| A | B |
|---|
| avant-garde | the leaders of a movement; vanguard (regarded as reformers, people with new ideas who are somewhat ahead of their time |
| bete noire | someone or something that is feared or disliked |
| bon mot | a bright saying; witticism |
| coup de grace | the shot or blow that brings death; the finishing stroke |
| cul-de-sac | a passage or street with only one outlet; a situation from which there is no escape; an agruement that leads nowhere |
| deus ex machina | someone who intervenes unexpectedly to solve a dilemma; "god out of the machine" |
| fait accompli | something that is already done so that there is no use in debating it; "an accomplished fact" |
| fin de siécle | referring to the last years of the nineteenth century; decadent |
| gauche | awkward; lacking grace; without tact |
| junta | a political group that seeks to control a government; a faction or cabal |
| laissez-faire | hands-off policy; letting business operate without government interference |
| mot juste | the right word; exact phrase |
| non compos mentis | incapable of handling one's own affairs; insane |
| non sequitur | in logic this is a conclusion that does not follow from the evidence; a remark that seems out of place |
| sine qua non | an essential condition; that which is indispensable |
