Vocabulary - French

Have you ever noticed, anything French is equated with sophistication? For one reason or the other it is (a subject for another post probably). I guess, we have got to admit the French loan words in English do sound sophisticated. So, here is a look at a few of them.
 
de rigueur (duh ree-GUHR)
Required by fashion, custom, or etiquette.
Etymology:
From 'of strictness', from the Latin rigor.

parry (PAR-ee)
To ward off or evade.
A defensive movement or an evasive answer.
Etymology:
From parez which means 'ward off'

femme fatale (fem fuh-TAHL)
plural femmes fatales (fem fuh-TAHLZ)
An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who leads others into disaster.
Etymology:
Literally fatal woman. :D :D

volte-face (volt-FAHS)
A reversal in policy or opinion; about-face.
Etymology:
It came into French from Latin volvere (to turn) + faccia (face).

nouveau riche (noo-voh-REESH)
Someone who has recently acquired wealth, especially one who displays this in an ostentatious fashion.
Etymology:
The term nouveau riche in French simply means 'new rich'. Trust the French to coin another word on the same lines - 'nouveau pauvre'  meaning 'newly impoverished'.