What are the most graceful French expressions in English?

La newsletter
La newsbar
Le warrant
Le speeder
zoomin
Le podcast
Le cowboy
Le star
Les news
Le web

<<La newsletter
La newsbar
Le warrant
Le speeder
zoomin
Le podcast
Le cowboy
Le star
Les news
Le web >>

But those are single words, rather than full expressions. Are there any full English expressions used in French or any other language?

<<Really? The sentences you quote are quite standard French, with nothing wrong.>>

Exactly my point. French (or any other native speaker of a language) would not write so stiltedly. Writing uniform French is highly suspicious. And if you could write in English all along, why did you write in French to begin with? To be snobbish? Cos nearly everyone else was writing in English.

And I meant exactly the point in general, not necessarily mine.

Petit florilège :

<bête noire>
/bɛt·nwaʁ/ → /beɪ̯t·ˈnwɑː/

<en route>
/ɑ̃·ʁut/ → /ɑːn·ˈɹuːt/, /ɔːŋ·ˈɹuːt/ etc

<haute couture>
/ɔt·ku·tyʁ/ → /əʊ̯t·kuː·ˈtʊə̯/

<ménage à trois>
/me·na·ʒa·tʁwa/ → /meɪ̯·ˈnɑːʒ·ɑː·ˈtɹwɑː/

<noblesse oblige>
/no·blɛ·so·bliʒ/ → /nəʊ̯·blɛs·əʊ̯·ˈbliːʒ/

<nom de plume>
/nɔ̃·də·plym/, /nɔ̃·dplym/ → /nɒm·də·ˈpluːm/

<nouveau riche>
/nu·vo·ʁiʃ/ → /nuː·vəʊ̯·ˈɹiːʃ/

<pied-à-terre>
/pje·ta·tɛʁ/ → /pɪ·eɪ̯·də·ˈteə̯/, /pjeɪ̯·də·ˈteə̯/ etc

<touché>
/tu·ʃe/ → /tuː·ˈʃeɪ̯/

Most of those should be avoided since a huge number of English speakers don't know them. I have on many occasions met with university educated native English speakers who looked at me blankly and with annoyance when I used slightly less widespread French expressions, for example <ménage à trois>, <bête noire> or <esprit de corps>.

If you must use them at all, stick to the most common ones like <coup de etat> (preferably shortened to simply <coup>), <par excellence> or <c'est la vie>. And do NOT go all out with the French pronunciation, you will be scorned for it.

All French words and expressions in English are graceful unlike the coarse and barbaric Anglo-Saxon words.

"La newsletter
La newsbar
Le warrant"

"News" is a rough translation of French term "nouvelles". "Warrant" is a french derived word, as is "bar". That reminds to me of a joke:

"Have you ever had someone borrow your stuff for so long you had to borrow it back?"

That's good, you can have it all back. We are soon to be kicking out this needless wordhoard anyhow, for our inwit beckons it.

<<I have on many occasions met with university educated native English speakers who looked at me blankly and with annoyance when I used slightly less widespread French expressions, for example <ménage à trois>, <bête noire> or <esprit de corps>.>>


Are you certain it was because they didn't know the meaning, or could it have been that they were just disgusted by your pretentious language?

...anyway there is NEVER a reason to use a french expression in the English language. NONE of them are "graceful", nor do they add anything of substance to writing/speech.

<<Because "blow of state" would sound ridiculous in English. That is why we leave "coup d'etat" untranslated. >>

What's wrong with "turn of state"?
or "national overthrow"?

'coup d'etat' is no longer considered a French term. It is an English word derived from a French expression, like 'corduroy'

<<Raison d'etre.
noblesse oblige
pied-à-terre>>

I am a fairly educated native English speaker, and I have never come across or heard any of the above expressions before in my life.

Now, I can make them out--that is easy enough; but honestly, I have never heard them before.

<<'coup d'etat' is no longer considered a French term. It is an English word derived from a French expression, like 'corduroy'>>

I agree. These various phrases are certainly of French origin, but they are not part of our language. Like I'm sure French had to borrow some English terms as well, but those words are basically considered French.

<< I am a fairly educated native English speaker, and I have never come across or heard any of the above expressions before in my life. >>

Hmm, you seem to have a certain 'tu ne sais quoi'.

Suite :

<aide-de-camp>
/ɛd·də·kɑ̃/, /ɛ·də·də·kɑ̃/ → /eɪ̯d·də·ˈkæmp/

<amour propre>
/a·muʁ·pʁɔ·pʁ/ → /æ·mʊə̯·ˈpɹɒ·pɹə/, /ɑː·mʊə̯·ˈpɹəʊ̯·pɹə/ etc

<au pair>
/o·pɛʁ/ → /əʊ̯·ˈpeə̯/

<enfant terrible>
/ɑ̃·fɑ̃·te·ʁibl/ → /ɑːn·fɑːn·te·ˈɹiː·blə/

<grande dame>
/ɡʁɑ̃d·dam/, /ɡʁɑ̃·də·dam/ → /ɡɹɑːnd·ˈdɑːm/, /ɡɹæn·ˈdæm/ etc

<hors-d'œuvre>
/ɔʁ·dœvʁ/ → / ɔː·ˈdɜːv/

<joie de vivre>
/ʒwad·vivʁ/, /ʒwa·də·vivʁ/ → /ʒwɑː·də·ˈviː·vɹə/

<petit bourgeois>
/pə·ti·buʁ·ʒwa/, /pti·buʁ·ʒwa/ → /pə·tiː·bʊə̯·ˈʒwa/, /pe·tɪ·bɔː·ˈʒwa/ etc

<tour de force>
/tuʁ·də·fɔʁs/ → /tʊə̯·də·ˈfɔːs/

<vis-à-vis>
/vi·za·vi/ → /vɪ·zə·ˈviː/