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 […]
Word Archive
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 […]
papier peint
pop´-ee-yay PAN´ Papier peint is simply ‘wallpaper’ in French, but when used in English, the term usually refers to wallpaper that’s hand painted, block printed, antique, or otherwise rare and […]
verre églomisé
VEHR´ ay´-gloh-mee-ZAY´ Verre églomisé is glass that’s been decorated on the reverse side with paint and gold (or silver) leaf. The verre églomisé process results in a gleaming, luxurious finish […]
haricots verts
AHR´-ee-coh VEHR´ Haricots verts is French for ‘green beans’ in general, although the term is usually only applied to green beans that conform to French tastes: young, narrow, and with […]
petits pois
puh-TEE´ PWAH´ (French, ‘small peas’) While the term petits pois means ‘small peas,’ in French, the French people use the term to describe ‘peas’ in general, since they refuse to […]
ad infinitum
ad´ in-fun-EYE´-dum (Latin, ‘to infinity’) Ad infinitum means forever, or what seems like forever. The thirty-day course seemed to go on ad infinitum.
quid pro quo
kwid´ proh KWOH´ (Latin, ‘something for something’) A quid pro quo is an agreement in which one thing is exchanged for another. In other words, I’ll give you what you […]