Comp Vocab 17 words

coup d’etat

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

group.

élan

noun a. enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; zest. b. Style; flair

entrée

a. the liberty to enter; admittance. b. The main course of a meal.

esprit de corps

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

spirit; comradeship.

laissez faire

noun a. an economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of commerce

beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own eco-

nomic laws. b. Noninterference in the affairs of others.

nouveau riche

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

par excellence

adjective superior; outstanding; of the highest degree. adverb outstandingly.

potpourri

noun a. a combination of diverse elements; medley. b. a mixture of dried flower petals

and spices kept in a jar and used to scent the air.

savoir-faire

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

tête-a-tête

noun a private conversation between two people. adverb together without the intrusion

of a third person; in intimate privacy.