The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (20 page)

contretemps (kontrdton(g)) FRENCH
[against time, from contre counter and
temps time] noun an unfortunate
event, a moment of embarrassment
or humiliation; can also refer to a difference of opinion, an argument:
"There had been one contretemps; for a
man and his wife had driven up while they
were still emptying their revolvers into
the silent body" (Arthur Conan Doyle,
"TheValley of Fear," 1914-15).

conversazione (konvarsatseeonee)
ITALIAN [conversation] noun (plural
conversaziones or conversazioni,
konvdrsateeonee) a social gathering
for conversation, particularly about
the arts or culture: "On entering upon
the twentyffth year of his incumbency
in Marylebone, and the twenty-eighth of
his ministry in the diocese of London, it
was thought a good idea to have an `Evening Conversazione and Fete"' (Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Over the Teacups,
1891).

coolie (koolee), Cooley HINDI [from
kuli] noun an unskilled laborer
(especially one from the Far East):
"The rickshaw was pulled by an elderly
coolie with a long white beard."

coprolalia (kopralileea) GREEK
[from kopros dung and lalia speech]
noun (in psychiatry) the involuntary, repetitive use of obscene language, especially as a characteristic
of Tourette's syndrome or schizophrenia.

coq au vin (cok o V") FRENCH
[cock in wine] noun phrase (in French
cuisine) chicken cooked in wine.

coquette (coket) FRENCH [feminine
of coquet, diminutive of coq cock] noun
a flirtatious woman, a woman who trifles with men's affections: "She thought
she had a good deal of the coquette in her,
and I've no doubt that with time and training she would have become a very dangerous
little person, but now she was far too transparent and straightforward by nature even
to tell a white lie cleverly" (Louisa May
Alcott, An Old Fashioned Girl, 1870).

eoram (koram) LATIN [before] preposition in the presence of, before.

cor anglais (kor onlay) FRENCH
[English horn] noun phrase (plural cors
anglais, korz onlay) the English
horn, a woodwind instrument in the
oboe family, slightly lower in pitch
than the oboe.

corbel (korbal) FRENCH [from Latin
corvus raven] noun (in architecture)
a stone block projecting from a wall
and supporting a structure above it:
"The house had many original features
including decorative corbels."

cordillera (kordal~era, kordalera)
SPANISH [mountain chain, from cordilla, diminutive of Latin chorda cord]
noun a series of parallel mountain
ridges (often referring specifically to
ranges in the Andes).

cordon (kordan) FRENCH [cord, band]
noun a line of persons or military
posts to prevent passage: "A mockery to the yeomen over ale, / And laughter to their
lords: but those at home, / As hunters round
a hunted creature draw / The cordon close
and closer toward the death, / Narrow'd
her goings out and comings in..." (Alfred
Lord Tennyson, Enoch Arden, 1864).
verb to set up a cordon to prevent
passage.

cordon bleu (kordon bla) FRENCH
[blue ribbon] noun phrase (plural cordons blues) a person of superior
skill, rank, or distinction. adjective
of or relating to a person or event of
the first order or rank: "Her son is now
working as a cordon bleu chef. "

cordon sanitaire (kordon sanetair)
FRENCH [sanitary cordon] noun phrase
(plural cordon sanitaires or cordons
sanitaires) a protective barrier set
up against a threat of some kind (typically against infection or against invasion by a hostile nation): "The police
have set up a cordon sanitaire around the
hospital."

cornea (korneed) LATIN [from cornea
tela horny tissue] noun the transparent membrane that covers the front
surface of the eyeball: "In laser eye
surgery, a laser beam corrects vision by
reshaping the cornea."

corniche (korneesh) FRENCH [from
cornice cornice] noun a coastal road
built along the edge of a cliff and
often commanding panoramic views:
"`I can't very well ride out alone.A solitary amazon swallowing the dust and the salt
spray of the Corniche promenade would
attract too much attention"' (Joseph
Conrad, The Arrow of Gold, 1919).

cornucopia (kornakopeea, kornyakopeea) LATIN [from cornu copiae horn
of plenty] noun (in decorative art) a
goat's horn filled with fruit, flowers,
and corn, representing abundance;
also used more generally to refer to
any abundant supply or inexhaustible
store of something: "But now if he have
lost his cornucopia of ready-money, what
else had he to lose?" (Thomas Carlyle,
The French Revolution, 1837).

corona (karon5) LATIN [garland,
crown] noun (plural coronas or coronae, karonee) a luminous glow or
halo around the sun, moon, or other
luminous object: "The sun's corona was
clearly visible during the eclipse."

corps (kor) FRENCH [body, staff, from
Latin corpus body] noun (plural corps,
korz) a military unit comprising two
or more divisions; can also refer to any
substantial body of individuals working
in cooperation or engaged in the same
activity: "In the spring of 1917 1 again
served with my Corps; but on the entry of the
United States into the War I joined the army
of my country" (Robert Service, Ballads
of a Bohemian, 1920).

corps de ballet (kor da balms) FRENCH
[company of the ballet] noun phrase
corps de ballet, kor da balms, korz da balms) a ballet ensemble (excluding
the principal dancers and soloists):
"The announcement provoked protests from
the corps de ballet."

corps d'elite (kor dayleet) FRENCH
[elite body] noun phrase (plural corps
d'elite, kor dayleet, korz dayleet) a
body of picked troops (or other select
personnel): "The marines have long been
considered a corps d'elite among the armed
forces."

corps diplomatique (kor diplomateek) FRENCH [diplomatic body] noun
phrase the diplomatic staff of a particular government: "He quickly realized
he had offended the etiquette of the international corps diplomatique."

Corpus Christi (korpas kristee)
LATIN [body of Christ] noun phrase a
Roman Catholic festival celebrated on
the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in
honor of the Eucharist.

corpus delicti (korpas dalikti, korpas
daliktee) LATIN [body of the crime]
noun phrase (plural corpora delicti,
korpora dalikti, korpora daliktee) the
physical object on which a crime has
been committed, or the sum of the
evidence indicating that an offense
has taken place: "The prosecution needs
to establish a corpus delicti if they are to
win this case."

corral (karahl) SPANISH [enclosure,
from corro ring, probably ultimately

from Latin currale enclosure for vehicles] noun a fenced area for keeping
livestock; can also refer to a ring of
wagons positioned for defense: I keep
remembering locoed horses I used to see on
the range when I was a boy. They changed
like that. We used to catch them and put
them up in the corral, and they developed
great cunning" (Willa Cather, Alexander's
Bridge, 1912). verb to enclose livestock in a pen or to marshal support,
votes, and the like; can also refer to the
drawing up of wagons in a circle for
defense.

corrida (kareeda) SPANISH [act of running] noun a bullfight, or the sport of
bullfighting in general.

corrigendum (korajdam) LATIN [that
which must be corrected, from corrigere to correct] noun (plural corrigenda, korajda) a correction to
a printed text, usually detailed on a
separate sheet.

corroboree (karobaree) AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINAL [from Dharuk garaabara]
noun a lively festivity held by native
Australians to mark important events;
by extension, any noisy gathering or
disturbance.

corsage (korsahzh) FRENCH [bust or
bodice, from Latin corpus] noun a
spray of flowers pinned to a woman's
dress or worn on the wrist; also the
bodice or waist of a dress: Julia's date brought her a beautiful corsage to wear to
the prom."

cortege (kortezh), cortege FRENCH
[from Italian corteggio, from corteggiare
to court] noun a retinue of attendants
(often referring specifically to a funeral
procession): "The torch-bearers shook their
torches, scattering a shower of sparks into
the river, and the cortege moved off, leaving
Almayer agitated but greatly relieved by
their departure." (Joseph Conrad, Almayer's Folly, 1894).

corvette (korvet) FRENCH [from Middle Dutch korf basket, kind of ship]
noun a fast, lightly armed escort
ship smaller than a frigate or destroyer
but larger than a gunboat: "I chose this
place, because, having served last in a
little corvette, I knew I should feel more at
home where I had a constant opportunity
of knocking my head against the ceiling."
(Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin
Drood, 1870).

Cosa Nostra (kosa nostra) ITALIAN
[our thing] noun phrase a criminal organization that operates in the United
States and is believed to be related to
the Mafia: "I saw a gangster movie about
the Cosa Nostra."

cosmonaut (kozmanot) RUSSIAN
[universe sailor, from kosmonavt, from
Greek kosmos cosmos and navt sailor]
noun an astronaut in the Russian (formerl), Soviet) space program: "Three
cosmonauts were killed in the explosion."

cosmos (kozmhs, kozmos) GREEK
[universe, world, order] noun the
universe (especiall), when regarded
as a harmonious whole): `Astronomers
are probing the hidden secrets of the
cosmos."

Cossack (kosak) RUSSIAN [from Turkic kozak adventurer] noun a person
from southern Russia, especially a
man serving with one of the Cossack
light cavalry units in prerevolutionary Russia; also (lowercased) used
colloquially to mean a wild person,
someone who lashes out suddenly and
violently in a heavy-handed manner:
"At the foot of the hill lay wasteland over
which a few groups of our Cossack scouts
were moving." (Leo Tolsto),, War and
Peace, 1863-69).

costumier (kosoomeed) FRENCH
[from costumer to costume] noun a
person who sells or makes clothing,
especially theatrical costumes.

coterie (1LOthree) FRENCH [tenants
holding land together] noun an
exclusive circle of friends or colleagues: "I do not give this as the gossip
of a coterie; I am persuaded that it is the
belief of a very considerable portion of the
country" (MarkTwain, Life on the Mississippi, 1883).

cotillion (kotil),an, katilyan), cotillon FRENCH [from cotillon petticoat]
noun a ballroom dance similar to the
quadrille, or a formal ball.

couchant (koochon(g)) FRENCH [lying
down, present participle of coucher to
lie down] adjective lying down, in a
prone position (as used in reference
to animals in heraldic designs): "The
main column is surrounded by four huge
lions couchant."

couchette (kooshet) FRENCH [little
bed] noun a sleeping compartment
in a train, ferry, or other vehicle, or
a bed in such a compartment: "On the
train to Paris I shared a couchette with
some Australian backpackers."

coulis (koolee) FRENCH [flowing]
noun (in French cuisine) a sauce
made from pureed vegetables or fruit:
"The ice cream was served with a delicious
banana coulis."

coup (koo) FRENCH [stroke, ultimately from Greek kolphos blow with
the fist] noun (plural coups, kooz) a
masterstroke, a successful act, feat, or
move: "Getting such a big star to join the
squad is a considerable coup for the team."
See also COUP n'ETAT.

coup de grace (koo da Agra, koo da
gras), coup de grace FRENCH [stroke
of mercy] noun phrase (plural coups de
grace, koo da gras) a final, fatal blow,
a death blow, a decisive, finishing act
or event: "..the young Count of TierraNueva brought the bull to his knees, and
having obtained permission from the Infanta
to give the coup de grace, he plunged his
wooden sword into the neck of the animal

with such violence that the head came
right Off, and disclosed the laughing face
of little Monsieur de Lorraine, the son of
the French Ambassador at Madrid" (Oscar
Wilde, A House of Pomegranates, 1891).

coup de main (koo daman ) FRENCH
[stroke of the hand] noun phrase (plural
coups de main, koo da man) a
surprise attack, a raid.

coup d'etat (koo dayta, koo data),
coup d'etat FRENCH [stroke of state]
noun phrase (plural coups d'etat, koo
dayta, or coups d'etats, koo daytaz)
the overthrowing of a government
by the use of force, a revolution;
can also refer to a sudden change in
government policy: "The rebels staged
a coup d'etat but failed to win international recognition for the new regime."
"abbreviated form coup.

coup de theatre (koo da tayatra),
coup de theatre FRENCH [stroke of
theater] noun phrase (plural coups de
theatre, koo da tayatra) a sudden,
dramatic turn of events during a theatrical performance and by extension
any unexpected, sensational action
or event; can also refer to a brilliant
theatrical success.

coup d'oeil (koo doi) FRENCH [stroke
of the eye] noun phrase (plural coups d'
oeil, koo doi) a glance, a quick look.

COUpe (koopy), coupe (koop) FRENCH
[past participle of couper to cut] noun an enclosed automobile with two
doors and two or four seats (originally
referring to a horse-drawn carriage
with seats for just two passengers).

courier (kareear) FRENCH [ultimately
from Latin currere to run] noun a
messenger (especially a diplomat
who carries official messages to and
fro); can also refer to a tourist's
guide or representative of a travel
agency: "The post of the morning had
brought a letter to the secretary from a
courier then at Venice. It contained startling news of Ferrari" (Wilkie Collins,
The Haunted Hotel, 1879). -verb to
send by courier.

couscous (kooskooS) FRENCH [from
Arabic kuskus, from kaskasa to beat] noun
(in Tunisian cuisine) a dish of semolina
served with meat or vegetables.

couture (kootoor) FRENCH [from
Old French cousture sewing, ultimately from Latin consuere to sew
together] noun the making and selling of fashionable clothing for women,
dressmaking: "I went to an exhibition of
American couture of the 1950s."