English 1Foreign Words & Phrases

Directions: on the handout with your word definitions, copy what I have as a pic to go

with that word.

Alma Mater1. (n) the school from which you

graduate

This picture is an example because…I graduated from WKU so it is my alma mater.

Alma Mater2. (n) the official song or anthem of a

school, college, or university

This picture is an example because…“Rocky Top” is the official song for UT.

http://youtu.be/avAD4CX1IzY

Bon Voyage(interjection) Have a good trip !

Cum Laude(adj & adv) with honor

- used to indicate good academic performance

This picture is an example because…she graduated Cum Laude as noted on her diploma

Deja Vu(n) the almost physical sensation, when one is in a place or having an experience, that one has been

in that place or had the experience before.

This picture is an example because…it’s a movie about deja vu

Deja Vu movie trailer

Du Jour(adj) of the day – French;

available or being served today

This picture is an example because… it shows the day’s specials

E Pluribus Unum(n) from the many, one – Latin;

the motto of the US, printed on US currency

This picture is an example because…it shows the motto printed on US currency

Esprit De Corps(n) a sense of pride and honor shared

by members of a group

This picture is an example because…all these are groups whose members

share a sense of pride

Faux Pasa tactless error in manners or behavior;

social blunder

view video of FL Obama and Queen This picture is an example because…it shows First Lady Michelle O’Bama

with her arm around the Queen of England; it is a

R.S.V.P.abbreviation of “respondez s’il vous plait” – French;

please reply

This picture is an example because…on many invitations, the sender asks you to RSVP –

let them know if you will be attending.

Verbatim(adj & adv) using exactly the same words;

word for word

This picture is an example because…the pledge is something most of us

can recite verbatim.

Ad Nauseam(adv) until one is sick fo the thing

being done, told, or the like

This picture is an example because…(you guess)

the woman is sick of watching football.

Alpha & Omega1. The first and last letters of the Greek

alphabet 2. The beginning and end; the first and

the last .

This picture is an example because…according to the Bible,

God is the beginning and the end.

Avant Garde(n) a group that actively experiments with and applies new and unconventional techniques,

especially in the arts

This picture is an example becauseMadonna and Lady Gaga have become two of this

centuries avant garde in the entertainment world.Noun

Avant-Garde(adj) of or relating to artistic

experimentation and invention.

This picture is an example because

Lady Gaga exhibits avant-garde fashions…and this appals some conservative-minded people.

ADJ

Carte Blancheunrestricted authority, freedom, or discretion

This picture is an example because…mobsters take the authority to make their own laws

and set their own rules.

Caveat Emptorthe principle that one who buys something does so

at his or her own risk.

This picture is an example because…it means if you buy a fake watch…it’s on you.

Hoi Polloithe masses or common people(usually a term of contempt)

This picture is an example because…sheep blindly follow other sheep;

they travel in a herd.

Joie De Vivre(n) joy of living (French);

the intense pleasure one takes from being alive

This picture is an example becausesome things that give make me happy to be alive are good friends, beautiful vacations, and delicious food.

Prima Donna(n) a high-strung, vain, and

temperamental person.

This picture is an example because…“Alright, Paris, we get it - you're rich, vain and bored.”

Status Quo(n) the existing state;

conditions as they are at a given time

This picture is an example because…Atticus Finch used his skills as a lawyer to challenge

the racist status quo in Maycomb, Alabama

Tabula Rasaanything, especially the mind, that is considered to be blank and without impression, until it is formed

through experience

This picture is an example because…it shows a baby who has not had experiences

in the real world to shape him/her