AP Lang Vocab 28, 29, 30

coup d'etat

a sudden overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group

'elan

enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; zest; style; flair

entrée

the liberty to enter, admittance; the maini course of a meal

esprit de corps

a common feeling of devotion to a cause among the members of a group; team spirit; comradeship

laissez faire

an economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws

nouveau riche

a person who has recently become rich, especially one who flaunts his or her wealth

par excellence

superior; outstanding; of the highest degree

potpourri

a combination of diverse elements; medley; a mixture of dried flower petals and spices kept in a jar and used to scent the air

savoir-faire

the ability to say and do the appropriate thing in any situation; tact

tête-à-tête

a private conversation between two people; together without the intrusion of a third person; in intimate privacy

abstract

concerned with designs or shapes that do not represent any recognizable person or thing; considered apart from concrete existence; theoretical rather than practical

aesthetic

of or pertaining to the sense of the beautiful; having a love of beauty; artistic; of or pertaining to the criticism of taste

avant-garde

a group, as of writers and artists, who are leaders in inventing unconventional styles and new techniques in a given field

eclectic

choosing what appears to be the best from diverse sources, systems, or styles; consisting of elements taken from diverse sources

grotesque

characterized by ludicrous or incongruous distortion; extravagant; outlandish; bizarre

hackneyed

lacking in freshness because of overuse; trite

perspective

the technique of representing objects on a flat surface so that they have 3-D quality; a view or vista; point of view; one's manner of viewing things; a mental view of the relationship of the aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole

representational

of or pertaining to realistic graphic portrayal in art; lifelike

surrealistic

of or pertaining to the 20th century literary and artistic movement that attempts to express the workings of the subconscious by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter; characterized by unusual. and unexpected or arrangements and distortions of images; having an oddly dreamlike or unreal quality

verisimilitude

the quality of appearing to be true or real; likelihood

buffoon

a clown; jester; a person given to making undignified or rude jokes

farce

a comic play in which exaggerations and improbabilities of plot and characterization are used for humorous effect; humor typical of a farce; a ludicrous and empty show; absurd pretense; mockery

irony

the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; an expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between the apparent and the intended meanings; incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

jocular

given to or characterized by joking; fun loving; meant in jest; facetious

lampoon

a broad comic piece that uses ridicule to attack a person, group, or institution; a light, good-natured criticism

levity

a light manner or attitude, especially when inappropriate; frivolity; flippancy

parody

a comic imitation of a person, literary work, or style that exaggerates the characteristics of the original to make it seem ridiculous; a performance so bad as to be equivalent to intentional mockery

raillery

good-natured teasing; banter

regale

to delight or entertain; give pleasure to; to entertain lavishly with food and drink; provide a feast for

satirical

of, relating to, or characterized by a sarcastic, mocking, or witty attack on a human vice or folly, sometimes with the intent to bring about improvement