Read Online The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) by Martin H. Manser - Free Book Online Page A

soul.
    atoll (atol) MALDIVIAN [atolu] noun a
coral island comprising a central
lagoon surrounded by a reef: "The
atoll was devastated by its usefor nuclear
tests over two decades."
    a tort et a travers (a tor ay a travair)
FRENCH [with wrong and with fault]
adverb phrase at random, haphazardly, indiscriminately, recklessly,
heedlessly.

    atrium (4tree5m) LATIN [central
court] noun (plural atriums or atria,
4tree5) the central room in a
Roman house and, subsequently,
the main hall or portico of a modern house (often with a glass roof):
"Standing in the shade of the dull passage, and looking through the doorway,
he beheld the atrium of a Roman house,
roomy and rich to a fabulous degree of
magnfcence" (Lew Wallace, Ben Hur,
1880). Also, one of the upper chambers of the heart.
    a trois (a twa) FRENCH [for three]
adverb phrase for three persons: "They
decided to spend the evening d trois."
    attache (atash, atashay) FRENCH
[attached, past participle of attacker to
attach] noun a person with expertise in a particular field (sometimes
pertaining to trade or the military)
who works with the diplomatic staff
of an embassy or legation: "He had
now finished his breakfast; but he was
drinking a small cup of coffee, which had
been served to him on a little table in the
garden by one of the waiters who looked
like an attache" (Henry James, Daisy
Miller, 1879).
    aubade (Obahd) FRENCH [Old Provencal aubada, auba dawn] noun a
piece of music or a poem celebrating the dawn or written to be performed at daybreak: "His series of
aubades are now considered among his
finest poems."
    auberge (Obairzh) FRENCH [shelter,
Provencal alberga lodging] noun a
French inn or tavern: "I have no goal.
When I am weary I stop at some / auberge;
/ when I am rested Igo on again" (Robert Service, Ballads of a Bohemian,
1920).
    au beurre (O ber) FRENCH [with butter] adjective phrase (in French cuisine) cooked in butter.
    A.U.C. See AB URBE CONDITA.
    au contraire (O kontrair) FRENCH [to
the contrary] adverb phrase on the
contrary: "The suave young man shook
his head and murmured, Au contraire, my
dear fellow, au contraire."'
    au courant (O koorori ) FRENCH
[in the current] adjective phrase upto-date, well-informed, conversant,
abreast, cognizant: "The senator has been
kept au courant with events ever since the
crisis started."
    audio (odeeO) LATIN [I hear, from
audire to hear] adjective of or relating
to the broadcasting or reproduction
of sound: "We were listening to audio
clips from our favorite sitcom." noun
the broadcasting or reproduction of
sound: "Ifound a website that offers Russian tuition with audio."
    auditor (oditar) LATIN [hearer, auditus
act of hearing, audire to hear] noun a
person who has the authority to examine and verify financial accounts,
or more generally any person who
hears or listens: "I was an involuntary
spectator and auditor of whatever was done
and said in the kitchen of the adjacent
village inn -a wholly new and rare experience to me" (Henr), David Thoreau,
Civil Disobedience, 1849).

    auditorium (odatoreeam) LATIN [lecture room, place for listeners] noun
(plural auditoriums or auditoria,
ordatoreea) the part of a theater
or other public building where the
audience sits: "But the populace, seeing in that title an allusion damaging to
Barbicane's project, broke into the auditorium, smashed the benches, and compelled
the unlucky director to alter his playbill"
(Jules Verne, From the Earth to the
Moon, 1865).
    au fait (o f) FRENCH [to the point]
adjective phrase well-informed, conversant, familiar, competent, expert:
"She claimed to be au fait with the layout
of the palace."
    Aufklarung (OWfklahrang) GERMAN
[clearing up] noun enlightenment
(usuall), referring specifically to the
philosophical movement called the
Enlightenment that swept European
culture during the 18th century):
"Indeed there would have been something
peculiarly fitting in the idea that the