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

thought is most associated with Adam Smith (1723–1790) and his book The Wealth of Nations (1776). However, Smith did not use the phrase, and it’s doubtful that a close reading of his works would support the idea that he was a laissez-faire economist—at lease in the sense that the term is used today.
It seems to me that if the government would practice LAISSEZ FAIRE, the economy would work just fine. And if I become fabulously rich as a result, well, that’s obviously the way things were meant to be .
    lapsus linguae (Latin) (LAP-soos LING-why) (noun)
    A slip of the tongue.
I meant to say, “Let’s table the resolution,” but in a LAPSUS LINGUAE I accidentally said, “Let’s table the revolution.”
Nota Bene
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) presented the idea in his 1901 book The Psychopathology of Everyday Life that many slips of the tongue are, in fact, a key to understanding the unconscious mind of the speaker. Today, the term “Freudian slip” (which Freud never used) is applied to pretty much any slip of the tongue.
    Lebensraum (German) (LAY-benz-rowm) (noun)
    Living space. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) came to power in Germany by appealing to the nationalist instincts of the German people. Above all, he argued, the Germans needed Lebensraum , room to expand to the east into what Hitler argued were traditionally German lands such as Poland and Czechoslovakia.
    Lederhosen (German) (LAY-der-HOZ-en) (noun)
    Leather shorts, either knee-length or shorter, usually supported by two shoulder straps. They originated in the Alpine regions of Germany in Bavaria. Although still worn in those areas, their popularity has declined in the rest of Germany.
Even though we’re going to a beer festival, I don’t think it was necessary for you to wear LEDERHOSEN and a Tyrolean hat with a feather in it .
    Leitmotif (German) (LAYT-moh-TEEF) (noun)
    Leading motif. Originally a musical term, though it is sometimes also applied to literature. It refers to a recurring theme that is associated with a person, place, or idea.
In Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, the LEITMOTIF of Peter is signaled by the orchestra’s string section .
    lèse-majesté (French) (LEHZ MAH-zhess-tay) (noun)
    An offense against the reigning monarch or ruler of a state. More generally, an offense committed against some significant power, either in a state or an organization.
For you to slap the CEO on the back and call him by his first name was an impermissible act of LÈSE-MAJESTÉ. Please clear out your desk and exit the building .
    lex talionis (Latin) (LEX tal-ee-OH-neess) (noun)
    Literally, “law of the talon.” More colloquially, the principle of “an eye for an eye”—he who injures a person shall receive the same injury. This concept of law dates back to the reign of the Babylonian monarch Hammurabi (d. 1750 B.C. ), whose laws were engraved on a series of stelae . To a great extent, it has disappeared from Western jurisprudence.
You took my cocktail, so, in accordance with LEX TALONIS, I’m going to take yours. And I’ll take your date along with it .
    Liebchen (German) (LEEB-chen) (noun)
    Sweetheart; dear. A term of affection, usually applied by a grownup to a child.
Come here, LIEBCHEN, and give your grandmother a nice hug and kiss .
    lingua franca (Latin) (LING-wah FRANK-ah) (noun)
    A language that makes it possible for people who don’t share the same linguistic background to communicate with one another.
Today, especially in business, English is the LINGUA FRANCA of the Western world .
Nota Bene
There have been many attempts to create a universal language, but among the most ambitious was Esperanto. This constructed language was created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 in an attempt to transcend national borders and political disputes. Two world wars, one cold war, two atomic bombs, and many many regional conflicts later, it’s safe to say that Zamenhof was hopelessly optimistic in his plans for Esperanto. Nevertheless, it is estimated