French phrases of the day - tour de force, de rigeur

As I read today's copy of The Daily Telegraph (which you can get free if you shop in Waitrose and join the supermarket scheme) I came across the phrase tour de force. Ah-ha I thought. (If I'd been thinking in French, I would have thought oo-la-la!)

I just checked with google translate.
Up pops dictionaryreverso.net which translates oh la la as oh dear or wow.
coup de grace is something else, a kind cut, to kill somebody quickly.

So what does tour de force mean? Literally tour of force. According to context, it means masterpiece, a skilful manoeuvre - another French word meaning  - handwork , also hors d'oevre is before the main work or main course of the meal - a coup (another French word meaning real or physical blow or metaphorically an achievement).

Here's another French phrase: de rigeur - obligatory.

I'll put all those words and phrases in alphabetical order.

Glossary
coup - cut or blow
de - of
de grace - literally of grace
de rigour - obligatory
force - force, strength, power
grace - grace or kindness as in the Spanish word gracias for thanks
hors - outside
main - hand
tour - tour or moving around
o e u v r e (spaces between letters necessary because when I was not looking the spell check turned this word into over) - work
oo-la-la! - expression of surprise , joy, triumph, discovery

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, language tutor, speaker.