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Edited on Thu Oct-04-07 09:32 PM by jeff30997
I'm French-Canadian and let me tell you that
their's a ton of English words that come from French and
Vice-versa!
art déco decorative art Short for art décoratif art nouveau new art attaché attached A person assigned to a diplomatic post au contraire on the contrary Usually used playfully in English. au fait conversant, informed Au fait is used in British English to mean "familiar" or "conversant": She's not really au fait with my ideas. au gratin with gratings In French, au gratin refers to anything that is grated and put on top of a dish, like breadcrumbs or cheese. In English, au gratin means "with cheese." au jus in the juice Served with the meat's natural juices. au naturel in reality, unseasoned In this case naturel is a semi-false cognate. In French, au naturel can mean either "in reality" or the literal meaning of "unseasoned" (in cooking). In English, we picked up the latter, less common usage and use it figuratively, to mean natural, untouched, pure, real. au pair at par A person who works for a family (cleaning and/or teaching the children) in exchange for room and board aux trois crayons with three crayons Drawing technique using three colors of chalk avant-garde before guard Innovative, especially in the arts avoirdupois goods of weight Originally spelled averdepois bête noire black beast Similar to a pet peeve: something that is particularly distasteful or difficult and to be avoided. billet-doux sweet note Love letter blond blonde fair-haired This is the only adjective in English which agrees in gender with the person it modifies: blond is for a man and blonde for a woman. Note that these can also be nouns. bon appétit good appetite The closest English equivalent is "Enjoy your meal." bon vivant good "liver" Someone who lives well, who knows how to enjoy life. bon voyage good trip English has "Have a good trip," but Bon voyage is more elegant. brunette small, dark-haired female The French word brun, dark-haired, is what English really means by "brunette." The -ette suffix indicates that the subject is small and female. café au lait coffee with milk Same thing as the Spanish term café con leche carte blanche blank card Free hand, ability to do whatever you want/need cause célèbre famous cause A famous, controversial issue, trial, or case cerise cherry The French word for the fruit gives us the English word for the color. c'est la vie that's life Same meaning and usage in both languages chaise longue long chair In English, this is often mistakenly written as "chaise lounge" - which actually makes perfect sense. chargé d'affaires charged with business A substitute or replacement diplomat chef d'oeuvre chief work Masterpiece cheval-de-frise Frisian horse Barbed wire, spikes, or broken glass attached to wood or masonry and used to block access cheval glace horse mirror A long mirror set into a moveable frame chic stylish Chic sounds more chic than "stylish." cinéma vérité cinema truth Unbiased, realistic documentary filmmaking comme il faut as it must The proper way, as it should be cordon sanitaire sanitary line Quarantine, buffer zone for political or medical reasons. coup de grâce mercy blow Deathblow, final blow, decisive stroke coup d'état state blow Overthrow of the government crème brûlée burnt cream Baked custard with carmelized crust crème caramel caramel cream Synonym of flan - custard lined with caramel crème de cacao cream of cacao Chocolate-flavored liqueur crème de la crème cream of the cream Synonymous with the English expression "cream of the crop" - refers to the best of the best. crème de menthe cream of mint Mint-flavored liqueur crème fraîche fresh cream This is a funny term. Despite its meaning, crème fraîche is in fact slightly fermented, thickened cream. crêpe de Chine Chinese crepe Type of silk critique critical, judgment Critique is an adjective and noun in French, but a noun and verb in English; it refers to a critical review of something or the act of performing such a review. cuisine kitchen, food style In English, cuisine refers only to a particular type of food/cooking, such as French cuisine, Southern cuisine, etc. cul-de-sac bottom (butt) of the bag Dead-end street debutante beginner In French, débutante is the feminine form of débutant - beginner (noun) or beginning (adj). In both languages, it also refers to a young girl making her formal début into society. Interestingly, this usage is not original in French; it was adopted back from English. décolletage décolleté low neckline lowered neckline The first is a noun, the second an adjective, but both refer to low necklines on women's clothing. dégustation tasting The French word simply refers to the act of tasting, while in English "degustation" is used for a tasting event or party, as in wine or cheese tasting. déjà vu already seen This is a grammatical structure in French, as in Je l'ai déjà vu=> I've already seen it. It can also disparage a style or technique that has already been done, as in Son style est déjà vu=> His style is not original. In English, déjà vu refers to the scientific phenomenon of feeling like you have already seen or done something when you're sure that you haven't: a feeling of déjà vu = une impression de déjà vu. demimonde half world 1. A marginal or disrespectful group 2. Prostitutes and/or kept women demitasse half cup Refers to a small cup of espresso or other strong coffee. démodé out of fashion Same meaning in both languages: outmoded, out of fashion de rigueur of rigueur Socially or culturally obligatory dernier cri last cry The newest fashion or trend de trop of too much Excessive, superfluous double entendre double hearing A word play or pun. For example, you're looking at a field of sheep and you say "How are you (ewe)?" du jour of the day "Soup du jour" is nothing more than an elegant-sounding version of "soup of the day." eau de cologne water from Cologne This is often cut down to simply "cologne" in English. Cologne, which is the French/English name for the German city Köln, is capitalized in the French expression. eau de toilette toilet water Toilet here does not refer to a commode - see toilette, below. Eau de toilette is a very weak perfume. en banc on the bench Legal: indicates that the entire membership of a court is in session. en bloc in a block In a group, all together encore again A simple adverb in French, "encore" in English refers to an additional performance, usually requested with audience applause. enfant terrible terrible child Refers to a troublesome or embarrassing person within a group (of artists, thinkers, etc). en garde on guard Warning that one should be on his/her guard, ready for an attack (originally in fencing). en masse in mass In a group, all together en route on route On the way en suite in sequence Part of a set, together esprit de corps group spirit Similar to team spirit or morale fait accompli done deed Fait accompli seems more fatalistic to me than done deed, which is so factual. faux false, fake I once saw an ad for "genuine faux pearls." No worries that those pearls might be real, I guess - you were guaranteed fake ones. :-) faux pas false step, trip Something that should not be done, a foolish mistake. femme fatale deadly woman An alluring, mysterious woman who seduces men into compromising situations fiancé fiancée engaged person, betrothed Note that fiancé refers to a man and fiancée to a woman. film noir black movie Black is a literal reference to the stark black-and-white cinematography style, though films noirs tend to be figuratively dark as well (e.g., morbid, bleak, depressing, etc). finale final In French, this can refer to either the final in sport (e.g., quarter-final, semi-final) or the finale of a play. In English, it can only mean the latter. fin de siècle end of the century Hyphenated in English, fin-de-siècle refers to the end of the 19th century. fleur-de-lis fleur-de-lys flower of lily A type of iris or an emblem in the shape of an iris with three petals. folie à deux craziness for two Mental disorder which occurs simultaneously in two people with a close relationship or association. force majeure greater force Refers to superior/greater force, or to an unexpected or uncontrollable event. gamine playful, little girl Refers to an impish or playful girl/woman. gauche left, awkward Tactless, lacking social grace genre type Used mostly in art and film - "I really like this genre..." haute couture high sewing High-class, fancy (and expensive) clothing styles haute cuisine high cuisine High-class, fancy (and expensive) cooking or food hors de combat out of combat Out of action hors d'oeuvre outside of work An appetizer. Oeuvre here refers to the main work (course), so hors d'oeuvre simply means something besides the main course. idée fixe set idea Fixation, obsession je ne sais quoi I don't know what Used to indicate a "certain something," as in "I really like Ann. She has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find very appealing." joie de vivre joy of living The quality in people who live life to the fullest laissez-faire let it be A policy of non-interference. Note the expression in French is laisser-faire. maître d' maître d'hôtel master of master of hotel The former is more common in English, which is strange since it is incomplete: "The 'master of' will show you to your table." mal de mer sickness of sea Seasickness mardi gras fat Tuesday Celebration before Lent matinée morning In English, refers to the day's first showing of a movie or play. Can also refer to a midday romp with one's lover. ménage à trois household of three Sexual threesome mot juste right word Exactly the right word or expression. née born Used in genealogy to refer to a woman's maiden name: Anne Miller née (or nee) Smith. noblesse oblige obligated nobility The idea that those who are noble are obliged to act noble. nom de guerre war name Pseudonym nom de plume pen name This French phrase was coined by English speakers in imitation of nom de guerre. nouveau riche new rich Disparaging term for someone who has recently come into money. nouvelle cuisine new cuisine objet d'art art object Note that the French word objet does not have a c - you should never write "object d'art" papier mâché mashed paper Used for art par excellence by excellence Quintessential, preeminent, the best of the best pas de deux step of two Dance with two people peau de soie skin of silk Soft, silky fabric with a dull finish petite small, short It may sound chic, but petit is simply the feminine French adjective "short." petit-four little oven Small dessert, especially cake pièce de résistance piece of stamina In French, this originally referred to the main course - the test of your stomach's stamina. In both languages, it now refers to an outstanding accomplishment or the final part of something - a project, a meal, etc. pied-à-terre foot on ground A temporary or secondary place of residence. prêt-à-porter ready to wear protégé protected Someone whose training is sponsored by an influential person. raison d'être reason for being Purpose, justification for existing rendez-vous go to In French, this refers to a date or an appointment (literally, it is the verb se rendre - to go - in the imperative); in English we can use it as a noun or a verb (let's rendez-vous at 8pm). repartee quick, accurate response The French repartie gives us the English "repartee," with the same meaning of a swift, witty, and "right on" retort. risqué risked Suggestive, overly provocative roman à clés novel with keys Novel with real people appearing as fictional characters roman-fleuve novel river A long, multi-volume novel which presents the history of several generations of a family or community. In both French and English, saga tends to be used more. rouge red The English refers to a reddish cosmetic or metal/glass-polishing powder, and can be a noun or a verb. RSVP respond please This abbreviation stands for Répondez, s'il vous plaît, which means that "Please RSVP" is redundant. sang-froid cold blood
And the list goes on and on...
And of course the reverse is true!!!
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