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faux pas

 
Dictionary: faux pas   (fō pä') pronunciation
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n., pl., faux pas (fō päz').
A social blunder.

[French : faux, false + pas, step.]


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Business Dictionary: Faux Pas
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Social blunder made by an individual. It may be an improper action or a mistake of speech.

Word Tutor: faux pas
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A social blunder.

pronunciation Suddenly, she realized she had unwittingly committed yet another faux pas.

Tutor's tip: Faux pas is a French meaning "false step".

WordNet: faux pas
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a socially awkward or tactless act
  Synonyms: gaffe, solecism, slip, gaucherie

Wikipedia: Faux pas
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"Faux Pas" redirects here. For the web comic, see Faux Pas (webcomic).
Search Wiktionary Look up faux pas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A faux pas (pronounced /ˌfoʊˈpɑː/, plural: faux pas /ˌfoʊˈpɑː(z)/) is a violation of accepted social rules (for example, standard customs or etiquette rules)[1]. Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture, and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another. The term comes originally from French, and literally means "false step".[2]

This expression is usually used in social and diplomatic contexts. The term has been in use in English for some time and is no longer italicized when written. In French, it is employed literally to describe a physical loss of balance as well as figuratively, in which case the meaning is roughly the same as in English. Other familiar synonyms include gaffe and bourde (bourde, unlike faux pas, can designate any type of mistake).[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/faux-pas
  2. ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/faux+pas
  3. ^ Faux Pas by Maurice Blanchot (translated by Charlotte Mandell), Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0804729352, pg. xi (translators note).
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
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WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Faux pas".  Read more

 

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