(capitalized letters have the emphasized syllables)

a la croute!              "To the crust!"   (Let's eat!) (ah la CROAT)

a la prochaine             Until next time (ah la pro-SHANE)

a la votre                 Cheers! (ah la VOTE-TRA)

ballon d'essai             Trial balloon (ba-lon da-sigh)

ca ne fait rien            It doesn't matter; never mind (sa na fay RE-ENN)

cela va sans dire          That goes without saying (sa-la va sahn deer)

c'est bonnet blanc et blanc bonnet
                           It's a white hat and a hat white
                            (It's 6 of one, half a dozen of another) 

chant du cygne             Swan song  (shawn do seen-ya)

conte de fee               Fairy tale (kawn da fay)

coterie litteraire         Literary circle  (kawt-REE lee-tay-RARE)

coucheuse                  Fast woman (koo-SHUHZ)

coureur de nuit            Philanderer (core-row da NWEE)

de jour en jour            Day by day  (da zhure an zhure)

denouement                 Outcome  (day-noo-MAHN)

deshabille                 Carelessly dressed  (day-shabby-YEA)
                              but: en deshabille  =  Naked.

de trop                    Unwanted. Superfluous. (de trow)

faire bonne chair          Dine well  (fair bone share)

farceur                    Joker  (far-SUHR)

fin de siecle              End of century. Decadent. (fan da see-EK-ell)

fleur-de-lys               Lilly  (fluhr-de-leess)

franchir le Rubicon        "Cross the Rubicon"
                              Make an irreversible decision 

histoire sans queue ni tete       (ee-stwar sanka knee tayt)
                            Story without head or tail; a "tall tale"

honi soit qui mal y pense   shame to him who thinks evil of it
                               (ahn-knee swa key malley ponce)
                            (Motto of the Order of the Garter)

hors de ligne               Exceptional  ("out of line")
                              (oar da lean-ya)

il n'y a pas a dire         It's settled.     (eel knee-ah pah za-deer)

il n'y a pas de quoi        Don't mention it.  (eel knee-ah pah da kwa)

je crois que non            I think not. (je crawh ku nawn)

je ne sais quoi             The indefinable something
je ne sais pas              I don't know
je ne sais trop             I am not sure

je t'en prie                Please  (zjet tahn pree)       (familiar)
je vous en prie             Please  (jsha voo sahn pree)   (polite)

kil de rouge                cheap wine (keel du roozh)

l'ecume de la societe       The dregs. (lay-kume de la so-say-TAY)

le sage entend a demi mot   The wise understands at half a word

les jeux sont faix          No more bets (lay zhuu sawn fay)

loup de mer                 Old salt  (lou de mare)

malgre tout                 Despite all... (mal grey too)

miser sur le mauvais cheval   Back the wrong horse 
                                 (me-say sore la moe-vay sha-val)

muet                        Silent  (moo-AY)

necessite fait loi          Necessity makes it's own law.
                              (Beggers can't be choosers)

odalisque                   Concubine (aw-dah-LEESK)

on est dans la merde        One is in deep shit (on-ay don la murd)

partager le gateau          Go halves. (Share the cake) (par-taage la-gat-toe)

peche                       Peach     (pesh)
peche'                      Sin       (pay-SHAY)

pommes frites               French fries "Fried apples" (palm freet)

precis                      Abstract (pray-SEE)

projet en l'air             Fanciful scheme (pro zjay tawn lair)

quelles sont les nouvelles  What is the news? (kell sawn la new vell)

recherche                   Sought after; prized (ray cher shay)

rien de moins               Nothing less  (ree-en da mwahn)

si j'avais su!              Now you tell me! (If I had only known)

soigne                      Well groomed  (SWAN-YAY)

soyez ferme                 Be firm      (swah-YAY fairm)
soyez tranquille            Be at ease   (swah-YAY trahn keel)

sur l'heure                 Immediately   (sore lur)

trompe l'oeil               Trick-of-the eye   (TROMP play-ee)
                            and some prefer:   (tromp-LIE-ah)

vierge                      Virgin  (vyairzh)

vogue la galere!            Go for it!  Literally:"Row the galley!" (??!)
                                 (vogue la gay-LAIR)

La vie en rose              Life through rose colored glasses
                                 (la vee ahn rosa)

volte-face                  Change of policy (volt-fash)

vouloir c'est pouvoir       Where there's a will there's a way
                                  (voo l'wa say poo v'wa)

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