List of Use context as a clue to the meanings of foreign expressions

Foreign Expression	Language	Meaning	Example Sentence (Context Clue)
ad hoc	Latin	for a specific purpose	The committee was formed ad hoc to solve the sudden budget issue.
bona fide	Latin	genuine, real	She made a bona fide effort to complete her project honestly.
déjà vu	French	feeling of having seen before	Walking into the house gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.
faux pas	French	social mistake	Forgetting the guest’s name was an embarrassing faux pas.
vice versa	Latin	the other way around	She helps him, and vice versa, he helps her too.
per capita	Latin	per person	The country’s income per capita is higher this year.
alma mater	Latin	school or university one graduated from	Harvard is his alma mater, where he studied law.
RSVP	French	please respond	Don’t forget to RSVP to the wedding invitation.
pro bono	Latin	for free, for the public good	The lawyer worked pro bono for poor clients.
status quo	Latin	the current state	They wanted to keep the status quo instead of making changes.
c’est la vie	French	that’s life	We lost the game, but c’est la vie!
coup d’état	French	overthrow of government	The sudden coup d’état shocked the nation.
per diem	Latin	daily allowance	The employees receive a per diem for travel.
tête-à-tête	French	private conversation	They had a quiet tête-à-tête in the garden.
ad infinitum	Latin	endlessly	The teacher repeated the rules ad infinitum.
carte blanche	French	full freedom	The manager gave him carte blanche to design the project.
prima donna	Italian	a self-centered person	She acted like a prima donna during the rehearsal.
esprit de corps	French	team spirit	The soldiers showed strong esprit de corps.
lingua franca	Italian	common language	English is the lingua franca of international business.
alter ego	Latin	another self	Clark Kent is the alter ego of Superman.
enfant terrible	French	shocking or unconventional person	The young artist became an enfant terrible in the art world.
habeas corpus	Latin	legal right to appear before a judge	The prisoner filed a habeas corpus petition.
joie de vivre	French	joy of living	Her smile showed her joie de vivre.
coup de grâce	French	final blow	The last goal was the coup de grâce for the losing team.
mea culpa	Latin	my fault	He admitted the mistake by saying, mea culpa.
modus operandi	Latin	way of working	The thief’s modus operandi was always the same.
laissez-faire	French	policy of non-interference	The government followed a laissez-faire approach to trade.
persona non grata	Latin	unwelcome person	The diplomat was declared persona non grata.
terra firma	Latin	solid ground	After the stormy sea, they were happy to reach terra firma.
au revoir	French	goodbye	She waved and said, au revoir!
in loco parentis	Latin	in place of parents	Teachers act in loco parentis during school hours.
vis-à-vis	French	face-to-face / in relation to	We discussed the new policy vis-à-vis employee rights.
et cetera (etc.)	Latin	and so on	Please bring paper, pens, rulers, et cetera.
caveat emptor	Latin	let the buyer beware	The car was sold as-is, caveat emptor.
esprit	French	wit	His speech was full of charm and esprit.
nom de plume	French	pen name	Mark Twain was the nom de plume of Samuel Clemens.
au fait	French	familiar with	He is au fait with the latest technology.
quid pro quo	Latin	something for something	The deal was a simple quid pro quo: help for help.
nouveau riche	French	newly rich	The nouveau riche often show off their wealth.
coup de main	French	a quick attack or help	He gave us a coup de main in finishing the work.
ad nauseam	Latin	to a sickening degree	He explained the rules ad nauseam.
tabula rasa	Latin	blank slate	A child’s mind is often seen as a tabula rasa.
tempus fugit	Latin	time flies	It’s already midnight—tempus fugit!
laissez-passer	French	a permit or pass	Soldiers were allowed through with a laissez-passer.
enfant gâté	French	spoiled child	He behaved like an enfant gâté.
ex officio	Latin	by virtue of office	The principal is an ex officio member of the committee.
carpe diem	Latin	seize the day	He lived by the motto carpe diem.
en route	French	on the way	We are en route to Paris now.
in toto	Latin	totally	The proposal was accepted in toto.
deus ex machina	Latin	unexpected power saving a situation	The novel ended with a deus ex machina

Carpe diem	Latin	She decided to carpe diem and book the trip without hesitation.	Seize the day
Alma mater	Latin	He visited his alma mater to give a guest lecture.	The school or college one graduated from
Bona fide	Latin	He presented a bona fide certificate to prove his identity.	Genuine; in good faith
Alter ego	Latin	Clark Kent is the alter ego of Superman.	Second self
Exempli gratia (e.g.)	Latin	Use an adverb, e.g., quickly or slowly.	For example
Id est (i.e.)	Latin	He is a polyglot, i.e., he speaks many languages.	That is
Vice versa	Latin	She helps me and I help her, vice versa.	The other way around
In vino veritas	Latin	He spoke freely after a drink—in vino veritas.	In wine, there is truth
Tabula rasa	Latin	The new policy gave everyone a tabula rasa, a fresh start.	Blank slate
Terra firma	Latin	After weeks at sea, they were glad to be on terra firma.	Solid ground
Vox populi	Latin	The election reflected the vox populi.	Voice of the people
Status quo	Latin	She wanted to maintain the status quo at work.	Existing state
Subpoena	Latin	He received a subpoena to appear in court.	Legal order to attend
Persona non grata	Latin	After the scandal, he became persona non grata.	Unwelcome person
Caveat emptor	Latin	She bought the car without inspection—caveat emptor.	Let the buyer beware
Modus operandi	Latin	The thief’s modus operandi was always the same.	Method of working
Sine qua non	Latin	Hard work is the sine qua non of success.	Essential condition
Pro bono	Latin	The lawyer worked pro bono for the poor.	Without charge
Habeas corpus	Latin	He filed a habeas corpus petition for release.	Legal right against unlawful detention
Mea culpa	Latin	He admitted his mistake by saying, mea culpa.	My fault
Et cetera (etc.)	Latin	Pack pencils, pens, erasers, etc.	And so on
Curriculum vitae (CV)	Latin	She sent her curriculum vitae to apply for the job.	Resume
De facto	Latin	He is the de facto leader though not elected.	In reality
De jure	Latin	The king was de jure ruler but had no power.	By law
Ipso facto	Latin	If it rains, ipso facto, the match will be canceled.	By that fact itself
Quid pro quo	Latin	It was a quid pro quo—help for help.	Something for something
Carpe noctem	Latin	Students celebrated with carpe noctem—seize the night!	Enjoy the night
In toto	Latin	The project was rejected in toto.	As a whole
Lapsus linguae	Latin	He made a lapsus linguae and said the wrong word.	Slip of the tongue
Magnum opus	Latin	The novel was his magnum opus.	Greatest work
Nolo contendere	Latin	The accused pleaded nolo contendere in court.	No contest
Ad infinitum	Latin	The debate went on ad infinitum.	Forever, endlessly
Post mortem	Latin	A post mortem revealed the cause of death.	After death examination
In loco parentis	Latin	Teachers act in loco parentis during school hours.	In place of parents
Annus mirabilis	Latin	2020 was no annus mirabilis.	Wonderful year
Annus horribilis	Latin	For many, 2020 was an annus horribilis.	Horrible year
Deo gratias	Latin	The monk said, Deo gratias, after the meal.	Thanks be to God
De gustibus non est disputandum	Latin	He loves pineapple pizza—de gustibus non est disputandum.	In matters of taste, there is no dispute
Per diem	Latin	He was given a per diem allowance for travel.	Daily allowance
Ad hoc	Latin	They formed an ad hoc committee for the event.	For a specific purpose
Ex officio	Latin	As principal, she was ex officio chairperson.	By virtue of office
Inter alia	Latin	He mentioned, inter alia, his hobbies.	Among other things
De minimis	Latin	The mistake was too small—de minimis.	Insignificant
Non sequitur	Latin	His response was a non sequitur.	Illogical statement
Prima facie	Latin	The evidence was prima facie convincing.	At first glance
Nota bene (N.B.)	Latin	N.B.: Submit homework on time.	Note well
Pax Romana	Latin	The empire enjoyed Pax Romana for two centuries.	Roman peace
In situ	Latin	The fossils were left in situ.	In the original place
Ad hominem	Latin	His argument turned into an ad hominem attack.	Personal attack
Ad nauseam	Latin	The point was repeated ad nauseam.	To a sickening extent

let’s practice!