| A | B |
|---|
| bête noire | someone or something that is feared or disliked. |
| avant-garde | the leaders of a movement; vanguard. |
| bon mot | a bright saying; witticism |
| coup de grâce | 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 argument that leads nowhere. |
| deus ex machina | someone who intervenes unexpectedly to solve a dilemma. |
| fait accompli | something that is already done so that there is no use in debating it. |
| fin de siècle | 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. |
