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Today's Word "contretemps"

An inopportune event on

Published in Vocabulary

contretemps \KAHN-truh-tahn\ (noun) - An inopportune or embarrassing situation or event; a hitch.

"For the moment, the author goes from contretemps to contretemps. I have nothing against contretemps. I adore the Inferno. But how could I read it if I didn't know in advance that Dante won't let himself be turned away at the last minute from Paradise?" -- Helene Cixous, 'Firstdays of the Year'

 

Contretemps comes from French, from contre, "against" (from Latin contra) + temps, "time" (from Latin tempus).


 

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