The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (12 page)

blini (bleenee) RUSSIAN [pancakes]
plural noun (singular blin, bleen)
small pancakes made from buckwheat flour, usually served with sour
cream.

blitz (blits) GERMAN [Blitzkrieg lightning war] noun an intensive aerial
attack or other military campaign
relying on surprise and overwhelming force; any energetic, concentrated
effort to get something done: `His
bedroom was transformed following a blitz
by his mother and the cleaning lady."- verb
to launch a sudden violent attack on
an enemy, or to conduct any intense
campaign: also to grind or puree food
in a food processor or blender: "Blitz
the tomatoes and chillis in a food processor
until smooth."

bloc (blok) FRENCH [block, from
Dutch blok or German block] noun a
combination of individuals, groups,
political parties, or nations in pursuit of shared interests or to provide
mutual support: "The parties of the left
have joined in a bloc to overwhelm the
government."

bodega (bodga) SPANISH [from
Greek apotheke storehouse] noun a
wine merchant's shop or a bar in a
Spanish-speaking country: "I saw john
Henry Menton casually in the Bodega
just now and it will cost me a fall if I
don't ... wait awhile. . . . We're on the
right lay, Bob, believe you me" (James
Joyce, Ulysses, 1922). Also, a Hispanic
grocery store.

bodhran (borahn) IRISH GAELIC [perhaps from bodhor soft, dull-sounding]
noun a shallow frame drum, usually played with a short stick, espe cially in traditional Irish and Scottish
music.

Boer (bor, boa) DUTCH [farmer,
countryman] noun an Afrikaner, a
South African of Dutch or Huguenot
lineage. -adjective of or relating to the
Boer community in South Africa.

boeuf bourguignon (baf borgeenyon(g)) FRENCH [beef of Burgundy]
noun phrase a beef casserole cooked
in red wine.

bolte (bwat) FRENCH [box] noun a
nightclub or small restaurant.

bok Choy (bok Choi), pak choi (pak
choi) CHINESE [from Cantonese dialect paak ts'oi white vegetable] noun
phrase Chinese cabbage with long
white stalks and smooth green leaves,
both edible.

bolas (bolas), bola (bola) SPANISH
[bola ball] noun (plural bolas or
bolases, bolasaz) a weighted cord
thrown to bring down livestock, etc.:
"Although the ostrich in its habits is so shy,
wary, and solitary, and although so fleet in
its pace, it is caught without much
difficulty by the Indian or Gaucho armed with
the bolas" (Charles Darwin, The Voyage
of the Beagle, 1839).

bolero (balairo) SPANISH noun a
variety of traditional Spanish dance
or the music played to accompany
it: "The waltz, some delicious mea sure, lapsing, bathing me in bliss, /The
bolero to tinkling guitars and clattering
castanets" (Walt Whitman, Leaves of
Grass, 1855). Can also refer to a short
jacket with an open front worn by
both men and women.

Bolshevik (bolshevik), bolshevik
RUSSIAN [member of the majority,
bolshoi big] noun a member or supporter of the Russian Social Democratic Party that staged the 1917
November Revolution in Russia and,
by extension, any individual suspected
of holding radical left-wing or revolutionary views: "Her uncle would have
nothing to do with her new boyfriend,
having decided from the outset that he was
a bolshevik with undersirable views about
the monarchy." "adjective of or relating
to the Bolshevik political movement
or Bolshevik principles. 'abbreviated
form bolshie, bolshy.

bombe (bom, bomb) FRENCH [bomb]
noun a frozen ice-cream dessert,
usually made in a rounded bomblike
mold.

bona fide (bona fidee) LATIN [in
good faith] adverb phrase done
in good faith, sincerely. adjective
phrase genuine, valid, legitimate, sincere, honest: "But on the other hand, if
a man through any cause falls into bona
fide misfortune the State supports him in
the position of life to which he belongs"
(H. Rider Haggard, Allan Quatermain, 1887).

bona fides (bona fideez, bona fidz)
LATIN [good faith] noun phrase
good faith, sincerity, honesty; can also
refer to a person's credentials: "The
customs officials had checked his bona fides
at length at the border post."

bonanza (bonanza) SPANISH [fair
weather, ultimately from Greek
malakos soft] noun a lucky success or fount of great prosperity or
profit (originally applied chiefly to
productive gold and silver mines):
"The campaign will likely turn into yet
another multimillion-dollar bonanza for
the advertisers."'"adjective of or relating to such a source of great wealth
or prosperity.

bon appetit (bon apatee) FRENCH
[good appetite] interjection enjoy
your meal: "The waiter wished them bon
appetit and left them to their own company." See also BLUON APPETITO.

bonbon (bonbon), bon-bon FRENCH
[bon good] noun a candy with a fondant center: "Oh! thank you, Arthur;
and may I have the bonbon too? I had
no notion that Lady Clementina liked
sweets. I thought she was far too intellectual" (Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Savile's
Crime, 1891).

bongo (bongo) SPANISH [of American Spanish origin] noun (plural bongos or bongoes) a drum, usually
one of a pair, that is played with the
hands.

bonhomie (bonamee) FRENCH [bonhomme good-natured man] noun
friendliness, affability, geniality, good
nature, a friendly manner: "There is
some defect in one of his feet. His address
is frank, and his whole manner noticeable for bonhomie" (Edgar Allan Poe,
"Von Kempelen and His Discovery,"
1850).

bonjour (bonzhoor) FRENCH [good
day] interjection hello, good day.

bon marche (bon(g) mahsy) FRENCH
[good market] adjective cheap.

bon mot (bon(g) m0) FRENCH [good
word] noun phrase (plural bons mots
or bon mots, bon(g) moz) a quip,
clever remark, witticism: Many of the
famous man's celebrated bon mots were
inspired by his dislike of strong-willed
women."

bonne (bon) FRENCH [feminine of bon
good] noun a French maidservant or
nursemaid.

bonne bouche (bon boosh), bonnebouche FRENCH [good mouth] noun
phrase (plural bonnes bouches) a
delicacy, a titbit, a morsel of food.

bonne femme (bon Lam) FRENCH
[good wife, in the manner of a good
housewife] adjective phrase in cookery, words to describe a dish prepared
simply and garnished with fresh vegetables and herbs.

bonsai (bonsi, bonze) JAPANESE [tray
planting, from bon tray and sai to plant]
noun the art of growing dwarfed
plants and trees, or an example of this
art: She first became interested in bonsai
as a very young girl."

bonsoir (bonswahr) FRENCH [good
night] interjection good evening,
good night: ",Vo, you can tell them to
take away the samovar,' answered Nikolai
Petrovich, and he got up to meet her. Pavel
Petrovich said bonsoir' to him abruptly,
and went to his own study" (Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons, 1862).

bon ton (bon(g) 10DW) FRENCH
[good tone] noun phrase (plural bons
tons) a fashionable style, in the style
of high society, good taste.

bon vivant (bon(g) veevon ) FRENCH
[a good living person] noun phrase
(plural bons vivants or bon vivants)
a person who enjoys good living, or
a person with refined, sophisticated
tastes, an epicure: "He is something of a
bon vivant -I doubt that he has ever eaten
a hamburger in his life."

bon viveur (bon(g) viver) FRENCH
[good liver] noun phrase (plural bons
viveurs or bon viveurs) a person
who indulges freely in the good things
in life: "His father is a bon viveur of the old
school, rarely home before the early hours."

bon voyage (bon(g) voiahzh, bon(g)
vwoi ate) FRENCH [good voyage] interjection farewell, have a pleasant
trip: "The old lady wished them bon voyage with tears in her eyes."

boomerang (boomerang) AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINAL [from Kamilaroi bumarin] noun a bent hardwood throwing
club used as a self-returning weapon
by native Australians and since widely
adopted as a plaything. Also applied
to any remark, act, or scheme that
seems likely to rebound on its originator: "What she had undertaken in
vain conquest of Glenn's pride and Flo
Hutter's Western tolerance she had found
to be a boomerang." (Zane Grey, Call
of the Canyon, 1921). -verb to act
like a boomerang, rebounding on the
originator.

boondocks (boondoks) TAGALOG
[mountain] plural noun rough, relatively inaccessible, remote country,
a rural region or region that is
considered remote or distant from
a main center of activity; sometimes
abbreviated colloquially to boonies:
"The firm is to relocate somewhere out in
the boondocks."

Bootes (booteez) GREEK [from Bootes
ox driver] noun (in astronomy) a
constellation in the northern hemisphere, containing the bright star Arcturus.

bordello (bordelo) ITALIAN [brothel,
from Latin bordellum] noun a brothel:
"The two young men suddenly realized that what they had assumed was a boarding
house was really a bordello."

borscht (borsht), borsch, bortsch
RUSSIAN [borshch] noun a hot or cold
soup made from beets and often
served with sour cream.

bossa nova (bosh. nova) PORTUGUESE
[new trend] noun phrase a genre of
rhythmic Brazilian dance music similar to the samba but with a stronger
jazz element, or a dance performed
to such music.

boucle (book), boucle FRENCH
[curly, past participle of boucler to
curl] noun an uneven woven or knitted yarn with a looped or curled ply:
"I am knitting a cozy scarf in blue mohair
boucle."

boudoir (boodwah) FRENCH [place to
sulk in, from bouder to sulk, to pout]
noun a woman's bedroom or private
dressing room: "A light was shining
through the door of the little hall-room
which served Janey as a dressing-room and
boudoir, and her brother rapped impatiently on the panel" (Edith Wharton,
The Age of Innocence, 1920).

bouffant (boofon(g)) FRENCH [from
present participle of bouffer to puff, to
swell] noun a piled-up or puffed-out
hairstyle or dress style. -adjective of
or relating to such a style: "Everyone
wore towering bouffant hairstyles in those
days."

bouillabaisse (booyabes, booyabaz)
FRENCH [from Modern Provencal
bouiabaisso, itself from boui boil and
abaisso down] noun in French cuisine,
a highly seasoned fish stew cooked in
water or white wine.

bouillon (booyon) FRENCH [from
Old French boillir to boil] noun in
French cuisine, a thin soup or stock
made from lean beef.

boulevard (boolavahrd) FRENCH
[rampart, from Middle Dutch bolwerc
bulwark] noun a street or avenue,
especially one that is broad and elegant in appearance: "They spent the
afternoon strolling along the fashionable
Paris boulevard."

boulevardier (boolhvahrdeeay, boola
vahrdeea) FRENCH [person of the
boulevard] noun a person who frequents the fashionable boulevards of
a city, a person of taste and urbanity:
"For an instant he stood, resplendent, with
the leisurely air of a boulevardier concocting in his mind the route for his evening
pleasures" (0. Henry, Strictly Business,
1910).

bouquet (book) FRENCH [thicket,
from bois wood] noun a bunch or
nosegay of flowers: "She rustled forward
in radiant loveliness, smiling and chattering, carrying a large bouquet, and attended
by Mr Giovanelli" (Henry James, Daisy
Miller, 1879). It can also refer to
the aroma of wine or perfume, and more generally to any complimentary
remark or praise.

bouquet garni (bookay gahrnee)
FRENCH [garnished bouquet] noun
phrase (plural bouquets garnis, bookayz gahrnee) a selection of herbs
hound together and used to flavor
soups, meat dishes, and other foods.

bourgeois (boorzhwah, buzhwah)
FRENCH [middle-class, from Old
French borjois] adjective middleclass, materialistic, capitalistic, reactionary, mediocre: "It's ridiculous to say
of a man got up in correct tailor clothes, but
there was a funereal grace in his attitude
so that he might have been reproduced in
marble on a monument to some woman
in one of those atrocious Campo Santos:
the bourgeois conception of an aristocratic
mourning lover" (Joseph Conrad, The
Arrow of Gold, 1919). -noun a man who
belongs to the middle classes or who
espouses conventional middle-class
values. -'noun, feminine bourgeoise
(boorzhwahz, buzhwahz) a woman of
the middle classes.

bourgeoisie (borzhwahzee, boorzhwahzee) FRENCH [the bourgeois class]
noun the middle classes: "It is when it
calls itse f aristocracy or aestheticism or a
superiority to the bourgeoisie that its inherent weakness has injustice to be pointed out"
(G. K. Chesterton, Heretics, 1908).

bourguignon See BOFUF BOURGUIGNON.

bourse (boors) FRENCH [purse] noun
a European money market or stock
exchange (especially the Paris stock
exchange): "So instead of going to the
Folies Bergere I spent all evening in the
Omnium Bar near the Bourse..." (Robert Service, Ballads of a Bohemian,
1920).

boutique (booteek FRENCH [shop,
from Old Provencal botica, ultimately
from Greek apotheke storehouse] noun
a shop selling fashionable specialties
and luxury items: "This jacket came
from a wonderful little boutique we found
last week."

boutonniere (bootanccr) FRENCH
[buttonhole, from bouton button] noun
a flower or posy worn in a lapel buttonhole.

bouzouki (bazookee) GREEK [from
mpouzouki, from Turkish bozuk spoiled,
roughly made] noun a Greek musical
stringed instrument with a long neck.

boyar (boih), boyard RUSSIAN
[from boyarin grandee, lord] noun a
member of the senior Russian aristocracy (prior to the reign of Peter the
Great): "..doubtless more than one aged
lady sighs as she drives by the deserted
palace of the boyar and recalls the old
days and her vanished youth" (Ivan Turgenev, A Hunter's Notes, 1847-51).

Brahman, Brahmin (brahman, braman)
SANSKRIT [from brahman sacred utterance] noun a Hindu of the
highest priestly caste: "Take notice,
further, that the law, so born with them,
forbade a man of one caste becoming a
member of another; the Brahman could
not enter a lower order; if he violated
the laws of his own grade, he became an
outcast, lost to all but outcasts like himself" (Lew Wallace, Ben Hur, 1880).
Hence, a person of considerable
intellect and learning: "He is one of
the Brahmins whose influence over the
president has come in for criticism in
recent months."