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Thursday, April 9, 2015

French words of the day: exposé; faux pas

French

Faux pas - literally false step. Metaphor for mistake.
An exposé - what can I say? French for a secret, such as a film star's or politician's exciting love life, or immoral activities, exposed, revealed. The biography of a popular person, no holds barred.

English
No holds barred - now there's an English-ism, presumably a metaphor from boxing?)
When I have time I can check it. Where to look?

Glossary (list of words explained)
simile - similar to, for example 'in her large skirt, she looked similar to / like a ship in full sail'
metaphor - (compare one thing with another, then drop the word like and say x was y, for example 'she was a ship in full sail'

Use:
Books on idioms and phrases.
Online dictionary


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