Thẻ ghi nhớ: French Vocab ap lang | Quizlet

au courant

well-informed;up-to-date

blasé

tired of pleasures; bored

bourgeois

1. having to do with the middle class

2. concerned with petty, materialistic interests; lacking in culture or refinement

chic

stylish

clairvoyant

1. clear-sighted;unusally perceptive; discerning

2. able to perceive matters beyond the ordinary sense

complaisant

willing to please; obliging; amiable

debonair

gracious; courteous; charming; suave

gauche

lacking social grace; crude; tactless; awkward

maladroit

unskillful; clumsy (ant. androit)

naive

simple in nature; artless; ingenuous

nonchalant

without concern or enthusiasm; indifferent

attache

A member of the diplomatic staff or an ambassador or a minister

bourgeoisie

the middle class

chargé d'affaires

temporary substitute for an ambassador

concierge

1. doorkeeper; custodian; janitor

2. hotel employee who handles mail, arranges for theater reservations, etc.

confrere

colleague; co-worker; comrade

connoisseur

expert; critical judge

coterie

set or circle of acquaintances; clique

debutante

young woman who has just had her debut

devotee

zealous follower; ardent adherent of something or someone; fan

elite

group of individuals thought to be superior; artistocracy; choice part

emigre

refugee; oersib who has fled from their native land because of political conditions

entourage

group of attendants, assistants, or associates accompanying a person

entrepreneur

one who assumes the risks and management of a business

envoy

diplomatic agent or messenger

fiance

person engaged to be married

gendarme

armed police officer, especially in france and other european countries

gourmand

person excessively fond of eating and drinking; glutton

gourmet

connoisseur in eating and drinking

ingenue

actress playing the role of a naive young woman; naive young woman

maitre d'hôtel

headwaiter

martinet

person who enforces very strict discipline

nonpareil

person of unequalled excellence; paragon

nouveaux riches

persons newly rich

parvenu

person suddenly risen to wealth or power who lacks the proper social qualifications; upstart

protege

someone taught, protected, or advanced by a person of experience or influence

ranconteur

person who excels in telling stories, anecdotes,etc.

valet

manservant who attends to the personal needs of his employers, as by taking care of his clothes

aplomb

absolute confidence in oneself; poise; self-possession

éclat

brilliancy of achievement

élan

enthusiasm; eagerness for action

ennui

feeling of weariness and discontent; boredom; tedium

esprit de corps

feeling or union and common interest pervading a group; devotion to a group or to its ideals

finesse

skill and adroitness in handling a difficult situation

legerdemain

sleight of hand; artful trick

malaise

vague feeling or bodily discomfort or illness

noblesse oblige

principle that persons of high rank or birth are obliged to act nobly

rapport

relationship characterized by harmony, conformity, or affinity

sangfroid

coolness of mind in difficult circumstances; composure; equanimity

savoir faire

knowledge of just what to say or do; tact

adieu

good-bye; farewell

au revoir

Goodbye; till we meet again

billet-doux

love letter

bon mot

clever saying; witty remark; witticism

brochure

pamohlet; booklet

canard

false rumor; absurd story; hoax

cliché

worn-out expression; trite phrase

entre nous

between us; confidentially

mot juste

exactly right word; most suitable expression

nom de plume

pen name; pseudonym

précis

brief summary

repartee

skill of replying quickly, cleverly, and humorously; witty reply

résumé

1. brief account of experience and qualifications submitted by an applicant for a position; a curricukum vitae

2. summary

riposte

1. retort; repartee

2. in fencing, a quick return thrust after a parry

têtê-à-têtê

private conversation between two persons

bête noire

dreaded object or person; bugbear

carte blanche

full discretionary power; freedom to use one's own judgement

cause célèbre

famous case in law that arouses considerable interest; issue, person, incident, or situation attracting much attention

contretemps

inopportune occurence; embarrassing situation; mishap

cul-de-sac

blind alley; dead end

debacle

collapse; disaster; overthrow; rout; fiasco

fait accompli

thing already done

faux pas

misstep; blunder in conduct, manners, speech, etc.

impasse

deadlock; predicament with no obvious way out; stalemate

liasion

1. bond; linking up; coordination of activities

2. person who establishes and maintains this connection

mélange

mixture; medley; potpourri

mirage

optical illusion

Coup d'etat

sudden violent overthrow of a government

demarche

course of action (e.g., one involving a change of policy); maneuver

detente

relaxing, as of strained relations between nations

entente

understanding or agreements between governments

Laissez-faire

doctrine opposing interference by governments in economic affairs; noninterference

lettre de catchet

letter bearing a seal (e.g., of a French king before the revolution) ordering the imprisonment without trial of a person the letter names

premier

prime minister

rapproachement

establishement or state of cordial relations; coming together

regime

system of government or rule

avant-garde

experimentalists or innovators in any art

bas-relief

sculpture in which the figures project only slightly from the background

baton

rod a constructor uses to direct a

chef d'oeuvre

chief work; masterpiece in art, literature, etc.

denouement

solution ("untying") of the plot in a play, story, or complex situation; outcome; end

encore

audience's demand for an additional performance; repetition or additional performance in response to applause

genre

1. kind; sort; category

2. style of painting depicting scenes from everyday life

musicale

social gathering with music as the featured entertainment

palette

thin board (with a thumb hole at one end) on which an artist lays and mixes colors

repertoire

1. the stock of plays, stories, songs, or other pieces that a player or company is prepared to perform

2.collection

vignette

short verbal description; small, graceful literary sketch

a la carte

according to the menu (bill of fare); dish by dish, from a menu stating the price for each dish

a la mode

1. according to fashion; stylish

2. with ice cream

aperitif

alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer