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1. coiffure : a style of hair arrangement 2. demarche : a line of action ; change of policy. Demarche comes from the French marcher ( to walk ) 3. denouement: the final outcome of the intricacies of a plot. The French meaning is the untying of a knot 4. clat: acclaim; brilliant success. The French word eclater means to burst out 5. lan: enthusiasm; ardor; vigor. Its original meaning was to throw a lance. 6. entrepreneur: one who organizes and manages a business undertaking 7. impasse: difficulty without a solution; stalemate; blind alley 8. ingnue: actress playing an innocent, inexperienced young woman 9. malaise: a feeling of discomfort or uneasiness. In French, mal mean bad and aise means ease 10. mlange: mixture; hodgepodge. The French verb meter means to mix. 11. repartee: quick, witty reply, wit. The French meaning is The quick return of a thrust or blow. 12. sangfroid: composure; equanimity. In French it means cold blood 13. tete-a-tete: intimate conversation between two people. The literal meaning is headto-head 14. tour de force: a feat of strength or skill 15. vignette: an anecdote; a brief literary composition. Exercises I. Which Word Come to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind. 1. A cold-blooded killer (vignette, sangfroid, mlange) 2. There is a loud applause for the star of Hamlet (tour de force, demarche, malaise) 3. You get together with your brother for a serious conversation. (denouement, entrepreneur, tete-a-tete) 4. Two rival hostesses emerge abashed after some sharp word play (repartee, coiffure, clat) 5. A producer advertises his search for a 14-year old Juliet (lan, impasse, ingnue) 6. The surprise ending was a stroke of genius (demarche, clat, denouement) 7. The non-stop 120hour session failed to produce an agreement (lan, impasse, vignette) 8. A feeling that things are going wrong (sangfroid, malaise, demarche) 9. Hard to identify but easy to recognize (mlange, vignette, lan) 10. An idea worth trying (demarche, coiffure, melange)
6. The peace talks reached a(n) ______________ when neither side would budge an inch since their last confrontation. 7. I can vouch for his __________________ but not for his honesty. 8. The actors ______________ in his first film was followed by a disappointing series of failures. 9. Marie Antoinette set the pattern for womens ______________ throughout the realm 10. President Carters declaration that the feeling in the country was one of _____________ was a faux pas that may have cost him a second term.