The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (31 page)

fiance (feeonsay, feeons4) FRENCH
[past participle of fiancer to betroth,
promise] noun a man who is
engaged to be married: "Even if you
are engaged, I am sure your fiance would
wish you to go into society rather than
be bored to death" (Leo Tolsto),, War
and Peace, 1863-69). 'noun, feminine
fiancee (feeonsa),, feeons4) a woman
who is engaged to be married.

fiasco (feeasko) ITALIAN [from fare
fiasco to make a bottle] noun (plural fiascoes) a disastrous or chaotic
failure: "Lucetta was rather addicted to
scribbling, as had been shown by the
torrent of letters after the fiasco in their
marriage arrangements, and hardly had
Elizabeth gone away when another note
came to the Mayor's house from HighPlace Hall" (Thomas Hard),, The Mayor
of Casterbridge, 1886).

fiat (feeat, feeat) LATIN [let it be done]
noun an order, decree, or authorization, typically as issued by an official
organization, but sometimes used of
old saws and sayings: "But he that
marries her marries her name.' This fiat
somewhat soothed himself and wife"
(Alfred, Lord Tenn),son, Enoch Arden,
1864).

fiat justicia (feeat yoostika, feeat
3oostika) LATIN [let justice be done]
interjection phrase let justice be
done!

fiat lux (feeat luks, feeat luks) LATIN
[let light be made] interjection phrase
(in the Hebrew Bible) "let there be
light!", the words uttered by God
when He created light.

fibula (fib)'ala) LATIN [brooch] noun
(plural fibulas or fibulae, fib),alee,
fibyali the outer and narrower of
the two bones of the lower leg, from
the knee to the ankle: "My mother
fell down the stairs and fractured her
fibula."

fiche (feesh) FRENCH [slip of paper]
noun a microfiche, a document
reduced to compressed form on a
small piece of paper, plastic, or other
material.

Fidel Defensor (fide difensor), Defensor Fidei LATIN [defender of the faith]
noun phrase a title conferred by the
papacy upon Henry VIII prior to the Reformation, and subsequently borne
by succeeding English monarchs.

fieri facias (fiaree fa),sheebs) LATIN
[cause to be made] noun phrase (in
law) a writ commanding a sheriff to
seize the goods of a debtor to fulfill
a judgment made against the debtor.
'abbreviated form fi.fa.

fiesta (feeesta) SPANISH [feast] noun
a religious festival or public holiday
held to mark the feast day of a saint,
and thus any festival or holiday: "They
went on strike regularly (every bull-fight
day), a form of trouble that even Nostromo at the height of his prestige could
never cope with efficiently; but the morning after each fiesta, before the Indian
market-women had opened their mat
parasols on the plaza, when the snows of
Higuerota gleamed pale over the town
on a yet black sky, the appearance of a
phantom-like horseman mounted on a
silver-gray mare solved the problem of
labor without fail" (Joseph Conrad,
Nostromo, 1904).

fi.fa. See FIERI FACIAS.

filet (feel, filit) FRENCH [net] noun
decorative lace with a square mesh.

filet mignon (feela),
meenyon) FRENCH [small fillet] noun phrase a
thick slice of tender meat cut from
the small end of a beef tenderloin: "For
breakfast I had a grilled filet mignon and
some scrambled eggs."

filioque (filiokway) LATIN [and to the
Son] noun extract of the Nicene
Creed, which asserts that the Holy
Spirit emanates both from God the
Father and his Son. The notion is
rejected by the Eastern Orthodox
Church, and thus the term can also
be used to denote a point of issue
between two disagreeing parties.

filius populi (filias pro)'ooli) LATIN
[son of the people] noun phrase an
illegitimate son.

fille de joie (fee da zhwa) FRENCH
[girl of pleasure] noun phrase (plural
filles de joie) a prostitute: "He had
seen Venice, Milan, Florence, Bologna, and
Naples leisurely, as he wished to see them,
as a dreamer of dreams, and a philosopher;
careless of the future, for an artist looks to
his talent for support as the fille de joie
counts upon her beauty" (Honore de
Balzac, Cousin Pons, 1847).

film noir (film nwahr) FRENCH [black
film] noun phrase a cinema genre characterized by dark themes and somber atmosphere, typically depicting the
criminal underworld: As a director he
proved to be one of the masters of film noir."

filo (feelo), phyllo GREEK [from
phullo leaf] noun a type of pastry
dough usually cooked in layers of very
thin sheets.

fils (fees) FRENCH [son] adjective
junior, sometimes appended to sur

names where father and son share the
same first name in order to distinguish
between them: "George Bush fils became
president of the United States like his
father before him."

finale (finahlee) ITALIAN [final] noun
the end or closing part of something:
"This wretched note was the finale of
Emma's breakfast" (Jane Austen, Emma,
1816).

finca (finka) SPANISH [from fincar to
cultivate] noun (in Spain and Latin
America) a country estate, ranch, or
farm: `7 spent two weeks in a finca in
Andalusia last summer."

fin de guerre (fan da gair) FRENCH
[end of war] adjective phrase of or
relating to the period immediately following warfare: "Traders reopened their
shops in an ebullient fin de guerre wave of
optimism."

fin de saison(fan da sayzon )FRENCH
[end of season] noun phrase the end
of the social season. adjective phrase
of or relating to the end of the social
season: "The gathering had an unmistakable fin de saison atmosphere about it."

fin de siecle (fan da seeairkal) FRENCH
[end of the century] adjective phrase of
or relating to the last years of a century,
usually to the end of the 19th century
and typically hinting at an overriding
atmosphere of decadence and anxiety inspired by a heightened sense of changing times: "The rooms were decorated
in a florid,fin de siecle style."

fines herbes (feenz erb, feen erb)
FRENCH [fine herbs] plural noun a
mixture of fresh chopped herbs used
as seasoning in cookery.

finesse (fines, feenes) FRENCH [delicacy, perception] noun refinement,
skill, or adroitness in doing something,
or a trick or stratagem employed
in the course of a game or dispute:
"Having conceived the idea he proceeded
to carry it out with considerable finesse"
(Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of
the Baskervilles, 1902).

finis (finis, fnnee, finee), fini LATIN
[limit, end, conclusion] noun the
end or conclusion of something: "Next
Year ... must be the finis of this long
agnostic tragedy" (Thomas Carlyle, The
History of Frederick II of Prussia called
Frederick the Great, 1865).

fino (feeno) SPANISH [fine] noun a
pale, very dry sherry.

fjord (fceord, fyord), fiord NORWEGIAN [derived from fjordr firth] noun a
narrow, deep, steep-sided inlet of the
sea (often referring to such inlets along
the Norwegian coast): "From our new
Cape Horn in Denmark, a chain of mountains, scarcely half the height of the Alps,
would run in a straight line due southward;
and on its western flank every deep creek
of the sea, or fiord, would end in `bold and astonishing glaciers"' (Charles Darwin,
The Voyage of the Beagle, 1839).

fI. See FLORUIT.

flagellum (flajiam) LATIN [diminutive of flagrum scourge] noun (plural
flagellums or flagella, flag) a
whiplike appendage, as encountered
in various plants, animals, and microorganisms.

flagrante delicto See IN FLAGRANTE
DELICTO.

flak (flak) GERMAN [abbreviated form
of Fliegerabwehrkanonen, from Flieger
flyer, Abwehr defense, and Kanonen
cannons] noun antiaircraft fire; or,
by extension, critical comments or
other opposition: "The fighters dived
through a curtain of flak from the antiaircraft battery."

flambe (flombay) FRENCH [past participle of flamber to flame, to singe]
adjective of or relating to a dish
served in flaming liquor. -verb to prepare or serve food in burning liquor.

flamenco (flamenko) SPANISH [Fleming, of the gypsies] noun a lively
gypsy dance of Andalusian origin, also
the guitar music to which it is usually
danced.

fleche (flesh) FRENCH [arrow] noun
a small, slender spire of wood or
stone rising from a roof.

fleur-de-lis (fler-da-lee, fler-da-lees)
FRENCH [flower of the lily] noun a
heraldic or artistic floral device based
on the iris, best known as a symbol of
the royal family of France.

flor. See FLORUIT.

flora (flora) LATIN [after Flora, the
Roman goddess of flowers, from flos
flower] noun (plural floras or florae, floe) plant life, especially the
range of plants typical of a given
place or environment, as distinct
from the fauna (animal life) of the
area, or a catalog of plants associated
with a particular place or environment: "The most isolated islands once
possessed afar more abundant flora than
they now have

floreat (floriat) LATIN [may he/she/
it flourish] interjection a wish that
someone or something will prosper or thrive, as sometimes encountered in slogans and mottoes: "Floreat
Regina!"

floruit (florooit) LATIN [he/she/it
flourished] verb flourished, as sometimes given in biographies of artists whose birth and death dates are
unsure: "St. Hugh of Lincoln (floruit
1170-1200)." -noun the period of
time during which a person or thing
flourished. abbreviated form fl.; for.

flotilla (flatila) SPANISH [diminutive
of flota fleet] noun a small fleet of

boats or ships, or more generally a
substantial number of things: "After the
flotilla was chased away from the coast,
the villagers dispersed and returned to
their homes."

flu See INFLUENZA.

fliigelhorn (floogalhorn) GERMAN
[from FlUgel wing and Horn horn]
noun a valved brass wind instrument
with a larger bore than a cornet.

foehn (fern), fohn GERMAN [warm
wind] noun a warm, dry wind
often encountered in the lee of the
Alps.

fohn See FOEHN.

foie gras (fwah gra) FRENCH [fat
liver] noun phrase pate made from
the liver of a specially fattened goose:
And even then I didn't know whom I had
there, opposite me, busy now devouring a
slice of pate de foie gras" (Joseph Conrad, The Arrow of Gold, 1919).

folie a deux (folee a da) FRENCH [madness by two] noun phrase a foolish,
delusional, or mistaken belief that is
shared by two closely associated persons: "The prosecution's version of events
suggested the existence of a folie d deux
between the two defendants."

folie de grandeur (folee da gronder)
FRENCH [madness by greatness] noun
phrase (plural folies de grandeur) delusions of grandeur: "He [Clive
James] said he `snivelled at his desk' and
he wrote what even some of his friends saw
as his suicide note. It might have been
folie de grandeur [to write it], but I don't
think so. On that occasion I was as close as
a pathologically solipsistic man can be to
self denial. All I could see even in the mirror was her [Princess Diana's] face' (the
Guardian, May 29, 2001).

fondant (fondant) FRENCH [present
participle of fondre to melt] noun a
soft creamy paste of sugar, water, and
flavoring commonly used as cake icing
or in confectionery: "The top of the cake
was decorated with candles set in thick pink
fondant."

fondue (fond)Loo, fondyoo) FRENCH
[past participle of fondre to melt]
noun a traditional Swiss dish of
flavored melted cheese into which
pieces of bread, meat, and fruit may
be dipped: "The fondue craze lasted
perhaps three years before falling into
apparently permanent disfavor among
New York's fashionable middle-class hostesses." Also, a dish in which pieces of
food are dipped into hot broth or
melted chocolate.

foes et origo (fonz et origo) LATIN
[fount and origin] noun phrase the
original source or foundation of something: He fixed the old man with a stony
glare, clearly considering him the fons et
origo of all his present afflictions."

force de frappe (fors da frap) FRENCH
[strike force] noun phrase a military
strike force, specifically a force capable of delivering a nuclear attack.

force majeure (fors mazher) FRENCH
[superior force] noun phrase an irresistible or uncontrollable power, or
an unforeseen event such as the outbreak of war that prevents parties
to a contract from completing their
obligations as planned: "Their insurance policy did not apply in cases of force
majeure."

forte' (fortay, fort) FRENCH [from
fort strong] noun a person's specialty
or strong point: As far the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science
for Life" (Oscar Wilde, The Importance
of Being Earnest, 1895).

forte2 (fortay, fort) ITALIAN [derived
from Latin fortis strong] adjective (in
music) loud. adverb (in music) played
or sung loudly: "She had to sing forte in
order to be heard above the roar of the sea."
'abbreviated form f.

fortissimo (fortisimo) ITALIAN [superlative of forte, ultimately from Latin
fortis strong] adjective (in music)
very loud. adverb (in music) played
or sung very loudly: `But now, immediately before the third quatrain or chorus,
sung fortissimo, with emphatic raps of the
table, which gave the effect of cymbals
and drum together, Alick's can was filled,
and he was bound to empty it before the chorus ceased" (George Eliot, Adam
Bede, 1859). 'abbreviated form ff.

forum (foram) LATIN [derived from
fores door] noun ((plural forums or
fora, fora) a public square or meeting place, or a publication, program,
Internet messageboard, or other
medium for public discussion: "What
is called eloquence in the forum is commonly found to be rhetoric in the study"
(Henry David Thoreau; Walden; or, Life
in the Woods, 1854).

fosse (fos) FRENCH [from Latin fossa]
noun a ditch or moat.

foyer (foiyar, foiay) FRENCH [hearth]
noun an entrance hallway or lobby,
particularly of a hotel, theater, or
other large building: "`Gentlemen, gentlemen,' he stammered, `do please make
haste. They've just rung the bell in the publicfoyer"' (Emile Zola, Nana, 1880).