destination of choice is Bora Bora, a tiny island (six miles long […]
cinephile
SIN´-uh-file (French, ‘one who loves films’) A cinephile is a person who is enthusiastic about cinema as an art form, and who knows a great deal about the subject. My […]
cinéaste
SIN´-ee-ust The term cinéaste means ‘filmmaker’ in French, but Anglophones use it to refer to those who make films as well as those who enjoy them—devotees of motion pictures, or […]
table d’hôte
tah´-bluh DOAT´ (literal French, ‘table of the host’) Table d’hôte refers to a set meal served to all guests at a stated hour and fixed price, as is the practice […]
prix fixe
pre´-feeks´ (‘fixed price’ in French) Prix fixe refers to a multi-course meal served for a set price. Specific courses are often pre-selected by the restaurant; in some cases diners are […]
hoi polloi
HOY´-puh-LOY´ (‘the many’ in Greek) Hoi polloi is used in English to denote the general populace or (gasp!) the masses, often in a pejorative sense (the rabble). Since hoi is Greek for […]
kudos
KOO´-doze (‘the many’ in Greek) This term’s meaning is simple—glory, praise, or renown, generally in conjunction with a particular achievement or event. But be careful how you use the term. […]
Madison Avenue, New York City
Madison Avenue is home to the bulk of Manhattan’s snobbiest retail establishments, which are packed into a twenty-block stretch between East 58th and East 78th streets. Retail rents here are […]