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The French Connection by Susan Thurman

Picture this: You're sipping café au lait and nibbling on the specialty du jour. Since you want to stay au courant in haute couture, you open the newspaper and begin reading about a tête-à-tête between a famous femme fatale and a designer with great savoir-faire. You eagerly read on, and you understand what's being said because you're in the know about French terms that have made their way into everyday English.

Commonly Used French Terms

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>à la carte</B></p></td> <td><p>ordering and paying for dishes separately in a restaurant</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>à la mode</B></p></td> <td><p>fashionable; on a menu, “with ice cream”</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>à la</B></p></td> <td><p>in the manner of</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>à propos</B></p></td> <td><p>about, concerning</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>apéritif</B></p></td> <td><p>a drink before a meal</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>attaché</B></p></td> <td><p>a person assigned to a diplomatic staff; a carrying case</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au contraire</B></p></td> <td><p>on the contrary</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au courant</B></p></td> <td><p>up-to-date</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au gratin</B></p></td> <td><p>with cheese</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au jus</B></p></td> <td><p>in the meat's juice</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au pair</B></p></td> <td><p>a nanny</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>au poivre</B></p></td> <td><p>with pepper</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Bon appétit!</B></p></td> <td><p>Enjoy your meal</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>bon vivant</B></p></td> <td><p>person devoted to the sensuous things in life, especially good food and drink</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>bonne chance!</B></p></td> <td><p>good luck</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>café au lait</B></p></td> <td><p>coffee with milk</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>carte blanche</B></p></td> <td><p>with complete and unlimited authority</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>coup de grâce</B></p></td> <td><p>disastrous event or decisive act that brings about a far-reaching change</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>couture</B></p></td> <td><p>high fashion</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>cul-de-sac</B></p></td> <td><p>a street that has no outlet</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>de rigueur</B></p></td> <td><p>required, obligatory</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>double entendre</B></p></td> <td><p>a word or phrase with two meanings; usually one of the meanings is sexual</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>du jour</B></p></td> <td><p>of the day</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>fiancé</B></p></td> <td><p>someone engaged to be married; <B>fiancé</emphasis> is male; <emphasis role="bold">fiancée</B> is female</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>faux</B></p></td> <td><p>false</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>faux pas</B></p></td> <td><p>social blunder</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>haute cuisine</B></p></td> <td><p>food prepared in an elegant way</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>hors d'oeuvre</B></p></td> <td><p>an appetizer</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>nom de plume</B></p></td> <td><p>an author's pseudonym</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>raison d'être</B></p></td> <td><p>purpose for existence</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>savoir-faire</B></p></td> <td><p>the ability to speak or act appropriately in any situation</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>tête-à-tête</B></p></td> <td><p>a private meeting</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>touché</B></p></td> <td><p>an acknowledgement that another person has made a valuable point or criticism</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <div class="npsb"> <h2></h2> <p>French cuisine is famous the world over, and many of its terms are used in U.S. cookbooks. If you see cooking terms you're uncertain about, try the glossaries at <a href="http://frenchfood.about.com/">About.com French Food</a> and <a href="http://www.slowtrav.com/france/restaurants/glossary.htm">Slow Travel France</a>.</p> </div> <p>French, a Romance language spoken by millions of people worldwide, is the official language of thirty countries and of many international organizations. In the United States, French is the second most commonly studied foreign language (behind Spanish), and it's often heard in Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. You'll frequently see or hear French words and phrases, and some of the most commonly used phrases are listed in this section.</p> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/foreign-languages-in-everyday-american-english/neighbors-to-the-south-spanish.htm" title="Neighbors to the South: Spanish">Neighbors to the South: Spanish</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/foreign-languages-in-everyday-american-english/achtung-paying-attention-to-german.htm" title="Achtung! Paying Attention to German">Achtung! 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