À la carte | On the menu, with each dish priced. |
À la mode | Fashionable; also, in the USA, with ice cream. |
Agent provocateur | A police spy employed to induce or incite a suspected person or group to commit an incriminating act. |
Aide-de-camp | An officer who assists a general in his military duties. |
Aide-mémoire | An aid to memory. |
Après-ski | Socializing after a skiing session. Also a name a type of footwear worn after removing ski boots. |
Art nouveau | a style of art developed towards the end of the 19th century. It is characterized by ornamentation based on organic or foliate forms and by its asymmetric and curvaceous lines. |
Au contraire | To the contrary. Often used with an arch or rather camp form of delivery. |
Au naturel | Undressed or 'in a natural state'. |
Au pair | A young foreigner, usually female, who undertakes domestic tasks in exchange for accommodation. |
Au revoir | Farewell for the time being. Sometimes given in English in the jokey au reservoir version. |
Avant garde | The pioneers or innovators in art in a particular period. Also, a military term, meaning vanguard or advance guard. |
Carte blanche | Having free rein to choose whatever course of action you want. |
| Cause célèbre | An issue arousing widespread controversy or debate. An English invention, rarely used in France. |
C'est la vie | That's life or such is life. Often used in disappointed resignation following some bad fortune. |
Chaise longue | 'Long chair' - a form of sofa with an elongated seat long enough to support the legs. Of tern erroneously called a chaise lounge in the USA. This isn't the derivation of either the noun of verb lounge though, which both long pre-date the invention of chaise longues. |
Cherchez la femme | Literally, "look for the woman." |
Cinéma vérité | A form of filmmaking that combines documentary-style techniques to tell a story. |
| Cordon bleu | High quality, especially of cooking. |
Coup d'état | An abrupt overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means, for example, by force, or by occupation of government structures during the leader's absence. |
| Coup de grâce | Originally a blow by which one condemned or mortally wounded is 'put out of his misery'. Figuratively, a finishing stroke, one that settles or puts an end to something. |
Crème de la crème | The best of the best. Literally the cream of the cream. |
Cul-de-sac | A thoroughfare that is closed at one end - a blind alley. Also, figuratively, a venture leading to no successful outcome. |
Déjà vu | The feeling of having seen or experienced something before. Literally 'already seen'. |
De rigueur | Obligatory or expected, especially with reference to fashion. |
Double entendre | A word or phrase that has a double meaning - one of which is often vulgar or sexual in nature. A staple form of British toilet humour - Carry On films would be virtually silent without it. For example, see 'gone for a P' in wee-wee. |
Éminence grise | A powerful adviser or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially. Literally 'gray eminence'. |
Enfant terrible | Literally, a "terrible child". It is sometimes used to describe unruly children. More commonly, it is used in relation to adults who cause trouble by unorthodox or ill-considered speech or behaviour - especially those who have habitually done this from an early age. |
En route | On the way. |
En suite | A series of rooms that adjoin each other, forming a suite. |
Esprit de corps | The regard entertained by the members of a group, especially a military unit, for the honour and interests of the group as a whole. Literally, 'spirit of the corps'. |
Fait accompli | An irreversible action that has happened before those affected by it knew of its existence. |
Faux pas | A social blunder, causing embarrassment or loss of reputation. Literally, a 'false step'. |
Femme fatale | A dangerously attractive woman. |
Fleur de Lis
| The heraldic lily; a device supposed by some to have originally represented an iris, by others the top of a sceptre, of a battle-axe or other weapon. |
Force majeure | Irresistible force or overwhelming power. |
Grand prix | The premier events of several sports, especially the races in the Formula I motor racing championship. Literally, 'grand prize'. |
Haute couture | Trend-setting high fashion. Also, the collective name for the leading dressmakers and designers. |
Haute cuisine | High class cooking. Literally, 'upper kitchen'. |
Hors d'oeuvres
| An extra dish served as a relish to whet the appetite, normally at the start of a meal. |
| Je ne sais quoi | An indescribable or inexpressible something. Literally, 'I know not what'. |
Joie de vivre | A feeling of healthy enjoyment of life; exuberance, high spirits. |
Laisser-faire | The principle that government should not interfere with the action of individuals. Also, more generally, a policy of indulgence towards the actions of others. Literally, 'let (people) do (as they think best)'. |
L'esprit de l'escalier | This isn't actually widely adopted into English. I include it here in the hope that it might become so. It means - thinking of a suitable retort of remark after the opportunity to make it has passed. Literally, 'the wit of the staircase'. |
| Mal de mer | Seasickness. |
Mardi gras | The last day of the Carnival or pre-Lenten season. Literally, 'Fat Tuesday', called Shrove Tuesday in the UK. |
Ménage à trois | A living arrangement comprising three people in a sexual relationship. |
Merci beaucoup | Thank you very much. |
N'est-ce pas? | Is it not so? |
Noblesse oblige | The responsibility conferred by rank. Literally, 'noble rank entails responsibility'. |
| Nom de guerre | A name assumed by individuals engaged in a military enterprise or espionage, usually in order to conceal their true identity. Literally, 'war name'.
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Nom de plume | An assumed name under which a person writes or publishes. Literally, 'pen name'. |
Par excellence | Pre-eminently supreme - above all others. |
Pas de deux | Impossible to avoid the corny 'father of twins' joke here. The real meaning is a dance (typically a ballet), and in extended use a partnership, between two people. |
Pièce de résistance | The best part or feature of something, especially of a meal. |
Pied-à-terre | A second home, typically an apartment in the city. |
Prêt-à-porter | Ready-to-wear clothing. |
Pot-pourri | A mixture of dried petals of different flowers mixed with spices, kept in a jar for its perfume. Also, a stew made from a variety of meats cooked together. By extension, any collection of miscellaneous items. |
Quelle horreur | What a horrible thing. This is frequently use sardonically, when the 'horror' is trivial. |
Qu'est-ce que c'est? | What is this? |
Raison d'être | The thing that is central to our existence. Literally, 'reason for being'. |
Sacré bleu | This general mild exclamation of shock is the archetypal French phrase, as viewed by the English. No portrayal of a stage Frenchman in an English farce could be complete without a character in a beret and striped jumper, shrugging his shoulders and muttering 'Sacré bleu!'. Literally, 'holy blue', which refers to the colour associated with the Virgin Mary. |
Sang-froid | Coolness, indifference. Literally, 'cold blood'. |
Savoir-faire | Social grace; means know-how in French. |
S'il vous plaît | Please. Literally, 'if it pleases you'. |
Soupe du jour | 'Soup of the day' - the soup offered by a restaurant that day. |
Table d'hôte | A full-course meal offering a limited number of choices and served at a fixed price in a restaurant or hotel. |
Tête-à-tête | A private meeting between two people. Literally, 'head-to-head'. |
| Tout de suite | At once. |
Tour de force | A masterly stroke or feat of strength or skill. Literally, 'feat of strength'. |
Trompe l'œil | An art technique involving high levels of realism in order to create the illusion that the depicted objects are real rather than paintings. Literally, 'trick the eye'. |
Vis-à-vis | In a position facing another. Literally 'face to face'. Often now used in the sense of 'in relation to'. |
Vive la différence. | Long live the difference (between male and female). |
Zut alors | A general exclamation. Like Sacré bleu, this is more likely to be spoken by pretend Frenchmen than by real ones. |
