The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (21 page)

couturier (kootoorear, kootooreea)
FRENCH [dressmaker] noun a person,
or business, manufacturing and selling
fashionable clothing: "In his youth he
ranked among the most respected couturiers in Paris." "-noun, feminine couturiere
(kootoorecar) a female couturier.

coyote (kitee) SPANISH [from
Nahuatl coyotl] noun a wolflike North
American animal (Canis latrans), a
prairie wolf: Jack strained his hearing,
yet caught no sound, except the distant
yelp of a coyote" (Zane Grey, Heritage of
the Desert, 1910).

trait (krak) IRISH GAELIC [crack]
noun (informal) good fun, enjoyment, or informal entertainment: "You
should have come to the party - it was
great trait!" Can also mean conversation, gossip, or news: "What's the trait?"
"Paul's got a new girlfriend."

cranium (lrneeam) LATIN [from
Greek kranion skull, from kara head]
noun (plural craniums or crania,
kra~,neea) the skull: "In the gorilla
and certain other monkeys, the cranium
of the adult male presents a stronglymarked sagittal crest, which is absent in
the female..." (Charles Darwin, The
Descent of Man, 1871).

crape See CREPE.

cravat (kravat) FRENCH [from erarate, itself from Cravate Croatian,
where the fashion for such neckties originated] noun a necktie or
band worn around the neck: "He
was dressed in knickerbockers, with red
stockings, which displayed his poor little
spindle-shanks; he also wore a brilliant red cravat." (Henry James, Daisy
Miller, 1879).

creche (kresh, kraysh) FRENCH [manger, crib] noun a day nursery for
young children: "The creche is licensed to
take up to 40 children at any one time."

credo (kreedo, kdo) LATIN [I
believe] noun a creed, a set of doctrines or principles (often in reference
to Christian belief, especially to the
Apostles' or Nicene Creed): "Selfsufficiency became the credo by which they
planned their lives."

creme (krem),cremeFRENCH[cream]
noun (in French cuisine) cream.

creme brfllee (krem brooiy) FRENCH
[scorched cream] noun phrase (in
French cuisine) a dessert dish of custard cream topped with caramelized
sugar.

creme caramel (krem karamel)
FRENCH [caramel cream] noun phrase
(in French cuisine) a custard served
with caramel sauce.

creme de la creme (krem da la krem,
krem da la krem) FRENCH [cream of
the cream] noun phrase the very best,
the best of the best: `No one would
buy. Caviare. Do the grand. Hock in green
glasses. Swell blowout. Lady this. Powdered
bosom pearls. The elite. Creme de la creme."
(James Joyce, Ulysses, 1922).

creme de menthe (krem da menth,
krem-, -mint) FRENCH [cream of

mint] noun phrase a sweet mintflavored liqueur.

creme fralehe (krem fresh), creme
fraiche FRENCH [fresh cream] noun
phrase (in French cuisine) a thickened,
slightly soured cream: "Creme fraiche
can be used as a substitute for sour cream."

Creole (kreeol) FRENCH [from creole,
from Spanish criollo, itself from Portuguese crioulo white person born in
the colonies] noun a person born in
the West Indies or Latin America of
European descent, or more generally
a person of mixed French or Spanish
and black descent; can also refer to the
language spoken by the black population of southern Louisiana. -adjective
of or relating to the creoles or to creole culture: "Society loves creole natures,
and sleepy, languishing manners, so that
they cover sense, grace, and good-will;
the air of drowsy strength, which disarms
criticism..." (Ralph Waldo Emerson,
"Manners," 1844).

crepe (krayp), crepe, crape FRENCH
[from Old French crespe curled, frizzed,
ultimately from Latin crispus curled]
noun a light fabric or paper with a crinkled surface; can also refer to a type
of thin pancake; also a type of rubber
especially used for shoe soles. -adjective of or relating to crepe fabric.

crepe suzette (krayp soozet) FRENCH
[probably after Suzette, the nickname of early-20th century French actress
Suzanne Reichenberg] noun phrase (plural crepes suzette or crepe suzettes)
(in French cuisine) a dessert dish
comprising a folded or rolled, thin
pancake with a hot orange-butter filling, traditionally served in flaming
liqueur.

crescendo (krashendo) ITALIAN
[increasing, from Latin crescere to grow]
noun (plural crescendos or crescendi,
krashendee) (in music) a gradual
increase in volume; also used more
widely to describe any increase in intensity, force, or loudness: "ForAnne the real
excitement began with the dismissal of school
and increased therefrom in crescendo until it
reached to a crash of positive ecstasy in the
concert itself" (Luc), Maud Montgomery,
Anne of Green Gables, 1908). 'adverb (in
music) to be played with increasing volume. '"abbreviated form cres., cresc.

cretin (krbtin) FRENCH [from cretin
wretch, ultimately from Latin christianus Christian] noun an idiot, a
lout, a fool, also, a person suffering
from cretinism, a congenital thyroid
deficiency.

crevasse (kravas) FRENCH [from Old
French crevace] noun a fissure (often
referring to a crevice or chasm in a
glacier); can also refer to a breach
in a riverbank or levee: "Mountain
climbers must be careful not to fall into
a crevasse.

cri de coeur (knee da ker), cri du
coeur FRENCH [cry of the heart] noun
phrase (plural cris de coeur) a cry
from the heart, a passionate appeal, an
expression of genuine desire or emotion: "Her protest at her treatment was a
real cri de coeur."

crime passionnel (kreem pasyhnel)
FRENCH [passion-related crime]
noun (plural crimes passionnels) a
crime of passion, a murder or other
crime prompted by love, sexual jealousy, or other emotions: "The papers
interpreted the affair as a crime passionnel and accordingly gave it plenty of
coverage."

crise de coeur (kreez daker) FRENCH
[crisis of heart] noun phrase (plural crises de coeur) an emotional crisis.

crise de conscience (kreez da konsyons) FRENCH [crisis of conscience]
noun phrase a crisis of conscience:
"The bishop suffered something of a crise de
conscience in the wake of the executions."

crise de foi (kreez da fhwah) FRENCH
[crisis of faith] noun phrase a crisis of
faith, a severe attack of doubt.

criterion (kriteereean) GREEK [from
kriterion standard, test, from krinein
to judge] noun (plural criterions or
criteria, kriteereea) a standard by
which something may be judged; can
also refer to a characteristic feature or trait: "By what objective criteria can you
measure a child's education?"

critique (krateek, kriteek) FRENCH
[from Greek kritike criticism] noun a
critical analysis or discussion: Marianne's indignation burst forth as soon as he
quitted the room; and as her vehemence made
reserve impossible in Elinor, and unnecessary
in Mrs. Jennings, they all joined in a very
spirited critique upon the party" (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility; 1811).

crochet (kroshay) FRENCH [from Old
French troche hook] noun a type of
needlework in which a hooked needle
is used to interlock looped stitches.
verb to produce crochet work.

croissant (krWason ) FRENCH [crescent] noun a flaky pastry roll, often
baked in a crescent shape: "Breakfast
consisted of a large cup of coffee and some
croissants."

croix de guerre (krwa dam) FRENCH
[cross of war] noun phrase a French
military decoration first awarded in
1915.

cromlech (kromlek) WELSH [bent
stone] noun a dolmen or circle of
dolmens; can also refer to any megalithic tomb.

croque-monsieur (krokmas~rer)
FRENCH [munch-sir] noun a toasted

ham and cheese sandwich: "I stopped at a
sidewalk cafe and ordered a croque-monsieur
with coffee."

croquette (kroket) FRENCH [from
croquet to crunch] noun a small ball
of ground meat, fish, or potato coated
in breadcrumbs and fried.

crostini (krosteenee) ITALIAN [little
crusts, from crosta crust] plural noun
(in Italian cuisine) small, thin slices of
toasted or fried bread with a savory
topping, served as an appetizer: "I had
a glass of wine and crostini with chicken
liver."

croupier (kroopeear, kroopeea)
FRENCH [rider on the croup of a
horse] noun a member of the staff
at a gambling casino who collects
bets and pays out money at a gaming table: "At that moment the croupier
raked it all up, and carried it all away;
but Alice did not see that this had been
done" (Anthony Trollope, Can You Forgive Her?, 1864).

crouton (krootan) FRENCH [from
crouton, diminutive of crodte crust]
noun a small piece of fried or toasted
bread served with soup or as a garnish.

crudites (kroodeetay, kroo(1at)
FRENCH [plural of cruditd rawness,
ultimately from Latin cruditas indigestion] plural noun pieces of raw vegetable served as an hors d'oeuvre:
"Dinner began with crisp crudites served
with a sour-cream dip

crux (kraks) LATIN [cross, torture]
noun (plural cruxes, kraksiz or cruces, krooseez) the main point (of an
argument or theory) or a problem, a
difficulty; can also refer to a climactic
moment of some kind: "This bit of the
path was always the crux of the night's
ramble, though, before starting, her apprehensions of danger were not vivid enough
to lead her to take a companion" (Thomas
Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd,
1874).

Cuba libre (kuuba leebray) SPANISH
[free Cuba] noun a cocktail made
of rum, cola, and lime juice, with ice.

cuesta (kwesta) SPANISH [slope, from
Latin costa side, rib] noun a hill or
ridge with a sharp drop on one side.

cui bono (kwee bono) LATIN [to
whose advantage?, as quoted by the
Roman orator Cicero (106-43 B.C.)]
interjection who stands to gain?
(expressing the theory that responsibility for an act usually rests with
the person who stands to profit most
from it).

cuisine (kwizeen) FRENCH [kitchen,
cooking, from Latin coquere to cook]
noun cookery, the preparation of
food (especially when considered as

an art): "Rawfish is a feature ofJapanese
cuisine."

cul-de-sac (kal-d5-sak) FRENCH [bottom of the sack] noun (plural cul-desacs or culs-de-sac) a street that
comes to a dead end, a blind alley:
"And so, as I came trotting out of that
cul de sac, full of satisfaction with my
own cleverness, he turned the corner and
I walked right into his handcuffs" (Mark
Twain, A Connecticut Yankee, 1889).

culottes (koolots, kculots, -lots)
FRENCH [knee-breeches] plural noun
a divided skirt. See also SANSCULOTTE.

culpa (kalpa) LATIN [fault, blame] noun
(plural culpae) neglect or negligence that is punishable by law.

Cum (kam) LATIN [with] preposition
along with, together with, and: "... an
apartment cum studio."

cum laude (Um lowda, kam lowde)
LATIN [with praise] adverb phrase with
honors, with distinction: "He graduated
cum laude from college at the ripe old age
of 21." adjective phrase with honors,
with distinction. See also MAGNA CUM
LAUDE, SUMMA CUM LAUDE.

cummerbund (kamarband) HINDI
[from kamarband loin band, from
Persian kamar waist and band band]
noun a broad waistband worn as
part of a man's formal dress; also used in women's fashion: "He appeared on
the terrace wearing a white jacket and red
cummerbund."

cupola oopala) ITALIAN [from Latin
cupula little cask, from cupa cask] noun
a rounded vault or dome constructed
on a circular base or, more generally,
any small tower or similar structure on
a roof: "The cupola of the cathedral, which
is seen at its best from the bridge about
twenty paces from the chapel, glittered in
the sunlight, and in the pure air every ornament on it could be clearly distinguished"
(Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment, 1866).

curettage (kyooratahzh) FRENCH [from
curer to clean, from Latin curare to
heal] noun (in surgery) the removal
of unhealthy tissue from an organ or a
body cavity by scraping with a spoonshaped instrument called a curette:
`Dilatation and curettage is often carried
out for diagnostic purposes on women with
gynaecological problems."

curia (40-0-reed) LATIN [court, senate house] noun (plural curias or curiae, ooreel) a court of justice,
or the senior administration of the
Roman Catholic church.

curragh (kara, karak), currach IRISH
GAELIC [coracle] noun a large coracle
of a type used in western Ireland.

curriculum (k3rik)'5l5m) LATIN [running, course, from currere to run] noun

(plural curriculums or curricula,
karik),ala) a program of study, the
range of courses offered by an educational establishment: "From two sides
this system of education was beginning to
be assailed by the awakening public opinion of the upper middle classes. On the
one hand, there was a desire for a more
liberal curriculum; on the other, there
was a demand for a higher moral tone"
(Lytton Strachey, Eminent Victorians,
1918).

curriculum vitae (karik),alam veeti)
LATIN [course of life] noun phrase (plural curricula vitae, karikyala veeti) a
formal summary of a person's career,
experience, or qualifications to date,
'abbreviatedform C.V.

curry (karee) TAMIL [from kari sauce]
noun (plural curries) a highly spiced
dish prepared in the Indian manner;
also, the sauce or powder used to prepare this dish: "The chicken curry was
so spicy it made my eyes water." -verb to
prepare a dish of curry.

cursor (kersa) LATIN [runner, from
currere to run] noun a slide or other
movable implement used to mark a
position in surveying, mathematics,
and other fields; also, a flashing element or cue on a computer monitor to
indicate position.

cushy (kuushee) HINDI [from khush
pleasant] adjective (informal) easy, pleasant, untaxing: "His cousin had
landed a very cushy job with an insurance company" c.v. See CURRICULUM
VITAE.

cwm (koom, kuum) WELSH [valley]
noun (in geolog)) a steep-sided hollow at the head of a mountain valley,
formed by erosion: "7n spring and summer we often walk up to the cwm."