Unknown to most, there are a plethora of French words and phrases that are used quite commonly in the English language.
The following is a comprehensive list of some examples:
adieu
"To God." Means "good-bye."
à la
"In the style of." E.g. a food that is in the Greek style is "à la Greque" and pie with ice cream on top is in the fashionable style, or "à la mode."
à propos
"With reference to." I said something à propos of nothing.
au gratin
Covered with melted cheese.
au naturel
Covered with nothing. Nude.
avant-garde
A "vanguard" (the English equivalent) was the part of an army that marched in front. Now it means anything that is very new in fashion.
bête noire
"Black beast." Anything that you fear and hate is your bête noire.
bon appétit
"Good appetite!" Say this before eating.
bourgeois
As a noun, it means "middle class." As an adjective, it means "conventional, materialistic, and boring."
boutonnière
In French, it just means "buttonhole." In English, it is the flower in the lapel of a man's jacket.
café
A coffeehouse or small, cheap, restaurant.
cause célèbre
A "famous case"; it is something that everyone is talking about.
chauvinism
The belief that members of your group are better than anyone else. (Nicolas Chauvin was one of Napoleon's supporters). In French, it is spelled "chauvinisme."
corsage
In French, it is a piece of clothing that covers the chest. In English, it is a flower on a woman's dress or jacket. It is the custom for a man to present his date with a corsage to wear on an important evening out, such as a graduation ceremony.
coup d'état
"Attack on the state." A "coup" (as it is sometimes abbreviated) is where the army suddenly replaces the government of its country.
coup de grâce
"Stroke of kindness." Originally, this meant cutting the throat of a wounded enemy to stop their suffering. Now it means the final action that defeats someone else. "I was already better than him at school. Beating him in the tennis game, too, was just the coup de grâce."
cul-de-sac
"Bottom of the bag." A street that goes nowhere, but just stops.
décolletage
A low-cut lady's neckline, exposing some of the breast. Alternatively, it is the portion of the breast exposed by a low neckline. Although this is from the French verb "décolleter," "décolletage" is not often used in French. (We borrow from French, but that does not mean that we borrow accurately!)
de rigeur
Required or necessary. "A suit and tie are de rigeur at a wedding."
double entendre
"To hear twice." If a statement can be interpreted as innocent or as sexual then it is a double entendre. (Another phrase used in English more than in French).
enfant terrible
"Terrible child." A talented, embarassing, energetic young person, such as Mozart. English doesn't seem to have a word for this, so we also borrowed the German word for the same thing: "Wunderkind."
déjà vu
"Already seen." This is the feeling that people sometimes get, when they go somewhere for the first time, that they have been there before.
esprit de corps
"Spirit of the group." If the members of a group are proud to belong to it, and work hard to improve it, then that group has esprit de corps.
fait accompli
"A finished action." If someone was going to stop you from doing something, but you've already finished doing it, then you have given them a fait accompli.
faux pas
"False step." An action which is not socially acceptable. For example, telling jokes about blind people when a blind person can hear you, or to the friends or family of blind people, is a faux pas. Don't do it.
femme fatale
"Deadly woman." A very attractive single woman who breaks many men's hearts.
fiancée
A woman who is to be married.
film noir
"Black movie." A type of cynical movie that was popular in the 1930's and 40's. An example would be The Maltese Falcon. (Watch it if you can!) A modern equivalent would be the film Bladerunner.
fin de siècle
"End of the century." The decadent period at the end of the 19th century.
finesse
"Fineness." Doing something extremely well and delicately.
folie à deux
"Craziness shared by two people."
forte
Literally, this is the "strong" section of a sword blade, near the hilt. This is used in English to mean something that a person does better than anything else. "Learning languages is not my forte."
gauche
"Left." Means "rude or socially wrong." For example, if someone eats peas with a knife, say "Don't be gauche!"
