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French Things English Expressions containing the word “French”
There are dozens of expressions in English which contain the word French... but are these things actually French? Take a look at this list with the French equivalents and their literal translations - you might be surprised.After extensive research, I've been unable to find the French equivalents for a handful of terms.
French bean	green bean
French chalk	tailor's chalk
French cuff	(men's clothing) musketeer's cuff
French curve	curvilineo
French cut	high-waisted style (taglio francese)
French disease	English disease. An old-fashioned term in both languages to refer to syphilis (mal francese, sifilide)
French door (US) - French window (UK)	portafinestra
French drain	vespaio
French dressing	condimento per insalata (a base di olio, aceto e spezie)
French fry (chip)	patatina fritta
French horn	horn of harmony - corno a pistoni
French kiss	kiss with the tongue
French knot	(ricamo) nodino
to take French leave	o split/take off the English way
French letter	English condom - preservativo, profilattico
French marigold	Indian carnation - garofano indiano
to French polish French polish	laccare lacca (per mobili)
French roll / twist	banana (di capelli)
French roof	Mansard roof (tetto a mansarda)
French seam	(abbigl) orlo (col tessuto ripiegato e cucito)
French stick	baguette, filone di pane lungo e sottile
French toast	pane tostato da un lato e imburrato dall’altro pane imbevuto di latte e uovo e poi fritto
French window (UK) - French door (US)	portafinestra
Excuse / Pardon my French	scusa/perdonami il linguaggio osceno
French Things English Expressions containing French words
Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of words and expressions from French. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their "Frenchness" - a certain “Je ne sais quoi” which speakers tend to be much more aware of (although this awareness does not usually extend to actually pronouncing the word in French). The following is a list of French terms which are commonly used in English.
adieu (= until God)	Used like "farewell": when you don't expect to see the person again until God (when you die and go to Heaven)
agent provocateur (= provocative agent)	A person who attempts to provoke suspected individuals or groups into committing unlawful acts.
aide-de-camp (= camp assistant)	A military officer who serves as a personal assistant to a higher-ranking officer.
aide-mémoire (= memory aid; it. memorandum, promemoria)	Position paper Something that acts as an aid to memory, such as crib notes or a mnemonic devices.
à la carte (= on the menu)	French restaurants usually offer a menu with choices for each of the several courses at a fixed price. If you want something else (a side order), you order from the carte. *Note that menu is a false cognate in French and English.
à la mode (= in fashion, style)	In English, this means "with ice cream" - apparently someone decided that having ice cream on pie was the fashionable way to eat it.
amour-propre (= self love - amor proprio)	Self respect
apéritif (= cocktail) Let’s have an aperitif	From Latin, "to open"
après-ski (= after skiing)	The French term actually refers to snow boots, but the literal translation of the term is what is meant in English, as in "après-ski" social events.
art déco (= decorative art)	Short for art décoratif.
attaché (=attached)	A person assigned to a diplomatic post.
au fait (= conversant, informed)	Au fait is used in British English to mean "familiar" or "conversant": She's not really au fait with my ideas..
au gratin (= with gratings)	In French, au gratin refers to anything that is grated and put on top of a dish, like breadcrumbs or cheese. In English, au gratin means "with cheese".
au naturel (= in reality, unseasoned)	In this case naturel is a semi-false cognate. In French, au naturel can mean either "in reality" or the literal meaning of "unseasoned" (in cooking). In English, we picked up the latter, less common usage and use it figuratively, to mean natural, untouched, pure, real.
au pair (= at par)	A person who works for a family (cleaning and/or teaching the children) in exchange for room and board.
avant-garde (= before guard)	Innovative, especially in the arts.
avoirdupois (= goods of weight)	Originally spelled averdepois.
bête noire (= black beast; it. bestia nera)	Similar to a pet peeve: something that is particularly distasteful or difficult and to be avoided.
billet-doux (= sweet note; it. lettera d’amore, biglietto galante)	Love letter.
blond (= uomo - fair-haired) blonde (= donna - fair-haired)	This is the only adjective in English which agrees in gender with the person it modifies: blond is for a man and blonde for a woman. Note that these can also be nouns.
bon vivant (= good "liver"; it. buongustaio, ghiottone)	Someone who lives well, who knows how to enjoy life.
bon voyage (= good trip)	English has "Have a good trip", but Bon voyage is more elegant.
brunette (= small, dark-haired female; it. brunetta, moretta) he married a pretty brunette	The French word brun, dark-haired, is what English really means by "brunette." The -ette suffix indicates that the subject is small and female.
carte blanche (= blank card; it. carta bianca) to give sb carte blanche (dare carta bianca a qn)	Free hand, ability to do whatever you want / need.
cerise (= cherry; it. rosso ciliegia, (di) color ciliegia, ciliegia)	The French word for the fruit gives us the English word for the colour.
chaise longue (= long chair)	In English, this is often mistakenly written as "chaise lounge" - which actually makes perfect sense.
chargé d'affaires (= charged with business; it. incaricato d'affari)	A substitute or replacement diplomat.
chic (= stylish)	Chic sounds more chic than "stylish".
coup de grâce (= mercy blow)	Deathblow, final blow, decisive stroke.
coup d'état (= state blow)	Overthrow of the government.
crème caramel (= caramel cream)	Synonym of flan - custard lined with caramel.
crème de cacao (= cream of cacao)	Chocolate-flavoured liqueur.
crème de la crème (= cream of the cream)	Synonymous with the English expression "cream of the crop" - refers to the best of the best.
crêpe de Chine (= Chinese crepe)	Type of silk
critique (= critical, judgment)	Critique is an adjective and noun in French, but a noun and verb in English; it refers to a critical review of something or the act of performing such a review.
cuisine (= kitchen, food style)	In English, cuisine refers only to a particular type of food/cooking, such as French cuisine, Southern cuisine, etc.
cul-de-sac (= bottom of the bag; it. vicolo cieco)	Dead-end street.
debutante (= beginner)	In French, débutante is the feminine form of débutant - beginner (noun) or beginning (adj). In both languages, it also refers to a young girl making her formal debut into society. Interestingly, this usage is not original in French; it was adopted back from English.
décolletage (scollatura profonda (di abiti, ecc) décolleté (scollatura profonda (di abiti, ecc) (low neckline, lowered neckline)	The first is a noun, the second an adjective, but both refer to low necklines on women's clothing.
dégustation (= tasting)	The French word simply refers to the act of tasting, while in English "degustation" is used for a tasting event or party, as in wine or cheese tasting.
déjà vu (= already seen)	This is a grammatical structure in French, as in "Je l'ai déjà vu"=> I've already seen it. It can also disparage a style or technique that has already been done, as in "Son style est déjà vu" => His style is not original.  In English, déjà vu refers to the scientific phenomenon of feeling like you have already seen or done something when you're sure that you haven't.
demi-monde (= half world; it. sottobosco)	A marginal or disrespectful group Prostitutes and/or kept women.
demitasse (= half cup)	Refers to a small cup of espresso or other strong coffee.
démodé (= out of fashion)	Same meaning in both languages: outmoded, out of fashion.
de rigueur (= of rigueur)	Socially or culturally obligatory.
dernier cri (= the very latest fashion)	The newest fashion or trend.
de trop (= of too much, unwelcome; it. indesiderato, di troppo)	Excessive, superfluous.
double entendre (= double hearing; it. doppio senso, parola o frase a doppio senso)	A word play or pun. For example, you're looking at a field of sheep and you say "How are you (ewe)?"
du jour (= of the day)	"Soup du jour" is nothing more than an elegant-sounding version of "soup of the day."
en bloc (= in a block; it. tutto/tutti insieme, in blocco) the Chinese delegation walked out of the conference en bloc (i delegati cinesi abbandonarono in blocco la conferenza)	In a group, all together.
encore (= again; it. bis) to give an encore (fare un bis)	A simple adverb in French, "encore" in English refers to an additional performance, usually requested with audience applause.
enfant terrible (= terrible child, pest)	Refers to a troublesome or embarrassing person within a group (of artists, thinkers, etc).
en masse (= in mass; it. in massa, tutti insieme)	In a group, all together.
en route (= on route; it. in viaggio, durante il viaggio; sulla strada, lungo la strada) the ship was damaged en route to Naples (la nave fu danneggiata mentre era in viaggio per Napoli) the goods were stolen en route (le merci sono state rubate durante il viaggio) he stopped at a shop en route and bought some whisky (si fermò in un negozio lungo)	On the way.
en suite (= in sequence; it. in infilata, uno dopo l’altro, in fila; contiguo)	Part of a set, together.
esprit de corps (= group spirit)	Similar to team spirit or morale.
fait accompli (= done deed)	Fait accompli seems more fatalistic to me than done deed, which is so factual.
faux pas (= false step, trip; it. femme fatale)	Something that should not be done, a foolish mistake.
femme fatale (= deadly woman, charmer; it. donna fatale, ammaliatrice)	An alluring, mysterious woman who seduces men into compromising situations.
fiancé, fiancée (= engaged person, betrothed)	Note that fiancé refers to a man and fiancée to a woman.
fin de siècle (= end of the century)	Hyphenated in English, fin-de-siècle refers to the end of the 19th century.
fleur-de-lis (= flower of lily)	A type of iris or an emblem in the shape of an iris with three petals.
force majeure (= greater force)	Refers to superior/greater force, or to an unexpected or uncontrollable event.
gamine (= playful, little girl; it. sbarazzino) a gamine look (un aspetto sbarazzino)	Refers to an impish or playful girl/woman.
gauche (= graceless, left, awkward; it. privo di grazia/di tatto, goffo, sgraziato) a gauche teenager (un goffo adolescente)	Tactless, lacking social gracefv.
genre (= type)	Used mostly in art and film - "I really like this genre..."
haute couture (= high sewing, high fashion; it. alta moda)	High-class, fancy (and expensive) clothing styles.
haute cuisine (= high cooking, high-class cooking; it. alta cucina)	High-class, fancy (and expensive) cooking or food.
hors de combat (out of combat, out of action; it. fuori combattimento, fuori causa)	Out of action
hors d'oeuvre (= outside of work, starter; it. antipasto)	An appetizer. Oeuvre here refers to the main work (course), so hors d'oeuvre simply means something besides the main course.
idée fixe (= set idea, obsession, fixation, fixed idea; it. idea fissa, fissazione, ossessione, monomania)	Fixation, obsession.
je ne sais quoi (= I don't know what; it. nonsoché, non so che) a certain je ne sais quoi (un certo nonsoché)	Used to indicate a "certain something," as in "I really like Ann. She has a certain je ne sais quoi that I find very appealing".
joie de vivre (= joy of living)	The quality in people who live life to the fullest.
laissez-faire (= let it be)	A policy of non-interference.
maître d', maître d'hôtel (= master of, master of hotel)	The former is more common in English, which is strange since it is incomplete: "The 'master of' will show you to your table".
mal de mer (= sickness of sea)	Seasickness.
matinée (= rappresentazione pomeridiana) tickets for the matinée are cheaper (i biglietti per il matinée costano meno)	In English, refers to the day's first showing of a movie or play. Can also refer to a midday romp with one's lover.
mot juste (= right word) the mot juste (la parola esatta/precisa)	Exactly the right word or expression.
nom de plume (= pen name o nom de plume (di scrittore); pseudonym; stage name (di attore); it. pseudonimo, nome d’arte)	This French phrase was coined by English speakers in imitation of nom de guerre.
nom de guerre (= war name; it. nome di battaglia)	Pseudonym.
née (= born: it. nata, da nubile) Jane Smith, née Stamp Jane Smith (nata Stamp; Jane Stamp in Smith) Lia Rossi née Cao (Lia Cao in Rossi) Maria Rossi née Bianchi (Maria Rossi nata Bianchi)	Used in genealogy to refer to a woman's maiden name: Anne Miller née (or nee) Smith.
nouveau riche (= new rich; it. nuovo ricco, arricchito) the nouveau riche (i nuovi ricchi)	Disparaging term for someone who has recently come into money.
papier mâché (= mashed paper; it. cartapesta) a papier-mâché mask (una maschera di cartapesta) un pupazzo di cartapesta (a papier-mâché puppet)	Used for art.
par excellence (= by excellence; it. per antonomasia, per eccellenza) he was the impartial judge par excellence (era il giudice imparziale per antonomasia)	Quintessential, pre-eminent, the best of the best.
petite (= small, short, dainty; it. (di donne) minuta, esile, piccina) an attractive, petite young woman (un’attraente, minuta giovane) a petite girl (una ragazza esile)	It may sound chic, but petit is simply the feminine French adjective "short".
petit-four (= little oven; it. pasticcino o biscotto di pasta di mandorle)	Small dessert, especially cake.
pièce de résistance (= piece of stamina; it. pezzo forte (di opere, ecc), piatto forte (di pasto)) the sculptor’s pièce de résistance was his “femme assise” (il pezzo forte dello scultore era la sua “femme assise”) the chef’s pièce de résistance (il piatto forte dello chef)	In French, this originally referred to the main course - the test of your stomach's stamina. In both languages, it now refers to an outstanding accomplishment or the final part of something - a project, a meal, etc.
pied-à-terre (= foot on ground)	A temporary or secondary place of residence.
protégé (= protected; it. protetto) he is the boss’s protégé (è il pupillo del capo)	Someone whose training is sponsored by an influential person.
raison d'être (= reason for being)	Purpose, justification for existing.
rendez-vous (= appointment, meeting) rendezvous in space (rendez-vous spaziale) to arrange a rendezvous with sb (fissare un appuntamento con qn)
repartee (= quick, accurate response; it. botta e risposta spiritosa, scambio di battute argute o spiritose) an amusing repartee (un divertente botta e risposta)	The French repartie gives us the English "repartee," with the same meaning of a swift, witty, and "right on" retort.
risqué (= risked, dirty, smutty; it. osé, spinto, piccante, audace, scabroso) that low-cut dress is a bit risqué (quell’abito a scollatura profonda è un po’ osé) a risqué outfit (un abbigliamento osé) a risqué story (una storia piccante) a risqué joke (una barzelletta spinta) to use language which is too risqué (usare un linguaggio troppo spinto)	Suggestive, overly provocative.
roman-fleuve (= novel river; it. romanzo fiume)	A long, multi-volume novel which presents the history of several generations of a family or community. In both French and English, saga tends to be used more.
rouge (= red)	The English refers to a reddish cosmetic or metal/glass-polishing powder, and can be a noun or a verb.
RSVP = réspondez s’il vous plaît (= respond please; it. si prega di rispondere)	This abbreviation stands for Répondez, s'il vous plaît, which means that "Please RSVP" is redundant.
sang-froid (= cold blood, composure, coolness, cool; it. sangue freddo, impassibilità) the doctor dealt with the emergency with admirable sang-froid (il dottore trattò l’emergenza con ammirevole sangue freddo) he faced up to death with great imperturbability/sang-froid (affrontò la morte con impassibilità)	The ability to maintain one's composure.
sans (= without) sans frais (senza spese) sans recours (senza azione di regresso) sans façon (alla buona, senza cerimonie) sans-gêne (without embarrassment)	Used mainly in academia, although it's also seen in the font style "sans serif" => without decorative flourishes.
savoir-faire (= knowing how to do)	Synonymous with tact or social grace.
soi-disant (= self saying, so-called; it. sedicente, cosiddetto)	What one claims about oneself; so-called, alleged.
soigné (= taken care of, well-groomed; it. curato, elegante, ricercato)	Sophisticated, elegant, fashionable Well-groomed, polished, refined
soirée (= evening social gathering, evening, night, evening party) a musical soirée (una serata musicale)	In English, refers to an elegant party.
soupçon (= suspicion; it. pizzico, traccia) a soupçon of sarcasm (una traccia di sarcasmo) add just a soupçon of ginger (aggiungi un pizzico di zenzero)	Used figuratively like hint: There's just a soupçon of garlic in the soup.
souvenir (= memory, keepsake, remembrance; it. ricordino, souvenir) a souvenir shop (un negozio di souvenir) holiday souvenirs (ricordi delle vacanze) I’ve brought you a souvenir from China (ti ho portato un ricordino dalla Cina) to bring a souvenir for sb (portare un ricordino a qn) a souvenir seller (un venditore di oggetti ricordo) a souvenir photo (una fotografia ricordo) a souvenir of Rome (un souvenir di Roma)	A memento.
tableau vivant (= living picture)	A scene made up of silent, motionless actors.
table d'hôte (= host table; it. pasto a menù e prezzo fissi)	A table for all guests to sit together A fixed-price meal with multiple courses.
tête-à-tête (= head to head; it. a quattr’occhi, a tu per tu)	A private talk or visit with another person.
toilette (= toilet) ladies’/men’s toilets (gabinetti per signore/per signori) public toilets (gabinetti pubblici) to go to the toilet (andare al gabinetto) to flush the toilet (tirare lo sciacquone) toilet facilities (servizi igienici) the toilet was engaged (la toilette era occupata)	In French, this refers both to the toilet itself and anything related to toiletries; thus the expression "to do one's toilette" - brush hair, do makeup, etc.
tour de force (= turn of strength, feat of strength or skill, impressive achievement/performance; it. grande performance o realizzazione) the journey was a real tour de force (il viaggio è stato una bella strapazzata) a futile tour de force (un inutile strapazzo)	Something which takes a great deal of strength or skill to accomplish.
trompe l'oeil (= trick the eye)	A painting style which uses perspective to trick the eye into thinking it is real. In French, trompe l'oeil can also refer in general to artifice and trickery.
vis-à-vis (de) (= face to face; it. in relazione a, rispetto a) discussions vis-à-vis the imposition of sanctions (discussioni relative all’imposizione di sanzioni) he wants to speak to you vis-à-vis the arrangements for the meeting (vuole parlarti in relazione ai preparativi per la riunione)	In French, vis-à-vis must be followed by the preposition de. Used in English to mean "compared to" or "in relation with": His feelings vis-à-vis my ideas are irrelevant.
vol-au-vent (= flight of the wind)	In both French and English, a vol-au-vent is a very light pastry shell filled with meat or fish with sauce.
French has also given English scores of words in the domains of ballet and cooking. The literal meanings of the French words are in parentheses. Ballet terms: barre (bar), chaîné (chained), chassé (chased), développé (developed), effacé (shaded), pas de deux (two step), pirouette (turn), plié (bent), relevé (lifted), .... Cooking terms: blanch (from blanchir => to bleach), sauté (fried over high heat), fondue (melted), purée (crushed), flambée (burned), ....