500 Foreign Words and Phrases You Should Know to Sound Smart by Peter Archer

like this spaghetti sauce before. It has a certain JE NE SAIS QUOI about it. Probably because you added half a bottle of Wild Turkey to it at the last minute .
    jeu d’esprit (French) (ZHOO DES-pree) (noun)
    A playful spirit. A fun, carefree attitude to life, no matter the stomach-wrenching disasters that may face one.
I know your wife has left you and your dog has died, and your company has gone bankrupt and your children have filed a lawsuit against you for spending their inheritance, but I’m sure your JEU D’ESPRIT will carry you through even these difficult times .
    jeunesse dorée (French) (ZHOO-ness dor-AY) (noun)
    Wealthy young people who inhabit the upper crust of society. The French equivalent of Paris Hilton, they spend their time hanging out at clubs, summering on the French Riviera, and generally making a significant social nuisance of themselves.
The Kardashian family would like to be part of the American JEUNESSE DORÉE, but they don’t really have the class to even do that. Which is pretty pathetic, when you think about it .
    jihad (Arabic) (zhee-HAHD) (noun)
    One of the most controversial words in the world today, this term refers to the Muslim’s religious duty. The literal translation is “struggle,” but there is considerable argument, both within and without the Muslim community, over whether this struggle is inherently violent or not. Generally, the term has come to mean a religious war fought by adherents of Islam against nonbelievers.
The Taliban and Al Qaeda have conducted a JIHAD against those who disagree with their interpretation of Islam, as well as foreign powers such as the United States .
Nota Bene
Part of the confusion over the term jihad lies in the fact that the Quran seems ambiguous about its meaning. The word is not used to refer to fighting in the name of Allah; nonetheless, the Prophet Mohammed and his successors were clear that Islam must be spread, if necessary through war. Though this wasn’t very different than the attitude of early Christians, who were perfectly comfortable sending crusades both against Muslims and to attack and kill heretics within their own ranks.
    joie de vivre (French) (ZHWAH de VEEV-reh) (noun)
    Literally, “joy in life.” A happy attitude toward life; optimism.
My friend Melissa is always cheery, even at 6 o’clock in the frickin’ morning. She’s got so much goddamn JOIE DE VIVRE that most of her friends want to throttle her .

 
“A man who knows two languages is worth two men.”
—French proverb

K
    Kaffeeklatsch (German) (KAFF-ay-KLATCH) (noun)
    Coffee klatch. Informal discussion or chat. A notable example of German’s ability to string a series of words together to produce one monster word.
Every morning we gather around the office water cooler to compare notes about how unreasonable the boss was the day before. I just hope he doesn’t get word of our little KAFFEEKLATSCH .
    kamikaze (Japanese) (KAH-mi-KAHZ-ee) (noun)
    Literally, “divine wind,” this was the term for Japanese pilots who crashed their planes into Allied ships in the closing months of World War II. By extension, it has come to mean any suicide attempt in which the suicidal individual attempts to kill not only himself but as many other people as well.
Troops in Iraq have been repeatedly subject to KAMIKAZE bombers in the heart of Baghdad .
    karma (Sanskrit) (KAR-mah) (noun)
    In Hinduism, this is the notion of an action that causes a series of other actions and reactions, the whole forming a cycle. In general usage, it tends to mean something more akin to the idea that “what goes around, comes around.” In other words, you accumulate good karma or bad karma depending on your actions; this karma will eventually result in good or bad things happening to you.
I’ve been opening the door for so many people and helping so many old ladies across the street in the past two weeks that I should have picked up some really good KARMA to balance out that motorcycle I stole