French Invasion of English

Rightly or wrongly, the French language signifies culture in contrast to our nekulturny English.

Many writers, including my favorite, Vladimir Nabokov, sprinkle their books with French expressions.

Magazines and newspapers routinely include French terms in their articles.

Here are three dozen French terms to tickle your curiosity:

• a la mode: In the fashion
• apéritif: alcoholic drink taken as an appetizer
• au courant: up to date, informed
  Example: Sharmila Kapoor likes to stay au courant with the latest fashion trends.
• au fait: thoroughly familiar with or knowledgeable about a subject
  Example: My buddy Mohan Kumar is au fait with the latest trends in coding.
• battue: mass killing of unresisting persons
  Example: In a war, it's not uncommon to encounter battue.
• bon appétit: Good appetite, enjoy your meal
• bon mot: witty remark
• bouffage: satisfying meal
  Example: We enjoyed a bouffage at the India Palace restaurant on JP Road.
• bricoleur: A person who constructs things by randomly messing around instead of following an elaborate plan
  Example: Don’t expect Manish to do things systematically as he’s more of a bricoleur.
• c'est la vie: That's life
  Example: Dharmendra failed to pass the IIT entrance exam, but c'est la vie.
• c'est la guerre: That's the way war is
• chateau: A large French country house
  Example: Urvashi’s dream was to own a chateau in Normandy.
• che sera sera: what will be will be
• chic: stylish, elegant, fashionable
• coup d'etat: Sudden, illegal seizure of power (usually by the army)
• coup de grace: merciful blow to end suffering, decisive action
• cri de coeur: cry of distress
• debacle: downfall
• declasse: reduced to a lower social class or status; also vulgar, unfashionable
• de trop: unwelcome, not wanted
  Example: It was clear that the rowdy kabbadi players were de trop at the evening party.
• demi-monde: people on the fringes of respectable society
• elan: verve, dash
  Example: What Dinesh lacks in elan, he makes up in hard work.
• embarras de richesses: - Embarrassment of riches
  Example: India’s victory at the 1983 World Cup and subsequently at the 1985 Benson & Hedges Championship in Australia was an embarras de richesses for Indian cricket fans.
• entre nous: between ourselves, between you and me, in private
  Example: Johnny Lever is going to win the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2027 but this scoop is strictly entre nous.
• en secondes noces: remarried or in a second marriage
• hors de combat: to be disabled
• embarras de choix: embarrassment of choice
• fait accompli: accomplished and irrevocable deed
• faux pas: social blunder, gaffe
  Example: Bollywood starlet Poorna Setti committed a faux pas on the sets of Pallikattu by asking the septuagenarian Tamil superstar his age.
• femme fatale: A seductive and attractive woman who will eventually bring big trouble to the person involved with her
• fille de joie: A girl of pleasure, a prostitute
  Example: On my first visit to Mumbai, I encountered several filles de joie just a few steps from the Dadar train station.
• folie de grandeur: delusion of grandeur
• frotteur: An individual who get excited by rubbing his crotches against the backsides of women in crowded places
• gachis: epithet uttered upon ineptly creating an opportunity-bungling mess
• impasse: deadlock; a word often used when diplomatic negotiations between nations have stalled
• Je me fous du passé: - I don't care about the past
• Je ne sais quoi: an indescribable quality
  Example: Those who knew Rajesh Khanna say the late Bollywood star had a je ne sais quoi about him.
• juste mileu: happy medium
• j'y suis, j'y reste: Here I am, here I remain
• largesse: generosity
• mot juste: perfect expression
• Non, je ne regrette rien: No, I regret nothing
• nolle prosequi: rejection, denial, refusal
• peine forte et dure: hard and painful punishment
• piston (slang): connections in high places
• sangfroid: composure under adversity
• Savoir faire: the ability to handle a situation effectively, tactfully, or with skill
• Savoir vivre: refers to the ability of a person who knows how to get the most out of life, living elegantly.
  Example: Deepika Padukone is the rare Bollywood star who has both savoir faire and savoir vivre.
• soit: so be it, well
• tour de force: outstanding achievement