nom de guerre war name Pseudonym

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."

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 The ability to maintain one's composure.
sans without Used mainly in academia, although it's also seen in the font style "sans serif" => without decorative flourishes.
savoir-faire knowing how to do Synonymous with tact or social grace.
savoir-vivre to know how to live Manners, etiquette
soi-disant self saying What one claims about oneself; so-called, alleged
soigné taken care of 1. Sophisticated, elegant, fashionable
2. Well-groomed, polished, refined
soirée evening In English, refers to an elegant party.
soupçon suspicion Used figuratively like hint: There's just a soupçon of garlic in the soup.
souvenir memory, keepsake A memento
succès d'estime success of estime Important but unpopular success or achievement
succès fou crazy success Wild success
tableau vivant living picture A scene made up of silent, motionless actors
table d'hôte host table 1. A table for all guests to sit together
2. A fixed-price meal with multiple courses
tête-à-tête head to head A private talk or visit with another person
toilette toilet In French, this refers both to the toilet itself and anything related to toiletries; thus the expression "to do one's toilette" - brush hair, do makeup, etc. See eau de toilette, above.
touché touched Originally used in fencing, now equivalent to "you got me."
tour de force turn of strength Something which takes a great deal of strength or skill to accomplish.
trompe l'oeil trick the eye A painting style which uses perspective to trick the eye into thinking it is real. In French, trompe l'oeil can also refer in general to artifice and trickery.
vis-à-vis (de) face to face In French, when vis-à-vis precedes a noun and means facing, next to, or towards, it must be followed by the preposition de. In English it means "compared to" or "in relation with": vis-à-vis this decision=> vis-à-vis de cette décision.
Voilà ! There it is! Nearly every time I see this in English, it is misspelled as "voilá" or "violà."
voir dire seeing saying Jury selection
vol-au-vent flight of the wind In both French and English, a vol-au-vent is a very light pastry shell filled with meat or fish with sauce.

French has also given English scores of words in the domains of ballet and cooking. The literal meanings of the French words are (in parentheses).
Ballet terms: barre (bar), chaîné (chained), chassé (chased), développé (developed), effacé (shaded), pas de deux (two step), pirouette (turn), plié (bent), relevé (lifted)...
Cooking terms: blanch (from blanchir => to bleach), sauté (fried over high heat), fondue (melted), purée (crushed), flambée (burned)...



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