Foreign Words and Phrases - Week 2 2018-2019

1. Foreign Words and Phrases - Week 2 2018-2019

2. E pluribus unum Means: out of many, one The meaning of the phrase originates from the concept that out of the union of the original Thirteen Colonies emerged a new single nation. It is emblazoned across the scroll and clenched in the eagle’s beak on the Great Seal of the United States.

3. Prima donna Means: 1. the chief female singer in an opera or opera company 2. a very temperamental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance. Is now often used to describe someone arrogant or vain.

4. avant-garde Means: new and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them. The avant-garde pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm.

5. status quo Means: the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues. It generally applies to maintain or change existing social structure and values.

6. joie de vivre Means: exuberant enjoyment of life. a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit.. It "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything

7. carte blanche Means: complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best. Carte blanche entered the English language as a French loan word in the mid-17th century, when card games were all the rage. A highly fashionable game of the time was piquet, in which a carte blanche was a hand having no face cards. When not playing piquet, English speakers used carte blanche in a literal sense to refer to physical pieces of paper (“carte”) that were blank or white (“blanche”).

8. Caveat emptor Means: Latin for "Let the buyer beware" Generally, caveat emptor is the contract law principle that controls the sale of real property after the date of closing, but may also apply to sales of other goods.

9. alpha and omega Means: the beginning and the end the essence or most important features.

10. ad nauseam Means: referring to something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome. to a sickening or disgusting degree.

11. qué será, será Means: what will be, will be. "Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)",first published in 1956, was a popular song originally sung by Doris Day and featured in the Alfred Hitchcock film, “The Man Who Knew Too Much.”