Foreign Phrases Commonly Used in English Created by, Laurie Stansbury ENG IV
Dec 28, 2015
Foreign Phrases Commonly Used in English
Created by, Laurie Stansbury
ENG IV
e.g. (exempli gratia) Meaning: for
example Origin: Latin Additional Info:
Literally “for the sake of an example.” Not to be confused with id est.
Example: “There were several type of tree in the forest e.g. beech, oak, birch, maple.”
Part of Speech: adverb (abbreviation)
RSVP Meaning: please
reply Origin: French
1895-1900 Additional Info: In
French: répondez s’il vous plaît
Example: “Don't forget to RSVP before Thursday.”
Part of Speech: verb or noun
Déjà vu Meaning: illusion of
having experienced something already
Origin: French 1900 -1905
Additional Info: Can refer to something which has in fact happened before or, more commonly, to a false sensation or illusion. Often carries an unpleasant or creepy connotation.
Example: “I had a weird feeling of déjà vu as I entered the old house.”
Part of Speech: noun
Faux pas Meaning: social
blunder Origin: French
1670-80 Additional Info:
Literally “false step,” it is usually used for a breach of etiquette.
Example: “She soon realized that she had committed a grave faux pas.”
Synonyms: error, impropriety
Part of Speech: noun
Du jour Meaning: of the day Origin: French
early 20c. on menus Additional Info: As well
as meaning food prepared for a particular day (e.g. soup du jour), it has come to mean anything fashionable, current or trendy.
Example: “Environmentalism is the big issue du jour.”
Part of Speech: noun
Bon voyage Meaning: have a
pleasant trip Origin: French
1490- 1500 Additional Info:
Used to express farewell and good wishes to a departing traveler.
Example: “He yelled, ‘Bon Voyage’ as the ship pulled away from the dock.”
Part of Speech: interjection
Alma mater Meaning: one’s old
university or school Origin: Latin 1710 Additional Info:
Literally “nourishing mother.” The term also refers to a school's official song.
Example: “My alma mater keeps asking me for donations.”
Part of Speech: noun
Cum laude Meaning: with
honor; with praise Origin: Latin 1872 Additional Info:
used in diplomas to grant the lowest of three special honors for grades above the average.
Example: “Work hard and you can graduate cum laude.”
Part of Speech: adverb See Also: Magna cum
laude (with great praise), summa cum laude (with highest praise)
Femme fatale Meaning: attractive,
dangerous woman Origin: French Additional Info:
Literally “deadly woman,” used to mean a woman likely to lead someone to ruin, even if not death.
Example: “She had the air of a femme fatale, and I was instantly on my guard.”
Part of Speech: noun
Esprit De Corps Meaning: team
spirit Origin: French
1770-80 Additional Info:
Military in origin, but now more generally applied.
Example: The sales department was well known for its esprit de corps.
Synonym: camaraderie, bonding, solidarity, fellowship
Part of Speech: noun
Verbatim Meaning: in exactly
the same words Origin: Latin 1475-
85 Additional Info:
skilled at recording word-for-word accuracy
Example: Take down my speech verbatim.
Part of Speech: adverb or adjective
E pluribus unum Meaning: out of many,
one Origin: Latin Additional Info: It refers
to the Union formed by the separate states. E pluribus unum was adopted as a national motto in 1776 and is now found on the Great Seal of the United States and on United States currency.
Example: I’m old enough to remember when the motto of the USA was “e pluribus unum” not “in McDonalds we trust.”
Part of Speech: Phrase
Prima donna Meaning:
temperamental performer; first or principal singer in opera company
Origin: Italian 1760-70 Additional Info:
Indicates a vain, difficult personality, but one who is indispensable due to their talent and style.
Example: “She may be good, but what a prima donna!”
Part of Speech: noun
Avant-garde Meaning: radically
original, cutting edge Origin: French 1475-85 Additional Info:
Literally “advance guard” or first to attack, applied to radically innovative movements in the arts, sometimes with a sarcastic suggestion of the bizarre or incomprehensible.
Example: “It was all a bit avant-garde for my tastes.”
Part of Speech: noun or adjective
Status quo Meaning: current state
of affairs; state in which Origin: Latin 1825-35 Additional Info:
Sometimes used to give the impression of excessive safety and resistance to change.
Example: “He’s too comfortable with the status quo.”
Part of Speech: noun
Joie de vivre Meaning: joy of life Origin: French Additional Info:
Implies an openness to new experiences and an exuberance and effervescence.
Example: “She was so full of joie de vivre that she was positively glowing.”
Part of Speech: noun
Carte blanche Meaning: a free
hand, a blank cheque
Origin: French 1645-55
Additional Info: Literally “white (blank) card.”
Example: “He gave me carte blanche to finish it any way I liked.”
Part of Speech: noun
Caveat emptor Meaning: let the buyer
beware Origin: Latin 1515-25 Additional Info: In the
absence of a warranty, the buyer should take care what he is buying, and assumes the risk of the quality of a product.
Example: “It’s a reliable store, but still, caveat emptor.”
Part of Speech: noun
Alpha and omega Meaning: the beginning
and the end Origin: Greek Additional Info: The
New Testament was first written in Greek. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek aplphabetand Omega is the last letter.
Example: In the New Testament Book of Revelation, God says, “I am Alpha and Omega,” meaning that he is the beginning and end of all things.
Part of Speech: noun
Tabula rasa Meaning: empty slate Origin: Latin 1525-35 Additional Info:
Starting from scratch with no preconceptions, it can suggest open-ended or open-minded.
Example: “If we can start from a tabula rasa, then anything is possible.”
Part of Speech: noun
Hoi polloi Meaning: the
masses; the common people
Origin: Greek 1815-25
Additional Info: Carries a contemptuous and condescending overtone.
Example: “She never mixed with the hoi polloi.”
Part of Speech: noun
Ad nauseam Meaning: endlessly,
to the point of nausea
Origin: Latin 1616 Additional Info:
Stronger than ad infinitum, and with more of a sense of boredom.
Example: “She showed us holiday snaps ad nauseam.”
Part of Speech: adverb
Carpe Diem Meaning: seize the day Origin: Latin 16 c. & 17
c. Additional Info:
Equivalent to “enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think” or “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
Example: “Carpe diem, boys, who knows what tomorrow brings.”
Part of Speech: phrase or noun
Tempus fugit Meaning: time flies Origin: Latin Additional Info:
Often with a surprised or wistful undertone.
Example: “Ah, tempus fugit. It seems like only yesterday that we first met.”
Part of Speech: phrase
C’est la vie Meaning: that’s life Origin: French Additional Info: An
expression of resignation or submission to Fate.
Example: “Sometimes all you can say is C’est la vie.”
Part of Speech: phrase
Bona fide Meaning: in good faith Origin: Latin
1935-45 Additional Info: More
generally (outside the more legal meaning) it means genuine or authentic.
Example: “He was a bona fide noble of the realm.”
Part of Speech: adjective
Savior faire Meaning: social tact Origin: French 1805-15 Additional Info:
Literally “knowing how to do,” it is usually applied to higher social circles, but could equally well apply to any other circles.
Example: “He showed a deal of savoir faire in adjusting to his new position.”
Part of Speech: noun
Non sequitur Meaning: something
that doesn’t follow Origin: Latin 1533 Additional Info: This
can either refer to spurious or illogical reasoning, or to any statement which is out of place or off the point in a conversation.
Example: “Sorry, you’ve lost me. That was a complete non sequitur.”
Part of Speech: noun
i.e. (id est) Meaning: that is Origin: Latin 1598 Additional Info:
Denotes an alternative explanation or formulation of what went before, not an example of it. See also exempli gratia (e.g.)
Example: “She took her opinions to their logical conclusion, i.e. she killed him.”
Part of Speech: Phrase
Enfant terrible Meaning: prodigy,
boy/girl wonder Origin: French 1851 Additional Info:
There is also an undertone of exasperating and unmanageable in the terrible as well as brilliant.
Example: “He was considered the enfant terrible of his day, hugely talented but troublesome.”
Part of Speech: noun
Terra firma Meaning: firm or
solid land Origin: Latin 1595-
1605 Additional Info:
Usually used to make a contradistinction from weeks or months at sea.
Example: “It was with great gratitude that he stood on terra firma once more.”
Part of Speech: noun
Vox populi Meaning: popular
opinion or sentiment Origin: Latin Additional Info:
Literally “voice of the people.”
Example: “We should go with the vox populi on that one.”
Part of Speech: noun
Ad hoc Meaning: for this
purpose only Origin: Latin
1550-60 Additional Info:
Often, but not necessarily, used in a negative way suggesting limitedness.
Example: “In my opinion, that’s just an ad hoc solution.”
Part of Speech: adjective or adverb
Cause célèbre Meaning: a celebrated
case Origin: French 1755-65 Additional Info:
Usually a legal case that generates widespread popular interest, possibly involving an element of scandal.
Example: “The press made it into a national cause célèbre.”
Part of Speech: noun
Magnum opus Meaning: great
work Origin: Latin
1785-95 Additional Info:
Usually applied to an artists greatest individual work, not just any great work.
Example: “It has always been considered to be his magnum opus.”
Part of Speech: noun
Persona non grata Meaning:
unwelcome person Origin: Latin Additional Info:
Often used to mean that someone has fallen from grace and is unwelcome is certain social circles.
Example: “After that fiasco, I was persona non grata for quite some time.”
Part of Speech: adjective
Quid pro quo Meaning: fair exchange Origin: Latin 1555-65 Additional Info:
Literally “this for that,” it can have a slightly sarcastic undertone, as though indicating something closer to a bribe than a trade.
Example: “He obviously saw it as a quid pro quo for the work he had done.”
Part of Speech: noun
Je ne sais quoi Meaning: I don’t
know what Origin: French Additional Info:
Usually used in English as a noun.
Example: “This wine has a certain je ne sais quoi.”
Part of Speech: noun
Modus operandi Meaning: way of doing
things Origin: Latin 1645-55 Additional Info: Used
about criminals (sometimes abbreviated to M.O.) and others with a regular routine.
Example: “He had a very definite modus operandi, especially at work.”
Part of Speech: noun
Nom de plume Meaning: pseudonym Origin: French 1815-25 Additional Info:
Literally “pen name,” a false name used by authors for a variety of motives. Nom de guerre is similar, but for military reasons.
Example: “A modern author does not have to resort to a nom de plume as the likes of George Eliot did in her day.”
Part of Speech: noun
Haute couture Meaning: trend-
setting fashion Origin: French Additional Info:
Literally “high dressmaking,” often used to describe any kind of high class or exclusive fashion.
Example: “He is the kingpin of Paris’ haute couture.”
Part of Speech: noun
Mea culpa Meaning: my fault Origin: Latin 1374 Additional Info:
Used outside the Catholic mass to indicate any admission of guilt.
Example: “No matter how many mea culpas he made, he would always be saddled with the blame.”
Part of Speech: noun
Raison d’être Meaning: reason for
being Origin: French
1865-70 Additional Info:
The justification or cause of something’s existence.
Example: “The whole raison d’être of the organization was to exploit people’s irrational fears.”
Part of Speech: noun
Laissez faire Meaning: non-
interference in the affairs of others
Origin: French 1815-25 Additional Info: Usually
used to mean a government policy of minimal regulation in a free enterprise system, but can also be used personally. In French literally means ‘leave alone.’
Example: “I thought this a rather laissez faire attitude, but I held my tongue.”
Part of Speech: noun or adjective
Bête noire Meaning: annoyance,
bugbear, insufferable person
Origin: French 1835-45 Additional Info:
Literally “black beast,” but not usually as strong as that translation suggests.
Example: “After several such encounters, he became my bête noire.”
Part of Speech: noun
En masse Meaning: in a mass;
all together; as a group
Origin: French 1795-1805
Example: The protestors marched en masse to the capital.
Part of Speech: adverb
In absentia Meaning: in the
absence Origin: Latin
late 1800’s Additional Info:
Refers to the absence of someone who would normally have been present.
Example: “The defendant was convicted in absentia.”
Part of Speech: adverb (abbreviation: i.a.)
Sub rosa Meaning: in secret,
in confidence Origin: Latin 1920-25 Additional Info:
Literally “under the rose,” it is suggestive of inscrutability and the potential for scandal.
Example: “The meeting was held sub rosa to avoid unnecessary publicity.”
Part of Speech: noun or adverb
Schadenfreude Meaning: pleasure in
the misfortune of others Origin: German 1890-
95 Additional Info:
Literally “hurtful joy,” the sense is of a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.
Example: “I couldn’t help a touch of Schadenfreude at his dismissal.”
Part of Speech: noun
Noblesse oblige Meaning: nobility
obliges Origin: French
1830-40 Additional Info:
Suggests that the privileged classes have some responsibility to give back as well.
Example: “I didn’t intend to become so involved, but noblesse oblige.”
Part of Speech: noun
Sine qua non Meaning: essential
element or condition Origin: Latin 1602 Additional Info: Short
for conditio sine qua non, “a condition without which nothing,” describes anything which is critical to the success of an enterprise.
Example: “The chief’s wife was the sine qua non of the negotiations.”
Part of Speech: noun
Deus ex machina Meaning: unexpected or
improbable explanation Origin: Latin 1690-1700 Additional Info: Literally
“the god from the machine,” this was originally a Greek dramatic construction, but now used for any unwarranted character or event used to resolve a tangled literary plot.
Example: “I thought the fairy godmother at the end was a bit of a deus ex machina.”
Part of Speech: noun
Dopplegänger Meaning: ghostly
double Origin: German
1850-55 Additional Info:
Also used, less accurately, for a double or look-alike in the real world.
Example: “I did a double-take as I came face to face with my Doppelgänger.”
Part of Speech: noun
Coup d’état Meaning: sudden
overthrow of a government
Origin: French 1640-50 Additional Info:
Literally “a blow against the state,” usually meaning a violent or illegal overthrow or revolution.
Example: “It was just a matter of time before another coup d’éat occurred in that country’s chequered history.”
Synonms: overthrow, rebellion, revolution, uprising
Part of Speech: noun