French Words to the World
The linguistic bequest to the world has been indispensable. What sort of romance could be conducted without a tête-a-tête, a rendezvous with the right ambiance, a frisson or two, some badinage, the odd nuance and some risqué repartee?
What sort of war could anyone conduct without sabotage, maneuvers, many and frequent mêlées, bags of esprit de corps, a little espionage, liaison and ultimately détente?
What sort of poise could anyone achieve without being suave and soigné? What sort of political excitement could there be without coups d'état, laisser-faire, fait accompli, volte-face and carte blanche?
How could we show we were out of our milieu if we couldn't make gaffes and faux pas to show that we were thoroughly gauche?
What would we eat in a restaurant, buffet or café without casseroles, fricassées, hors-d'oeuvres, soufflés, vols-au-vents, escalopes, consommés, pâtés, terrines, éclairs, croissants, omelettes, gâteaux, mousses, sauces ....?
And wouldn't everything be passé were it not for the avant-garde?
From "The Xenophobe's Guide to the French" by N. Yapp and M. Syrett
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