The Secret Life of Words

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The Secret Life of Words Page 53

by Henry Hitchings


  birth

  bistro

  bivouac

  bizarre

  biznissman

  blackmail

  blah

  Blairite

  blanquettes de veau

  blasé

  blatant

  blauser

  blitz/blitzkrieg

  blizzard

  blood on the floor

  blood royal

  blottesque

  blouse

  bludgeon

  bluejeans, les

  bluff (river bank)

  blunderbuss

  bogeyman

  bogus

  Bolshevik

  bona fide

  bonanza

  bong

  bonhomie

  bonsai

  bons mots

  bons vivants

  bonté

  bon ton

  Bonze, Bonzii

  booklet

  boom

  boomerang

  boondocks

  borax

  bordure

  boring

  bosomer

  boss

  bossa nova

  both

  bottom line

  botulism

  bouillabaisse

  bouillon

  bouquet

  bourgeois/bourgeoisie

  bowsprit

  brachycephalous

  braggadocio

  brandy

  brash

  bravado

  bravo, bravissimo

  bravura

  bread

  break the ice

  brevity is the soul of wit

  bribe

  bricolage

  bridge (card game)

  Brie

  brinjal

  brioche

  Briticism/Britishism

  British

  britzska

  brocade

  brochure

  bronco

  brown jolly

  bruschetta

  brutish

  buccaneer

  buckwheat

  budget

  bugbear

  bugger

  bugging (US term)

  bukkake

  bulbul

  bumbelo

  bumpkin

  bungalow

  bureaucracy

  burgaloo

  burlesque

  burqa

  burra sahib

  bury the hatchet

  bushido

  butler

  butter

  butter (cheat)

  buzzword

  by

  caballo

  cabaret

  caboose

  cabriolet

  cachet

  cadence

  café

  café noir

  cahars

  cahier

  caisse populaire

  call

  callipygous

  camaraderie

  cambric

  Camembert

  cameo

  camera lucida

  camera obscura

  camise

  camouflage

  candidate

  candy

  cannibal

  canoe

  canto

  cape

  capitalist

  caporal

  cappuccino

  caprice

  capstan

  carat

  caravan

  caraway

  carcass

  cardigan

  carib

  carne (heroin)

  carnival

  carpaccio di manzo

  carriole

  carte blanche

  casa grande

  casa nostra

  cashew

  cashmere

  casino

  cassava

  casserole

  castanets

  caste

  castle

  catamaran

  catastrophist

  catkin

  cattle

  cavalier

  caveat

  cavern

  cayman

  cellar

  censorious

  centre

  ceorl

  cerements

  cervix

  chagrin

  chakra

  chalet

  chamade

  champagne

  chance

  chancellor

  chandler

  chanter en yaourt

  character

  charcuterie

  charity

  charlatan

  charming

  chasm

  chasse gardée

  chassis

  château

  chattah

  chauffeur

  chav

  chawbuck

  check/checkmate

  cheese

  chef

  cheongsam

  cheque

  cheroot

  cherub

  chess

  chevalier

  chevron

  chevysaunce

  chez

  chiaroscuro

  chibouque

  chico

  chilli

  chimera, chimerical

  chimney

  chimpanzee

  chin chin

  Chinese

  ching

  chinoiserie

  chintz

  chipotle

  chivalry

  chlamydia

  chocolate

  chokra

  choolah

  chop suey

  chopsticks

  choreography

  chorography

  chota hazri

  chow mein

  chowder

  chowry

  chromolithotint

  church

  churl

  chutzpah

  ciarlatani

  cicisbeo

  cigar

  cinnamon

  cipher

  circa

  circumcise

  circumnavigate

  civet

  civility

  civilization

  civism

  clairvoyance

  clandestine activities

  claret

  clearing the decks

  clerisy

  cliché

  clique

  clitoris

  cloak

  clothes horse

  cloves

  cnearr

  cobalt

  cobra

  Coca-Cola

  cochineal

  cockroach

  cocoa

  coconut

  coffee

  cognac

  coitus interruptus

  cojones

  coleslaw

  collage

  collateral damage

  colon

  colonial

  colostomy

  comboloio

  come

  comedy

  comeliness

  comet

  comfort

  comma

  commando

  commerce, commercial

  commingle

  Communist

  commuter

  complaisance

  complement

  complex (adj.)

  complex (psychology)

  compulsive

  conceit

  concept

  conception

  concert

  concerto

  concinnity

  condom

  condor

  conduit

  confederated

  conflagration

  congee

  conglutinant

  conjuncture

  conk

  connoisseur

  conscience

  consecrated

  consequence

  conspicuous consumption

  contessa

  Contra

  contraband

  cooee

/>   cookie

  cool

  cooliman

  coolness

  coragio

  cordial

  corgi

  coriander

  cork

  cornucopia

  corral

  corrida

  corroboree

  cosmonaut

  cosmos

  cost

  cosy

  cot

  cotton

  couette

  council

  county

  coup d’oeil

  courage

  court martial

  courtesy

  cow

  cowah

  cowry

  coyote

  cranium

  cravat

  crayfish

  cremasters

  crème brulée

  creps

  crevasse

  crime

  crimson

  crisis

  critic

  Cromwellian

  croquet

  cross

  crouton

  crudités

  cruet

  cruise

  cruller

  cry mercy

  cubeb

  cubism

  cuisine

  culture

  cummerbund

  cup

  cupola

  cura

  curfew

  currier

  curry

  curvaceous

  curvature

  cushion

  cushy

  custom

  czar/tsar

  czardas

  dacha

  dachshund

  Dada

  dagga

  daguerrotype

  dainty

  damask

  dashiki

  daube

  dead

  dead cat bounce

  deathwish

  débâcle

  debonair

  début

  decadence

  decanter

  deceased

  decency

  deck

  declamation

  decorum

  decoy

  deer

  defunct

  degrade (kill)

  deipnosophist

  déjà vu

  delft

  delicatessen

  delirium

  demi-monde

  democracy

  democrat

  dengue

  denomination

  dentures

  dépanneur

  depart

  derb

  derrière

  derring-do

  dervish

  descanso

  descriptive

  desperados

  detracting

  de trop

  development

  devil

  devil’s milk

  devotion

  dexterity

  dharma

  dhoop

  dhoti

  Diablo

  dianetics

  didgeridoo

  digging (US term)

  dignity

  diktat

  dilettantes

  dim sum

  dinghy

  dinkum

  dinner

  dinosaur

  diplomacy

  dirt

  disciple

  discipline

  discography

  discourse

  disgrace

  disposition

  dissolve partnership

  distress signals

  divan

  dock

  dodo

  doggone

  dogma

  dolce vita, la

  doodle

  do one’s business

  dope

  doppelganger

  dorp

  dosh

  dot com

  dot snots

  double-entendre

  douceur

  dragoman

  dramatic

  drasty

  drat

  drek

  dreng

  dressing gown

  dropsy

  drub

  drugeman

  drum (place of residence)

  dubash

  dubiousness

  dubitable

  du jour

  dulcimer

  dumb

  dungaree

  dunk

  Dutch (epithet)

  duvet

  DVD

  dyke

  dzhemper

  e-commerce

  earl

  easel

  eastering

  eau de vie

  éclair

  ecology

  ecstasy

  edamame

  edelweiss

  effect

  efficiency

  eftsoons

  eggplant

  egotism

  einsam

  eiswein

  eland

  élan vital

  El Dorado

  eldritch

  electioneering

  electricity

  electron

  elevator

  elite

  emancipation

  embarcardère

  embargo

  embarras

  embonpoint

  emigré

  emotion

  empathy

  empery

  empire

  emulative

  encyclopedia

  endive

  endowment

  enfant terrible

  engagements (military)

  English

  engougement

  enigma

  ennui

  ensemble

  entertainment

  enthuse, enthusiasm

  entourage

  entreprenerds

  entrepreneur

  envelope

  epi- (prefix)

  epicentre

  epididymides

  epigram

  equip

  equiponderant

  ergo

  ermine

  erotica

  ersatz

  erythroides

  escapism

  escargatoire

  esemplastic

  Eskimo

  español pocho

  espionage

  esprit

  essay

  estate agent

  et cetera

  etch

  ethnography

  ethos

  etiquette

  etymology

  euphemism

  euphoria

  eventful

  evil

  evolution

  excel

  exchange

  exchequer

  excise

  excitement

  exciting

  exclude

  executive

  exhaustive

  exit

  ex libris

  expedient

  expel

  expert

  explode

  explosive device

  expostulate

  express

  expunge

  extend

  extort

  extra

  extracathedral

  extramarital

  extramural

  extraordinary

  extratemporal

  extraterrestrial

  extravagant

  extrovert

  façade

  face

  facetiae

  facile

  facsimile

  fact

  factory

  factotum

  fair price

  fa’itoka

  fajita

  falafel

  fall (autumn)

  falling knife

  famous

  fantasim

  faraway

  farthingales

  fascinating

  fascist


  fashion

  fashionable

  fatherly

  fatuous

  fatwa

  faute de mieux

  faux pas

  favela

  fealty

  feasible

  feat

  fee

  feisty

  fellahin

  fellow traveller

  femme

  feng shui

  feridgi

  feringi

  festschrift

  fête-champêtre

  fetish

  fiancé

  fiasco

  fiction

  fifth column

  filibuster

  filo

  finance

  financiers

  fin de siècle

  find one’s bearings

  fine

  finesse

  fingerspitzengefühl

  fire

  firewater

  firkin

  first-mover advantage

  fish

  fix

  flak

  flame

  flippant

  flit

  flummery

  focus

  fog

  folie

  fond

  foppery

  forceps

  forlana

  forlorn hope

  forswatt

  fortnight

  fortune

  forum

  fracas

  fraicheur

  frankfurter

  freak-out

  freedom

  French (epithet)

  frenchify

  fresco

  friendly fire

  frigate

  from

  frugal

  fruit

  fulcrum

  fungus

  fur

  furo

  fuselage

  fusillade

  fuss

  fustian

  futon

  gaff

  gaijin

  galaxy

  galingale

  galleon

  gallimaufry

  gambit

  gambol

  gap

  garter

  gasp

  gastarbeiter

  gateau

  gauche

  gaucherie

  gauntlet

  gauze

  gavotte

  gazelle

  gazette

  gee whiz

  geest

  geisha

  gemütlichkeit

  gene, genetic

  genius

  genius loci

  genocide

  genteel

  gentlemen

  gestalt

  Gestapo

  gesticulate

  gesundheit

  get

  get-rich-click

  geyser

  ghaut

  ghee

  gherkin

  ghetto

  ghost

  ghoul

  ghyll

  Gibraltar

  gimp

  gin

  ginger

  gingham

  Ginkgo biloba

  ginseng

  giraffe

  gittern

  give

  glacier

  glamour

  glasnost

  glen

  glitterand

  gneiss

  go

  gobbledygook

  goblet

  God

  godly

  golf

  goliard

  gome

  gondola

  gonef

  gonzo

  goober

  good-tempered

  goodbye

  gorlitza

  goshawk

  gossip

  Gothic

  gotten

  goulash

  gourmet

  goût

  government

  gown

  grace

  graffiti

  grammar

  gramophone

  grandee

  grapefruit

  grappa

  gratis

  gratte-ciel

  graveyard

  gravy

  green-eyed jealousy

  gremlin

  grenade

  gride

  grimace

  gringo/gringa

  grotesque

  grotto

  gruesome

  grumpy

  guacamole

  Guadalqivir

  guano

  guava

  guayaco/guiacum

 

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