*Status Quo *
The Latin loan phrase status quo, meaning literally the state in which, is used in English to mean the existing condition or state of affairs. The phrase usually serves as a noun, but it can also function as a phrasal adjective preceding a noun.
*Skullduggery*
Skulduggery is general underhanded behavior or trickery, usually secret or devious. The plural form is skulduggeries, though the word is rarely used in this way since it means behavior in a general sense to begin with.
Sine qua non
Sine qua non, meaning an indispensable element, is a
loanword from Latin, translating roughly to without which not. It’s always a noun, usually italicized (although italicization is not necessary), and it’s usually preceded by the or a and followed by
Repertoire is a mass noun for the variety of skills a person or company is capable of accomplishing. Usually it is used in reference to musicians or theater companies and what parts or pieces they are prepared to perform. However, this term is common enough it can be used outside of the artistic world. Repertoire is pronounced \ˈre-pə(r)-ˌtwär\ (reh per twar).
*Repertory* is a synonym for repertoire, but it can also has several other definitions. It may mean a certain kind of group of actors performing certain pieces throughout a season. It is also a synonym for repository or a location for objects to be stored. It is pronounced \ˈre-pə(r)-ˌtȯr-ē\ (reh per tor ee).
The plural for repertory is repertories.
The Latin loanphrase quid pro quo means a reciprocal exchange. It translates literally to something for something. There are varying recommendations for pluralizing quid pro quo, but the simplest and most likely to stick (though it doesn’t conform to Latin grammar) is quid pro quos. The phrase usually functions as a noun, but it also works adjectivally to characterize a reciprocal exchange.
The Latin loanphrase quid pro quo means a reciprocal exchange. It translates literally to something for something. There are varying recommendations for pluralizing quid pro quo, but the simplest and most likely to stick (though it doesn’t conform to Latin grammar) is quid pro quos. The phrase usually functions as a noun, but it also works adjectivally to characterize a reciprocal exchange.
Per se
The loan phrase per se comes from the Latin itself, and in modern English it’s usually an adjective meaning in itself, by itself, of itself, or intrinsically. Unlike most adjectives in English, per se usually follows the word it modifies, as in these examples:
The best controlled studies conclude that bed-sharing per se does not put infants at risk. [Sacramento Bee]
persona non grata means, literally, person not welcome, and from this we can infer the loan phrase‘s English definition. It means unacceptable or unwelcome, and it also works as a noun meaning an unacceptable or unwelcome person. Its Latin plural, should you ever need it, is personae non gratae.
Par excellence
The French loan phrase par excellence, meaning (1) quintessential, (2) excellent, or (3) to a degree of excellence, is both an adjective and an adverb. But unlike standard English adverbs and adjectives, par excellence usually comes after the word it modifies. For example, a great writer is not a par excellence writer but rather a writer par excellence.
Because par excellence has earned a spot in the English language, there’s no need to italicize it in normal use. It’s usually spoken with a French/English hybrid pronunciation, with par pronounced as rhyming with bar, and excellence pronounced in the French manner, excellans.
Examples
The case study par excellence, Phantom of the Opera, has been rewarding its brave original investors handsomely for 25 years. [Sydney Morning Herald]
milieu refers to a social environment, or sometimes more generally to any environment or location. It’s often used to refer to social environments that are remote to the speaker and her presumed readers. The social worlds of artists and the wealthy, for instance, are often referred to as milieus, as are social worlds of bygone eras. But the word doesn’t necessarily bear these connotations, and it’s sometimes used in reference to more ordinary, accessible environments
Modus operandi, often abbreviated m.o. or MO, is Latin for way of working. In English, the loanword is usually used to refer to a way in which someone routinely does something, but it can also be used more generally to refer to mode of operation.
laissez faire has two main definitions: (1) the principle that government should not control business, and (2) the wish not to control others. It translates literally to allow to act. In English, laissez faire is unhyphenated when it functions as a noun, and hyphenated when it functions as an adjective (e.g., laissez-faire policies). In practice, though, many publications ignore this distinction and hyphenate the term no matter how it functions.
kowtow is to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in expression of respect, worship, or submission. It is a rare loanword from Mandarin Chinese. It’s often used metaphorically to mean to show servile deference. It also functions as a noun denoting the act of kowtowing.
Ipso facto is Latin for itself fact. In English, we use it as an adverb meaning by that very fact. It’s usually used where a necessary conclusion can be derived from one fact even where other facts would contribute to the conclusion. For example, we might say that while there are several reasons ipso facto is useful, the fact that there is no one-word English equivalent makes it ipso facto a welcome addition to the language.
An imbroglio is a big mess of people or ideas, a complicated fight, or detailed scandal. It can sometimes be used to describe something particularly embarrassing as well. The plural is made by adding an s, imbroglios.
It comes from the Italian word imbrogliare, which means to entangle or confuse. In the English language, imbroglio has been around at least since 1750.
Habeas corpus is a Latin loan phrase meaning, literally, “you shall have the body.” In modern usage, habeas corpus refers to the right of a detained individual to be brought before a court or judge to determine whether the imprisonment is legal and justified.
In English, forte is two different words. When it comes from the French adjective meaning strong, it is a noun referring to something in which one excels. For example, an accountant’s forte might be math, and a novelist’s forte might be inventing characters. When forte comes from Italian, it is a musical term directing a performer to play loudly. It’s also an adjective or an adverb used to describe loud playing, and it is occasionally a noun referring to forte performance (see the last example below).
Both words are usually pronounced FOR-tay in English. While this roughly reflects the Italian pronunciation, the word in French is pronounced fort, and in fact forte is a femininization of the masculine adjective fort, which is pronounced for in French. This doesn’t mean careful English speakers should use the French pronunciation, though, as that might just confuse people.
Examples
Anshaw’s forte as a writer is to show how most of us stumble through life without the help of a road map. [Independent]
The French loan phrase force majeure (meaning, literally, greater force) has two meanings in English: (1) superior or overpowering force, and (2) an unexpected or uncontrollable event. The latter sense is used more often.
Force majeure is most often used in legal contexts, usually in reference to events that are beyond a person’s or company’s control. A force majeure clause of a contract outlines the extreme conditions under which one or both parties may be freed from obligation or liability. One invokes force majeure to clear oneself of liability or to get out of a contract, sometimes only temporarily.
Force majeure generally functions as a noun, though it also works as a phrasal adjective preceding a noun (e.g., force majeure events). Although force majeure has been in English for a long time, it’s still relatively unknown outside the field of law, so it can go either italicized or unitalicized.
Examples
These writers use force majeure in its legal sense:
Libya declared force majeure on all oil product exports as political violence shut more than 8 percent of the country’s 1.6 million barrels per day of crude production. [Reuters]
If the Bahrain organisers are covered by insurance, it is difficult to know whether that would work in a force majeure situation. [Telegraph]
A femme fatale is a seductive woman who brings ruin upon a person who becomes infatuated or obsessed with her. A femme fatale may become a lover or hold out the promise of becoming a lover; she uses her physical attributes and powers of psychological manipulation to use her victim to gain power or material goods, or simply because it amuses her to control her victim. The femme fatale is a literary trope; it is a catchall for any familiar thing that recurs in art, media, politics, or social interaction, even if the recurring element is not figurative. The femme fatale is particularly popular in the film noir genre. The expression femme fatale is a loanword from the French; it literally means dangerous woman. The term came into use in English sometime in the nineteenth century; its popularity soared in the latter half of the twentieth century. The plural form of femme fatale is femme fatales.
faux pas (literally false step) is a noun meaning a social blunder or indiscretion. The plural form is spelled the same, but while the singular faux pas is pronounced foh-PAH, the plural faux pas is pronounced foh-PAHZ. Those are the French pronunciations, anyway.
Faux pas has been in English a long time, so there’s no need to italicize it in normal use. It doesn’t require a hyphen.