bon mot
bone MOH´ A bon mot is a clever or witty remark. Plural: bons mots Donald seemed to have a droll bon mot for every occasion, which led to his reputation […]
Foreign Origins
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 […]
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. […]
je ne sais quoi
zhuh´ nuh say KWAH´ (archaic French, ‘I don’t know what’) The term je ne sais quoi refers to an intangible, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one, that is difficult to […]
au contraire
oh´ cohn-TRAIR´ (French, ‘on the contrary’) Au contraire is used in English to disagree in a snobby way. Nadine said Carol was a slob. Au contraire! Yesterday she came to […]
carpe diem
car´-pay DEE´-uhm (Latin, ‘pluck the day’) Carpe diem, usually translated ‘seize the day,’ is the philosophy that one should enjoy life’s pleasures while they last without much concern for the […]
terra firma
tehr´-uh FUR´-muh (Latin, ‘firm land’) Terra firma means dry and solid ground as compared to air or water. After our three-week cruise, we were happy to be back on terra […]