Foreign Phrases Flashcards
a posteriori
based on inductive reasoning
a priori
based on inductive reasoning
ad hoc
for a specific purpose
amicus curiae
friend of the court
beau geste
noble gesture
bete noire
someone or something particularly disliked
bon mot
witty remark or comment
bona fide
in good faith
casus beli
pretext for war
caveat emptor
let the buyer beware
corpus delicti
body of the crime; substantial fact necessary to prove the commission of a crime
de facto
actual
de jure
by right; technically true
dies irae
day of wrath
ecce homo
behold the man
ex cathedra
by virtue of one’s office
ex parte
from a partisan point of view
ex post facto
after the fact
fait accompli
a done deed
hoi polloi
the common people
idée fixe
obsession
in camera
in private
in extremis
near death
in loco parentis
in the place of a parent
in vino veritas
in wine there is truth
ipso facto
as an inevitable result
memento mori
a reminder that you must die
mot juste
the appropriate word
nolo contendere
no contest
nota bene
note well
prima facie
on the face of it
pro forma
perfunctory
quo vadis
where are you going
rara avis
an unusual specimen; rare bird
sangfroid
self-possession
schadenfreude
enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
sic transit gloria mundi
thus passes away the glory of the world
sine qua non
something indispensible
sui generis
one of a kind
tout le monde
all the world
veni, vidi, vici
I came, I saw, I conquered
vox populi
voice of the people
weltanschauung
worldview, a comprehensive apprehension of the world
weltschmerz
sorrow over the evils of the world
