Commonly Used Foreign Words and Phrases

RSVP• Used on an invitation to indicate that the

favor of a reply is requested

• Don’t forget to RSVP before Thursday.

• from the French phrase “repondez s’il vous plait”

déjà vu • The illusion of having previously

experienced something actually being encountered for the first time; disagreeable familiarity or sameness

• This season of CSI had a sense of déjà vu about it—the same old plots and characters with new names.

faux pas• A slip or blunder in etiquette, manners,

or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion

• He committed a social faux pas when he asked her when her baby was due, since she wasn’t pregnant.

du jour•As prepared on the particular

day; of the kind being served today: du = of, jour = day

• The soup du jour is split pea.

bon voyage•To have a pleasant trip.

•Bon voyage, mom!

alma mater• a school, college, or university at

which one has studied and, usually, from which one has graduated

• I went a football game at my alma mater, MTSU.

Latin

cum laude • An academic honor given at graduation (Magna cum laude: with high honors)

(Summa cum laude: the highest academic

distinction)

• She graduated magna cum laude from MTSU.

Latin

femme fatale• An irresistibly attractive woman,

especially one who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations; a siren

• Angelina Jolie is a true femme fatale.

esprit de corps• a sense of unity and of common

interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, or enterprise, etc.

• Participation in community service improves the group’s esprit de corps.

verbatim• in exactly the same words; word for word

• This is a verbatim recording of the proceedings.

Latin

E pluribus unum• out of many, one • E pluribus unum was adopted as

the national motto for the United States in 1776.

Latin

prima donna• a first or principal female singer of an opera

company; a temperamental person; a person who takes

adulation and privileged treatment as a right and reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience

• Valerie is the prima donna of our school’s senior play this year.

Italian

avant-garde• the advance group in any field, especially in

the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods

• She is very avant-garde in her fashion sense.

status quo• the existing state or condition

•People with money are often satisfied with the status quo.

joie de vivre•a delight in being alive; keen,

carefree enjoyment of living

•She displays a true joie de vivre.

carte blanche•Unconditional authority; full

discretionary power

•He exercises his carte blanche frequently.

caveat emptor• Let the buyer beware: the principle that

the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty

• On the web, the advice “caveat emptor” has never been more true.

alpha and omega• the beginning and the end of

something; the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet

• In her opinion, shopping is the alpha and the omega.

Greek

tabula rasa• a mind not yet affected by experiences,

impressions, etc…, anything existing undisturbed in its original, pure state

• John Locke believed that a child’s mind was a tabula rasa.

Latin

hoi polloi• the common people; the masses;

(often preceded by the)

• The hoi polloi think that Mr. Nolan is the best principal in the county.

Greek

ad nauseam•to a sickening or disgusting

degree

•We have heard about the housing crisis ad nauseam.

Latin

carpe diem• Seize the day; enjoy the present, as

opposed to placing all hope in the future

• It’s a beautiful day, Carpe diem!

Latin

tempus fugit•Time flies

•Tempus fugit when you’re having fun.

Latin

• To express a philosophical acceptance of the way things are: “That’s Life”

• Suzanne’s response to her job loss was, “C’est la vie.”

c’ est la vie

bona fide• made, done, presented, in good

faith; without deception or fraud; authentic; true

• The museum has a bona fide sample of Lincoln’s handwriting.

Latin

savoir faire• Having the knowledge of just what to

do in any situation; tact

• At the fancy restaurant, Chip realized that he lacked the savior-faire to use all of the silverware correctly.

non sequitur• an inference or a conclusion that does not

follow from the premises; a statement containing an illogical conclusion

• We had been discussing plumbing, so her remark about astrology was a real non sequitur.

Latin

id est• that is to say; in other words

• I’m going to the place where I work best, i.e., the coffee shop.

Latin

enfant terrible• An incorrigible child, as one whose behavior is

embarrassing An outrageously outspoken or bold person who

says and does indiscreet or irresponsible things

• The spoiled child was enfant terrible.

terra firma• Firm or solid earth or dry land (as

opposed to water or air)

• After our stormy voyage, we were relieved to set foot on terra firma.

Latin

vox populi• the voice of the people; popular opinion

• The speaker’s address received hardly a whisper from the vox populi.

Latin

ad hoc• concerned or dealing with a specific subject,

purpose, or end

• After a tornado swept through the school, an ad hoc group of parents was formed to assist in the repairs.

Latin

cause celebre• Any controversy that attracts

public attention

• The booster’s fund raising techniques was a cause celebre this summer.

magnum opus•a great work•Beowulf was someone’s

magnum opus.

Latin

persona non grata•an unwelcome or unacceptable

person•He has become persona non

grata in our club.

Latin

quid pro quo• One thing in return for another

• The Chinese may make some concessions on trade, but they will no doubt demand a quid pro quo, so we must also be prepared to make concessions.

Latin

je ne sais quoi• an indefinable quality that makes

somebody or something more attractive or interesting

• She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everyone.

modus operandi• a method or way of doing of

something

• Her modus operandi in buying a new car always included a month of research.

Latin

nom de plume• a naming word; a word or group of

words used as the name of a class or people, places, or things, or of a specific person, place, or thing

• Samuel Clemens noun de plume is Mark Twain.

haute couture• top fashion; exclusive and expensive

clothing made for an individual customer by a fashion designer, or the industry that produces such clothing

• The I-Phone is a “must have” to techies everywhere – hot technology meets haute couture.

mea culpa• expressing guilt or fault; used to

express an admission of your own guilt

• I gave you the wrong directions to my house – mea culpa.

Latin

raison d’etre• the reason for being; underlying

principle

• The entire school knew that Coach Davis’ students were his raison d'être.

laissez faire• principle of no regulation of industry;

principle that the economy works best if private industry is not regulated and markets are free

• People who support a laissez faire system are against minimum wages, duties, and any other trade restrictions.

bete noire• somebody or something that is

particularly disliked

• Speed traps have always been bête noire of all drivers.

en masse• in a group; as a body

• The senior class of 2012 cheered en masse at the pep rally.

in absentia•while absent; in the absence of

the person or persons concerned

• The man was tried and convicted in absentia.

Latin

sub rosa• Confidentially; secretly; privately

• The meeting was held sub rosa, due to the sensitive nature of its content.

Latin

schadenfreude• gloating at somebody else’s bad luck;

smug or malicious pleasure taken in somebody else’s misfortune

• To feel envy is human, to savor schadenfreude is devilish.

German

noblesse oblige• notion of aristocratic responsibilities; the idea

that people born into the nobility or upper social classes must behave in an honorable and generous way toward those less privileged

• The Queen’s sense of noblisse oblige was evident in her time spent at the shelter.

sine qua non• an essential condition or

prerequisite

• English III is sine qua non before taking English IV.

Latin

deus ex machina• god who resolves plot; in ancient Greek

and Roman theater, a god introduced to resolve a complicated plot

• Only a deus ex machina could resolve the novel’s thorny crisis.

Latin

doppelganger• double or mirror image

• Doppelganger experiences have led many people to believe that they were part of a set of twins that had been separated at birth.

Greek

coup d’etat• seizure of political power; the sudden

violent overthrow of a government and seizure of political power, especially by the military

• The students in Egypt created a coup d’etat via social networks in order for their voice to be heard.