à La

Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern English. English words of French origin, such as ''art'', ''competition'', ''force'', ''machine'', and ''table'' are pronounced according to English rules of phonology, rather than French, and are commonly used by English speakers without any consciousness of their French origin.

This article, on the other hand, covers French words and phrases that have entered the English lexicon without ever losing their character as Gallicisms: they remain unmistakably "French" to an English speaker. They are most common in written English, where they retain French diacritics and are usually printed in italics. In spoken English, at least some attempt is generally made to pronounce them as they would sound in French; an entirely English pronunciation is regarded as a solecism.

Some of them were never "good French", in the sense of being grammatical, idiomatic French usage. Some others were once normal French but have become very old-fashioned, or have acquired different meanings and connotations in the original language, to the extent that they would not be understood (either at all, or in the intended sense) by a native French speaker.

Used in English and French

A

; à la: short for (ellipsis of) ''à la manière de''; in the manner of/in the style of
; à la carte: lit. "on the card, i.e. menu"; In restaurants it refers to ordering individual dishes "à la carte" rather than a fixed-price meal "menu". In America "à la Carte Menu" can be found, an oxymoron and a pleonasm.
; à propos: regarding/concerning (the correct French syntax is ''à propos de'')
; aide-de-camp: lit. "camp helper"; A military officer who serves as an adjutant to a higher-ranking officer, prince or other high political dignitary.
; aide-mémoire: lit. "memory aid"; an object or memorandum to assist in remembrance, or a diplomatic paper proposing the major points of discussion
; amour propre: "Self-love", Self-respect.
; amuse-bouche or amuse-gueule: lit. "mouth-amuser"; a single, bite-sized hors d'œuvre. In France, the exact expression used is ''amuse-gueule'', ''gueule'' being slang for mouth (''gueule'' is the mouth of a carnivorous animal; when used to describe the mouth of a human, it is vulgarakin to "gob" although the expression in itself is not vulgar). The expression refers to a small mouthful of food, served at the discretion of the chef before a meal as an hors d'oeuvre or between main courses.
; ancien régime: a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letters in French with this meaning: Ancien Régime)
; aperçu: a member of the gendarmerie; colloquially, a policeman
; gendarmerie: a military body charged with police duties
; genre: a type or class, such as "the thriller genre".
; gîte : furnished vacation cottage typically in rural France.
; glissade: slide down a slope.
; Grand Prix:lit. "Great Prize"; a type of motor racing. English plural is ''Grands Prix.''
; Grand Guignol: a horror show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (''Guignol'' can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that ''clown'' might be used in English.)
; grenadier: a specialized soldier, first established for the throwing of grenades and later as elite troops.

H

; habitué: one who regularly frequents a place.
; haute couture: lit. "high sewing": Paris-based custom-fitted clothing; trend-setting fashion
; haute école: lit. "high school": advanced components of Classical dressage (horseback riding); when capitalized (Haute Ecole), refers to France's most prestigious higher education institutions (e.g., Polytechnique, ENA, Les Mines)
; hauteur: lit. "height": arrogance.
; haut monde: lit. the "high world": fashionable society.
; Honi soit qui mal y pense: "Shamed be he who thinks ill of it"; or sometimes translated as "Evil be to him who evil thinks"; the motto of the English Order of the Garter (modern French writes ''honni'' instead of Old French ''honi'' and would phrase "qui en pense du mal" instead of "qui mal y pense"). The sentence ''Honni soit qui mal y pense'' (often with double n) can still be used in French as a frozen expression to mean "Let nobody think ill of this" by allusion to the Garter's motto. A more colloquial quasi-synonymous expression in French would be ''en tout bien tout honneur''.
; hors de combat: lit. "out of the fight": prevented from fighting or participating in some event, usually by injury.
; hors concours: lit. "out of competition": not to be judged with others because of the superiority of the work to the others.
; hors d'œuvre: lit. "outside the ainwork": appetizer.

I

; idée fixe: lit. "fixed idea": obsession; in music, a leitmotiv.
; impasse: a situation offering no escape, as a difficulty without solution, an argument where no agreement is possible, etc.; a deadlock.
; ingénu(e): an innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical stock character who is entirely virginal and wholesome. ''L'Ingénu'' is a famous novella written by Voltaire.

J

; j'accuse: "I accuse"; used generally in reference to a political or social indictment (alluding to J'Accuse…!, Émile Zola's exposé of the Dreyfus affair, a political scandal that divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s (decade) and involved the false conviction for treason in 1894 of Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Jewish background).
; j'adoube: In chess, an expression, said discreetly, that signals the intention to straighten the pieces without committing to move or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules; lit. "I adjust", from ''adouber'', to dub (the action of knighting someone).
; je ne regrette rien: "I regret nothing" (from the title of a popular song sung by Édith Piaf: ''Non, je ne regrette rien''). Also the phrase the UK's then Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont chose to use to describe his feelings over the events of September 16, 1992 ('Black Wednesday').
; je ne sais quoi: lit. "I-don't-know-what": an indescribable or indefinable 'something' that distinguishes the object in question from others that are superficially similar.
; jeu d'esprit: lit. "play of spirit": a witty, often light-hearted, comment or composition
; jeunesse dorée: lit. "gilded youth"; name given to a body of young dandies, also called the Muscadins, who, after the fall of Robespierre, fought against the Jacobins. Today used for youthful offspring, particularly if bullying and vandalistic, of the affluent.
; joie de vivre: "joy of life/living".

L

; l'appel du vide: lit. "call of the void"; used to refer to intellectual suicidal thoughts, or the urge to engage in self-destructive (suicidal) behaviors during everyday life. Examples include thinking about swerving in to the opposite lane while driving, or feeling the urge to jump off a cliff edge while standing on it. These thoughts are not accompanied by emotional distress.
; laissez-faire:lit. "let do"; often used within the context of economic policy or political philosophy, meaning leaving alone, or non-interference. The phrase is the shortcut of ''Laissez faire, laissez passer'', a doctrine first supported by the Physiocrats in the 18th century. The motto was invented by Vincent de Gournay, and it became popular among supporters of free-trade and economic liberalism. It is also used to describe a parental style in developmental psychology, where the parent(s) does not apply rules or guiding. As per the parental style, it is now one of the major management styles. Used more generally in modern English to describe a particularly casual or "hands-off" attitude or approach to something,
; laissez-passer: a travel document, a passport
; laissez les bons temps rouler: Cajun expression for "let the good times roll": not used in proper French, and not generally understood by Francophones outside Louisiana, who would say ''profitez des bons moments'' (enjoy the good moments).
; lamé: a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns.
; lanterne rouge: the last-place finisher in a cycling stage race; most commonly used in connection with the Tour de France.
; lèse majesté: an offense against a sovereign power; or, an attack against someone's dignity or against a custom or institution held sacred (from the Latin ''crimen laesae maiestatis'': the crime of injured majesty).
; liaison: a close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader; ''liaison'' also means "bond"' such as in ''une liaison chimique'' (a chemical bond)
; lingerie: a type of female underwear.
; littérateur: an intellectual (can be pejorative in French, meaning someone who writes a lot but does not have a particular skill).
; louche: of questionable taste, but also someone or something that arouses somebody's suspicions.
; Louis Quatorze: "Louis XIV" (of France), the Sun King, usually a reference to décor or furniture design.
; Louis Quinze: "Louis XV" (of France), associated with the rococo style of furniture, architecture and interior decoration.

M

; macramé: coarse lace work made with knotted cords.
; madame : a woman brothel-keeper (Fowler's Modern English Usage, 3rd edition, p. 475). In French, a title of respect for an older or married woman (literally "my lady"); sometimes spelled "madam" in English (but never in French).
; mademoiselle: lit. "my noble young lady": young unmarried lady, miss.
; malaise:a general sense of depression or unease. Can also be used to denote complacency, or lethargy towards something.
; mange tout: a phrase describing snow peas and snap peas (lit. "eat-all", because these peas can be cooked and eaten with their pod).
; manqué: unfulfilled; failed.
; Mardi gras: Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, the last day of eating meat before Lent.
; marque: a model or brand.
; matériel: supplies and equipment, particularly in a military context (French meaning is broader and corresponds more to "hardware")
; mauvais quart d'heure: lit. "bad quarter hour": a short unpleasant or uncomfortable moment.
; mdr: Alt., MDR. Abbreviation in SMS, akin to LOL; for ''mort de rire'' (''mort'', adj. or verb, past tense), or ''mourir de rire'' (''mourir'', verb, infinitive). Lit., as adjective or past tense, dead or died of laughing, so "died laughing" or "dying of laughter"; compare ''mort de faim'' for starve.
; mélange: a mixture.
; mêlée: a confused fight; a struggling crowd. In French also: a rugby scrum.
; ménage à trois: lit. "household for three": a sexual arrangement between three people.
; métier: a field of work or other activity; usually one in which one has special ability or training.
; milieu: social environment; setting (has also the meaning of "middle", and organized crime community in French).
; milieu intérieur: the extra-cellular fluid environment, and its physiological capacity to ensure protective stability for the tissues and organs of multicellular living organisms.
; mirepoix: a cooking mixture of two parts onions and one part each of celery and carrots.
; mise en place: an assembly of ingredients, usually set up in small bowls, used to facilitate cooking. This means all the raw ingredients are prepared and ready to go before cooking. Translated, "put in place."
; mise en scène: the process of setting a stage with regard to placement of actors, scenery, properties, etc.; the stage setting or scenery of a play; surroundings, environment.
; mise en table: table setting.
; montage: editing.
; le mot juste: lit. "the just word"; the right word at the right time. French uses it often in the expression ''chercher le mot juste'' (to search for the right word).
; motif: a recurrent thematic element.
; moue: a type of facial expression; pursing together of the lips to indicate dissatisfaction, a pout. See snout reflex.
; mousse: a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam; in French, however, it refers to any type of foam or moss.

N

; naïveté
: Lack of sophistication, experience, judgement, or worldliness; artlessness; gullibility; credulity.
; né, née
: lit. "born": a man's/woman's birth name (maiden name for a woman), e.g., "Martha Washington, ''née'' Dandridge."
; n'est-ce pas?: "isn't it rue"
: asked rhetorically after a statement, as in "Right?".
; noblesse oblige: "nobility obliges"
: those granted a higher station in life have a duty to extend (possibly token) favours/courtesies to those in lower stations.
; nom de guerre
: pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally "war name", used in France for "pseudonym".
; nom de plume: a "back-translation" from the English "pen name": author's pseudonym.
: Although now used in French as well, the term was coined in English by analogy with ''nom de guerre''.
; nonpareil: Unequalled, unrivalled; unparalleled; unique
: the modern French equivalent of this expression is ''sans pareil'' (literally "without equal").
; nouveau (pl. nouveaux; fem. nouvelle; fem. pl. nouvelles): new.
; nouveau riche: lit. "newly rich"
: used to refer particularly to those living a garish lifestyle with their newfound wealth; see also arriviste and parvenu.
; nouvelle vague: lit. "new wave."
: Used for stating a new way or a new trend of something. Originally marked a new style of French filmmaking in the late 1950s and early 1960s, reacting against films seen as too literary.

O

; objet d'art: a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture; also a utilitarian object displayed for its aesthetic qualities
; œuvre: "work", in the sense of an artist's work; by extension, an artist's entire body of work.
; opéra bouffe: comedy, satire, parody or farce.
; outré: exceeding the lines of propriety; eccentric in behavior or appearance in an inappropriate way

P

; pain au chocolat: lit. "bread with chocolate." Despite the name, it is not made of bread but puff pastry with chocolate inside. The term ''chocolatine'' is used in some Francophone areas (especially the South-West) and sometimes in English.
; pain aux raisins: raisin bread.
; panache: verve; flamboyance.
; papier-mâché: lit. "chewed paper"; a craft medium using paper and paste.
; par avion: by aircraft. In English, specifically by air mail, from the phrase found on air mail envelopes.
; par excellence: better than all the others, quintessential.
; parc fermé: lit. "closed park". A secure area at a Grand Prix circuit where the cars may be stored overnight.
; parkour: urban street sport involving climbing and leaping, using buildings, walls, curbs to ricochet off much as if one were on a skateboard, often in follow-the-leader style. Originally a phonetic form of the French word ''parcours'', which means "a run, a route" Also known as, or the predecessor to, "free running", developed by Sébastien Foucan.
; parole: 1) (in linguistics) speech, more specifically the individual, personal phenomenon of language; see langue and parole. 2) (in criminal justice) conditional early release from prison; see parole.
; parvenu: a social upstart.
; pas de deux: lit. "step for two"; in ballet, a dance or figure for two performers, a duet; also a close relationship between two people.
; pas de trois: lit. "step for three"; in ballet, a dance or figure for three performers.
; passe-partout: a document or key that allows the holder to travel without hindrance from the authorities or enter any location.
; pastiche: a derivative work; an imitation.
; patois: a dialect; jargon.
; père : lit. "father", used after a man's surname to distinguish a father from a son, as in Alexandre Dumas, père.
; peloton: in road cycling, the main group of riders in a race.
; petit pois: small peas, often sold in the frozen food aisle.
; petite bourgeoisie: often anglicised as "petty bourgeoisie", used to designate the middle class.
; la petite mort: lit. "the little death"; an expression for the weakening or loss of consciousness following an intense orgasm.
; Pied-Noir (plural Pieds-Noirs): lit. "black foot", a European Algerian in the pre-independence state.
; pied-à-terre (also pied à terre) : lit. "foot-on-the-ground"; a place to stay, generally small and applied to a secondary residence in a city.
; pince-nez: lit. "nose-pincher", a type of spectacles without temple arms.
; piste: lit. "trail" or "track"; often used referring to skiing at a ski area (on piste) versus skiing in the back country (off piste).
; plage : beach, especially a fashionable seaside resort.
; plat du jour: lit. "dish of the day"; a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but separate from the regular menu.
; plongeur (fem. plongeuse): a male (or female) dishwasher in a professional kitchen.
; plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (or ''plus ça change, plus c'est pareil'') (often abbreviated to just ''plus ça change''): the more things change, the more they stay the same. An aphorism coined by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.
; point d'appui:a location where troops assemble prior to a battle. While this figurative meaning also exists in French, the first and literal meaning of ''point d'appui'' is a fixed point from which a person or thing executes a movement (such as a footing in climbing or a pivot).
;porte-cochère:an architectural term referring to a kind of porch or portico-like structure.
;poseur:lit. "poser": a person who pretends to be something he is not; an affected or insincere person; a wannabe.
;pot-au-feu:stew, soup.
; pour encourager les autres:lit. "to encourage others"; said of an excessive punishment meted out as an example, to deter others. The original is from Voltaire's ''Candide'' and referred to the execution of Admiral John Byng.
;wiktionary:pourboire, pourboire:lit. "for drink"; gratuity, tip; ''donner un pourboire'': to tip.
;prairie:lit. "meadow"; expansive natural meadows of long grass.
;prêt-à-porter:lit. "ready to wear"; clothing off the shelf, in contrast to '' haute couture''.
;prie-dieu:lit. "pray [to] God"; a type of prayer desk.
;prix fixe:lit. "fixed price"; a menu on which multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed price.
;Mentorship, protégé (fem. protégée):lit. "protected"; a man/woman who receives support from an influential mentor.
;Polemic, provocateur:an agitator, a polemicist.
;purée:lit. a smooth, creamy substance made of liquidized or crushed fruit or vegetables.

Q

; Quai d'Orsay: address of the French foreign ministry in Paris, used to refer to the ministry itself.
; Quatorze juillet: "14th of July", usually called Bastille Day in English. The beginning of the French Revolution in 1789; used to refer to the Revolution itself and its ideals. It is the French National Day.
; quelle wikt:bonne, bonne wikt:idée, idée!: ''What a good idea!''
; quel wikt:dommage, dommage!: ''What a sad thing!'' (can be used sarcastically).
; quelle wikt:horreur, horreur!: ''What a horrible thing!'' (can be used sarcastically).
; quelle surprise!: ''What a surprising thing! (mostly used sarcastically)''

R

; raconteur: a storyteller.
; wikt:raison d'être, raison d'être: "reason for being": justification or purpose of existence.
; rapprochement: the establishment of cordial relations, often used in diplomacy.
; reconnaissance: scouting, the military exploration outside an area that friendly forces occupy
; Renaissance: a historical period or cultural movement of rebirth
; refoulement: the expulsion of persons who have the right to be recognised as refugees.
; reportage: reporting; journalism.
; répondez s'il-vous-plaît. (RSVP (invitations), RSVP): ''Please reply''. Though francophones may use more usually "prière de répondre" or "je vous prie de bien vouloir répondre", it is common enough.
; wikt:restaurateur, restaurateur: a restaurant owner.
; Rive Gauche: the left (southern) bank (of the River Seine in Paris). A particular mindset attributed to inhabitants of that area, which includes the Sorbonne (building), Sorbonne
; roi fainéant: lit. "do-nothing king": an expression first used about the king of France, kings of France from 670 to 752 (Thierry III to Childeric III), who were puppets of their ministers. The term was later used about other royalty who had been made powerless, also in other countries, but lost its meaning when parliamentarism made all royals powerless.
; roman à clef: lit. "novel with a key": an account of actual persons, places or events in fictional guise.
; roué: an openly debauched, lecherous older man.
; roux: a cooked mixture of flour and melted butter (or other fat) used as a base in soups and gravies.

S

; Sacrebleu, sacre bleu: lit. "sacred blue": a dated French minced oath originating from the blasphemy, blasphemous "sacre dieu!" ("Holy god!"). Meant as a cry of surprise or happiness.
: French orthography is ''sacrebleu'' in one word.
; Sangfroid, sang-froid: lit. "cold blood": coolness and composure under strain; stiff upper lip. Also pejorative in the phrase ''meurtre de sang-froid'' ("cold-blooded murder").
; wikt:sans, sans: without.
; sans-culottes: lit. "without knee-breeches", a name the insurgent crowd in the streets of Paris gave to itself during the French Revolution, because they usually wore pantaloons (full-length pants or trousers) instead of the chic knee-length culotte of the nobles. In modern use: holding strong republican views.
; sauté : lit. "jumped", from the past participle of the verb sauter (to jump), which can be used as an adjective or a noun; quickly fried in a small amount of oil, stir-fried. ex: sauté of veau.
; Expert, savant: lit. "knowing": a wise or learned person; in English, one exceptionally gifted in a narrow skill.
; Savoir faire (disambiguation), savoir-faire: lit. "know how to do"; to respond appropriately to any situation.
; wikt:savoir-vivre, savoir-vivre: fact of following conventional norms within a society; etiquette (etiquette also comes from a French word, ''étiquette'').
; sobriquet: an assumed name, a nickname (often used in a pejorative way in French).
; wikt:soi-disant, soi-disant: lit. "oneself saying"; so-called; self-described.
; wikt:soigné, soigné: fashionable; polished.
; wikt:soirée, soirée: an evening party.
; sommelier: a wine steward.
; wikt:soupçon, soupçon: a very small amount. (In French, it can also mean "suspicion".)
; soupe du jour: lit. "soup of the day", the particular kind of soup offered that day.
; succès d'estime: lit. "success of esteem; critical success"; sometimes used pejoratively in English.

T

; tableau: chalkboard. The meaning is broader in French: all types of board (chalkboard, whiteboard, notice board ...). Refers also to a painting (see tableau vivant, below) or a table (chart).
; tableau vivant: lit. "living picture"; the term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit.
; tenné: orange-brown, "rust" colour, not commonly used outside heraldic emblazoning.
; wiktionary:tête-à-tête, tête-à-tête: lit. "head to head"; an intimate get-together or private conversation between two people.
; toilette: the process of dressing or grooming. Also refers in French, when plural (''les toilettes''), to the toilet room.
; torsades de pointes: lit. "twisting around a point", used to describe a particular type of heart rhythm.
; touché: lit. "touched" or "hit!": acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint or verbal riposte; comes from terminology in the sport of fencing. In French has a broader meaning (touched) as "emotionally touched".
; tour de force (also tour-de-force): lit. "feat of strength": a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment.
; tout court: lit. "all short": typically used in philosophy to mean "nothing else", in contrast to a more detailed or extravagant alternative. For instance, "Kant does not believe that morality derives from practical reason as applied to moral ends, but from practical reason tout court".
; tout de suite: right now, immediately. Often mangled as "toot sweet".
; tranche: lit. "slice": one of several different classes of securities involved a single financial transaction.
;triage:during a medical emergency or disaster, the process of determining the priority of medical treatment or transportation based on the severity of the patient's condition. In recent years, in British English usage, the term has also been used in the sense of ''to screen'' or ''address'' something at the point of contact, before it requires escalation.

; tricoteuse: a woman who knits and gossips; from the women who knitted and sewed while watching executions of prisoners of the French Revolution.
; trompe-l'œil: lit. "trick the eye"; photographic realism in fine-art painting or decorative painting in a home.
; trou de loup: lit. "wolf hole"; a kind of booby trap.
; trousseau:
# The Wardrobe (clothing), wardrobe of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing, or the bride's belongings
# A dowry
# A hope chest, glory box or its contents

V

; wikt:va-et-vient, va-et-vient: lit. "goes and comes"; the continual coming and going of people to and from a place.
; wikt:venue, venu(e):an invited man/woman for a show, or "one who has come"; the term is unused in modern French, though it can still be heard in a few expressions like ''bienvenu/e'' (literally "well come": welcome) or ''le premier venu'' (anyone; literally, "the first who came"). Almost exclusively used in modern English as a noun meaning the location where a meeting or event is taking place.
; vin de pays: lit. "country wine"; wine of a lower designated quality than ''appellation contrôlée''.

; vinaigrette: diminutive of ''vinaigre'' (vinegar): salad dressing of Vegetable oil, oil and vinegar.
; wikt:vis-à-vis, vis-à-vis (also vis-a-vis): lit. "face to face [with]": in comparison with or in relation to; opposed to. From ''wikt:vis#Old French, vis'', an obsolete word for "face", replaced by ''visage'' in contemporary French. In French, this is also a real estate vocabulary word, meaning that your windows and your neighbours' are within sighting distance (more precisely, that you can see inside of their home).
; Vive, Viva, vive [...]!: "Long live ...!"; lit. "Live"; as in ''"Vive la France !"'', ''Vive la French Republic, République !'', ''French Resistance, Vive la Résistance !'', ''Vive le Canada !'', or ''Vive le Québec libre !'' (long live free Quebec, a Quebec sovereignty movement, sovereigntist slogan famously used by French President Charles de Gaulle in 1967 in Montreal). Unlike ''viva'' (Italian and Spanish) or ''vivat'' (Latin), it cannot be used alone; it needs a complement.
;wiktionary:vive la différence, vive la différence!: lit. "[long] live the difference"; originally referring to the Sex differences in humans, difference between the sexes; the phrase may be also used to celebrate the difference between any two groups of people (or simply the general diversity of individuals).
; wiktionary:voilà, voilà !: lit. "see there"; in French it can mean simply "there it is"; in English it is generally restricted to a triumphant revelation.
; volte-face: frenchified form of Italian ''volta faccia'', lit. "turn face", an about-face, a maneuver in marching; figuratively, a complete reversal of opinion or position.
; Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?, voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?: "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" or more appropriately, "Will you spend the night with me?" In French, ''coucher'' is vulgar in this sense. In English it appears in Tennessee Williams's play ''A Streetcar Named Desire (play), A Streetcar Named Desire'', as well as in the lyrics of a popular song by Labelle, "Lady Marmalade."
; Voyeurism, voyeur: lit. "someone who sees"; a Peeping Tom.

Z

; zut alors!: "Darn it!" or the British expression "Blimey!" This is a general exclamation (vulgar equivalent is ''merde alors !'' "Damn it!"). Just plain ''zut'' is also in use, often repeated for effect: ''zut, zut et zut !'' There is an album by Frank Zappa, punningly titled ''Zoot Allures''. The phrase is also used on the ''Saturday Night Live'' Weekend Update sketch by recurring character Jean K. Jean, played by Kenan Thompson as well as by John Goodman's Dan Conner in an episode of ''Roseanne'' when Roseanne dresses up in a sexy outfit and has a ''boudoir'' photo taken of her as a birthday gift for her husband.

Not used as such in French

Through the evolution of the language, many words and phrases are no longer used in modern French. Also there are expressions that, even though grammatically correct, do not have the same meaning in French as the English words derived from them. Some older word usages still appear in Quebec French.

; wikt:à la mode, à la mode:fashionable; in the US it also describes a dessert with ice cream (as in "Pie à la Mode, apple pie à la mode") or, in some US regions, with cheese. In French, it mainly means "fashionable", "trendy", but is occasionally a culinary term usually meaning something cooked with carrots and onions (as in ''bœuf à la mode''). It can also mean "in the style or manner [of]" (as in ''tripes à la mode de Caen''), and in this acceptation is similar to the shorter expression "wikt::à la, à la". The British English meaning and usage is the same as in French.
; accoutrement: personal military or fighting armaments worn about one's self; has come to mean the accompanying items available to pursue a mission, or just accessories in general. In French, means a funny or ridiculous clothing; often a weird disguise or a getup, though it can be said also for people with bad taste in clothing.
; appliqué: an inlaid or attached decorative feature. Lit. "applied", though this meaning does not exist as such in French. However "appliqué inversé" exists and has the same meaning as a reverse appliqué. Also an "applique murale" is a decorative Sconce (light fixture), light fixture attached on a wall.
; après-ski: lit. "after skiing", socializing after a ski session; in French, this word refers to boots used to walk in snow (e.g. MoonBoots). Commonly used for the same thing as in English in Quebec.
; Fencing terms#Blade Work, arrêt à bon temps: A counterattack that attempts to take advantage of an uncertain attack in fencing. Though grammatically correct, this expression is not used in French. The term ''arrêt'' exists in fencing, with the meaning of a "simple counteroffensive action"; the general meaning is "a stop". A related French expression: ''s'arrêter à temps'' (to stop in time).
; wikt:artiste, artiste: a skilled performer, a person with artistic pretensions. In French: an artist. Can be used ironically for a person demonstrating little professional skill or passion in both languages.
; wikt:au naturel, au naturel: nude; in French, literally, in a natural manner or way (''au'' is the contraction of ''à le'', masculine form of ''à la''). It means "in an unaltered way" and can be used either for people or things. For people, it rather refers to a person who does not use make-up or artificial manners (''un entretien au naturel'' = a backstage interview). For things, it means that they have not been altered. Often used in cooking, like ''thon au naturel'': canned tuna without any spices or oil. Also in heraldry, meaning "in natural colours", especially flesh colour, which is not one of the "standard" colours of heraldry.
; auteur: A film director, specifically one who controls most aspects of a film, or other controller of an artistic situation. The English connotation derives from French film theory. It was popularized in the journal ''Cahiers du cinéma'': auteur theory maintains that directors like Hitchcock exert a level of creative control equivalent to the author of a literary work. In French, the word means "author", but some expressions like ''cinéma d'auteur'' are also in use.
; wikt:bête noire, bête noire: a scary or unpopular person, idea, or thing, or the archetypal scary monster in a story; literally "black beast." In French, ''être la bête noire de quelqu'un'' ("to be somebody's black beast") means that you're particularly hated by this person or this person has a strong aversion against you, regardless of whether you're scary or not. The dictionary of the Académie française admits its use only for people, though other dictionaries admit it for things or ideas too. It also means that one is repeatedly defeated by a person, who is thus considered their archenemy (for instance, "Nadal is the bête noire of Roger Federer").
; boutique: a clothing store, usually selling designer/one off pieces rather than mass-produced clothes. Can also describe a quirky and/or upmarket hotel. In French, it can describe any shop, clothing or otherwise. The expression ''hôtel-boutique'' can be used to refer to upmarket hotels, but the word is recent and not as widespread as the equivalent expression boutique hotel.
; boutonnière: In English, a boutonnière is a flower placed in the buttonhole of a suit jacket. In French, a boutonnière is the buttonhole itself. Yet the French expression "Une fleur à la boutonnière" has an equivalent meaning.
; c'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre: "it is magnificent, but it is not war" — quotation from Pierre Bosquet, Marshal Pierre Bosquet commenting on the charge of the Light Brigade. Unknown quotation in French.
; wikt:cause célèbre, cause célèbre: An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate, lit. 'famous cause'. It is correct grammatically, but the expression is not used in French.
; chacun à son goût: the correct expressions in French are ''chacun ses goûts / à chacun ses goûts / à chacun son goût'': "to each his/her own taste(s)".
; chanson: a classical "art song", equiv. to the German ''Lied'' or the Italian ''aria''; or, in Russian, a :ru:Шансон, cabaret-style sung narrative, usually rendered by a guttural male voice with guitar accompaniment. In French, it can be used to refer to any song, but it also refers to the same music genre as in English (someone practicing this genre being generally called a ''chansonnier'' in Quebec, especially if they sing at a restaurant or cabaret).
; château: a manor house or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions. The word château is also used for castles in French, so where clarification is needed, the term château fort ("strong castle") is used to describe a castle.
; chef: in English, a person who cooks professionally for other people. In French the word means "head" or "chief"; a professional cook is a ''cuisinier'' (lit. "cook"), ''chef-cuisinier'' referring to a head cook. Also, sous-chef, the second-in-command, directly under the head chef. Traditionally, ''chef'' used to means the head, for example a "couvre-chef" is a headgear, but by extension it's often used in job titles, military ranks, for a person in charge or who leads a group of people: "chef d'État" (lit. "Head of State" and "Chief of State"), "chef d'entreprise" ("Business executive"), "chef d'orchestre" (Conductor of an Orchestra), "sergeant-chef" (Staff Sergeant), "chef de gare" (stationmaster), "chef de famille" (head of household), etc. More casually in a work context, a ''chef'' is a boss.
; cinq à sept: extraconjugal affair between five and seven pm. In French, though it can also mean this, it primarily means any relaxing time with friends between the end of work and the beginning of the marital obligations. In Quebec French, it is also used as a synonym for "Happy Hour" by bars and restaurants that serve discounted drinks after working hours.
; claque: a group of admirers; in French, "la claque" is a group of people paid to applaud or disturb a piece at the theatre, though the common meaning of "claque" is "a slap"; ''clique'' is used in this sense (but in a pejorative way).
; connoisseur: an expert in wines, fine arts, or other matters of culture; a person of refined taste. It is spelled ''connaisseur'' in modern French (lit. "someone who knows").
; corsage: A bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or worn around her wrist. In French, it refers to a woman's chest (from shoulder to waist) and, by extension, the part of a woman's garment that covers this area.
; coup de main (pl. coups de main): a surprise attack. In French, ''[donner] un coup de main'' means "[to give] a hand" (to give assistance). Even if the English meaning exists as well (as in ''faire le coup de main''), it is old-fashioned.
; coup d'état (pl. coups d'état):a sudden change in government by force; literally "hit (blow) of state." French uses the capital É, because the use of a capital letter alters the meaning of the word (État: a State, as in a country; état: a state of being). It also cannot be shortened as ''coup'' as is often the case in English- because this literally means a "hit" in French, but can be used figuratively to mean many more things.
; wiktionary:début, début:first public performance of an entertainment personality or group. In French, it means "beginning." The English meaning of the word exists only when in the plural form: ''[faire] ses débuts [sur scène]'' (to make one's débuts on the stage). The English meaning and usage also extends to sports to denote a player who is making their first appearance for a team or at an event.
; décolletage: a low-cut neckline, cleavage. In French it means: 1. action of lowering a female garment's neckline; 2. Agric.: cutting leaves from some cultivated roots such as beets, carrots, etc.; 3. Tech. Operation consisting of making screws, bolts, etc. one after another out of a single bar of metal on a parallel lathe. A low-cut neckline, or its shape, would in French be called ''un décolleté'' (noun and adjective): ''un décolleté profond'', a deep décolletage; ''une robe très décolletée'', a dress with very low neckline.
; Demarche, démarche: a decisive step. In French, it means a preparing step (often used in the plural form), a specific set of steps to get a specific result (can be used in the singular form, sometimes the expression "marche à suivre" (lit. "step to follow") will be preferred), or a distinctive way of walking.
; dépanneur: a neighbourhood general/convenience store, term used in eastern Canada (often shortened to ''dép'' or ''dep''). This term is commonly used in Canadian French; however, in France, it means a repairman or tow truck operator. In France, a convenience store would be a ''supérette'' or ''épicerie [de quartier]''.
; émigré: one who has emigrated for political reasons. French also use the word ''exilé'' (exiled) or ''réfugié'' (refugee) or even "exilé politique" or "réfugié politique".
; encore (concert), encore: A request to repeat a performance, as in ''Encore!'', lit. 'again'; also used to describe additional songs played at the end of a concert, gig. Francophones would say « Une autre ! » ('Another one!') or «Bis !» to request « un rappel » or « un bis ».
; wiktionary:en masse, en masse: in a mass or group, all together. In French, ''masse'' refers only to a physical mass, whether for people or objects. It cannot be used for something immaterial, like, for example, the voice: "they all together said 'get out'" would be translated as ''ils ont dit 'dehors' en chœur'' ([like a chorus]). Also, ''en masse'' refers to numerous people or objects (a crowd or a mountain of things). In colloquial Québécois French, it means "a bunch" (as in ''il y avait du monde en masse'', "there was a bunch of people").
; en suite:as a set (not to be confused with ''ensuite'', meaning "then"). Can refer, in particular, to hotel rooms with attached private bathroom, especially in Britain where hotels without private facilities are more common than in North America. In French, ''suite'', when in the context of a hotel, already means several rooms following each other. ''J'ai loué une suite au Ritz'' would be translated as "I rented a suite at the Ritz." ''En suite'' is not grammatically incorrect in French, but it is not an expression in itself and it is not used. Also used in British English to denote a bathroom that is accessible directly from the Bedroom, master bedroom of a house (usually with a connecting door), rather than by a separate entrance.
; entrée: lit. "entrance"; in French, the first dish that starts a meal, i.e. the entrance to the meal. It can refer to a set of bites or small snacks, or a small dish served before a main course. The main dish or "plat de résistance" comes after the entrée. In American English, the meaning has migrated to "main dish". In other varieties of English it maintains its French meaning.
; épée: a fencing weapon descended from the duelling sword. In French, apart from fencing (the sport) the term is more generic: it means sword.
; escritoire: a writing table. It is spelt ''écritoire'' in modern French.
; Exposé (journalism), exposé: a published exposure of a fraud or scandal (past participle of "to expose"); in French refers to a talk or a report on any kind of subject.
; femme: a stereotypically effeminate gay man or lesbian (slang, pronounced as written). In French, ''femme'' (pronounced 'fam') means "woman."
; fin de siècle: comparable to (but not exactly the same as) turn-of-the-century but with a connotation of decadence, usually applied to the period from 1890 through 1910. In French, it means "end of the century", but it isn't a recognized expression as such. The French expression "ambiance [de] fin de règne" (lit. "end-of-reign atmosphere") also has a light connotation of boredom and decadence.
; forte: a strength, a strong point, typically of a person, from the French ''fort(e)'' (strong) and/or Italian ''forte'' (strong, esp. "loud" in music) and/or Latin ''forte'' (neuter form of ''fortis'', strong). French uses ''fort(e)'' for both people and objects.
: According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, "In ''forte'' we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived ''forte''. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word ''le fort'' and would rhyme it with English ''for'' [French doesn't pronounce the final "t"]. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English."
: The New Oxford Dictionary of English derives it from fencing. In French, ''le fort d'une épée'' is the third of a blade nearer the hilt, the strongest part of the sword used for parrying.

; hors d'oeuvre: term used for the snacks served with drinks before a meal. Literally "outside of the work". The French use ''apéritif'' to refer to the time before a meal and the drinks consumed during that time, yet "hors d'œuvre" is a synonym of "entrée" in French and means the first dish that starts a meal. At home in family circles it means more specifically seasoned salads taken as a starter. In Québécois French, ''apéritif'' refers to the drink only, and ''hors-d'œuvre'' (usually plural) refers to a set of bites, while an ''entrée'' is a small dish (an ''entrée'' can be made as ''hors-d'œuvres'', but not all of them are).
; la sauce est tout: "The sauce is everything!" or "The secret's in the sauce!" Tagline used in a 1950s American television commercial campaign for an American line of canned food products. Grammatically correct but not used in French, where one might say ''Tout est dans la sauce'' or ''C'est la sauce qui fait (passer) le poisson''.
; :wiktionary:fr:fr:lavatoire, Lavatoire or Toilet (room), Lavatory: A once commonly used British term for a toilet or water closet. Before the age of the internet, it was commonly believed, and widely taught in schools in Britain, that the word Toilet was a rather vulgar, impure, corruption of the French word ":fr:Toilettes, Toilettes" and that Lavatory was the correct expression to use because it was much closer in meaning to the French the word it was derived from, "Lavatoire", which was supposed to mean "to wash, or to clean, yourself". Actually, though the word Lavatoire does exist in French, it never meant a toilet or a bathroom. The Lavatoire was the holy stone upon which the bodies of ecclesiastics, priest and members of the clergy, were once washed after their deaths, in order to prepare them for the afterlife, for their journey to heaven.
; Marquee (sign), marquee:the sign above a theater that tells you what is playing. From ''marquise'', which means not only a marchioness but also an awning. Theater buildings are generally old and nowadays there is never such a sign above them; there is only the advertisement for the play (''l'affiche''). In English, means a temporary structure (often made of canvas or similar material) which is erected to host an event outdoors, especially in the UK, where such events can often be affected by weather conditions (pronounced ''mar-key'').
; : "yearning for the mud"; attraction to what is unworthy, crude or degrading. Though grammatically correct, it is not used in French.
; objet trouvé: an ordinary object, such as a piece of driftwood, a shell, or a manufactured article, that is treated as an ''objet d'art'' because it is aesthetically pleasing. In French, ''les objets trouvés'', short for ''le bureau des objets trouvés'', means the lost-and-found, the lost property.
; outré: out of the ordinary, unusual. In French, it means outraged (for a person) or exaggerated, extravagant, overdone (for a thing, esp. a praise, an actor's style of acting, etc.); in that second meaning, belongs to "literary" style.
; passé: out of fashion. The correct expression in French is ''passé de mode.'' Passé means past, passed, or (for a colour) faded.
; peignoir: a woman's dressing gown. It means bathrobe. In French, both ''peignoir'' and ''robe de chambre'' are used interchangeably for a dressing gown regardless of sex, though the latter is generally considered formal and the former is generally seen as colloquial. A bathrobe (for either sex, in absorbent material) is ''un peignoir de bain''.
; pièce d'occasion: "occasional piece"; item written or composed for a special occasion. In French, it means "second-hand hardware." Can be shortened as ''pièce d'occas'' or even ''occas'' (pronounced /okaz/).
; Portmanteau, portemanteau (pl. portemanteaux):in English a portmanteau is a large piece of luggage for clothes that opens (like a book or a diptych) into two parts. From this literal sense, Lewis Carroll, in his novel ''Through the Looking Glass'' playfully coined a further Literal and figurative language, figurative sense for portmanteau meaning a word that fuses two or more words or parts of words to give a combined meaning. In French, lit. a 'coat-carrier', originally a person who carried the royal coat or dress train, now a large suitcase; more often, a clothes hanger. The equivalent of the English/ Lewis-Carroll ''portemanteau'' is ''un mot-valise'' (lit. a suitcase word). "Brexit" and "emoticon" are modern examples of portmanteau words.
; potpourri: medley, mixture; French write it ''pot-pourri'', literally 'rotten pot': primarily a pot in which different kinds of flowers or spices are put to dry for years for the scent.
; wikt:précis, précis: a concise summary. In French, when talking about a school course, it means an abridged book about the matter. Literally, ''précis'' means precise, accurate.
; première: refers to the first performance of a play, a film, etc. "La première" is used in same way in French, but it more generally means "the first".
; wikt:raisonneur, raisonneur: a type of author intrusion in which a writer inserts a character to argue the author's viewpoint; alter ego, sometimes called 'author avatar'. In French, a ''raisonneur'' is a character in a play who stands for morality and reason, i.e., not necessarily the author's point of view. The first meaning of this word though is a man (fem. ''raisonneuse'') who overdoes reasonings, who tires by objecting with numerous arguments to every order.
; wikt:recherché, recherché: lit. searched; obscure; pretentious. In French, means 'sophisticated' or 'delicate', or simply 'studied', without the negative connotations of the English.
; wikt:rendezvous, rendezvous: lit. "present yourself" or "proceed to"; a meeting, appointment, or date in French. In English, it generally endorses a mysterious overtone and refers to a one-on-one meeting with someone for another purpose than a date. Always hyphenated in French: ''rendez-vous''. Its only accepted abbreviation in French is RDV.
; reprise:repetition of previous music in a suite, programme, etc. and also applied to an actor who resumes a role that they have played previously. In French, it may mean an alternate version of a piece of music, or a cover version, or the rebroadcast of a show, piece or movie that was originally broadcast a while ago (although the term ''rediffusion'' is generally preferred, especially when talking about something on television). To express the repetition of a previous musical theme, French would exclusively use the Italian term Coda (music), coda.
; résumé: in North American English, a document listing one's qualifications for employment. In French, it means summary; French speakers would use instead ''curriculum vitæ'', or its abbreviation, C.V. (like most other English speakers).
; wikt:risqué, risqué (also risque): sexually suggestive; in French, the meaning of ''risqué'' is "risky", with no sexual connotation. Francophones use instead ''osé'' (lit. "daring") or sometimes ''dévergondé'' (very formal language). ''Osé'', unlike ''dévergondé'', cannot be used for people themselves, only for things (such as pictures) or attitudes.
; ''rouge'' (lit. "red") : 1) a rouge (cosmetics), rouge is red makeup, also called blusher. ''Rouge à lèvres'' is French for "lipstick", even if the lipstick is not red at all. The French equivalent to the English meaning is "fard à joues"; 2) in Canadian football, a Single (football), rouge is awarded when the ball is kicked into the end zone by any legal means, other than a successful field goal, and the receiving team does not return or kick the ball out of its end zone.
; séance : a gathering, usually using a 'medium', attempting to communicate with the dead. In French, the word means 'sitting' and usually refers to any kind of meeting or session.
; table d'hôte (pl. tables d'hôte): in English, when used it usually refers to type of meal: a full-course meal offered at a fixed price. However, in French, it refers to a type of lodging: the closest English equivalent would be "a bed & breakfast" or "B&B." The origin of the meaning (for French speakers) is that at a table d'hôte (literally "table of the house" or "table of the host"), unlike at a full-service purpose-built hotel, all patrons eat together at the host's table, whatever the family have prepared for themselves (typically traditional regional dishes). Indeed, in France today a lodging labeled "table d'hôte" might perhaps not even offer food; the appellation meaning what an English-speaker would think of as a "bed & breakfast -style" family-home lodging (as opposed to a purpose-built hotel). In Quebec, ''table d'hôte'' generally has the same meaning as in English, the expression ''couette et café'' (lit. "duvet and coffee") is generally used to talk about B&B style accommodations, where the English expression is not used.
; tableau vivant (pl. tableaux vivants, often shortened as ''tableau''): in drama, a scene where actors remain motionless as if in a picture. ''Tableau'' means painting, ''tableau vivant'', living painting. In French, it is an expression used in body painting.
; touché: acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint. In French, used for "emotionally touched".
; Vignette (literature), vignette: a brief description; a short scene. In French, it is a small picture or a thumbnail. By extension a Vignette (road tax), vignette is the name of a compulsory road tax in the form of a small sticker affixed to a vehicle windscreen, which is now also used in several European countries.

Found only in English

; aide-de-camp: "camp assistant"; in the army, a military assistant to a senior military officer (heads of State are considered military officers because of their status as head of the army). In Canada, it may also refer to the honorary position a person holds as a personal assistant to a high civil servant. It exists in French too but is written ''aide de camp'' (without any hyphens).
; apprise: "to inform"; used to substitute the verb ''to inform'' when the information is crucial. Its French meaning is the feminine past participle of ''to learn'' [apprendre]. In English, when followed by an object it is used with the preposition ''of''. Example without object: ''Please, apprise me''. Example with object: ''he apprised of it''.
; cinquefoil: five-petal, five-leaf flower of the genus Potentilla, family Rosaceae; also a circular 5-lobed ornamental design. Spelled ''quintefeuille'' in French.
; wiktionary:cri du coeur, cri de cœur: "cry from the heart": an impassioned outcry, as of entreaty or protest. In French, the exact expression is ''cri du cœur''.
; demi-monde: a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture. Fell out of use in the French language in the 19th century. Frenchmen still use ''une demi-mondaine'' to qualify a woman that lives (exclusively or partially) off the commerce of her charms but in a high-life style.
; double entendre: a figure of speech wherein a word or phrases can be taken to have two distinct coherent meanings, most often in a fashion that is suggestive and/or ironic. "Entendre" is an infinitive verb ("to hear"), not a noun; a correct rendering would be "à double entente", an adjectival phrase meaning "of a double understanding or double interpretation" (literally, "with a double hearing"). The modern French phrase is "à double sens".
; wikt:in lieu, in lieu (of): "in place (of)"; partially translated from the existing French phrase ''au lieu (de)''.
; legerdemain, léger de main (legerdemain): "light of hand": sleight of hand, usually in the context of deception or the art of stage magic tricks. Meaningless in French; the equivalent is ''un tour de passe-passe''.
; maître d':translates literally as ''master o. The French term for head waiter (the manager of the service side of a restaurant) is ''maître d'hôtel'' (literally "master of the house" or "master of the establishment"); French never uses "d stand-alone. Most often used in American English and its usage in the UK is rare.
; negligée:A robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women, or a nightdress. As with lingerie, the usage of the word suggests the garment is alluring or fancy. French uses ''négligé'' (masculine form) or ''nuisette''. In French, the word ''négligée'' qualifies a woman who neglects her appearance.
; succès de scandale: "Success through scandal"; Francophones might use ''succès par médisance''.
; voir dire: a trial within a trial, or (in America) jury selection (Law French). Literally "to speak the truth." ( Anglo-Norman ''voir'' [''truth''] is etymologically unrelated to the modern French ''voir'' [''to see''].)voir
The Anglo-Norman Dictionary In modern American court procedure, the examination of prospective jurors for their qualification to serve, including inherent biases, views and predelictions; during this examination, each prospective juror must "speak the truth" so that counsel and the court may decide whether they should remain on the jury or be excused. In England and Wales, the expression is used to refer to a "trial within a trial", during which a judge hears evidence in the absence of the jury, typically to decide whether a certain piece of evidence should be allowed to be presented to the jury or not. For example, a judge might hold a "voir dire" to determine whether a confession has been extracted from a defendant by an unfair inducement in order to decide whether the jury should hear evidence of the confession or not.

French phrases in international air-sea rescue

International authorities have adopted a number of words and phrases from French for use by speakers of all languages in voice communications during air-sea rescues. Note that the "phonetic" versions of spelling are presented as shown and not the Help:IPA, IPA.

; Securité, SECURITAY: (''sécurité'', "safety") the following is a safety message or warning, the lowest level of danger.
; Pan-pan, PAN PAN: (''panne'', "breakdown") the following is a message concerning a danger to a person or ship, the next level of danger.
; Mayday (distress signal), MAYDAY: (''[venez] m'aider'', come to help me"; ''aidez-moi'' means "help me") the following is a message of extreme urgency, the highest level of danger. ''(MAYDAY is used on voice channels for the same uses as SOS on Morse code, Morse channels.)''
; Seelonce, SEELONCE: (''silence'', "silence") keep this channel clear for air-sea rescue communications.
; SEELONCE FEE NEE: (''silence fini'', "silence is over") this channel is now available again.
; PRU DONCE: (''prudence'', "prudence") silence partially lifted, channel may be used again for urgent non-distress communication.
; MAY DEE CAL: (''médical'', "medical") medical assistance needed.

It is a serious breach in most countries, and in international zones, to use any of these phrases without justification.

''See Mayday (distress signal) for a more detailed explanation.''

See also

* Glossary of ballet, which is predominantly French
* Glossary of fencing, which are often in French
* Franglais
* French language
* Law French
* List of English words of French origin, English words of French origin

* List of pseudo-French words adapted to English, Pseudo-Gallicisms
* List of German expressions in English, German expressions in English
* List of Greek phrases, Greek phrases
* List of Latin phrases, Latin phrases
* List of Latin words with English derivatives, Latin words with English derivatives
* List of French loanwords in Persian, French loanwords in Persian

References

Further reading

* Francoise Blanchard, Jeremy Leven. ''Say Chic: A Collection of French Words We Can't Live Without''. Simon and Schuster. 2007. 144 pages
* Winokur, J., ''Je Ne Sais What?: A Guide to'' de rigueur ''Frenglish for Readers, Writers, and Speakers''

External links

''Communications Instructions, Distress and Rescue Procedures'' (pdf)
Combined Communications Electronics Board, Combined Communications-Electronics Board

''Online Etymology Dictionary''
, Harper, D.
*


(John Aldrich, University of Southampton) See Section on Contribution of French.

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of French Words And Phrases Used By English Speakers
Lists of phrases, French
French words and phrases,
Lists of English words of French origin,