bête noire

[French : bête, beast + noire, black.]

David Brooks hit our list again, this time with bête noire (an object of extreme dislike). The column is about opposition to John Bolton's nomination to become the US Ambassador to the United Nations. Brooks counters criticisms that "Bolton doesn't believe in the United Nations" with an argument that Bolton doesn't see the UN as a fledgling world government, but rather as a place where "sovereign nations could work together to solve problems."

"We know that when push comes to shove, all the grand talk about international norms is often just a cover for opposing the global elite's bete noires of the moment - usually the U.S. or Israel. We will never grant legitimacy to forums that are so often manipulated for partisan ends."

Link: Loudly, With a Big Stick.

Posted April 14, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

noun

An object of extreme dislike: abhorrence, abomination, anathema, aversion, bugbear, detestation, execration, hate. Informal horror. See love/hatred.

A person or thing that is particularly disliked. For example, Calculus was the bête noire of my freshman courses. This phrase, French for "black beast," entered the English language in the early 1800s. For synonyms, see pain in the neck; thorn in one's flesh.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a detested person
  Synonym: anathema