Foreign words/phrases used in English

No Words/Phrases Definition
1 cest la vie

Thats life
2 carpe diem Make the most of the present time
3 de facto In reality, actually
4 deus ex machina Unexpected event that saves an apparently hopeless situation
5 dolce vita Sweet life
6 per se By or in itself/themselves
7 modus operandi Way of doing something
8 bona fide Genuine; real
9 cui bono? Who stands to gain?
10 coup de foudre Love at first sight
11 faux Fake
12 grande dame Grand lady
13 monsieur Mister or sir
14 madamoiselle Unmarried lady
15 la In the manner of
16 au revoir! See you later!
17 avant-garde An artist or group associated with the use of new techniques
in their field
18 clich Stereotype
19 en route On the way
20 facade A fake persona
21 voila There it is!
22 alma mater Any institution one has graduated from; in other words, ones
old school or university
23 dj vu The sensation of having previously experienced something
that one is experiencing
24 ergo Therefore, consequently
25 fiasco Total failure
26 klutz A clumsy person
27 joie de vivre Joy in living
28 per capita Adv. Per person
29 angst Dread and anxiety
30 blitz An intensive or sudden military attack.
31 bon voyage Express farewell and good wishes to a traveler
32 RSVP Please respond
33 ad hoc For this purpose
34 inter alia Among other things
35 eureka I have found it
36 hoi polloi The many, the general populace, the masses, commoners
37 kudos Fame, renown, prestige
38 Fuhrer , duce Leader
39 kaput Broken, destroyed
40 babushka Grandmother
41 sayonara Goodbye
42 tsunami Tidal wave caused by a major undersea earthquake
43 pronto Quick
44 tabula rasa A clean slate, empty state of mind
45 status quo State in which
46 sui generis Of its own kind
47 adieu Goodbye
48 je ne sais quoi A pleasing quality that cannot be exactly named of described
49 virtuoso A person who is extremely skilled at something, especially at
playing an instrument or performing.
50 bon mot A clever or witty remark