Du business au best of, du cool au come back, du spoiler au vintage ou encore de la deadline au burn-out, les anglicismes ne manquent – vraiment – pas en français. Mais la langue de Molière a elle aussi su s’inviter chez ses amis anglo-saxons. À l’occasion de votre prochain voyage linguistique en Angleterre, LEC vous donne 8 exemples, accompagnés de la définition que leur donne le prestigieux Cambridge Dictionary !
#1 : je ne sais quoi
[noun] French for ‘I don’t know what’: a pleasing quality that cannot be exactly named or described.
Although he’s not conventionally attractive, he has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes him popular with the ladies.
#2 : déjà vu
[noun] The strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced what is happening now.
When I met her, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu.
#3 : rendezvous
[noun] An arrangement to meet someone, especially secretly, at a particular place and time, or the place itself.
We have a rendezvous for next week, don’t we?
#4 : brunette
[noun] A white woman or girl with dark hair.
Julia is a tall brunette.
#5 : bon appétit
[exclamation] A phrase, originally from French, meaning « good appetite », said to someone who is about to eat, meaning « I hope you enjoy your food ».
#6 : baguette
[noun] A long, thin stick of white bread, of a type that originally came from France.
#7 : chic
[adjective] Stylish and fashionable.
I like your haircut – it’s very chic.
#8 : avant-garde
[noun] The painters, writers, musicians, and other artists whose ideas, styles, and methods are very original or modern in comparison to the period in which they live, or the work of these artists.
New York is the international capital of the musical avant-garde.