ACOLYTE Person who assists a priest in the celebration of the Mass.
ASSIZE COURT Superior court in Europe and England in which sessions are held periodically for the purpose of administering civil and criminal justice.
AU REVOIR French for good-bye.
BABEL Confusion of sounds, voices, or languages.
BIER Platform or portable framework on which a coffin is placed.
BILL OF LADING Document listing and acknowledging receipt of goods for shipment.
BLACK PUDDING Sausage made of blood and suet, sometimes with the addition of flour or meal.
CAFE AU LAIT Coffee served with hot milk; also called “white” coffee.
DE TROP French phrase meaning “in excess” and, thus, unnecessary.
FACTOTUM Employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities.
FERNANDEL (1903-1971) French comic actor and movie star.
FLAT Apartment or suite of rooms on one floor of a building.
FRANC Monetary unit of France and its dependencies.
GRILLE Metal grating used as a screen, divider, or decorative element in a window or gateway.
GUILLOTINE Instrument for beheading, consisting of a heavy blade dropped between two grooved uprights. Named after Joseph Guillotin, who urged its use during the French Revolution.
HORS D’OEUVRE Appetizer served before a meal.
MAGISTRATE Civil officer empowered to enforce the law.
MOOR Member of a Muslim people of mixed Arab and Berber descent, living in north Africa.
PANAMA Straw hat.
PANNIKIN Small pan or metal cup.
PARRICIDE Person who murders either or both of his or her parents; the act itself.
REFECTORY Dining hall in an institution, particularly in a monastery or convent.
ROSETTE Ribboned ornament in the shape of a rose. Worn in the buttonhole by veterans to indicate the possession of medals such as the Legion of Honor.
SPIRIT LAMP Lamp using alcohol or other liquid fuel.
TO TRENCH To dig into a subject and cover it thoroughly.
TRESTLE Frame consisting of a horizontal beam fastened to two pairs of spreading legs, used to form a table.
VENDETTA Blood feud in which the relatives of a murdered or injured person seek revenge on the murderer or members of his or her family.