EXPLANATION OF FRENCH WORDS

AND PHRASES OF FREQUENT OCCURRENCE.

Aide-de-camp: an assistant to a general.

A la bonne heure: well and good, very well.—Arriver à la bonne heure: to come just in time, at the right moment.

Affaire de coeur: a love affair.

A la mode: according to the fashion, in fashion.
A propos seasonably, opportunely, to the purpose.
Au fond: to the bottom, or, main point, after all.
A fond: thoroughly.

Bagatelle: a trifle.

Beau monde: persons of fashion, the world of fashion, the fashionable world.

Bel-esprit: a man of wit.

esprits men of wit.

:

The plural is, beaux

Bien entendu of course, be it understood, it being understood.

Billet doux: a love-letter.

Bon mot: a piece of wit, a witticism, or, witty saying. Bon ton: in high fashion, in good taste.

Bon gré mal gré: willing or unwilling, whether one will or not.

Bonjour: good day; good morning.

Bonsoir good evening; good night.

:

Boudoir: a lady's small private apartment.

Bref: in short.

Carte blanche: unconditional terms: power to act according to one's own discretion. N.B. "Carte blanche," literally means a blank card, or, ticket a card, or, ticket not written on.

Chateau: a country seat, abode, or, residence.
Chef d'oeuvre: a master-piece.

Ci-devant: formerly: my ci-devant preceptor, that is, my former preceptor.

Comme il faut properly, as it should be.

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Congé d'élire generally used in reference to the elec

::

tion of a bishop or a dean: permission to choose, or, elect.

Coup de grâce: the finishing stroke.

Coup d'oeil a glance.

Coup de main: a sudden, or, bold enterprise, undertaking.

Coup d'état: a stroke of state policy.

Début: a first appearance in public: in the fashionable world, a coming out.

Dépôt a storehouse.

Douceur: a present, in return for a situation, or, appointment, procured by private influence: in other words, a bribe. N.B. The word is used in FRANCE, simply to mean reward, profit, or, gra tuity.

Dieu et mon droit: GOD and my right

Eclat distinction, applause.

Elève : a pupil.

Enfin at length-at last.

En masse: in a body, or, mass

En passant: by the way, often applied to a remark casually made.

Ennui: wearisomeness, lassitude, inability for exertion. Faux pas: : a deviation from the path of virtue, an act of indiscretion: literally, a false step.

Fête: a festival: entertainment.

Fracas: a fuss about a trifle, or, a mere nothing, a hubbub.

Honi soit qui mal y pense: evil be to him, that evil thinks.

Hauteur: haughtiness: a ridiculous affectation of pride and reserve.

Je ne sais quoi: I know not what: an expression applied to something, that cannot well be described -that baffles description.

Jeu de mots: a play upon words.

Jeu d'esprit: a display of wit: a witticism.

Mal à propos: unseasonable, ill-timed, out of place.
Mauvaise honte: sheepishness, extreme bashfulness.
Mot du guet: Mot de passe: a watchword.
Naïveté: artlessness, unstudied simplicity, ingenuous-
ness, innocence.

Outré: outrageous: out of all reason, or, character unreasonable: preposterous. N.B. The word is used in FRANCE simply to mean exaggerated. Petit maître: a fop: a coxcomb: a puppy.

Protégé: one, who is patronised, and whose interest is promoted, by a person of rank. N.B. The femi nine is protégée.

Rouge: red: a kind of paint, sometimes used by ladies for painting their cheeks.

Sans: without.

Sang-froid: coolness, indifference-"he heard the news with the greatest sang-froid," that is to say, "he took it very easily"-or, he listened to it with the greatest composure.

Savant: a learned man: a man of science: one of the

literati, that is, one of the learned world. N.B.

the plural of savant is savants, learned men, men of science.

Soi-disant: self-styled: a pretender to knowledge or

rank; as, a soi-disant colonel: a soi-disant mathematician. The epithet is often applied to literary quacks.

Tapis: carpet; "the affair is on the tapis," that is, "the affair is in agitation, in contemplation."

Trait: feature, a touch of character.

Tête-à-tête: a private conversation between two per

sons.

Unique: "the book is unique," that is, "is the only one in existence."

Valet-de-chambre: a man, who attends a gentleman, who is dressing himself.

Vive le roi: long live the king!

ON ABBREVIATIONS.